The Tucson summer sun taught me an important lesson, that while the air temperature may be appropriate for gardening, seedlings left unprotected from the desert sun will end up burned to a crisp. Even those seedlings of a heat tolerant vegetable such as cucumbers.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Renewal
Renewal comes to all things in time. To the forest after the flame, the leaves after the cold, and not entirely unrelated, to this, my blog. During the past year it was just so difficult to include much green living into my lifestyle, or at least any which was worthy of mention.
It is a time for personal renewal, a new location, a new work center, a new house, and perhaps even a new outlook. I cannot wait to delve back into a lifestyle worth living, one which makes me truly satisfied to be living, one which is more green. One of the new things which will aid me most in this transition is the amazing house I am now renting.
This is a view from the front:
The house itself was constructed back when consideration was given to the climate in regard to design and building materials. The walls are made of thick red brick so even during the hottest hours of the day it takes very little inputs to keep things cool.
In addition to having a nice large yard the house came equipped with some nice features, such as this very nice looking chicken coop.
Once I decide on which breed of chicken to go with then the Greenie domicile will very shortly have a nice supply of fresh eggs.
There is a nice fenced in, raised bed garden for which plans are already underway for some summer vegetable plantings.
The owner installed a rainwater collection system which then allows the collected water to supplement the water expended on landscaping. Hopefully the monsoons arrive soon, and bring with them a decent amount of water, because I climbed up for a look and the cistern is nearly empty!
There is a fairly new drip irrigation system installed throughout the yard which once I work out the finer points of the controls should make all of my garden upkeep a bit more simple and efficient.
I haven't even talked about the great interior space, but there won't be any pictures for a while because it is currently cluttered with boxes galore until things get unpacked and put in place.
It is a time for personal renewal, a new location, a new work center, a new house, and perhaps even a new outlook. I cannot wait to delve back into a lifestyle worth living, one which makes me truly satisfied to be living, one which is more green. One of the new things which will aid me most in this transition is the amazing house I am now renting.
This is a view from the front:
The house itself was constructed back when consideration was given to the climate in regard to design and building materials. The walls are made of thick red brick so even during the hottest hours of the day it takes very little inputs to keep things cool.
In addition to having a nice large yard the house came equipped with some nice features, such as this very nice looking chicken coop.
Once I decide on which breed of chicken to go with then the Greenie domicile will very shortly have a nice supply of fresh eggs.
There is a nice fenced in, raised bed garden for which plans are already underway for some summer vegetable plantings.
The owner installed a rainwater collection system which then allows the collected water to supplement the water expended on landscaping. Hopefully the monsoons arrive soon, and bring with them a decent amount of water, because I climbed up for a look and the cistern is nearly empty!
There is a fairly new drip irrigation system installed throughout the yard which once I work out the finer points of the controls should make all of my garden upkeep a bit more simple and efficient.
I haven't even talked about the great interior space, but there won't be any pictures for a while because it is currently cluttered with boxes galore until things get unpacked and put in place.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Leaving Iraq
It is very strange, but I feel like I have left home.
How could a place like Iraq feel like home you might be wondering?
I have no idea really. By all measurements the place was a pit, the air quality was terrible, the food was bland, the occupational hazards...unnerving, but in the end it was familiar.
The people, the area, the job.
It is funny, while I was there it felt in a way that I had always been there.
Everything about it was so familiar that now I just feel lost sitting here waiting for the plane back to the States.
I know it will go away, but I just never thought that I could actually be missing Iraq.
How could a place like Iraq feel like home you might be wondering?
I have no idea really. By all measurements the place was a pit, the air quality was terrible, the food was bland, the occupational hazards...unnerving, but in the end it was familiar.
The people, the area, the job.
It is funny, while I was there it felt in a way that I had always been there.
Everything about it was so familiar that now I just feel lost sitting here waiting for the plane back to the States.
I know it will go away, but I just never thought that I could actually be missing Iraq.
Friday, December 10, 2010
A Very Reasonable Book
I recently finished reading an excellent book, Reason: Why Liberals will win the Battle for America by Robert Reich. Normally I do not openly write about books I have read, but for some books I feel the need to let people know just how good they are. This is one of those books.
