In order to pursue my Master of Environmental Law & Policy from Vermont Law School, I made the decision to combine households with my sweetheart. Not only did this reduce our global footprint by an entire house, but it made financial (and other) sense as well. For many people, this is an easy decision, however,…
I’m currently reading the book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle, and I am quite enthralled by it. I am stuck on one particular phrase: “I don’t mind what happens.” Here is the context: J. Krishnamurti, the great Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher, spoke and traveled almost continuously all over the world for more than…
You might all be familiar with my fascination/obsession with tiny houses. I went to a workshop earlier this year on how to build them, and, although I’ve put my plans on hold for a while, I’m still very interested in knowing the best way to build them and the best layouts for livability. The thing…
I am a bargain hunter. I work hard for every penny I make, so I don’t want to waste any more of it than I have to on the things I need to buy in life. I’m a serious Craigslist addict after having found so many amazing deals on really great stuff. I have been…
Being a vegetarian (and someone who likes to be healthy), I try to find ways to get more protein (and other nutrients) into my diet in an unobtrusive way. (For example, without eating a big bowl of soybeans.) Because I make a fruit smoothie every morning for my breakfast, it made sense to get a…
I have been consumed by the evil demon that is the common cold virus. It had been stalking me for 3-4 days, and then yesterday it landed on me like a ton of bricks. I slept all morning and ingested glass after glass of various teas, juices and potions. I didn’t really sleep last night,…
I find one of the things that being a “rich” country does is rob us of our need/desire to be resourceful and creative. If we want something, we just buy it without thought. We rarely choose to look at the materials we have at hand and try to make something out of them. We rarely…
I hope most of you see me as more of a realist than an alarmist. I am generally optimistic about the future, but I also see the value in being prepared for some of the more unlikely (yet entirely possible) scenarios that may unfold around us. I mean, who would’ve thought Japan would be in…
I recently had the pleasure of going to Bonaire, a tiny island about 50 miles off the northern coast of South America. It was an entirely new experience for me, being that it was the remotest place I’d ever been. It’s also fairly primitive, with wild goats and donkeys roaming around untethered.
Today I went snorkeling for the first time! Twice! It was incredible – truly a surrealistic experience. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity. It is something you can never imagine unless you actually do it. Then Jim and I got to have a night out alone. We went to dinner at a…