Seasoning my taco: DIY taco seasoning

In examining my world and how healthy and sustainable it is, I am focusing on pre-packaged things that I can make myself.  This would serve several purposes.  First, it would be cheaper.  Second, it would be healthier.  And third, that item may not always be available.

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The future of the internet

I am feeling rather dejected about the state of the world this morning.  I should wait and read my Grist.com emails later in the day.  Seriously, though, things are going to hell fast, and we are doing nothing about it.  Well, I should say many people… and many important people… are doing nothing about it. …

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Changing the way we eat

How often do you eat what is in season in your particular area of the country?  This is the food that traveled the least distance and took the least resources to grow and distribute.  In the future, when transportation is prohibitively expensive (dollar-wise and environment-wise), we will be eating more seasonal foods.

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Time to get angry

Why am I so angry sometimes?  Because you’re not.  The sooner you get that way, the better off we’ll all be. Do you know why you’re so apathetic?  Because your life is too easy.  You don’t have to do physical labor for what you earn.  Oil energy takes the place of the sweat energy folks…

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Apocolypse now (or soon): urban sustainability

The world is on the brink lately… of so many things.  Not to portray myself as Nostradamus or anything, but I’ve predicted a lot of the last 7 years of crap in the world.  I was in Florida during the height of the housing boom and could see clearly where things were headed.  What’s wrong…

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Getting grounded

When was the last time you took a walk?  Probably not recently.  Walking requires us to slow down, something we are often unwilling to do.  We think that during that 30 minutes, something crucial will happen on Facebook.  But walking gives you a perspective on life that you just do not get any other way. …

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Traveling lightly

I recently took a vacation… and a guilt trip.  It is so hard to keep your impact low when you’re traveling.  First, there’s the air travel – that is hard to avoid when taking a long trip.  So, let’s look past that for now.  (I have mixed opinions about carbon offsetting.)  I’m going to show…

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How green is Telluride?

I had the distinct pleasure of going to a small town in Colorado with a big elevation: Telluride.  This little one stop-light town sits high in a box canyon – 8,750 feet to be exact.  With less than 2,500 residents, Telluride is the most populated town in San Miguel county, which stretches 1,288 miles through…

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A streetcar named desirable

Denver is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever visited – and not just because I flew there to see Pearl Jam in concert.  It also has a really great downtown.  What makes their downtown great is how pedestrian-friendly it is.  Their downtown is like a destination.

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Rural vs Urban

As many of you know, I am spending most of my summer in beautiful Vermont.  There are few more pristine places on Earth than the Green Mountains.  People here live closer to the Earth than most, and life is slower and simpler.  However, there are also some environmental disadvantages to living in such a rural…

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The right to pollute

Unless you are living under a rock, you are probably aware that upwards of 1,000,000 gallons of crude oil per day (according to some estimates) are seeping into the Gulf of Mexico and have been for 4 weeks in a row.  If you do the math, that’s roughly 30,000,000 gallons so far.  And scientists say…

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How FourSquare can encourage local shopping

I am trying to get everyone turned on to FourSquare.com, and here’s why:  It can help the local economy. FourSquare is an application you put on your laptop, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad or other portable device. It allows you to “check in” at the various businesses you visit during the day.

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Stick a pin in me… I tried acupuncture

Saturday has become one of my favorite days of the week.  My Saturday ritual has become taking the bus down to the Downtown Sarasota Farmer’s Market with my two shopping bags to buy fresh vegetables.  This particular Saturday was extra special as EcoFest was taking place.

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Living the good life

Now that I’m getting comfortable with the scooter, life seems about as close to perfect as it can get.  One thing to remember if you do decide to take the plunge to go car-free and buy a scooter or motorcycle to save gas is SAFETY.  Because there are lots of people (many with short attention…

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Greening your period

If you’re a guy, you may want to take this opportunity to clean under your fingernails or pick up a motorcycle magazine.  This information is NOT for you.  It’s for the ladies who realize how many feminine hygiene products they send to the landfill every year in dealing with their monthly visit from Mother Nature. …

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