Saturday Morning, Being Still

For Green Simpletons (like me) - A Short List for Simple Sustainability

 

Just give me a bike, a clothesline, and maybe a mason jar. Don't worry, though, I won't try to electrify them. Not this time.

 

Okay, well, that's close enough.

Simple stuff. I keep being drawn to simple stuff. And frugality. And minimalism. And figuring out what's really important.

I read a novel in college - Love Among the Cannibals. I didn't get it. I was a just a dumb kid. I may need to go back and read it again. Now I'm a dumb middle-aged guy with at least 5% more wisdom.

I remember a (subplot) new car that broke down on the side of the road in the book. The local vandals immediately started stealing all the parts off of it. They left it a shell. Then the local vandals brought a few of the parts back and got it running again, but it no longer had things like windows and doors.

The professor explained to us the symbolism of getting something (or someone) back to a simpler place, a more stripped down version that has only what it needs - and none of the distractions.

Some days I feel like my pursuit of the green good life is that car, but the local vandals haven't taken all the parts yet.

I really should read that novel again.

Speaking of books, I just ordered a used copy of this book:

The Seven Sustainable Wonders of the World

I learned about it a few months back while following a link trail from a Katherine Martinko article. (I really like KM articles!) The concept has haunted me since. Even this post has gone through multiple drafts that never seemed quite ready to publish. It still doesn't quite.

So, what simples appeal to you? Outside of the seven on the book's cover, what simple things do you depend on to make your life greener and simpler? (No, I won't foolishly try the survey thing again, but feel free to shoot me an email.)

I plan to spend some time over the next few months exploring the idea of what an individual needs (or doesn't need) to live simply (and greenly).

[Blogger note: Part of my quest for the simple will mean less blogging - maybe some miniposts and pics, but there will be fewer posts for a while. Thank you for the time you've spent reading this particular brand of drivel.]

May you figure out what you (and we) need, and may you eschew the distractions that bog you down.

Congratulations, your actions do matter! Plus Simple Green-ness!

[It started (as many things do around here) with an infographic. ]

On the internet it's a go back and forth thing- Here are the steps YOU can take to save the planet vs. There's not a darn thing YOU as an individual can do to save the planet. Most of the time I'm in camp one - let's roll up our sleeves and get to work saving the planet!  Once in a while, I get too immersed in the news and camp 2 sneaks into my thinking.

And then there's my love of infographics- those friendly pics with graphs that tell you in a glance lots of stuff you need to know. So I am happy to share with you an infographic that Grist was happy to share with me.

The Grist Link, Sierra Club link, and the Northwest Earth Institute link

(Eventually, you may see someone post the Mesquite Hugger link, but don't hold your breath.)

I really like the Sierra Club link (above). It describes the creation of this study (and infographic). And it is ultimately practical - when people ask what they can do to stop climate climate change, here are some options you can offer them:

Personal choices to reduce your contribution to climate change

Low Impact
Upgrade light bulbs

Moderate Impact
Hang dry clothes
Recycle
Wash clothes in cold water
Replace typical car with a hybrid

High Impact
Eat a plant based diet
Switch electric-car to car-free
Buy green energy
Avoid one roundtrip transatlantic flight
Live car free
Have one fewer child

Feeling inspired to make any changes? There's a list. It's not an exhaustive list, but the actions are ones that are pretty easily measured and a great place to start.

And while we are on the subject...look at the list and see which ones fall in the live simply category. Are there any on the list that would cost you nothing? Whether you measure that in money or time, which ones just ask you to do something a simpler way?

For me, it all rolls back to that Personal Carbon Reduction thing and Spreading the Word. So I guess it's time to get back to living, writing  and talking about it. (And maybe I should write a little less about shiny things with wheels.) Our actions do, indeed, matter, so let's get out and do something worthwhile.

For me, it's time to hop on the not-so-shiny bike and make something of the day.

May your days be filled with better choices and may we all be richer for it.

Simplification (Almost) Railroaded by DIY Electric Truck

[Blogger warning: this one's a rambler.]

I fell off the wagon this week. I may need a new 12-stepper.

Proof that there are people who complete EV Truck Conversions

The summer of 2017, for me, is to be the Summer of Simplification. What that means is LESS by whatever means necessary. I scaled back on the gardening this year. I've been blogging less. I have lots of stuff up for sale. (Let me know if you're in the market for an old Vespa or two, an electric convertible, a half-finished electric truck project, a bicycle or several, my old high-school hot rod, or a whole bunch of Star Wars toys I've had since 1978.) It's a year to clear out the garage, get rid of some debt, and to try to find a way to stress less and live more.

A really big part of the SoS plan is to not acquire or create any new projects. (We all have our vices, and dreaming up and investing in new projects seems to be mine. Completing projects - that's not my vice.)

So, I've quit buying parts, bikes, and how-to manuals. I've quit going to swap meets, flea markets, and garage sales. I spend less time on Instructables. I try to shop only in places that offer food and the absolute necessities. I've even been steering clear of construction dumpsters. I've been really good up until a few days ago...

I was riding home from work on the mountain bike Tuesday and I wanted to add a (very) little terrain to the commute. I rode down a few alleys. And there in the middle of town sitting in the weeds outside of a backyard fence - a little 1939 Dodge pickup. Drool. Slobber. Yearn. Back when I was looking at vehicles to convert to electric, early American pickups made a lot of sense, and snagit, they're so cool!

So I remembered this electrified Dodge truck:

Click here to check it out

 

All I'd have to do is steal the motor and transmission out of this unfinished project I have lying around (and should probably sell).

Then I hopped on Craigslist to see if anything similar was for sale. Nope. But I did find this little guy:

 

The little Courier would make a great electric truck, it's here in town, and it costs about the same as a Sondors electric bike (which is still not in the Mesquite Hugger SoS budget).

 

While I had $800 1974 Ford conversion candidates on the brain, I went back and checked out the 1974 Econoline:

 

 

But I talked myself back out of it pretty quickly and moved on to early International Scouts and then back to the Courier and then back to the old Dodge and back to my original unfinished Mazda project which then brought to mind the unfinished Silver Pigeon scooter projects...

 

And now, I am worn out, but I'm back on the wagon and trying to get rid of stuff, ride the bike, and get life down to a simpler place.

 

May you finish what you start and may your wisely-chosen green projects benefit us all.

Distillation: How little do you need?

The sky from this morning's bike ride

A front porch, some coffee, a little quiet, some birds - yep, I'm happily boring!

One of my favorite things to do lately is sit on the porch, drink coffee, and watch the birds.

It's been a stressful couple of years. I often find myself nervous.

But sitting on the porch with dove, grackles, starlings, sparrows, and a rotating cast of others, I don't feel nervous. Normally it's lightness and mirth - at least until a neighborhood cat starts stalking or I find the bottom of the coffee cup.

I don't spend that time fretting about bills and broken things and being needed. I spend that time in my favorite type of prayer - thanks.

Distillation, simplification, minimalism.

What do you have left when you remove the things that distract you?

Where does this all fit into Mesquite Huggerism? Well, there are two well-trodden paths to green - through technology or through simplification. And as much as I'd like a 3-d printed off-grid smart house, a self-driving 150mph silicon-valley speedster, and a fully automated greenhouse, I have to admit that I love time spent on a junky old bicycle and that nothing tastes better than the olla-watered tomatoes we've been growing on our front porch.

So, if you see more posts about the simpler approach, you'll know it came from front porches and sparrows.

May the wheels on your your bike go round and round, simply, quietly, and thankfully.