Saturday, May 15, 2010

rise 31

Hello fellow Risers!

Want to eat organic, locally-produced food inexpensively? Yes, I know you do. Me too, and that’s why I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA’s are based on a farmer or group of farmers pre-selling their crops before they harvest and oftentimes before they even plant. Most CSA’s provide weekly or bi-weekly baskets of food to the share hold
ers based on what is in season and how much of each crop was harvested. In this manner you’re getting delicious, healthy, fresh, local food while supporting local farmers. If you have some land or time to donate, you may even be able to get your share for free or at least at a discount. This year, I’m donating my garden (about 550 sq. ft.) to a CSA; they’ll farm it (we’ll have potatoes), combine my crop with dozens of other fruit & vegetable crops from other gardens all over the city and then I’ll get a free share each week. I call this a win-win-win-win (good for the wallet, good for the environment, good for the health, and helping to build a stronger local community & economy). For more information or to find a CSA in your area, check out http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Who here has ever seen the TV show ‘Flipper’ or gone to SeaWorld or swam with dolphins in a tropical resort? Ever wondered where those dolphins come from? If yo
u’re interested in the truth about those dolphins and dolphin meat, you need to see the documentary The Cove.

We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. ~ Maya Angelou

Consider that we refer to TVs, cars, IPods and sofas as ‘manufactured GOODS’. Do you feel that they bring good to your life or do they just occupy it? How about instead of ‘manufactured’ good, you instead bring authentic good into your life. Remember that just as much as you own your possessions, your possessions also own you (time & money spent purchasing & maintaining your items and worrying about whether they’ll get ruined or stolen). What if instead of working to make money to purchase manufactured goods, we instead spent more of our time with family, friends and making our lives more full?

“driving with electricity is far cheaper than driving with gasoline or natural gas. The average new U.S. car can travel roughly 30 miles on a gallon of gasoline, which cost $3.91 in July 2008 (the latest date for which comparable price data for natural gas is available). Traveling the same distance with natural gas cost around $2.51, while with electricity, using the existing electrical generation mix, it cost around 73¢.” ~ from Plan B by Lester Brown

Be happy! Be healthy! Be!