At the same time, I’ve been busy launching a brand-new site that has its own bright future: LoveandTrash.com!

It’s a project with some of my very good friends. We’re calling it “a DIY blog for people who do things differently.” There’s a ton of content, some very fun stuff, and lots of “actionable inspiration” to get you motivated.

The truth is, the more I traveled, the more I found that while I love traveling, my true passion was more on the environmental/DIY track. Love and Trash gives that passion a voice, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

So stop by and check it out! I think you’ll like it. LoveandTrash.com

Related posts:

1. CONTEST: Name That Site!
2. The 5 Principles of Living Green on the Cheap (as demonstrated by Nicole and Kevin)
3. Save the World, Ride a Bike

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, art, buy nothing, community, environment, featured posts, freegan, garbage, green living, how-to, recycling, reuse, starving artists

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

A congress member speaks at the morning fire ritual

In October, I traveled to The Farm in Tennessee, where the 10th Annual Bioregional Congress was taking place. I was excited to be there, though I couldn’t help but wonder…

What’s a bioregional congress?

Good question. To understand it, you need to understand “bioregionalism”. From biocongress.org:

[Bioregionalism] is taking the time to learn the possibilities of place. It is a mindfulness of local environment, history, and community aspirations that leads to a sustainable future. It relies on safe and renewable sources of food and energy. It ensures employment by supplying a rich diversity of services within the community, by recycling our resources, and by exchanging prudent surpluses with other regions. Bioregionalism is working to satisfy basic needs locally, such as education, health care and self-governance.

Essentially, bioregionalism boils down to getting more out of what you have, instead of importing what you don’t. Many new organizations and communities are working in this way, with an eye toward resource (and human-resource) management.

Shared meals in the common center, prepared and paid for by attendees

The Congress started in 1984, at which age your humble author was just learning to sing to trees. Since then, it’s continued to grow into a vibrant semiannual gathering of people from throughout the Americas who are actively experimenting with new forms of community and environmental awareness.

For example:

• a group called Ecobarrios who are working with residents in Mexico City’s housing developments to institute sustainable practices, composting and gardening (more on Ecobarrios);
• a housewife from Nashville who just got involved in nonprofits and wants to find out what the challenges are from a marketing perspective;
• a self-described eco-punk from LA who organizes traveling shows to teach underprivileged communities around the world about sustainability;
• several members of intentional communities from North to South America, here to discuss what works, what doesn’t, and where they are headed.

There is a fair share of outré hippie yahooism here as well. Tie-dye, massage, singing with the earth, singing Woody Guthrie songs: it all happened. But that hippie veneer was only skin-deep: beneath the surface, every person here is honestly, fully dedicated to working for change.

These guys talked animatedly for a long, long time.

Hippie Soup to Nuts

Each morning, the entire group met to discuss the day’s topics. Nothing was predetermined; it all had to be hashed out by discussion and vote. Laborious, yes—but it meant that everyone present had a voice.

These folks have their system down TIGHT. I’ve never seen anything like it. They conducted a huge meeting, circle-style, in a format where everybody got a chance to talk, with minimal interruption, almost no off-topic ranting, and not a single insult. You try that sometime with a group of 100 people.

That was my first sign that the people here were not just trying to share, give and change, but making it happen.

Proposed lecture topics for a single afternoon

The next sign was the depth, breadth and complexity of the discussion topics. People here were not speaking in generalities, but addressing topics that had direct effects on their work.

One woman wanted to discuss GMO seeds, and how we can keep them out of gardens. A small group proposed a new community and asked for potential members. A man offered dowsing lessons. A Venezuelan woman offered to share stories from the revolution. A short film on Cuba’s survival without petroleum drew a crowd.

Throughout the day, people gathered in various groups and addressed various questions and topics. The level of intellect was high, and the work accomplished was impressive.

In the evening, there was food, music and dancing.

