June Soundbites

BY BILL GERLACH | FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Hi, everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here at Sustainable Sakonnet. Things have been busy as the summer shifts into gear. While work in the gardens is complete (for the moment) and the Little League season winds down, I have been focused on my new blog, The New Pursuit, some public speaking, and writing for ecoRI.org (more on that below).

With that, I think I am going to move to a monthly post here at Sustainable Sakonnet. There are so many great things happening in the area that to leave Sustainable Sakonnet by the wayside completely doesn’t feel right. I hope you agree.

FARMERS MARKETS KICKING OFF

Our very own Sakonnet Growers Market kicks the Summer 2010 season off on Saturday morning, June 19, at Pardon Gray Preserve (Main Road). Be sure to stop by, get some amazing local fare and support our local farmers and producers in the process. For a complete listing of farmers markets around the Sakonnet area, check out this list from Farm Fresh Rhode Island.


THS ‘ENVIRONMENT DAY’ SOWS SEEDS WITH STUDENTS

While most of the town was in the throes (folly?) of the Financial Town Meeting(s) last month, an amazing event took place at Tiverton High School.

Spearheaded by Social Studies Department Chair, Eric Marx, and the THS Green Team, the entire school—from faculty to students to support staff—participated in the first ever ‘Environment Day’.

The goal was to find creative ways of getting the students to think about aspects of the environment as it relates to their everyday lives. How do we view/interact with the environment from a math perspective? From a science perspective? From a literature perspective?

Each student began the day base-lining their own environmental impact by calculating their carbon footprint. Have you ever done this? It’s a great exercise. A number of tools can help you try it for yourself.

The highlight of the event—for me anyway—was the Speakers Forum. Five speakers, four of them THS alumni (including myself), who are involved in some way in the green arena gave presentations on the topic of their choice. It was amazing (and inspiring) see how many local people are involved in making the world a better place – each in their own unique way. Here’s the run down:

• Sarah Forrest // A 2001 grad and engineer at Vanderweil Engineers, Sarah gave an overview of how buildings play an important role in using resources wisely. She showcased her work on the LEED-certified Newton North (MA) High School.
  
• Caitlin Luderer // Talked about her work developing and promoting the field of sustainable tourism. She currently volunteers with the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. Caitlin is a 2000 grad.
  
• Nicole Lebreux // A 2001 grad and owner of Fidget Finds, Nichole gave the students an understanding of the impact that the mainstream clothing industry has on the environment and human rights while promoting the eco-friendly benefits of buying vintage threads.
  
• Joe McLaughlin // The only non-THS grad, Joe is Director of Properties at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. He gave a great overview of the history and mission of the Sanctuary while sharing his own journey of finding his life’s passion.
  
• And finally, there was me // I gave a presentation entitled “Being (Is) the Solution”, based largely on my writing at The New Pursuit. The message was simple and straightforward: While doing all sorts of things to limit your impact on the environment is important, it’s really only a band-aid. Rather, a deeper, longer-lasting impact can be realized by changing our perspective—our state of being—on how we fit in with the natural world around us and challenging what it means to be a consumer. The response was fantastic – and quite humbling. I used the presentation as the basis for my last opinion piece at ecoRI.org.

All in all, the entire day was deemed a success. Engaging the next generation in finding creative solutions to our problems is like sowing a proverbial seed in a garden. If we can nurture these young minds from their earliest beginnings we can hopefully set ourselves up for a more prosperous future.


UPDATE ON THE NEW PURSUIT

Alas, I have been quite humbled by the response to my new blog, The New Pursuit. Even after just two months, it’s been amazing connecting with so many new people and sharing insights, ideas and stories on what it means to live deeply each day through the reconnection with life, nature and being. As content is being shared through features on other blogs and use of social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, more and more people are subscribing each day to receive free updates.

If you haven’t visited yet, I hope you would take a moment to swing through. You may want to start with some of the posts proving most popular with readers:

• Life is Knocking: 9 Reasons Why We Should Answer the Call to Live Deeply
• The 7 Joys of Time Well Spent and How to Realize Them
• 33 Simple Things to Get You Reconnect With Nature
• The series on changing perspectives
• Any of the Monday Meditations

The most gratifying thing for me personally is that I’m taking small and tangible steps towards realizing my goal of becoming a full-time writer and speaker. It's challenging me to write the best content of my life. And it’s starting to pay off. It’s more of a journey than an overnight wonder pill, but I hope others can take away the fact that pursuing what you really believe in doesn’t have to be just a New Years Resolution.