It is an incredibly well thought out look at the history of the Liberal tradition in America, as well as its current dormant state. The book breaks down how, over the last 30 years, radical conservatives have steadily pulled the media and government ever rightward in their constant crusade to the world to live as they see fit. Reich lays out the actions and ideals that will allow the American people to retake their country from a close-minded and terrified minority.
His main point, which I completely agree with, is that the Left has become scattered and beaten back. Afraid to fight back for their beliefs. Why is that? The far Right has no such shame in the battle to push their beliefs on others, so why should we have shame in our beliefs? The far Right is fiery and determined in their crusade, so why should the left be any less determined in ours?
It is time to let our light shine forth, and it is time to organize in solidarity behind out beliefs. Freedom, equality, and peace are at stake. There is a time to fight and a time to make peace, and now is the time of the former. The Right speaks of bi-partisanship, but when have they ever moved leftward to meed us in the middle?
The time for compromise is over.
We are who we were born to be, just as they are.
No more, and certainly no less.
It is time we remembered that.
It is an incredibly well thought out look at the history of the Liberal tradition in America, as well as its current dormant state. The book breaks down how, over the last 30 years, radical conservatives have steadily pulled the media and government ever rightward in their constant crusade to the world to live as they see fit. Reich lays out the actions and ideals that will allow the American people to retake their country from a close-minded and terrified minority.
His main point, which I completely agree with, is that the Left has become scattered and beaten back. Afraid to fight back for their beliefs. Why is that? The far Right has no such shame in the battle to push their beliefs on others, so why should we have shame in our beliefs? The far Right is fiery and determined in their crusade, so why should the left be any less determined in ours?
It is time to let our light shine forth, and it is time to organize in solidarity behind out beliefs. Freedom, equality, and peace are at stake. There is a time to fight and a time to make peace, and now is the time of the former. The Right speaks of bi-partisanship, but when have they ever moved leftward to meed us in the middle?
The time for compromise is over.
We are who we were born to be, just as they are.
No more, and certainly no less.
It is time we remembered that.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Almost Home
My time here in Iraq has nearly come to a close. Two months from now I will be on a plane bound for home, and to be honest it can't come soon enough. I miss everything about home. My wife, my family, my friends, seeing green things growing, heck even the strange old landlord. I have had my fill of dust, sand, smoke, and rockets for year to come. Iraq, I will be glad to never see you again.
It is strange now when I think of home and it feels so distant, like I have been gone for years. In a strange way it has begun to feel like home here. Everything is so familiar, that only when I focus I remember it has only been a temporary four month stay.
Not everything has been terrible about this place. I have met some really great people, been to a very different part of the world, accomplished a great deal of reading, and had many quiet moments to sit and reflect. In addition, I have started taking courses toward my teaching degree again, which I am very proud of. So I can at least say some good has come of my little vacation.
Still I will be overjoyed to see you all again once I am home.
I'll try not to cry but no guarantees, I am pretty squishy.
It is strange now when I think of home and it feels so distant, like I have been gone for years. In a strange way it has begun to feel like home here. Everything is so familiar, that only when I focus I remember it has only been a temporary four month stay.
Not everything has been terrible about this place. I have met some really great people, been to a very different part of the world, accomplished a great deal of reading, and had many quiet moments to sit and reflect. In addition, I have started taking courses toward my teaching degree again, which I am very proud of. So I can at least say some good has come of my little vacation.
Still I will be overjoyed to see you all again once I am home.
I'll try not to cry but no guarantees, I am pretty squishy.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Update
So, I must update you, my loyal readers, on a few developments that have taken place recently. The first is that my avocado pit decided to sprout and is now a tiny plant! I was worried that it was not going to do anything, but it finally decided it was time. 
The second is much bigger and demonstrates the military making a more common of late sensible environmental decision.
When I first arrived here, you had two choices as far as what to put your food on in the dining facility.
The first was all plastic. An individually wrapped set of utensils and a plate, all of which were a one time use, disposable affair. Disposable here means that it is bound for the incinerator and ultimately the atmosphere.
The second choice consisted of a standard plate and silverware, which are washed and reused until breaking.
Sadly, most people decided on the first choice, which amounted to thousands of plastic plates being thrown away and burned every day!
Recently though the military has wisely realized that it is both cheaper and more sensible to offer only the standard plate and silverware. You can already see that the number of trash bags produced daily has fallen to a quarter of what it was previously.
This was a great day for the Earth and also the human beings who have no other choice but to continue inhabiting her. Hopefully, big organizations such as the military will continue to make these seemingly small changes that will yield large compounded gains.
The second is much bigger and demonstrates the military making a more common of late sensible environmental decision. When I first arrived here, you had two choices as far as what to put your food on in the dining facility.
The first was all plastic. An individually wrapped set of utensils and a plate, all of which were a one time use, disposable affair. Disposable here means that it is bound for the incinerator and ultimately the atmosphere.
The second choice consisted of a standard plate and silverware, which are washed and reused until breaking.
Sadly, most people decided on the first choice, which amounted to thousands of plastic plates being thrown away and burned every day!
Recently though the military has wisely realized that it is both cheaper and more sensible to offer only the standard plate and silverware. You can already see that the number of trash bags produced daily has fallen to a quarter of what it was previously.
This was a great day for the Earth and also the human beings who have no other choice but to continue inhabiting her. Hopefully, big organizations such as the military will continue to make these seemingly small changes that will yield large compounded gains.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Taxation for a Greener Tomorrow
Tax codes may seem like an incredibly boring subject to almost everyone but you may be surprised to learn that within them rests the seeds of possibly one of the greatest benefits to society and the environment in recent history. The kicker is, it won't even end up costing you much more.
The potential benefit I speak of is known as the Fair Tax. It is a consumption tax placed on purchases of new goods, similar to a sales tax only as a much larger percentage, which replaces the more traditional income taxes. "In essence, income taxes penalize people for what they contribute to society (labor and capital), whereas consumption taxes penalize people for what they take out of society (new retail purchases)."(Miller, 310)
Under such a system system only purchases of new goods and services are subject to this consumption tax. So buying used goods and sharing skills and labor within the community are not taxed. Environmentally this would mean a huge leap forward as such a tax greatly favors reducing and reusing. For example it would be far cheaper to purchase a dresser at a yard sale or thrift store and repaint or otherwise redecorate it as opposed to purchasing a new one. In this scenario under a consumption tax you are paying a tax only on the paint, sandpaper and knobs (given an estimated cost of $12 for these items the tax would be $2.76) as compared to the tax on the whole dresser ($27.60 on an estimated dresser cost of $120). Businesses which deal with the maintenance, repair, and reuse of already existing products (seamstresses, upholsterers, auto mechanics) will see increased business and expansion, as keeping what you have working will be more cost effective than purchasing a new product.
The initial quality and longevity of products will increase as consumers will demand a long lasting, easily repaired product in exchange for the higher price they are paying up front. This consumer demand will cause a decrease in the amount of poor quality, short term products finding their way into landfills.
Going further, economist Robert Franks has suggested a progressive consumption tax in which the more one consumes in a given year, the higher the consumption tax percentage rises. A progressive consumption tax could also be placed on individual categories of products so that the consumer bears the true cost of the purchase as opposed to society picking up the additional costs. "For example, if a $1 pack of cigarettes imposes about $6 of additional costs on a country's nationalized health care system, to cover the expenses of caring for the increased number of lung cancer and emphysema cases, then the consumption tax on cigarettes should be 600 percent."(Miller, 312) Isn't it only fair that everyone should bear the full responsibility of their actions?
This change in tax law could revolutionize many facets of life in the United States. It solves some of the largest environmental issues associated with consumerism, cheap disposable products rapidly filling up landfills. It goes to work on a variety of societal issues from narcissistic consumerism which leaves people feeling unfulfilled, to government budget woes, and even the immigration dispute.
One of the biggest arguments is that illegal immigrants take advantage of government programs while the bill is being footed by U.S. taxpayers. Under a consumption tax, even immigrants pay taxes into the system, thereby helping to fund the programs they use.