I could only stay one day at the Bioregional Congress, but I left completely inspired. I fully intend to take part in future Congresses: as the environmental movement ramps up, these are the people who are leading the way to the future. I have faith they’ll get us there.

Related posts:

1. Life on The Farm
2. 5 (and a half!) free things to do in Asheville
3. Save the World, Ride a Bike

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, buy nothing, community, ecotourism, energy-efficient, environment, green living, nature, starving artists, sustainable

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Related posts:

1. One Year Ago: Earthship Landing
2. Things I Learned: Can/Bottle Walls
3. R.E.A.C.H. Earthship Community, a pictorial

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, alternative, biotecture, buy nothing, earthships, ecotourism, energy-efficient, environment, featured posts, green building, lumber, New Mexico, outdoors, sustainable, Taos, travel, video, vigas, volunteer, voluntourism

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

There I was in Asheville, wandering around on a sunny autumn day, when I spotted this strange berry:

My first reaction was “wow, that sure looks like a poison berry to me.” So I didn’t eat it—but gosh, that thing looked so amazingly toxic, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Never did find out what it was.

So I’m asking you, Southerners and foragers and armchair botanists: how are my instincts? What is that? Was I right not to chew on it? Or should I have merrily popped it in my mouth and gathered more for supper?

Comment below if you’ve got an idea.

Related posts:

1. Friday Photos #1: Asheville Botanical Gardens
2. 5 (and a half!) free things to do in Asheville
3. Friday Photos: Kittery Point, Maine

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, Asheville, berries, botany, buy nothing, education, environment, featured posts, foraging, freegan, gardening, green living, nature, North Carolina, outdoors, photography

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

While in Asheville, I spent a few hours wandering the trails at the Botanical Gardens. According to a sign posted there, the Southern Appalachians have the richest diversity of native plants anywhere outside of the tropics. Who knew?

The Botanical Gardens, which abut the UNC campus, were filled with people enjoying the shaded glens and free admission. Students played frisbee on the grass; young girls scampered along the creekbed; a flock of tourists followed a guide along the trails. Me, I just walked and looked. Here’s some of what I saw.

Related posts:

1. 5 (and a half!) free things to do in Asheville
2. Friday Photos #2: What IS that? Should I eat it?
3. Asheville: Heaven is in North Carolina

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: agritourism, Asheville, buy nothing, ecotourism, ecotravel, environment, featured posts, flowers, garden, nature, North Carolina, outdoors, photography, tourism, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

1. Hear live music on a streetcorner.

On a sunny day, the downtown area is always populated with buskers. Sometimes it’s your basic guy-with-a-guitar setup; sometimes there are a few dudes in overalls or tweed; sometimes it’s a full band with amplification. One sure thing is that you won’t have to walk far to find a street performer to tickle your ears for free (donations appreciated).

2. Feed your head at Malaprop’s Bookstore.

Granted, Malaprop’s is a business, so they also appreciate monetary contributions. But if you’re broke, spend a buck on coffee and peruse their incredible selection of literature.

This store is one of the places that convinced me so utterly of Asheville’s uniqueness. In fact, Malaprop’s seems to assume that its clientele is highly intelligent, educated in self-sufficiency, and actively committed to social/environmental change.

And there’s the proof: a book on Cattle Health in the Green Living section? We’re not in San Francisco any more.

3. Take a nature walk.

While exploring downtown, I picked up a map that indicated there was a botanical garden next to the UNC campus. Heading out that way, I stumbled across the Reed Creek “interpretive trail”, which was a hugely educational resource. It guides you through an area that was once occupied by buildings; along the trail, a series of signs informs you of what was here, what’s here now and why. In the space of a city block or two, I learned a ton about local history and botany.

The Reed Creek trail lets out near the Asheville Botanical Gardens, a huge and beautifully-managed set of trails, greens and buildings. It’s an easy walk, and just like at Reed Creek, the Botanical Gardens are full of information on native species. Make sure you stop at the creek, an excellent spot for a wee nosh and/or nap in the dappled sunlight.

