I think Beck and Palin are despicable. I also think they have every right to hold their gathering of the lunatic fringe. And I’m aware that I’ve taken plenty of stands over my career for which others would paint me as “lunatic fringe.” Some of them are now mainstream, such as aiming for zero waste, repurposing rooftop space into food and energy collectors, and getting the heck off fossil and nuclear power sources—but they sure weren’t 30 or 40 years ago. I would not have granted then, and don’t grant now, the right of others to tell me how to think, and I don’t claim that same privilege against others whom I disagree with. The right to try to convince them, certainly—but NEVER to dictate what is or is not acceptable thought.
I remember holding a lone protest in front of the local courthouse when the U.S. bombed Lybia. The first day, I got a lot of middle fingers and angry shouts.
[Read more →]
Tags: first amendment·freedom of assembly·freedom of religion·freedom of speech·glenn beck·march on washington·martin luther king jr.·sarah palin
If you think we in the Green movement tend to take ourselves waaaay too seriously, here’s a bit of comic relief. Dilbert creator Scott Adams describes with excruciating humor all the missteps in building a Green home. I can relate. In my own Greener home adventures, we’ve discovered… Solar panels without hinges cost A LOT [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: dilbert·geothermal heat·scott adams·solar hot water·solar photovoltaic PV
Heck, I’d settle for two days a week as productive as today. I’d be soooo grateful–and so accomplished! Wrote a long blog on public transit, an article about Green marketing, a much-improved of the query letter I hope will launch my syndicated Green and Profitable column, created a new questionnaire for book consulting clients, and [...]
[Read more →]
Tags:
I’m a lifelong fan and USER of public transportation. Growing up in New York City, I was eight years old when I switched from the school bus to the public bus—and that was with a transfer. I’ll often take buses instead of driving to Boston or New York (and I’ve actually booked Amtrak for my next trip to Washington). When I travel out of my area, I rarely rent a car unless the destination city is the start of an extended driving trip. If I’m just staying locally, I use buses, trams and subways (and the occasional taxi.
There’s a local bus that runs past my house. But even though I’m a public transit guy, I’ve lived here 12 years and have never taken it. Why?
[Read more →]
Tags: bus schedules·bus systems·buses·public transportaton·rapid transit·rural public transit
I feel very sorry for those people who’ve never had a REAL fresh tomato. Comparing it to a supermarket tomato is like comparing a perfectly aged French triple-cream gourmet cheese with Velveeta.
And I feel grateful not only to live in a place where we can have a garden, but in a time when consciousness of local organic and fresh foods is high, and where food is helping people know their neighbors and boost their nutrition.
Yes, a tomato can change the world.
[Read more →]
Tags: fresh produce·local organic food·tomato sauce·tomatoes
“I’ve been beating myself up for not challenging your racism when you expressed it. So today, I’m going to stop beating myself up and tell you that I didn’t appreciate your put downs of those who look different from you, and I’ll not have you cut my hair again.” Then stand still and listen for dialogue. It may be quite vitriolic, but you may be able to go deeper. And you owe him that much.
You do this, not for his soul, but for yours. But there may be a side benefit of reaching his, too (maybe not right away).
[Read more →]
Tags: confronting racism·ken mcarthur·racist speech
Hiking through the rainforest at night in a rainstorm? Are we crazy? Not at all. We had good flashlights and a naturalist/guide, and it was magnificent. We’re in Santa Elena/Montverde, Costa Rica, and there are several “night walk” tours available. We asked Cristina, the all-knowing, ultrafriendly concierge at our hotel (Claro de la Luna), which [...]
[Read more →]
Tags:
As carbon footprint, global warming (what an innocuous name for such a dreadful phenomenon) and similar issues have finally reached a critical mass to come into mainstream consciousness, the time seems ripe to move our threatened planet forward. And marketers have to be there, leading the charge, marshaling public opinion, and moving from consciousness that we need to save the planet to actually doing it. I envisioned an organization that would not only provide support to each other, but stake out advocacy positions that would enable governments, businesses, nonprofits, and the public to go more Green and do it faster.
[Read more →]
Tags: green marketers·Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green·jay levinson·mount holyoke range·save the mountain·trade association
150 words a day for seven days. I can do this! When Michelle Shaeffer first told me about Jeannette Cates’ Blog 30 Challenge to write 30 posts in June, I decided not to participate. It was already a week into the moth when I learned about it, and I knew that with my sister’s family [...]
[Read more →]
Tags:
It’s been quite a week for family milestone events. The Reunion By coincidence, my wife’s 35th high school reunion was the same evening as the day we crammed our new-college-graduate daughter’s gear in our little hatchback and delivered her to New York for the summer. Since we were in town anyway, we decided to splurge [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: concert·graduation·high school reunion·new england conservatory·oberlin college
A 35th High School Reunion, a Final Concert, and a Graduation
June 6th, 2010 · View Comments · General Commentary, Shel's Personal Life
It’s been quite a week for family milestone events. The Reunion By coincidence, my wife’s 35th high school reunion was the same evening as the day we crammed our new-college-graduate daughter’s gear in our little hatchback and delivered her to New York for the summer. Since we were in town anyway, we decided to splurge [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: concert·graduation·high school reunion·new england conservatory·oberlin college