With a progressive consumption tax in place the arguments that a national health care system would be far too expensive begin to loose much of their footing. Tourists, immigrants, and citizens, essentially all of the groups who would need medical care are paying into the system by purchasing new products. Going further, those most likely to end up in the hospital (tobacco users, alcoholics, motorcycle riders, etc.) would have already paid a higher consumption tax to cover the eventuality of their medical care.
Any way you look at it, the Fair Tax would be a giant step forward for the United States, a benefit to the country as a whole regardless of party affiliation. Yet like most great ideas it is being suppressed by politicking, misinformation, and fear, in favor of the known and established. This is one good plan that I hope gets the chance to show the change it could enact for the benefit of the masses.
Work Cited:
Miller, Geoffrey, PhD. Spent. Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior. New York: Viking Penguin Group, 2009.
The potential benefit I speak of is known as the Fair Tax. It is a consumption tax placed on purchases of new goods, similar to a sales tax only as a much larger percentage, which replaces the more traditional income taxes. "In essence, income taxes penalize people for what they contribute to society (labor and capital), whereas consumption taxes penalize people for what they take out of society (new retail purchases)."(Miller, 310)
Under such a system system only purchases of new goods and services are subject to this consumption tax. So buying used goods and sharing skills and labor within the community are not taxed. Environmentally this would mean a huge leap forward as such a tax greatly favors reducing and reusing. For example it would be far cheaper to purchase a dresser at a yard sale or thrift store and repaint or otherwise redecorate it as opposed to purchasing a new one. In this scenario under a consumption tax you are paying a tax only on the paint, sandpaper and knobs (given an estimated cost of $12 for these items the tax would be $2.76) as compared to the tax on the whole dresser ($27.60 on an estimated dresser cost of $120). Businesses which deal with the maintenance, repair, and reuse of already existing products (seamstresses, upholsterers, auto mechanics) will see increased business and expansion, as keeping what you have working will be more cost effective than purchasing a new product.
The initial quality and longevity of products will increase as consumers will demand a long lasting, easily repaired product in exchange for the higher price they are paying up front. This consumer demand will cause a decrease in the amount of poor quality, short term products finding their way into landfills.
Going further, economist Robert Franks has suggested a progressive consumption tax in which the more one consumes in a given year, the higher the consumption tax percentage rises. A progressive consumption tax could also be placed on individual categories of products so that the consumer bears the true cost of the purchase as opposed to society picking up the additional costs. "For example, if a $1 pack of cigarettes imposes about $6 of additional costs on a country's nationalized health care system, to cover the expenses of caring for the increased number of lung cancer and emphysema cases, then the consumption tax on cigarettes should be 600 percent."(Miller, 312) Isn't it only fair that everyone should bear the full responsibility of their actions?
This change in tax law could revolutionize many facets of life in the United States. It solves some of the largest environmental issues associated with consumerism, cheap disposable products rapidly filling up landfills. It goes to work on a variety of societal issues from narcissistic consumerism which leaves people feeling unfulfilled, to government budget woes, and even the immigration dispute.
One of the biggest arguments is that illegal immigrants take advantage of government programs while the bill is being footed by U.S. taxpayers. Under a consumption tax, even immigrants pay taxes into the system, thereby helping to fund the programs they use.
With a progressive consumption tax in place the arguments that a national health care system would be far too expensive begin to loose much of their footing. Tourists, immigrants, and citizens, essentially all of the groups who would need medical care are paying into the system by purchasing new products. Going further, those most likely to end up in the hospital (tobacco users, alcoholics, motorcycle riders, etc.) would have already paid a higher consumption tax to cover the eventuality of their medical care.
Any way you look at it, the Fair Tax would be a giant step forward for the United States, a benefit to the country as a whole regardless of party affiliation. Yet like most great ideas it is being suppressed by politicking, misinformation, and fear, in favor of the known and established. This is one good plan that I hope gets the chance to show the change it could enact for the benefit of the masses.
Work Cited:
Miller, Geoffrey, PhD. Spent. Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior. New York: Viking Penguin Group, 2009.
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