Click for more photos of Reed Creek and the Botanical Gardens.

4. Go on a self-guided art tour.

As I mentioned recently, Asheville is full of art both strange and beautiful. From the underpass mural, to political graffiti, to statuary both commissioned and independent, there’s art all over the place. And that’s just on the sidewalk—but there are also tons of art galleries for your browsing pleasure.

Don’t miss Chicken Alley, a strange little street that looks straight out of New Orleans or Oakland. It’s haunted by living artists and one dead doctor: Dr. Jamie Smith was killed in a 1902 barfight and still hangs around the place.

If you’re more into modern-age ephemera, guess what? Chicken Alley’s got free wifi. Yippee!

5a. (for hippies) Hippie out at the Drum Circle.

photo by BillRhodesPhoto

Apparently this is a big deal, but I am somewhat opposed to drum circles. If they’re your thing, that’s super! There’s a giant one here every Friday night, on Patton Avenue. Just follow the smell of patchouli and sounds of wild djembe.

5b. (for nerds and queers) Get your summer Shakespeare fix.

photo by Zen

What self-respecting town doesn’t have a free Shakespeare-in-the-park series these days? Asheville is right on point, offering free performances all summer (Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights only). The address is #1 Gay Street, so you ought to feel right at home.

Want more, more, more free stuff? I know right? Cheapskate your heart out at Asheville’s official Free Things to Do page.

Related posts:

1. Friday Photos #1: Asheville Botanical Gardens
2. Asheville: Heaven is in North Carolina
3. Marble Creek, Missouri: Free Camping in the Mark Twain National Forest

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, alternative, Asheville, buy nothing, ecotourism, ecotravel, energy-efficient, environment, featured posts, freegan, garden, nature, North Carolina, outdoors, photography, starving artists, sustainable, tourism, travel

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

In honor of Valentine’s Day, guest blogger The Apocalyptic Housewife is back with a dose of romantic realism—and a freegan Valentine idea.

I’ve been married a long, long time.

My husband loves me, loves us, and hates ‘compulsory holidays’. He also hates Facebook.

But he’s a great guy: he always gives me something special for non-compulsory occasions, like a $100 pillow when he noticed I’d been cracking my neck for weeks. And when a persistent, Facebook-obsessed friend finally copied a quiz into email and sent it to him, he answered it.

I was copied on the email, so I peeked.

“What would ______ say is your favorite scent?”

“My wife’s pillowcase.”

The Inspiration

On Thursday, M. had to leave for work immediately following a, umm, ‘nap’. I had the day off.

“I hate getting up now. Look at how even my t-shirt is mocking me”

After M. showered, dressed and left for work, I took my after-glow-anointed neck and my shrug and my cat onto the sofa for a nap. ZZzzzzzzzzmmmmmmmmmm.

When I awoke, I noticed that M. had left his old headphone bag in the trash. My brain leapt from headset to sewing machine to pillowcase, like a pinball lighting up the ’tilt’ sign.

If you try this at home, don’t leave out the ‘nap’ part;
your idea will undoubtedly be even better.

I already had Grandma’s ancient creaking sewing machine set up on the kitchen table where I made this bitchin’ shrug (pictured above) out of a bagged-out sweater and Brother Dennis’ dia de los muertos heart.

I had been meaning to make some Pillowcase Dresses for Haitian Relief, but my sewing skillz needed some brushing up—ie, I was ready to sacrifice a pillowcase for practice.

How to Make a Pillowcase Headphone Bag

You’ll need:
• A standard pillowcase
• A string (shoelaces work great)
• Scissors
• Iron
• Sewing machine, or needle+thread+dedication

1. Cut the pillowcase roughly in half lengthwise, and remove the hemmed section. You should have a long-ish strip of fabric, sewn on two sides. Cut it down more if you like.

2. Fold down the long edge. Turn down twice to make a casing, which should be wide enough that your string slides through easily. Iron to make a straight edge.

