Windowfarms

Recently I watched a video on windowfarms and was totally blown away with the idea. I have not made one yet, but intend to as soon as I can. This spawned because my family was ready to find a house, get out of the city, and start growing (at least some) of our own food. The problem with is that now, we are stuck in city life another year. After seeing a video on this, I think it may hold the answer!

Here is the link to the open source information on how to grow food in your own apartment or condo window. http://www.windowfarms.org/ You can either buy the kits pre-made, which basically all you are paying for is the cost of materials, or you can view the open source and make one yourself using 2 liter pop bottles. It is quite amazing.

The website offers great information on how growing even a small amount of our own food is the best way to reduce our carbon footprints and help our environment. I do shop at the farmers markets when they are open, but that leaves a good portion of the year that I must shop at the grocery store, shipping all that food and wasting precious fossil fuels. If I grew some of that food, then I would save that need to ship.

For anyone interested, please check out the website. There are people you can message with that will share what they have found works best for growing all year around, or specific types of foods that work better than others. It is a great resource for anyone wanting to make a difference in a simple way. :-)

Happy planting!

Technology - Good or Bad?

Being someone who is very aware of the impacts we have on the Earth, one question that constantly comes up in discussion is technology. The use of it and whether it is better for our environment or not. Quite often I find people feel that our way of life, including our use of technology, is what is causing all the problems we face today. But I don't see that as the case...

First, I have learned the most about what is happening to the Earth and how to change our lifestyles from the Internet! So, taking that into account, I can not say that technology is bad or causing the problem.

What I can say is that our way of life is. Not by using electricity or having cars, but by using them mindlessly. We can install solar panels, use rechargeable batteries, or drive Eco cars, we just have to be aware of what we are doing and how each act effects the environment around us.

Personally, I feel technology is good. It has connected us to people all around the world, and gives us a means to see media that is not mainstream. We also have the capability of paying bills online, banking online, ordering things and selling.

One thing I love is that the new android phones we got have a feature called video chat. Since my husband works late, he can call the boys on video chat and see them to tell them goodnight. They love it and it helps with the difficult hours.

So to say that all technology is bad, well... I just don't agree. As long as we remember ~

Just because we watch fishing, that does not make us a fisherman...

If we like watching sports on T.V., that does not make us an athlete...

If technology is used to keep in contact with one another, help the planet, help our fellow man, and for things that will have little impact on the environment, then it is good. If we use it as a crutch, then maybe it is time to get out and meet some people the old fashioned way. There is one thing I have learned for certain, we must be aware of what we do at all times, and we must always have balance. :-)

'Are' Disasters on the Rise?

I have been contemplating this for a while now, thinking of all the recent earth quakes, tsunamis, protests, flooding, drought, and die offs. Many people have told me they feel like the world is falling apart, and are now wondering if 2012 will really be the END.

After much study, however, I have come to the conclusion that I don't think things are actually getting worse in the world. I believe the exact opposite...

First of all, just to set people straight, the Mayan Calender that speaks of Dec. 21, 2012 isn't actually about death. It is about a rebirth, or new beginning. It is a shift from one way of living, into another. This is not a bad or fearful thing, as long as you are flexible to change. The new timeline will begin with the dawning of the humanitarian age. This is a time to celebrate. So no, I do not believe the world will end in 2012.

If you listen to the news carefully, all the places that have been hit recently have had similar things happen before. I live on a fault line, and every day am aware that we are do for a major earth quake... That does not mean that if it happens soon, it is because the world is ending.

So what has really changed?  Is it Earth? Or maybe, could it be us??

If you think about it, the only thing that is different now is that we have the world wide web, video cameras on our cell phones, and the ability to send information instantly...  It seems to me that what has changed is our awareness of these events. It is so easy to forget that Chile, for instance, got hit with a quake. Or that there are football fields of rain forest still being removed daily for cattle in our ever demanding fast food race. These things seem like they should impact us when we are told, but the fact of the matter is that rarely happens. Most of us need to see the devastation, see what is happening, in order to truly grasp and connect with the tragedy.

Maybe things are getting worse with the heating of our atmosphere and pollution, but history shows many of these events are natural.  Funny enough, our technology that so many people feel disconnects us from one another (in face to face situations), is now what is bringing us together. Our awareness; consciousness, is expanding, and these events of late are allowing us to have compassion for one another on a mass scale. These times we live in are sometimes tragic, but also so exciting and full of possibilities! :-)

Sending love tonight for all those who are in Japan, Egypt, Lybia, Haiti, Dar Fur, Australia, and to anyone who is suffering throughout the world.

WE ARE ALL ONE! :-) LOVE