Green - getting energized again

Not because it is a fad, but because this is my passion, I am involved at work, church and home in Green initiatives. Trying to wrap my arms around our Green Team at work, I am reviewing emails to find some nuggets for our site to focus on during this next fiscal year.

So personally, 2 websites that ACTUALLY WORK, and I feel good about are freecycle.org and catalogchoice.org

I started using freecycle.org a couple of years ago. We have recycled, to someone who wants them, many things over the past 2 years. Old stereo, fire wood holder, cat carriers, old LPs, kids toys, etc.

I am always surprised about how quickly I get responses from people who really want stuff, that I no longer need or want. I use Freecycle and would love to take it to the next level, and get more people to use it. One thing I do, which has no value at all, is to yell out my window to the pile of "trash(when people are moving)" by the side of the road "FREECYCLE.ORG!!!!!". It would probably be of more value to talk to the people who put it there.

The second thing which really works is catalog choice. When I started, every day I would collect the mail, and put the info for unwanted catalogs, into this website. We get very few unwanted catalogs any more. There are a few offenders, who refuse to STOP sending them, but for the most part, they have stopped. It was some work up front to input them every day, but very little work now.

So now I ask myself, what next? My New Year's resolution was to stop using plastic and paper bags, and that is going pretty well. A few times, I made myself go back out to the car to get my canvas bags when I forgot them, and a few times I bought more groceries than would fit in my canvas bags, so I had to use plastic.

Part of my new energy (pun intended) was hearing Al Gore last night. We have to do something, and probably on a bigger level than my few initiatives. Solar panels? Geo thermal pits? Prius? Nag everyone I know about freecycle and catalog choice?

I just Pick up the Phone now

When someone is ill or has just had a loss, some of us don't know how to reach out. Should we call, should we email or write?

A few years ago at Star, Vivienne, who was ill gave a wonderful service. Her main message was let the people decide whether to pick up the phone or open a card. They are in control of all of that, so reach out. Don't let the worry about intruding be a reason to not reach out.

I am not saying that it is any easier for me to reach out, since I attended Vivienne's service. It isn't easy and none of us like to necessarily reach out when times are bad.

Anyway, a few times in the last few months, there have been difficult times, as recent as today; and Vivienne's words are what encouraged me to pick up the phone. I don't do it every time, but I do it more often. Vivienne is no longer with us, after much struggle, but her words will always be with me. How nice it is to have teachers around when we are ready and people around who we will remember always even after they are gone?