For best results, use a press-cloth.

For lousy results, iron directly onto a vinyl tablecloth, which is guaranteed to melt all over your iron.

3. Sew along the folded edge, using a zigzag stitch, and thread the string through. This will be the mouth of the bag, and the drawstring to pull it closed.

If you have trouble, attach a safety pin to one end of the string: it’ll be easier to thread that way.

Since I wanted this bag to remind M. of  my side of the bed while he’s using his headset at work, I used the shoelace that he teases the kitties with.

What’s a catnap without a cat?! And, look! Hearts!

4. Turn the pillowcase inside out, and sew along the open edge leaving the drawstring casing open. You should now have an inside-out bag.

5. Turn the bag right-side out and admire your handiwork.

The finished bag. It fits neatly into a backpack, holds a standard headset comfortably, and reminds M. of his warm, sleepy wife. Also, it cost NOTHING.

(Except for a new tablecloth.)

Happy Valentine’s Day, world! Go do something half-assed and whole-hearted. It’s worked pretty well for us.

Related posts:

1. CONTEST: Name That Site!
2. The 5 Principles of Living Green on the Cheap (as demonstrated by Nicole and Kevin)
3. The Apocalyptic Housewife Goes Seedbombing

© raggedyannarchy for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, buy nothing, craft, diy, featured posts, freegan, green living, how-to, love, reuse, romance, sewing, sustainable, valentine's day

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It was August, but it was also Maine. The air was cool and wet and smelled of the sea. We had left the New Hampshire Farmhaus, crossed the border into Kittery Point, and kept heading east until we hit the Seapoint beach.

Seapoint is one of those public beaches that are so beautiful, the local residents try to claim it as their own. You have to have a parking sticker proving that you live in Kittery Point, or you could get a ticket for leaving your car around. But the fog was thick and the sun was dropping, so we took our chances.

The waves were low and flat and gray, and so was the sky. They met and melded just a few meters from the sand: the waves appeared to be descended from the clouds, and it seemed you could walk right out on their foamy tips and end up in the ether.

I didn’t try. Instead, I clambered over slippery rocks, inspected seaweed and shells and discarded crab traps, took a few photos, waxed philosophical while gazing at the grey sea… and that was Maine, my only time in Maine.

Related posts:

1. Friday Photos #1: Asheville Botanical Gardens
2. A Trip into Indiana's Prehistory
3. Indiana Dunes State Park

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, buy nothing, ecotourism, environment, featured posts, nature, outdoors, photography, tourism, travel, water, weather

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

This is what I found in Oakland dumpsters this morning. Well, this and a croissant which I burned already in the toaster oven.

Today’s grocery run took about an hour and cost me $0, plus I got a workout biking across town. I came home with 3 loaves of artisan bread (sour, sweet, rye) and half a loaf of sliced sourdough; a head of organic lettuce; a bunch of organic sweet baby broccoli; 3 peppers; a half cantaloupe (still shrinkwrapped); a bunch of fresh sage and parsley; and a container of mango-papaya salsa.

This is the second time I’ve gone dumpstering since I got to Oakland. The first time took much longer, as Lex & I had to bike all over town to find the good spots. That time we supplemented our booty with some ground beef from the store. When we got home, the whole house pitched in and we had some kickass burger kabobs (like hamburgers, but on a stick and roasted in the firepit. Inspired by a Christmas ornament, but that’s another story for another day).

A few of my temporary housemates have worked in food service, which helps when you’re trying to figure out if something could be contaminated. And yes, that’s extremely important. I won’t get into the details of dumpster-diving etiquette, but if you’re interested, you can find a lot of information here and here.

What I can say is that it’s really not that hard, OR as messy as you might think. It’s fairly easy to find good, unspoiled food—and once you find good dumpsters, you can usually visit them over and over.