With that, I am actively pursuing new opportunities to write and speak on the topic of reconnecting with life, nature and being (what I like to call ‘eco-being’). If you are looking for a speaker for an upcoming event and think this message might resonate with your audience, please email me (at gerlachbill-at-yahoo-dot-com) to explore it further. I am happy to tailor content to create the best fit.

Until next month, be well.
Bill

Event Notice: Be Green Kids Consignment Sale

Passing along some info I received on this event. Be well.
_____________________________

Be Green Kids Consignments is pleased to announce that their first ever seasonal kids consignment sale will be held this week/end in Middletown, RI. 

A seasonal consignment sale is a place where families can purchase brand-name new and gently-used children items for 50-90% off retail prices.  Items include spring/summer clothes (infant to pre-teen), shoes, toys, books, dvds, baby equipment & gear (strollers, high chairs, exersaucers, activity mats, etc), furniture (cribs, pack-n-plays, changing tables), bedding, bikes/trikes and much, much more.

There are 80 consignors registered to sell their items, and over 6,000 items in the inventory system!  At the conclusion of the event all unsold items will be donated to Child & Family Services of Newport County (at consignor discretion).

WHAT:    Be Green Kids Consignment Sale
WHERE:  Fraternal Order of Police Hall, 464 Mitchells Ln, Middletown, RI (off East Main Road- next to Newport National Golf Club)
WHEN:  Saturday, May 15th  9:00am-6:00pm and Sunday, May 16th 10:00am-1:00pm (*Discount day.  Most items marked 50% off)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.BeGreenSale.com

My New Blog Has Launched!

By Bill Gerlach | Follow me on Twitter

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. I'm pleased to introduce my new blog: THE NEW PURSUIT.

So what is The New Pursuit you ask?

For me, the title has multiple meanings. Personally, it's a new online journey that I'm taking, looking to connect with a wider range of ideas, people and perspectives. This new blog will allow me a new platform to pursue my dream of becoming a professional writer and speaker.

At its heart though, The New Pursuit speaks to a broader more deeper journey. The popularity of the green movement has or is close to reaching its zenith. This is good as it has opened the door and allowed many people to take their first steps towards stepping lightly. This process must continue.

But for many -- myself included -- who have been diligently doing all those sustainable things for so long I believe there is a yearning for something more. Something that goes beyond just DOING green things. Something that encompasses other elements of living in this world and ties it all together. We must shift from doing to being using Nature as a catalyst and a point of reconnection. 

Writing Sustainable Sakonnet over the past three years has allowed me to explore and share so many things with all of you. I am grateful for all the comments and well wishes you have sent my way. At this point, I'm not sure what will happen with S.S. Perhaps you have a thought about this?

With that, I invite you to check out The New Pursuit. If you like what you read, please consider signing up to receive free updates via RSS or Email. You may even consider sharing it with some friends.


Thank you and be well,
Bill

We Need YOU at the Financial Town Meeting

Thanks to Brian Medeiros over at C.U.R.B. (Citizens United for Responsible Budget), I feel as though I have a great handle on what's happening regarding the town budgeting process in Tiverton.

This recent post is OUTSTANDING, presenting ALL the facts that are necessary to make well-informed decisions come May 8 at the Financial Town Meeting. (Why do certain parties continue to omit that little detail about the town not receiving $1.4 million dollars in state car-tax funds?)

If you have never attended a Financial Town Meeting. This is the year to do it. We need EVERYONE there. Read up on things at C.U.R.B. Know the impacts of NOT voting for the 9% tax increase:

• The closing of one elementary school. (Yes, one of the brand new ones...)
• The lost of important social services like Visiting Nurses
• The lost of extra-curricular activities and sports at the school
• Decreases in town services like snow plowing
• And the list goes on..

From where I sit, I feel as those we have lost our sense of community. Perhaps its the economic environment or the general tug of society away from 'we' to 'me' -- I'm not sure. But whatever the reason, we are no longer coming together to fight for the common benefit of ALL our citizens.

Please do your part. Get the facts and then join your neighbors at the Financial Town Meeting starting at 9:00AM on May 8 at the Tiverton High School. See you there.

Answering the Call to Live Deeply

By Bill Gerlach | Follow me on Twitter

The more I look around the more I see a movement underway.

People are feeling a subtle yet constant tug – like an eager toddler at your legs – that something is awry in their life and the life of the world. Many have put their hopes in material happiness. Yet now, those same people are seeking to establish a new balance in their lives, abandoning the pursuit of ‘more’ that consumerism has pushed upon us and the resulting disconnect with the natural world it has fostered. 

People are plugged in more and outside less. They are buying more things and turning a blind eye to the impact that such pillage of the natural world brings with it. We have reached a point of needing to 'save' the only home we—and all those future generations—will ever have.

When you live deeply you:

•    Shed the unnecessary and embrace what remains
•    Are one with Nature, not apart or above it
•    Allow mindfulness to bring the present moment into focus
•    Live by example and share this insight with others, especially children

This journey takes time and patience but it is worth the taking.

For me, this journey is taking a new and exciting turn. My new blog project—launching very soon—will allow me to pursue this call to live more deeply and connect with all those around the world who are feeling that same tug. I can’t wait to share it with you and invite you to join the journey too.

To be among the first to know when the new site launches, please consider subscribing to Sustainable Sakonnet today via RSS feed or Email. Or follow me on Twitter.

Until next time, I leave you with an excerpt from the poem “The Children” by Gary Snyder:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

Be well,
Bill

[Image: Ben Heine via Flickr]

Help Tiverton's Library Recover from the Flood

The historic floods of the other week left most of us impacted in one way or another. While we all work to get our own homes and properties back to normal we shouldn't lose sight of what it means to come together as a community in tough times. Case in point is Essex Library.

The library was hit particularly hard. The basement level, which houses the children and teen sections, lost over 4,000 books and numerous computers due to the flooding. Knowing how much we rely on the library, this news hit us hard.



But Friends of Tiverton Libraries (FOTL), in partnership with Tiverton Library Services, have come together to offer the community a few ways to help with the flood relief:

• You can make a tax-deductible donation by writing a check to "FOTL for Library Flood Relief" and mailing it to 238 Highland Road, Tiverton, RI 02878. FOTL is a registered 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to expanding and promoting library services in cooperation with Tiverton Library Services.
  
  
• If you live the area you can also check out the Applebee's Dine-to-Donate Benefit night on Thursday, April 22, from 5:00pm - 9:00pm at the Plymouth Avenue location in Fall River (map). Applebee's will donate 15% of the evening's income from Benefit participants to FOTL. To make your dinner count, you must present a special flyer at the start of your meal. Flyers will be available at both Essex and Union Libraries, as well as at the Tiverton Library website. (Note: I did not see anything available for download yet; check back soon.)

If you can, please consider helping the library -- and the community that relies on it -- get back on its feet. Thanks.

2010 CSA Round-Up

By Bill Gerlach | Follow me on Twitter

With the rain behind us (fingers crossed!) we can start looking forward to all those farm fresh fruits and veggies that are on their way. We put in our first plantings of spinach, lettuces, and peas this past weekend. I don't know who was more exited -- me or the kids!

Growing some of your own food is a great way to reconnect with Nature, get your hands dirty and be a bit more self-sufficient. But when you can’t do that, signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is fantastic alternative. Sure, you can support local farmers and producers at any of the farmers’ markets nearby, but when you take part in a CSA, you drive your connection with our local food system a bit deeper.

With a CSA you pay an upfront amount for a “share” of the farmer’s production for a specific period of time. This helps the farmer secure much-needed funds early in the season to kick-start things and helps them gauge how much should be planted for the season. Then each week you reap the benefits of the harvest as your fresh produce makes its way to your home.

But just like any venture, you are also sharing a bit of risk with your farmer. Rains can hit hard or not at all. An ailment can hit the crops. Your produce is not always guaranteed. But your farmer bends over backwards to give you the best that s/he has to offer.

With that, here are a few local CSA programs you might want to check out this year:

• Mello’s Farm Stand (Tiverton/Portsmouth)
• Simmons Farm (Middletown) (website down; phone: 401.848.9910)
• Wishing Stone Farm (Little Compton)

A complete listing of CSA options in and around the 02878 zip code can be found at Farm Fresh RI.

Good luck and stay tuned for a round up of all the great area farmers markets in the coming weeks!

Be well,
Bill