If you’ve got the right kind of friends, you’ll soon find that there are hidden treasures and well-kept secrets that provide steady streams of free food. I’ve heard of a few places where store employees have a deal with local freegans, and vast amounts of fresh-enough, still-sealed goods change hands in midnight parking lots.

Dumpstering is a good way to survive in the city without having to shop constantly, which is good for my wallet and just a useful skill to have. I’m still buying meat and dairy from the store, and taking my vitamins; if I were planning to stay in Oakland longer, however, I might try to make a real go of the urban-freegan thing.

As it stands, though, I’m headed North in a couple of days. Time to get back to the woods! See you there…

PS – Punks, freaks, and bums aren’t the only ones dumpster diving. Check out this article on Burt’s Bees’ $25,000 trash-unpackin.

Related posts:

1. Dumpster Diving in West Oakland
2. West Oakland Freegan Update!
3. The 5 Principles of Living Green on the Cheap (as demonstrated by Nicole and Kevin)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adventure, alternative, buy nothing, California, featured posts, freegan, garbage, reuse, starving artists

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Provincetown has a lot going for it, but I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow. On my first day out, I didn’t have a feel for the place yet. So I went and wandered the strip, and soon found myself in a shell shop.

And what a shop. The place was so packed with seashells, there was hardly room for the clientele. Bins of colorful starfish, mollusks, corals, and other marine doo-dads filled every corner; shellacked blowfish hung from the ceiling. Tiny shells had been arranged into adorable tableaux, often featuring googly eyes and little signs that said “Cape Cod.”

Except, of course, that most of these shells hadn’t come from the Cape. Out here you can still find mussels, clams and oysters—but for the exotic, collectible stuff you’ve got to go a bit farther.

Like, you know, Asia.

The fact is, most of the thousands of pretty dead things on display here had been harvested under questionable practices half a world away, then shipped in bulk. Odds are, the shop owners order their goods from a catalog like everybody else.

I remember shell shops from my childhood. My grandparents lived in Southern California, and would buy us shells as gifts. We loved ‘em, the more exotic the better. In fact, right now I’m looking at the jaw of a small shark, undoubtedly picked up in some tourist shop somewhere. It looks cool, and it was bought in the ’80s when we didn’t think about things like seashell harvesting. But those halcyon days of ignorant consumption are past, eh? So let’s think about seashells right now.

Horned sea stars are in serious danger from overharvesting.

I’ve checked around, and it looks like the best places to get seashells in bulk are Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, maybe Fiji. These are all places where the battles of industrialism vs. ecology are being waged in very real ways. Unsustainable fishing, lumber harvesting, pollution, hunting of endangered species: all of this is happening every day in a region known for its unmatched environmental beauty.

So you want to buy a shell? Well, just so you know, that dead animal you hold in your hand may or may not have been farmed, and very likely was “harvested” while still alive. No time to collect empty shells namby-pamby on the beach, not when fat Americans like glittery mollusks with googly eyes!

Your shell is also a part of a larger system, a business of extracting from the environment more than it naturally gives. Townspeople that traditionally collected shells to sell to tourists (like, back in the ’80s) have been driven out of their homes by large fishing businesses. Coastal dredging ruins reefs and massacres shellfish. Deep-sea trawling brings rare “treasures” from the depths. And any coastal dwellers that are unlucky enough to have pretty exoskeletons are being driven to extinction by seashell harvesting. And then, of course, they’re shipped around the world, on a big boat leaving a trail of petroleum through the ocean.

But look! It’s a baby pufferfish with a hat on!

Anyway, sorry to ruin your shell collection for you. I’m sad about mine, too. Let’s not buy any more shells, hey?

Want more guilt? Watch and weep:

Related posts:

1. Shades of Death and the Devil's Backbone
2. Eco-Dining? Not on Cape Cod.
3. Friday Photos: Kittery Point, Maine

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: buy nothing, ecotourism, environment, featured posts, harvesting, nature, photography, seashells, sustainable, tourism, water

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh