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1
BLUE

Green Earth
issue
a resource for sustainable living

what does green an?

me
Fighting the Flu
Naturally
organic
local
Going Green One geothermal
Pay Check at a Time ethanol
Building Big and
stewardship
Green ??? permaculture
biodiesel
sustainable
solar
Red Alert -
Dan Wildcat’s renewable
native
fair trade
New Book

Going Green
recycle
Garden Calendar
I n this, our premiere issue, we wrestle with, “What Does Green Mean?” It is a question with no simple answers.
We are in the midst of a major, systemic shift, a post-industrial revolution. This shift is more than a series of
ecological and economic disasters, and more than just a cultural awakening. Our human race seems primed for a
vast rethinking of our current way of life. We want Blue Sky, Green Earth to provide a forum for this change, to
facilitate the change where we can, and to improve our chances of evolving from it, healthier and wiser. This is not
the unbridled optimism of the industrial past, but a more humble hope that humanity can look to the future, and take
an oath to support life on this planet. Our word is “sustainable” and it means we believe life is ongoing, a world
everlasting. It means we have faith there is a future that together we can facilitate and foster.

People ask me, “How do you know, what is Green?” My answer is that green isn’t an end point, its an on-going
approach to life. A friend tells me that she can’t be “green”, that she’s just not that “good” a person. But Green isn’t
about who is doing it “right”. It’s not a religion – there isn’t one set of tenets to believe in to live “green”. What Green
entails is a consciousness about our behaviors and our buying habits. Green is important because we can no longer
push the hard changes and the necessary commitments off onto the next generation. We no longer have the luxury of
taking a “wait and see” attitude with regard to global warming. Everything from extreme weather to global disasters
alerts us that we don’t have that much time left in which to begin our corrections. Even if the changes we had wrought
in the environment had been good ones (which they weren’t) we would still need to change because our use of
resources is unsustainable. Even if our resources could be modified so that they could be forever replenishing (which
is unlikely), we would still need to change because the toxicity from our current methods of manufacturing
and food production is poisoning our planet and our bodies.

So we must act now. editor’s page

If we believe that we are doing any of this to save the planet, then we are filled with the same old hubris that got us
into this mess. The planet will do just fine. It has a natural defense system and it will readjust its thermostat. This
will be cataclysmic for human life and most other life forms currently on the Earth’s surface. What we need to focus
on is, how can we mitigate these catastrophic effects? Can we alter our day-to-day actions before the Earth evicts us
as bad tenants? Can we rethink our relationship to the material world, as the world we are part of, rather than a
world apart?

We are all active causative agents of global warming. But we are all, also, agents of green. Because everything we
use, every choice we make in goods, services, energy use, and consumption can make a greater or lesser impact on
our planet. Simple changes can have profound impacts when multiplied on a global scale.

We are not going to back away from the tough discussions. We are going to provide guidance, not rules, the most
up-to-date information we can gather, but not absolutes. We know you care about your own health and about the
health of the rest of the planet. We want to help you make the decisions about the areas of your life you are ready to
fine tune or overhaul. We hope to give you more access to important information, while not taking away your right
and your responsibility to decide what you will do, what you will change, the new choices you will make. Some of
the topics in Blue Sky Green Earth may offer you better quality of life, some may change the way you think about
the interconnections of life on Earth, and some may help to reduce your negative effect on the biosphere. We hope
that all we publish here will be of service to you, and be both inspiring and practical. Together we can do what we
need to do to live better than what we’ve been living. Thank you for joining the conversation. We hope it will be a
lively one.

Karen Dillon, Editor
BLUE

Green Earth
a resource for sustainable living
Volume One Number One
January 2010

Table of Contents
Monthly Features
What Does Green Mean? page 4

What is LEED? page 6

Green Print:
Building Big and Green? page 7

Fighting the Flu Naturally page 8

Going Green One Pay

Check at a Time page 14

Monthly Columns
Knit Together page 17
Wild Things page 20
Going Green
Garden Calendar page 22
Recycle Fairy page 26
Green Screen:
Dan Wildcat’s Red Alert page 28
Green Calendar page 30

Editor’s Page page 2

Publisher’s Note page 31

3
 Elizabeth
what does Benincasa
green n?
ea
W e live in a complex world.
m Each day we encounter a series of choices that have global consequences –
sometimes even before our first cup of coffee kicks in. That morning beverage is a good example of the maze of impacts
we wrestle with in every transaction: Maybe we bought “Fair Trade” coffee (because we care about farmers around the
world getting a fair price for their labor) or we prefer “Organic Certified” Coffee (because we care about our own
exposure to potentially harmful chemicals or pesticides), or we decided on “shade grown” coffee because we know that
it is best for the environment and destroys less natural habitat, or we chose some coffee made by an American company
(because there must be an American employed somewhere in that production line, right?) or perhaps all these tough
decision make you want to drink tea? Then repeat the above choices, plus add some more about fair water distribution,
and sustainable highland forestry, and lack of pesticide regulations in Asia... It can certainly be overwhelming trying to
do the right thing, and many of us, stop even trying. We drink whatever kind of coffee the corner coffee bar sells. Or we
buy what tastes good to us.

The reality is, every marketplace choice creates a ripple of effects around the world. In the United States most of us live
like kings of the past. Goods and services, which only the wealthiest of individuals throughout history could have
enjoyed, we now take for granted. Everything from in-door plumbing to a dish of ice cream in July, are luxuries to almost
any other moment in history, and for much of the world’s current population. Yet we have come to expect and count
on these technologies as our base-line standard of living. That’s the moment we live in and few of us want to leave that
behind. Many of the world’s scientists have predicted that we are assured a drastic downgrade in quality of life unless
we shift our everyday actions to make them sustainable. Most of us are aware of this impending problem and we want
to do the right thing by the planet, and by ourselves with regard to our own health. It’s just that the choices have become
so intertwined and labyrinthine we often give our decision-making power over to others. We delegate “greening” to
environmentalists, to businesses, to politicians. Though we have the lifestyle of kings we remove ourselves from the
responsibility of what these choices mean, and stop even trying to sort through what would be the best decisions. If
only we had more time to look into it, we think. If only there was a cheat sheet to figuring out what is the right thing to
do, given our own hierarchy of values.

“Green” means we start to stay conscious through our transactions. We currently think of this as work, but actually,
increased awareness usually results in increased satisfaction in our lives.

“Green has no legal meaning.” Nor is there any certification process for a product to label itself “green.” Ignore all
labels that describe products as “Green”, “Natural”, “Holistic” or “Healthy”. None of these has a verifiable meaning
outside the Advertising Agency brainstorm meeting. These words are full of connotation and hype, but offer the
consumer zero assurance that the product has anything unique to offer.

“Greenwashing” is pervasive and its major characteristic is using a “Green” designation without third-party oversight.
This can easily deteriorate into a slight of hand whereby manufacturers continue to pollute the Earth, as the rest of us
look the other way. Third-party verification is one key to navigating the labyrinth of labels, because even though we
have “truth in advertising laws”, let’s face it, there is a lot of grey area with regard to adjectives used to describe goods
and services.

There are even concerns with third party verification. One has to understand who the verifying party is, what is their
overarching concern, why were they formed, and who governs their label? Ultimately it comes down to: How
trustworthy is the verifying organization? There has to be integrity in both the organization, and the certifier
4
 Elizabeth Benincasa
training process. There also has to be a check and balance system within the organization to eliminate risk of bribery,
kickbacks, and a plain old lackadaisical certifying system. Another concern is that most of these third-party verification
labels address only one area of “green”. A label can indicate that the product
doesn’t harm the environment, but may offer no reassurance
that the workers were treated fairly. It may suggest that
animals were not harmed in their rearing process, but it won’t
tell you how many miles the animals traveled to the packing
plant, and then on to your house – and what the carbon
footprint of that mileage adds to the embedded energy in the
meat you buy at the store.

In having more information about third party certification, you

will be able to chose whether you want to prioritize the health
of the planet, the fairness and health of the people involved in
making the goods or service, or the health of yourself and the
people you love. As more and more of us choose these
products, eventually we can demand that products have all
green characteristics, every time. Then the ideals of “green”
can mean more than just an advertising slogan.

Biologically, our green vision is more acute than any other

color. In the natural world green is the color human
beings can distinguish the most shades of. Our green vision
has evolved to be able to find abundance in the natural world
by helping us to see more nuanced variations. Let us now use
our capacity for this “green” discernment and recreate our
relationship with the natural world, restoring, repairing and
really understanding what a gift this world gives us.

Each month this column will look at a different third-party

certification processes in depth: this month we look at LEED
Certification.

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5
What is LEED?
In 1998 the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)
developed an internationally recognized sustainable building certification system. This system, Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, better known as LEED, has enabled buildings to become publicly recognized for their green
practices. In 45 states (though not currently in Kansas or Missouri) this public recognition can also lead to incentives
such as tax benefits. The purpose of LEED was to develop a framework for building owners and operators to increase
efficiency and reduce negative environmental factors.

How does LEED apply?

The LEED rating system is a point earning system. The more points you amass, the higher-ranking LEED Certification
you achieve. For instance a Platinum certification requires 80 points or more. These points can be achieved through
different categories. These categories include, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and
Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation in Design. Depending on the type and purpose of the building
more categories may be added. On November 18, 2004 the KC City Council adopted Resolution 041222, requiring that
all new municipal buildings over 5,000 square feet earn LEED Silver Certification.

Whom does LEED apply to?

LEED is developed for buildings of all sizes and purposes. It consists of different rating systems that range from Home
and Neighborhoods to Schools and Healthcare. The ratings were developed for architects, engineers, interior designers
and other stakeholders to have a standard of how sustainable building systems should work.

Example: By purchasing 20% or more of the building materials for a home or office from a distance of 500 miles or less
LEED awards one point from the Regional Materials option in the Materials and Resources credit. By doing this builders
are reducing the pollution caused from trucking materials and helping the local economy.

Criticisms of The USGBC include: That even though the Washington-based USGBC organization is a 501 c3, non-profit,
it exudes a tremendous amount of influence in the world of “for-profit” building. According to the USGBC’s own website
(http://www.usgbc.org) the annual U.S. market in green building products and services was more than $7 billion in 2005,
$12 billion in 2007 and projected to increase to $60 billion by 2010. It administers and develops the LEED Certification
criteria, and has been receptive, though slow, in making changes to the LEED process that address the many criticisms
that have been leveled against it.

Criticisms of the LEED process include: That buildings, which are overbuilt, can still be LEED certified. That buildings
which contribute to urban sprawl by being situated far from urban centers and mass transportation, more than offset their
energy savings through their negative carbon footprint, yet they can still gain LEED certification. That buildings stop
being green once they are built, because the end use is either some inappropriate “non-green activity” or that they simply
go on with business as usual once the building is certified, failing to make any further steps towards sustainability once
the LEED plaque is on the wall.

Third Party Oversight: Since January of 2008 the Training processes for LEED Certifiers has been independently
administered by the Green Building Certification Institute. (http://www.gbci.org) GBCI is an independent
non-profit organization overseeing the exam development, application, registration, and delivery processes. This
should provide a more balanced and objective management of the credentialing programs and the 100,000-and-growing
LEED certifiers.

Is LEED a “green” label? Despite the overhaul to its process, and the obvious high-profile they have in the field of
building, the LEED label has a ways to go before it will truly address the multiple aspects of sustainability. Still,
LEED is leading the way, and facilitating a larger conversation by drawing attention to the importance of green
building. It is also evolving. Which is what we all need to continue to do.
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 P
?
Elizabeth Benincasa
RINT
green

T here is a common conception in the architectural world that building bigger is better. The question is, better for
whom? While the additional amenities and excess space found in large homes may seem ideal to some homeowners,
the negative environmental impacts of building big are numerous. This causes conflict for builders who aspire to
build green, who are also asked to build big.

Jay Carey, a New Zealand born architect, has been living a green lifestyle for many years. He has been building
eco friendly, low-impact homes since he began his career. When Carey moved to America and set up his company,
Camelot Building, in the upscale New York community of the Hamptons, the nesting ground of McMansions, his goal
of green building became more challenging. Suddenly he was building for the large-scale market but with the mindset
of environmental responsibility. His most recent assignment: build a 7,900-square-foot, villa-inspired home, situated
on a hilltop in Sag Harbor, New York, and do so in a way that the home could legitimately be categorized as “green.”
Not an easy task, perhaps not even a possible task. But Carey took on the challenge.

On average, to build an 8000 square foot home, over 200 tons of forest is destroyed. Not only does this affect the
habitat for numerous species, but also it has a damaging effect on local oxygen output. Forest destruction does not
end on the property line. To get the materials to build these McMansions more trees are cut down, leaving more
habitats in shambles. To offset this problem Carey decided to build into the hill and so he was able to preserve most
of the land while providing an enormous amount of interior space. He reclaimed the 190 tons of trees, primarily oak,
which were cut down for this construction on site, and they were used to create the woodwork in the interior of the
house. In place of the oak trees he cut down he planted evergreens, which, since they are foliated all year long, will
actually double the amount of oxygen produced while creating new habitats for animals. By doing this he mitigated the
destruction to the building plot and to the environment.

In the construction of any sized home there is a massive amount of waste produced, such as the plastic packaging
wrapped around the building materials and the casings from equipment. Carey’s challenge was to limit the
construction waste as much as was possible. All the stone material used on the exterior and even on interior elements,
such as an accent wall and fireplace, came from an old bridge in New England. The re-use meant no new stone was
mined, and none of it came packaged. This not only reduced the quantity of waste, but also added unique and
historic elements to the home.

The negative environmental impact of big homes continues for as long as the homes exist. The energy used to
maintain these homes is generally triple the amount used for an average home in America. Again, Carey tackled the
burden of this additional energy consumption in several innovative ways. The house shell is made with insulated
concrete forms that ensure zero temperature transfer. This means that no heat or cold air will be lost, and decreases
the amount of overall energy used. Carey used the highest-rated energy star appliances throughout the house.
Because of these and other energy-saving design elements the home only uses one third of the energy of a traditional
home the same size, or the equivalent energy of a standard-size American home. Because of Carey’s innovative
techniques, including waste management, energy use reduction, and the reuse of materials and resources, this home
has earned the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

While the construction methods and design of this home may seem “green,” it is far from a paragon of simple living.
This villa comes equipped with 4 large bedrooms, a full bar with wine cellar, an indoor pool, steam room,
3 fire places, a 4 story elevator, an indoor racquet ball court, and an 18 person movie theater. These
facilities add a “wow” factor to this home, however Camelot Building was able to build a home where the
views are spectacular, the space is inspired, and the earth, if not “conserved” at least, is considered.
7
 FIGHTING
THE FLU
NATURALLY
jacqueline pierce
T hese days, it’s hard to imagine barreling into a flu season without vaccines, antibiotics and
Tylenol—it would be like white water rafting without a life vest. In 1918, though, as the Spanish flu claimed
50 million lives and healthy men and women were known to spring out of bed in the morning only to die by
sundown, doctors didn’t have a lot to offer.

The government advised people to rest in bed and take a relatively new drug: aspirin. Tragically, aspirin was
often given in overdoses we now know can cause fluid buildup in the lungs. According to a recent article in
Clinical Infectious Diseases, this may have contributed to the pandemic’s high death rate.

It is not surprising that many turned to traditional and folk remedies. The CDC’s PanFlu Storybook is filled
with memories of the 1918 outbreak, ranging from sweet to heartbreaking. Many entries tell of a child sent to
the pharmacy or even the barn to fetch whatever medicine was available. People tried the reasonable—
treatments like lard, cherry bark tea and Listerine—and the completely desperate—substances like kerosene,
belladonna and white lightning. One Wyoming doctor said he never lost a patient because he would pour
“rotgut” whiskey into people’s throats until they’d cough up their phlegm.(This whiskey was stolen from the
local sheriff, where it had been locked up as part of a bootlegger’s trial.)

It has largely been forgotten that homeopathy offered another popular treatment option. At that time a
system of homeopathic hospitals and medical schools existed alongside conventional ones. Homeopathy uses
extremely diluted solutions of animal, mineral, and plant-based substances to trigger the body’s own healing
mechanisms. According to the New England Journal of Homeopathy, homeopathy used in hospitals and on
WWI ships treated tens of thousands of patients, with a death rate less than half of the epidemic as a whole.
Although science still has no clear explanation for why this might be so, perhaps someone reading this article
owes their life to the homeopathy that saved their grandparents or great grandparents.

Clearly we’ve come a long way since 1918. Modern advances in influenza treatment can be a comfort and
even a lifesaver as we toss with fever through a winter night. However, around 36,000 people still die from
the flu each year, which means mainstream medicine still sometimes runs short of answers. The good news
is that alternative systems like homeopathy can be practiced alone or alongside conventional medicine,
sometimes furnishing those elusive answers in times of great need. What follows is an exploration of a few
of the holistic flu treatments available in
Lawrence and what they can offer to the feverish, achy or just plain worried.

Balancing Your Immune System, Naturally

Getting poked with needles while fighting a 103-degree fever may sound like adding insult to injury, but it’s
worth considering. Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, can treat even the toughest infections. 3
8
This 2000-3000 year old healing system is based on the Taoist understanding of a holistic universe. Although rooted in a
different place and time, a growing number of Western patients are finding its treatments relevant today. The National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine estimates that over 3 million U.S. adults are now treated with
acupuncture in any given year. Although double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on TCM practices are rare in the U.S.
literature, multiple studies have shown the safety and efficacy of acupuncture. Less is known in the U.S. about TCM’s
herbal practices, although favorable studies are routinely performed in China and other countries, says Jason Hamm, a
licensed acupuncturist who also specializes in herbal treatments through his Lawrence-based Blue Ginkgo Medicine.

Because TCM was developed long before germ theory, it has a very different take on the causes of influenza, Hamm
says. Flu-like illnesses are viewed in terms of “damp heat” and “wind heat.” Sounds funky, but these terms generally
describe the type of symptoms a patient exhibits, such as a fever. Over the millennia, by carefully observing symptoms
and diseases, TCM practitioners discovered treatments that shorten the course of such illnesses by “externalizing the
heat,” that is, drawing it from the inside toward the surface of the body. It also uses specific herbal formulas that are
now known to have antibiotic and antiviral properties, he says.

When TCM describes infectious illnesses like the flu, the concept that correlates most closely with Western medicine is
Wei Qi. Qi, (pronounced “chee”) a word becoming more mainstream in the West, is regarded as the energetic life force
running through a system of bodily pathways, called meridians. Wei Qi is the body’s inherent vitality to muster a
defensive response to infectious diseases. Hamm says that it is somewhat like our notion of the immune system, and
this bears directly on whether or not we catch the flu.

“Wei qi deficiency causes influenza to overcome an individual,” Hamm explains. “If your wei qi is very strong, then you
may not catch a disease.” Chinese Medicine works from the inside out, rather than the outside in, he says. “For instance,
instead of vaccinations, which they never had, the [historical] practice was to do herbal formulas or other means to
boost the individual’s immunity.” In fact, he says, Chinese emperors’ doctors were often fired if their patients became
sick, because their job was to avert illness in the first place.

Naturopathy, a system of medicine that offers a broad range of treatments including herbal medicine, homeopathy, and
acupuncture, shares a similar view. According to Dr. Amber Belt, a naturopath who practices in Lawrence and Overland
Park, we’re exposed to respiratory viruses all the time, even in the summer. What makes us more likely to catch a cold
or the flu at certain times, rather than others, reflects the current state of our immune system. When a germ meets
weak immunity, she says, you have “the perfect storm” of infection.

So how do alternative medicine specialists go about helping their patients avoid the flu? Hamm’s biggest advice is to
watch what you eat. He believes much of our susceptibility to seasonal viruses comes because we spend the winter
season indoors, sitting down, eating sugar and white flour, which are known to depress immunity.

“Have one piece of pie,” he says, “but don’t have three.” Also, he advises people to consider a good mineral supplement,
one that contains trace minerals, as those are the building blocks for a healthy immune system, but tend to be depleted
from modern soils.

Belt agrees that top priority should go to diet. She cites research that shows even a quarter teaspoon of sugar can
reduce your white blood cell count. If you can’t kick the sugar habit completely, she offers this advice: Set aside one or
two days a week when you can have a treat and otherwise leave it alone. Your immune system will rebound within 4-24
hours, leaving you protected more days a week than not. (Just don’t get let anyone sneeze in your direction on your
sugar day.)

With her own patients, she also helps support immunity by testing for food allergies and sensitivities. These substances
put an unnecessary strain on the immune system, distracting it from the real targets. Patients may be asked to avoid
milk, gluten, potatoes or even combinations of food, like cane sugar mixed with fruit. She also checks nearly all of her
patients for vitamin D levels and has found many of them to be woefully deficient. She puts all patients (con’t p.10)
9
low levels on appropriate doses, which tend to be up to 5,000 IU per day for adults, far more than you would find in
any multivitamin. Vitamin D has a wide and growing array of studied effects, including helping the body produce its
own antimicrobial proteins.

One of her favorite supplements, for those who can handle milk, is colostrum. Yes, that’s the stuff that is produced in
mammals in the very first days of breast feeding, and it’s chock full of proteins, antibodies, and other nutrients to help
jumpstart a baby’s brand new immune system. The colostrum in pills or sprays usually comes from organically raised
cows, and appears to be effective in humans, even adults. The authors of a 2007 study in Clinical and Applied
Thrombosis/ Hemostasis administered colostrum to both healthy and high-risk cardiovascular patients, some of whom
had been given the seasonal flu vaccine. They found that colostrum was at least three times more effective than
vaccination in preventing seasonal influenza. The incidence of complications and hospital admissions was also greater
in the high-risk group receiving vaccination alone, compared with the groups who received colostrum. They concluded
that it was an effective and inexpensive method of flu prevention.

Most of these approaches are designed give the immune system a leg up. Paradoxically, alternative medicine strategies
also include working to calm it down, as Belt does when identifying food allergies. Hamm, at his TCM clinic, might work
with a patient over a series of weeks or months to first normalize their typically over-amped immune system, and only
then to slowly strengthen it. Hamm says the problem with just taking immune-boosting herbs, such as astragalus, which
is popular both in China and the West, is that most of our immune systems are already going at full power, causing
problems like allergies and autoimmune disorders. Adding an immune-boosting herb to this scenario is like trying to
make a speeding car go faster by topping off the gas tank.

Unfortunately, Hamm and Belt both agree that most people tend to wait too long to think about the flu. Hamm estimates
that 95% of the patients who come to his practice aren’t thinking about prevention. Typically, they’re already sick when
they call, says Belt— sometimes waiting until they’ve passed the fever and cough, where intervention can make a huge
difference, and now have bronchitis or even pneumonia. When a patient is already sick, although the treatment is
individualized, the goal is to make sure the course of the flu is as brief and uncomplicated as possible. Hamm, for
instance, can offer acupuncture and herbs to lessen symptoms like sore throat or cough. His methods are particularly
effective, he explains, for reducing secondary respiratory infections and breathing challenges that often closely follow
the initial flu virus.

10
One recent patient, a 43-year-old woman who had a fever followed by a week of flu-like symptoms, called him because
she was wheezing and couldn’t get enough breath. He had her lie face down on the table and needled acupuncture
points to open her lungs. What does such treatment feel like? The needles generally can’t be felt when they’re inserted
and there may be a gentle pressure as they’re maneuvered to best activate the qi. Many patients will begin coughing
during the treatment and sometimes even get rid of the secretions that have been clogging their lungs right there.
Ick-factor aside, it may be worth it. This patient called Hamm shortly thereafter to say that this single treatment was
enough to ease her breathing and let the last of the infection resolve without lingering for weeks in her chest.

For Belt the approach is somewhat similar. She may offer a regimen of herbs to address her patient’s symptoms, and it
differs from person to person. She might also offer homeopathy, which is very effective for specific symptoms, especially
the deep, bone-weary ache that is a telltale flu symptom. (But she wouldn’t know because, amazingly, she’s never had the
flu.) Homeopathy is clinically documented to reduce the symptoms and duration of the flu when taken in the first few
hours of the onset of the illness. Belt said that that may be true, but, in practice, it’s hard for people to catch the onset
early enough. It’s as if we’re in denial until we’re completely ill, she says.

Perhaps the best news about alternative medicine is that it doesn’t have to replace Western treatments. Hamm believes
that both have a lot to offer and can work side by side, especially when something as complicated as immunity is
involved.

“I think it comes down to looking at and utilizing the strengths of both in a way that will be beneficial for the person. I
think we get way too much into the mentality of either/or. Either I do Eastern medicine or I do Western medicine. In
my clients I try to eliminate that mentality. Do herbs, but also do what your doctor is recommending.”

One pressure point for Hamm is the question of whether or not to vaccinate, a topic he calls a “big red button that
people can push and make people mad.” Vaccination is an external source of immunity, he says, and it activates different
defensive systems in the body than a traditionally acquired infection. Reactions can be unpredictable, and he feels that
neither Western or Eastern medicine have a good way of letting people know who might be at risk of an adverse reaction
so that they can make an informed choice. “You have to face the fact that not everybody’s the same and some people may
really need [vaccinations] and others may not.”(con’t p. 12)

BHAKTIVANA YOGA CENTER

Bhaktivana Yoga Center is a Registered Yoga

School and complies with the Yoga Alliance
standards for 200 hour teacher training. It is
also registered with the Kansas State Board
of Regents. Gopi Sandal, Center director, has
been practicing yoga for 36 years and teaching
in the Lawrence area for 20. She offers a
variety of one-off and ongoing classes,
workshops and yoga teacher training sessions
throughout the year. Class space is limited.

Classes At Bhaktivana Yoga Center:

Monday 10:30am - level I
Monday 6pm - level II
Wednesday 6pm - All levels
Thursday 10:30am - level III

At the Zen Center in Lawrence:

Thursday 6pm - All levels

11
 His preference is always to strengthen the body so that it can do its own job fighting off infections and, should
someone become infected, to shorten the course of the illness and prevent serious complications. If he were pressed,
he says, he would choose the nasal vaccine, which delivers a live, weakened version of the flu, because this is closer to
what happens when a person naturally encounters a respiratory virus. He also notes that TCM offers a wide
pharmacopeia of medicines that can ease unexpected immune reactions to vaccines.

Whether we choose to vaccinate or not, none of us are fully immune to the onslaught of winter viruses. According to
a three-month investigation by CBS, data from all 50 states before they stopped testing for H1N1 in July showed that
the overwhelming majority of suspected cases were not H1N1 and not even the flu. With vaccines available for just a
few strains of the many respiratory illnesses in circulation, taking a holistic approach to health and immunity just makes
sense. So, whether you rolled up your sleeve for the shot or not, you may do well to rest, relax, investigate natural
methods of balancing your immunity, and take it easy on the pie.

Skip the flu this year with these natural treatments

1.) Avoid sugar, especially during the winter months. Eating the amount of sugar in 2 cans of soda can
cut the germ-fighting ability of your white blood cells by 40%, an effect that lasts up to 5 hours,
according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

2.) Try Colostrum. A 2007 study found it three times more effective than the flu vaccine.

3.) Get enough vitamin D3. A growing body of research is showing that this “sunshine vitamin” plays
a critical role in immunity and is at its lowest levels during peak flu months. Up to 1,000 IU per day is
considered safe, but many people will need much more. Ask your primary care doctor to test your
25-hydroxy Vitamin D levels at regular intervals, or join the Vitamin D Action study at
www.grassrootshealth.net, which will test your levels every six months and combine your data with
that of thousands of others.

4.) Make sure you’re getting enough minerals, including trace minerals. Lawrence doctor of Chinese
medicine Jason Hamm recommends taking Azomite powder daily to give your immune system its basic
building blocks.

5.) Flush out the germs. Some practitioners recommend using a yogic neti pot to wash out your nasal
passages each day. If you can’t get the hang of the neti pot, you can dip a cotton swab in salt water and
run it around your nostrils. Gargling twice daily with salt water and drinking warm beverages will do the
same for your throat.

6.) Wash your hands often. Any list such as this would be remiss to leave out this simple and highly
effective practice. Antibacterial soaps aren’t needed and can be potentially toxic, according to The
Environmental Working Group—soap and water will do the trick. When out and about, use a hand
sanitizer, preferably alcohol-based without triclosan or triclocarbon.

7.) At the first sign of flu symptoms, try homeopathy. Oscillococcinum is an over-the-counter remedy
that double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have shown to reduce symptoms and duration of the flu.
Although the most effective remedies change from virus to virus, homeopaths found success with
gelsemium and byronia during the 1918 flu pandemic.

12
13
 one pay check at a time
Living Fuelishly: Part 1 of 3
Most of us drive. At least a little. Maybe a lot. For many it is the largest piece of
our carbon footprint. According to the Union for Concerned Scientists, “Motor vehicles are responsible for
almost a quarter of annual US emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary global-warming gas. The US
transportation sector emits more CO2 than all but three other countries’ emissions from all sources combined.”
And motor vehicle emissions will continue to increase as more vehicles hit America’s roads and the number of
miles driven grows.

Three factors contribute to CO2 emissions from cars and trucks: 1.) Amount of fuel used. 2.) Amount of
CO2 released when a particular fuel is consumed. 3.) Number of vehicle miles traveled. Combating global
warming requires reducing all of these factors. This necessitates increased fuel efficiency, switching to
renewable fuels, and less driving.

So what are you and I to do? In the broad economy and environment we understand what should happen,
but in the economy of our own lives we wrestle with limited resources, and a scarcity of time and information.

Let’s face it, if each us had to invent the mode of transportation we use to move around, most of us would be
hitchhikers. We wait for others to “hook us up” to the right forms of transportation to meet our modern
needs. When we go to buy a car, what we end up driving off the lot, is generally just a car that will get us from
point A to B. We hope for dependability. We opt for style. We factor in our carbon footprint, but probably only
as one of several components that include pricing, financing, and availability.

Still, if there were a personal transportation answer that offered dependability and real economy, as well as
being better for the environment, wouldn’t you take it?

This 3 part series will look at some options: Bio Diesel Vehicles, Flex Fuel Vehicles, and Hybrids.

If you were able to go to a car dealer today and buy a new Diesel vehicle (all new diesels use Common Rail
Diesel or CRD Technology) you could drive to the pump and fill it up with petroleum-based diesel and you
would already have reduced 2 of the 3 factors listed above for the creation of CO2 emissions. Diesel Vehicles
use less fuel than gasoline vehicles to go the same distance. Most quote the savings between 20 and 60% less
fuel. That means you can travel more miles on the same amount of fuel and go farther between fill-ups.

14
Not having to drive to the filling station as often, in itself, may save additional fuel. Diesel engines also
are able to extract more power from the same amount of fuel. They create more torque, which means
more pulling power. And diesel fuel is less flammable than gasoline, so it is safer in an accident, and
less likely to explode if your vehicle catches on fire.

Contemporarily manufactured diesel vehicles also have high standards of emissions filters. Historically,
because the diesel engine combusts its fuel, it was a heavier pollutant than gas-powered engines. But
stricter emissions standards required diesel manufacturers to clean up their act. The particulate
problem was solved by Mercedes-Benz when they introduced the maintenance-free particulate filter,
now standard in all diesel cars and trucks. The new diesel engines are now cleaner than gas engines in
both particulates released and CO2 released.

Other advantages of diesel-powered vehicles are that they last longer because they do not employ the
conventional ignition system and so there are no spark plugs or ignition modules that can fail.

Of course if you drive that diesel engine to the pump and fill up with traditional diesel fuel all these
things are true, but you would lose the additional advantages of being able to run your vehicle on a
renewable energy source: Bio Diesel.

The merits of Bio Diesel are many: It is nontoxic. It is biodegradable. It is completely renewable, thus
reducing our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuel products. And it is cleaner. The EPA says that
if we switch to 100 percent bio diesels we will reduce carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions by 75
percent. The Union for Concerned Scientists states clearly that renewable fuels, “because they are not
produced from high-carbon fossil fuels, have lower carbon emissions.”

And Bio Diesel is particularly renewable because it can be manufactured from so many sources. The
Diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel to run on Peanut Oil. But almost any plant or vegetable
matter can be converted into Bio Diesel.

A Sustainable Approach to Automobiles and Energy Infrastructure

University of Kansas Eco Hawks School of Engineering Design Project
www.ecohawks.org
Donations gratefullyaccepted. Contact KU Endowment at (785) 832-7400.

15
 And because diesel engines aren’t too picky about what fuels them, there is even one way you could run your
diesel engine for Free. Yes FREE. For the same price as that hitchhikers thumb, (but with a lot more safety
features) you could be driving around town.

The way is to covert a conventional Diesel Vehicle to use Waste Vegetable Oil. Almost all diesel vehicles can
be retrofitted to run on Waste Vegetable Oil. According to local mechanic, Marcos Markolatos who has done
multiple WVO conversions, diesel vehicles manufactured before 2000 work best. His recommendations for
the process is as follows:

To covert your Diesel vehicle to run on WVO you need to:

1.) Buy a conversion kit. The price will depend on what make and model of vehicle you own. Frybred sells
theirs for approximately $1700. And Golden Fuel Systems – in Springfield MO sells theirs for around $1500.

http://www.frybrid.com
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com

2.) Hire a mechanic to install the two tanks system in your vehicle. Golden Fuel Systems in Springfield,
MO will install on site for between $1200-$1500, or they will send a mechanic to you for a little more.
But a local mechanic might charge you less.

3.) Source your Waste Vegetable Oil by talking to restaurant owners or friends and family who fry a lot of food.
Markolatos says sourcing your WVO might take some time but he’s keeping his own “choice” local spots a secret.

Of course, though running on WVO is really good for your own limited resources, and better for the
environment than driving a gasoline-powered car, it isn’t carbon neutral. Even better choices would be to
walk, to ride your bicycle, to take a city bus, to limit your driving to the bare minimum possible, or pull out
that innovation of last resort and use that thumb to share a ride.

green jobs
employment opportunities in the emerging sustainable economy

wanted free listings green real estate

Green Classifieds free listings

sales, rentals, and barter for holdings that support sustainable
technologies

free listings recycle this

free listings
listings that encourage reuse - at an affordable price
Send your classifieds to:

free listings
publisher.blueskygreenearth@gmail.com education
green knowledge is hard to come by; sell or barter your expertise

free listings
Content must be received by the first day of the month
to be included in the next issue.
business opportunities
Classified ads will run for one issue unless renewed. solicit investment and support for your green business

Content must be appropriate to one of the personal growth

categories listed and timely. let the world know about your green services

Contact information must include name, phone, and green events

email. invite the public to participate in the growth of green

16
 knit
together
mina brenneman
W hen we cast on a piece knitting, we cannot help but extend ourselves and our concrete experience
in two simultaneous directions: we connect ourselves temporally to all those who have knitted or engaged in the art
and craft of fiber before us in history, and we also link ourselves spatially to all of those who are knitting like us at
this very moment and to those who are currently engaged in all stages and aspects of the production of fiber. Thus,
we can only knit together, as part of a vast, implicit community, even though we may be sitting all alone somewhere.

My personal involvement with knitting lay dormant for many years before becoming a life-changing obsession.
Taught the basics of knitting by my two grandmothers as a young girl in 1980s Communist Bulgaria, I dabbled in
making knitted dolls, toy blankets and such, before plunging into an ambitious Fair Isle sweater, which my
grandmother eventually had to finish for me when I got hopelessly bored with the sleeves. The sweater, now long
outgrown and soaked with nostalgia, still sits on a shelf in my closet, though I haven’t worn it since freshman year
in college. My hopeless addiction to knitting started about a year ago, in the wake of the loss of a much wanted
pregnancy. In between the sweater days and last December lay about two decades of random, short-lived bursts of
knitting: a scarf here, a baby blanket there. But before I get to the recent past and present, I wish to linger on two
more points relating to my knitting heritage.

One is that, curiously enough, my mother is clueless about knitting. Her own mother – the same grandmother who
so lovingly helped me make my first stitches – deliberately refused to teach her anything smacking of traditionally
feminine domesticity out of determination to set her on a path of career achievement outside the home. Now in
her sixties, my super-educated and successful mother openly admits that she envies my fiber-oriented obsession
and ever evolving skills with the needles. So why did my late grandmothers think it was OK to teach me, after
having skipped a generation? I can make guesses of course, but I never actually thought to ask the question. Add
it to the ever expanding list of what I now perceive as precious opportunities lost to me in this lifetime.

The other thing about my grandmothers’ craft relevant here is the fact that they never worried about knitting green
because they were doing it by default – in their small provincial towns and tiny villages in interwar and post-World
War II Communist Bulgaria. They used homespun, hand-dyed wool – but it wasn’t glamorous or luxurious and as a
kid, my sister and I frankly preferred the softness of smuggled, German, mohair-look acrylic to anything native and
scratchy. So the more I keep thinking about the whole dilemma of whether to knit green or not, the more I realize
that it is a problem that presents itself mostly to the contemporary Western knitter. We’re in the unique position to
make choices, and make them responsibly, with an eye to the future.

The opportunity and, in fact, necessity of making informed fiber choices didn’t even enter my mind last December
as I was groping, in the fog of early grief, for a source of comfort during the sleepless nights. Knitting presented
itself to me as the perfect refuge through a series of small but serendipitously timed events: the gift of a whole pile
of how-to knitting books and magazines from a near stranger; a friend’s recommendation of Ann Hood’s memoir
Comfort, describing the life-saving role of knitting after the sudden death of her young daughter; my sister knitting
a scarf for her boyfriend over the Christmas holidays. (con’t p.18)
17
 At the crack of dawn on December 26, I found myself rifling through the yarn
section at Michael’s. With several skeins of Patons and Lion Brand acrylics in
tow, I ensconced myself in my favorite chair at home and spent what seemed
like entire days knitting scarf after scarf after scarf.

At the beginning this was a frenetic, desperate need to knit. The urge to lose
myself in the activity was so overwhelming that I would have knit with
literally anything, dental floss, if need be. The materials didn’t really matter.
What counted was being engaged in a repetitive activity, which only gradually
revealed itself as meditative, as something even greater than just a means of
survival and a way to deal with my grief with some measure of dignity, while
finding an outlet for the excess nervous energy which was keeping me up night
after sleepless night. As the initial frenzy of grief-fueled knitting subsided a bit,
I fell back on another long-standing habit: voracious research and reading. My
husband lovingly teases me about my tendency to develop a long reading list, a
syllabus of sorts, for everything I become passionately interested in. My appetite
for knitting books (manuals, essays, fiction, histories, catalogs, online blogs etc.)
was only matched by the speed with which I completed actual knitting projects:
several baby blankets, sweaters, scarves and ponchos, hand warmers, shrugs, etc.
All of these were executed in colorful acrylics from Michael’s, using bamboo
circular needles purchased on the (extremely!) cheap from eBay and promptly
shipped to me all the way from China. If you’re wondering what motivated those
none too savvy or eco-conscious choices on my part, it is simple: the absolute
dread that I would end up wanting to start a new project at 11 PM on a Saturday
night and wouldn’t have the materials to begin right then and there.

My conversion to consumer-conscious knitting was almost imperceptible, but

none the less irreversible. A warehouse sale at my LYS (Local Yarn Store)
prompted me to buy a few skeins of Karabella brushed alpaca and some
lace-weight Diakeito novelty yarn dotted with tiny flower-like slubs. An unlikely
pair that I held together to knit a quick scarf for a gift. That did it! I became
hopelessly hooked on high-quality yarn. And when a dear friend gave me three
pairs of Lantern Moon rosewood needles, a whole new world of appreciation
and awareness opened up to me. Then my mother-in-law bought me Lynne
Vogel’s, The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Looking at the sections on spinning
and dyeing your own yarn, I laughed as I said to myself, “and next thing you
know, I’ll be raising sheep!” A few months down the road, I no longer look at
this as a joke. I’ve lately been learning how to spin with a drop spindle and as I
ply my very first handspun skeins, I’m ever more inclined to think that once you
become involved with something like fiber arts, and you’re determined to do it
in a mindful way, it’s impossible to go just half-way. You have to dig deeper even
as you cast an ever-wider net. Exploring aspects of fiber through time and space
will be precisely what this column aims to do. I will focus on the endless ways in
which knitting and fiber bring us all closer together through the process of craft,
the finished artifact, the emotions, memories, stories, dreams and traditions
associated with the art of making three-dimensional objects of beauty and
function from apiece of string. And I hope this will prove to be a shared journey
of discovery, guided in large part by the interest and passions of the readers of
this column. In this day and age, it would be impossible to enter a deep
discussion of the essential togetherness of knitting without taking into serious
consideration its “green” dimension. In fact, there is no more appropriate time
18
than the present to delve into green knitting. The United Nations designated 2009 as the International Year of
Natural Fibers (IYNF), and the website www.naturalfibers2009.org explains that the IYNF was meant to celebrate
fibers produced by plants and animals as opposed to modern, man-made, artificial and synthetic fibers such as rayon,
nylon, acrylic and polyester. Looking to the future, 2011 will be the International Year of Forests, and it will focus
on tree fibers that were not covered by the International Year of Natural Fibers.

A vast number of issues are intertwined in the concept of eco-conscious knitting, such as whether our fiber and
craft tools are local, sustainably farmed, carbon neutral, chemical free (including pesticide and insecticide free),
naturally dyed, fair trade, vegan, etc. In order for a fiber product to be labeled “organic” legally, the producer has
to go through a very rigorous and expensive certification process similar to the one prescribed for the food industry.
Meanwhile, yarn production has multiple stages, and each of these involves myriad practical, down-to-earth choices
on the part of the producer. Now there are those (not too many) who make the radical decision to knit only with
organic materials. To be honest, I am of a more moderate persuasion. While I have started to make every effort to
knit with stuff that meets as many of the “organic” requirements, I appreciate the fact that it’s often very difficult
for small producers and cottage industries to conform to all the USDA “organic” certification criteria. At the same
time, I would like to support every effort, no matter how partial, in the direction of “green.” And, additionally, I
can’t resist mentioning here that my personal favorite, responsibly produced wool, is perhaps the ultimate
sustainable fiber, the one with potentially the smallest carbon footprint of any, including all the currently hip
alternative fibers, such as bamboo or organic cotton.

So what should we do when we want to be responsible consumers who wish to buy responsibly produced yarn and
knitting tools? In the frequent absence of clear and definitive labels due to hurdles associated with the USDA
certification process, we can make a conscious effort to get to know the producers, feel comfortable enough to ask
questions about the choices they make in their production process, open two-way lines of communication. Some
producers may be very willing to engage in this kind of discussion while others may feel threatened and reluctant to
indulge an inquisitive client. A perfect opportunity to meet producers in person would be at one of the ever more
numerous wool and fiber festivals that take place around the country from the early spring to the late fall each year.
The chance for warm and intimate in-person communication with the producers at these festivals is priceless. But
even if we don’t get a chance to attend such an event, we can still effect small but important change by, for instance,
requesting that our LYS stock an assortment of eco-friendly yarns that we would be committed to purchasing.

Now all of these efforts on our part may well get in the way of our eager desire for instant gratification in terms
of yarn stash expansion, but it’s worth the effort, as it will go a long way into knitting us more closely together as a
healthy community on a larger scale.
Educated and consistent individual
consumer choices can and do build up
a momentum that reverberates to the
upper reaches of the fashion industry.
Next month’s column will start talking
in greater detail about particular kinds
of natural fibers and other knitterly
accoutrements and the practices and
traditions surrounding their production
and use. In the meantime, please don’t
hesitate to email me with any comments
and questions at
mina.blueskygreenearth@gmail.com
Until then, let’s knit together!
Reducing the cost of utilities
is the only way our low-income
communities can survive. Instead
of relying on the government to
fix everyone’s problem, Building A
Sustainable Earth Community (BSEC)
decided to take a self-help message
to the residents of Wyandotte County.
With the help of the Kansas
Sierra Club, BSEC has been
teaching people in Wyandotte
County how to reduce their
energy use – and costs.
Think Green
BSEC has found that once we hold our
sessions, the people in attendance seem
to agree such steps are really needed, and
commit themselves to helping us spread
the word within their own family
and/or circle of friends.
We need your help too. So please help
us teach our future generations how
to use self-help measures to survive.
Please visit our site to find out more
and to make a donation or contact:
Richard Mabion, Founder
Building A Sustainable Earth Community
www.breakingthesilence.us
913-481-9920

19
 amy stuber
w ild things
S how of hands: what parent isn’t frantically, even obsessively worried about germs this
year? As a regular purchaser of all things organic, I had convinced myself I’d created a thin layer of health and
protection around my family. That is, until this flu season. Like every other parent I know, this flu season I’ve
been rolling in a ball of panic about germs. And then enter, stage left, my former enemy but newfound secret
friend: alcohol-based hand sanitizer, a product you’d never find on the shelves at my local health food co-op.
Sure, I felt a little sinister as I climbed into my car outside of the Montessori school and furtively squirted a glob
of gelatinous, pale-green hand sanitizer onto my hands. My one-year-old, strapped in his car seat, had been
projectile sneezing for days. Half of my daughter’s preschool classmates had spent the past week at home with
some kind of bronchial thing. Every time I checked my email, some apocalyptic swine flu headline screamed
horror stories at me. I envisioned a troupe of malicious, bird-sized germs circling around the heads of my
children, cartoon-style, ready to dive into any orifice. Only a negligent parent would not use hand sanitizer every
two seconds in times likes these, right? Right?

Though I had made the decision to use the product on myself I still had to decide about my children. My toddler
spends a good portion of his day practically eating his fingers and I had a notion that applying this product to him
would be like covering those fingers with the alcohol equivalent of a martini. So before dousing my son’s hands
with goop (my technical term for a concentration of 62% isopropanol) I needed to do some more research.
Researching yields a huge trough of mixed messages, everything from doctors and companies that call hand
sanitizer a germ-killing miracle to parents and natural healers who decry hand sanitizer as a dangerous and
potentially deadly literal cocktail they wouldn’t put near child-sized hands.

If you go with what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) says about hand sanitizer efficacy, if a hand sanitizer
contains more than 60% alcohol and if it’s applied liberally (so much on the hands that it takes more than fifteen
seconds to dry after being rubbed over the skin), it is generally effective in eliminating 99.9% of germs. Keep in
mind: hands must not be soiled when the sanitizer is applied, as alcohol is not effective in cutting through dirt.

Are there alternatives for those of us who are slightly terrified of a preternatural green hand sanitizer full of
alcohol and triclosan, an ingredient that has been known to combine with sunlight and trace chlorine in tap water
to form dangerous carcinogens?

According to Anne Blake, Ph.D., an environmental and public health consultant, there are two types of “natural”
products out there. First, there are “natural” hand sanitizers that use alcohol to eliminate germs. What makes
them different from a product like Purell? Many, like EO Natural Hand Sanitizer, use organic grape alcohol
instead of ethyl alcohol and do not use synthetic fragrances or harmful chemicals. If you would like to skip the
alcohol altogether, CleanWell makes a hand sanitizer that claims to be as effective as alcohol-based sanitizers but
relies instead on “ingenium,” a patented mixture of essential plant oils, to rid the hands of germs. They tested
20
 their product in a FDA-approved lab, and their results-- 99.9% of germs killed-- were comparable to those of
alcohol-based sanitizers. While they do not have actual data on the efficacy of non-alcohol-based sanitizers, the
CDC admits that “[such products] may kill germs on hands...[but that] there isn’t as much information about
whether these types of cleaners are effective.”

So what is a green-leaning parent to do, particularly during this winter of H1N1 flu scares? First and foremost, per
the CDC: regular and serious hand washing. This means warm water, lots of soap, getting in between the digits,
under rings, on the wrists, and washing for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Admittedly, this is not
an easy routine to maintain, particularly when you’ve just walked in the house and both children are in twin states
of decompensation: one being too hungry to wait for lunch to be prepared, and the other one tantruming because
she doesn’t like what I’ve planned for lunch. But according to most doctors and the CDC, hand washing is the
absolute best way to protect against illness and decrease the spread of germs.

And so, I have been doing a monstrous amount of hand washing when we come in the house after school, library,
playdates and the like. Fortunately, my daughter thinks it’s hilarious and entertaining to sing “Happy Birthday”
twice while creating as much lather on her hands as possible, and my son is still at the stage of thinking any kind
of running water touching him is one of the most interesting things ever. If I am not near a sink, I agree that hand
sanitizers are the next best option. When your son has gastroenteritis, for example, and you are changing his diaper,
it might not be a bad idea to use the hand sanitizer before even moving away from the changing table. I plan to
buy CleanWell. I like that it presents results, lists its ingredients in full, and is the only antibacterial product on the
Childsafe Product List. I also like that I do not have to feel like a bartender when applying it to my children’s hands.
I just do not trust that my one-year-old knows not to put the more toxic hand sanitizers in his mouth.

But really, there is no fail-safe. I could be covered head to toe in hand sanitizer and walk by someone who sneezes
on me. That’s just part of living in the world. So I’m going to wash a lot of hands, carry a natural product in my
bag and keep it around the house, and try not to worry.

21
I grew up on a western Kansas farm.
parents and grandparents before me, had lived in the same
My

agrarian community. My parents grew wheat, milo, and crops

for silage. They also had pasture land and maintained a herd of
grass-fed cattle. My parents farmed both to make a living and
as a way of life. They both worked very hard as equal partners
and they felt they had a good life. Dad managed the crops and
cattle. He kept the large machinery, tractors, trucks and
combines, in running condition. Mother was the gofer.
Machinery always broke at inconvenient times. She fetched going
the necessary replacement parts from dealerships that were
the green
garden
fifteen to fifty miles away. She sometimes drove a truck during
harvest. She helped move the irrigation pipe. She cooked for
the family and for the hired teenage boys who helped in the
fields. During harvest, when every minute of good weather calendar
Beth Dillon
mattered, she always took meals to the field. As a child I
thought these in-field picnics were great fun. It was even
better when I got my driving permit. Then I was the one in
charge of meal delivery. In addition to these responsibilities Mother gardened. She had a passion for gardening. She
inherited her skills from her mother. When I was very small and we visited Grandma, we always had a tour of her
garden. The garden lives in memory as very large and bordered on one side with hardy perennials and self-seeding
annuals. Mother’s garden was similar to Grandma’s, but her vegetables and flowers had separate sites. It is from these
two women I absorbed most of my gardening techniques along with strong opinions about growing in general.

We always had a bounty of fresh vegetables in the summer and fall. That was the time of year that Mother went into
over-drive. She was certain we would go hungry if she did not preserve everything we could not consume. Her goal was
to keep us in vegetables, pickles, jams, jellies, and fruit until the next growing season. She did a good job. We seldom ran
out of anything.

Though I knew very early I liked flower gardens better than the vegetables that had to be preserved, I experienced the
plenty of home-grown food, which most industrious, farming families enjoy. Food and eating were part of every family
event and most social occasions. Gardening and farming were the means that made possible our plentiful lifestyle.

We were essentially self-reliant. Only two times during the year would Mother buy meat. The first was for a
multi-family Fourth-of-July Celebration, where we roasted hotdogs over a fire. The other occasion was an annual
family-reunion picnic. Cars were not air-conditioned and Mother feared meat would spoil during the three-hour drive
in August heat. She bought baloney, mayonnaise and bread when we arrived at our destination.

Mother and Dad did everything they knew to maintain and improve their land. The specter of the dust bowl was always
in their minds. They plowed under their wheat straw after harvest to add humus to the soil. Not everyone did. After
wheat harvest, the sky would be dotted with fires and smoke from fields where neighbors burned their stalks. Since this
practice bothered Mother intensely, I asked someone, why they preferred burning to tilling? They explained that the
cost of tractor fuel and hired labor was too large a cut into their profits. My parents felt differently. More winter wheat
was always planted than was needed for harvest, and it served as a good cover crop to protect the land during the windy
winters. In the winter months cattle could graze on this extra wheat for several weeks. The pasture needed a rest and
the cattle would add some fertilizer to the soil. In the spring the extra winter wheat would be turned under as a green
manure. A couple of times Dad bought truckloads of animal manure from a feedlot to enrich the soil. He also paid earth
movers to terrace a parcel of badly eroding pasture land. After the terracing he planted grass through the Conservation
Reserve Program usually identified as CRP, to keep the soil stabilized and to slow water runoff.

22
In the years Mother and Dad farmed many believed chemical pesticides and applied fertilizer were improvements, and
used them gladly. During this era of prosperity these chemicals were considered gifts, either from God or the marvelous
advances of modern technology. Farmers and many others thought these two “gifts” would eliminate world hunger and
improve world health. Sadly, that has not been the case. The opinions on chemical fertilizers have done an about face.
Three decades after the use of pesticides became the norm, reports started to surface about possible dangers, and the
use of pesticides was challenged. Today, the damage from their use, both to individuals and to the land is well
documented. In my childhood farmers used some care in applying chemicals, but no one was particularly afraid of the
dangers. The danger to the environment was unknown or dismissed as an unproven rumor. After a lifetime of handling
various chemical products, Dad became ill. A year after retiring from a career of farming he died of cancer.

As a young adult in the 1960s I farmed with my husband. Not much was different from my farming childhood, except
I was the gofer. With children in tow I ran errands and helped move the irrigation pipe. By the time the 1970’s grain
embargos and energy crisis signaled the era of runaway inflation, I was divorced and had moved to an urban
neighborhood. My close relationship to farming ended, and I no longer thought of myself as living “on the land.”

As an adult city dweller, I grew small backyard vegetable and flower gardens with varying degrees of success and failure.
I grew more flowers than vegetables. I wanted to avoid the work of food preservation. And for many years Mother still
gave the gifts of her labors. When she was no longer able to do the garden, and the canning, I missed the flavor of fresh
vegetables. I did not have much garden space left after my flowers, so I bought the rectangular containers, which
according to their advertising were “maintenance free” except for occasional watering.

I planned to eat any vegetables I grew so I used organic soil and fertilizer. I had moderate success. I harvested some
produce early in the season until everything I was growing turned yellow and died. The containers were expensive and
I wanted to clean them so I could try again next year to be organic. I did not want any chemical residue from cleaning,
and I wanted to be sure the pest or the blight would not live over into the next year. I needed information and started
reading, but the field of green growing is so broad I had a hard time finding the specific information I needed. I gave up.

This year my daughter told me she was starting a green magazine. I was excited both about the magazine and about a
new source of information on green growing. She asked me if I wanted me to write this column. My first reaction was,
“I don’t know anything about green gardening!” Hadn’t my quest for information about the pots proven that I was
totally unqualified?

However, she comes from the information age and her response was, “You can research! You can interview people who
have the expertise! You have a background in traditional farming, in home gardening, and in land management.

(con’t p. 24)

23
You know about growing in Kansas. Green isn’t about having the answers it is about the transition to a new frame for our
day-to-day activities.” We decided I could write the column from the point of view of a green garden novice. Perhaps
others who do not know how to grow green would be interested in what I am learning and how I am making the transi-
tion from “old school” growing to growing in a more ecologically conscientious manner.

In this age of dramatic climate change, and undisputable statistics on pesticides and other containments in our water,
soil and air, it is hard for my caring mind to understand why more of the population is not interested in making changes.
Then when I stop to consider my own gardening practices I realize the WHY. I am addicted to the fast fix of chemicals.
I want to quickly get rid of pests who eat my plants. I also want weeds to be gone by tomorrow or at least next week.
There is a patch of bindweed in my daughter’s yard. I cannot look at without itching to put Round Up on it. I read in an
organic growing book that the method to eradicate difficult weeds is heavy mulching. For deep-rooted plants like bind-
weed, it can take up to two years. No way do I want to take that amount of time. I probably have
blinders of ignorance about other things.

My addiction to using chemicals to enhance growing is very much like a nicotine addiction. The smoker knows all the
dangers to herself but considers it a personal choice. She ignores the data on the dangers of second-hand smoke to the
ones she loves. The smoker ignores the evidence to satisfy her momentary satisfaction with her choice. In my addiction
I think one application of Round Up, or as much as is needed to destroy a patch of bindweed, will not matter or is
justified. It is very hard to give up personal pleasures and convenience. My conclusion to this discussion is that
being green is as much a
“consciousness raising” Engineering roots, creative branches.
process as knowing Project conception, planning, and realization
the facts. for sustainable living.
The facts won’t matter until an individual
cares to the extent that action is the only
way they can live. Actions of one person
start a ripple effect that can cause My technical education and career
profound changes. experiences are the structure and heartwood
supporting creative outgrowth.
This is why I’ve agreed to write this Being passionate about working with others on projects that
column, because I have begun to take fulfill their needs while reflecting their hearts, I enjoy using
action. I have begun to find a new reclaimed and mixed materials in functional and artistic
relationship to my garden, my life and constructions around the home and garden.
to myself. I hope you will join me as I My family and I have come to this rich heartland for an
embark on this journey of green growing. intentional life; to grow in the purest and truest way we can.
I look forward to employing all of my skills, tools, and talents
I began my quest to educate myself in to facilitate the realization of your family’s visions
the world of green growing by speaking
with Natalya Lowther who operates Anil Kamat 505 231 6163 anil@zianet.com
Pinwheel Farm. Natalya grows
vegetables and I have long admired
her produce at the Lawrence Farmers’
Market. Heritage tomatoes are one of
her specialties.Natalya practices
sustainable growinmethods. As a
sustainable grower, she adheres to the
organic ban of chemical fertilizer and
pesticides. Lime is the only additive she
uses.
24

The Light Center
a non-profit rustic retreat
center in Baldwin, Kansas
offering:
Holistic Healing Learning Center
Healing Touch Therapy
Classes & Workshops
Sustainable Living
& Intentional Community projects
Native American Ceremonies
Family & kids camps & events
34 acres of creeks and hilly wilderness for
hiking and exploring
The Light Center also organizes and supports
the South African Volunteer Project & GOGO
Alliance through LOVELIGHT, the Light Center’s
globalnetwork in support of the children and
grandmothers of Africa. Lovelight is responding to
the AIDS orphan crisis in South Africa focusing on
supporting the caregivers as they provide for the
needs of the children. Lovelight’s main task is to
provides volunteer training and support for
volunteers who travel to South Africato enhance
the work of South African programs. It facilitates
an international exchange of healingwisdom and
resources to create a more sustainable future for
the children. We believe that service is a two-way
street with all of us being teachers and learners,
in ways that are empowering to all people
involved. Lovelight is exploring new models for
collaboration among grass roots projects, and it
is our belief that great changes come from ordinary
people creating new ideas together. Working
together works miracles! The Light Center is
interested in development as an eco-village.
We seek partners and investors towards this end.
For more information please visit our websites.
www.lightcenter.info www.lovelight.info
As a sustainable grower, Natalya does no-till planting. “no-till”
is one of the concepts I had trouble understanding. The
image I had was planting in the midst of grass or weeds in
hard dry soil. As Natalya described preparing a plot for no-till
gardening, I began to understand. No-till does not mean
planting in unprepared soil. Several months before she starts
a new garden or reclaims a fallow plot, she invites her flock of
sheep to consume unwanted weeds or grass. After the sheep
finish, she heavily mulches the entire plot. Heavy mulching is
about eight inches deep and springy to walk on. Natalya uses
waste hay from her sheep, or fall leaves or any organic
material that will compost. After several months, she can pull
the mulch apart and plant. The mulch has smothered the
grass and weeds. It continues to compost, enriching the soil
without damaging or destroying underground eco systems
that promote healthy plant growth. The mulch also keeps the
soil from losing moisture. The garden needs little or no
irrigation from planting until harvest.
Listening to her description, I realized I had accidentally
created a no-till flowerbed. Even though I began by tilling, I
got it right in the end. I planted perennials and mulched and
mulched. After several years of mulching, I have wonderful
no-till soil. Natalya cautioned not to do a light mulching. She
explained that light mulching keeps the soil moist but lets in
enough light to make a weed greenhouse. On occassion, I
have done exactly that and could not understand why my
mulch did not keep the weeds away. Natalya likes to use old
brome hay as mulch. Brome seed is only viable for two years.
If some seeds defy the two-year rule and sprout, they are easy
to spot and eliminate.
Natalya’s answer to what she would be doing in January was
succinct. First, she would plan for next year by reviewing last
year’s records. Her records include maps of each plot,
planting and harvest dates with the amount of seeds used,
varieties and yields. Second she saves many heritage seeds,
her next task will be an inventory of seeds and ordering any
needed seed. Third, she maintains her tools. They require
cleaning to prevent any contamination from the previous
season. Cutting blades need oil and rough handles need
sanding. Some equipment always needs replacing.
When these tasks are finished, she is ready to start planting in
late January or early February depending on Kansas weather.
Last February was warm enough to plant under row covers.
Natalya intends to be prepared if the opportunity comes this
year.
25
 Kelsey Tyler
Making Paper:

W
A playful exercise in reinvention
elcome readers, to the first edition of the Recycle Fairy.
Here you can find creative ways to incorporate reusing and recycling into
children’s crafts. Modify, add to and adapt these craft projects to fit your
child’s needs and ingenuity. While some of our projects can be managed
without the assistance of an adult, remember that it is always a good idea
to supervise your child according to his or her developmental level. In
celebration of the first issue of Blue Sky Green Earth, I have chosen to focus
on this magazine’s medium: paper. It is my desire to apply this magazine’s
emphasis of a “less is more” lifestyle to earth’s younger dwellers.

This month’s project offers a fun way to turn nearly all forms of used paper
into beautiful new sheets of paper. Making your own paper with your child
offers a good opportunity to discuss waste and recycling with him or her.
Explain what happens to materials we throw away and how it never
disappears, but just goes somewhere else. Making sure children are
conscious of this concept means that in the future they may more carefully
consider what they are throwing away. Maybe they will look at an empty
box in the trash and see a castle in the making.

Materials Needed: Paper Options Directions:

Window Screen Used Holiday Wrapping
Wood Frame Paper 1. Begin by using the tacks to attach the
window screen to the wooden frame.
Tacks Old Newspapers Make sure the screen is taut. You will
Blender/Food Processor Unused Coupons use this as a mold for the paper.
Basin/cookie sheet with at Used Construction Paper
least 1” lip Old Paper bags 2. Tear enough pieces of paper to fill up
about half of a blender or food
Felt square Recycled Typing paper processor.
Sponge Used Tissue Paper
Liquid Starch Old Napkins 3. Add warm water to fill up the blend-
Discarded Greeting Cards er or food processor and blend until
Spatula smooth. Notice that more blending
This Magazine - when you’re mixes the colors and the most interesting
finished reading it textures may come from less blending.

26
4. If you plan to write on the paper, add about 2 tbsp of liquid starch to keep the pen ink from running.

5. Place the basin or cookie sheet beneath the frame mold so the water will drain onto it.

6. Pour the mixture onto the screen.

7. Using a spatula, smooth out the mixture so it covers the screen, making it as thick or as thin as
preferred.

8. When the paper stops dripping, use a sponge to soak up remaining water.

9. Use the felt square to transport the wet paper onto newspaper to dry. Do this by laying the felt on
top of the wet paper and mold and flip so the felt is now on the bottom. Take caution to ensure none of
the wet paper is still attached to the mold.

10. If necessary, place paper between two newspapers or felt sheets and use a rolling pin to even out
surface.

11. Transport the damp paper to a dry newspaper and leave undisturbed until dry.

12. The length of drying time depends on how wet the paper is, and how much humidity is in the air.
Timing varies from a couple hours to a couple of days.

Once dry, your finished paper can be made into an array of new paper products:

Punch holes in the tops of the paper sheets

and tie together to make a notepad.

Fold in half and decorate to make a greeting cards,

thank you notes, or a stationary set.

Use as place mats for the dinner table.

Cut shapes into the paper and hang in a

well-lit window.

Create a birthday or a special-event crown.

27
 green
RED ALERT

screen
an interview with Dan Wildcat
by Karen Dillon

DAN WILDCAT TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK

D an Wildcat is angry. He’s angry about global warming or “Global Burning,” which is what
he calls it in his new book, RED ALERT: Saving the Planet With Indigenous Knowledge.

“I think my “global burning” idea is to say, let’s be dramatic, let’s call it the way it is, ‘global warming’
sounds so nice and fuzzy, ‘global heating’, well we’re a little closer, let’s call it what it is, were burning
up the planet!”

For Dan, “global burning” represents the fourth wave of indigenous population displacement. But this
time the displacement will not be limited to native peoples.

“There are already people talking about environmental refugees as sea levels rise on coast lines and as
things change in forests and grasslands in the process of desertification. People are going to have to
move. And as people move, there will be conflict and other issues that come with additional crowding.
Again we need to link the issue of world peace with the health of our planet. We can see literally and
figuratively the social chaos that can come. We should not underestimate that. That’s going to be
significant.”

Though Dan is angry, he isn’t an angry person. In fact he exudes a kind of centered optimism. In 1992
Dan was honored with the Heart Peace Award for his efforts to promote World Peace by the Kansas City
Organization, The Future is Now.

“Anger is dangerous because it is so powerful, and we have trouble controlling it at times, and the thing
to do is to realize how we use it, and to make sure that it’s not reactive and destructive. Anger usually is
a reaction, it’s very reactive. You get angry about something that happens to you. And if there is ever a
reason for people to be anger they should be angry now about what is happening with the environment.
But that anger is dangerous because you can feel it in a destructive way. Whenever I think of
constructive anger I think of a conversation I had with my friend David Frayer, who teaches in the
Anthropology Dept. at KU. We were talking one time, I said something to him about “forgive and forget”
and Dave said no, what you have to do is “forgive and remember.” I think of anger that way, we have to
forgive but we must remember what made you mad and take that and be proactive and do something in
a positive way.”

28
“There is a sort of humility that I’ve learned from being around people I call elders in a very traditional indigenous
sense. Part of this humility is this notion that, ‘don’t think that you can fix it all.’ And maybe fixing it all is not the
point. The point is… and I’ve been having a lot of discussions with my students about this, even the title of my book
they pointed out sounds very western, “Save the Planet”. I try to explain what I view as the construction of
indigenous knowledge. It isn’t a human knowledge, it is the knowledge that is born of collaborative relationships
between plants, animals, the earth, water and the air. So when I talk about indigenous knowledge, I talk about
humans doing it, but in fact we can’t save ourselves. We need the help of what this life that surrounds us can teach
us about how we can be better as human beings. My notion is that we do the things that we try to do to
enhance life, not because we believe that we can entirely solve the problem, but because we accept an inalienable
responsibility – yes in addition to inalienable rights we also have inalienable responsibilities - these we have as
members of these other world communities. We already know that things have been put in motion that we’re not
going to be able to stop. And so some people would say, “well why bother’ and my answer is, not because I’m going
to save the planet, but because I want to live in a responsible and respectful way, so that I can answer and say, ‘look
I did my part and that’s good.’ We might not be able to stop global burning because it’s so advanced, but from a
more spiritual level we have to step up. We have to step up and we are related in very profound ways to those other
inhabitants of our planet. This is a pretty serious relationship with the planet that we’re engaged in and we need to be
cognitive of that.

“Stewardship” says we’re going to take care of everything, and indigenous knowledge says no you can’t, you need
to pay attention to nature’s instructions, lessons, and knowledge. If you’ll sit still long enough and be quiet you will
see what the balance of nature, beyond our human selves, can teach us. It shows us that we’re not in charge. So the
indigenous notion is not one of stewardship, but of ‘creating in likeness’ and partnerships with the other life on the
planet. That’s the goal. And I think the notion of indigenous stewardship, as you know from the book, is not that
we’ve got to do this because we’re in charge, but that we have a responsibility that we live our lives in a way that we
don’t do harm, or engage in destructive activities, that balance life beyond ourselves. Again I get into that notion of
symbiotic relationships that we really need to reconnect with.

“What I find hopeful is that many of the most senior, hardcore scientists are becoming allies of indigenous points of
view because they’re seeing that we are bringing something to this discussion. Science tends to think of it as a story
side. But it’s the experience side, and the spiritual side of this issue. And I find it very interesting that some of
our strongest allies now, are entrenched in some of the most rigorous scientific institutes on the planet, and that tells
you something. That’s very helpful. I see these as complimentary: science and indigenous knowledge. There is reason
to evoke some reverence and to evoke a sense of the Sacred Creator and Creation when we come together, or when
we share food, and when we eat. I think that sacred aspect of life does need to be foremost in our thinking…
it’s a given, it’s something you do.

“We’ve insulated ourselves into ignorance, into not knowing… I’ll be generous, I’ll say ignorance. I was going to say
stupidity, but stupidity means you know, and still do something that you know better than to do. I think right now
we’re in a period of technologically insulated ignorance. We have somehow sleepwalked into a consumer culture of
inconvenience. We don’t give much attention to these things and the easy rationalization at one level is that our part
isn’t really going to make a difference. Well yes and no, the point is that a lot of people doing little things can have a
major impact. That’s one thing that the scientific theory of complexity teaches: if enough small change is happening,
it can be a catalyst. One of the things that I’ve been thinking about, and would like to see, is an incredible
generation, and I know those people are out there.”

Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D. is Director of the American Indian Studies Program at Haskell Indian Nations University in
Lawrence, Kansas. He is a Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. His new book is called, Red Alert:
Saving the Planet Through Indigenous Knowledge and is available locally at the Raven Book Store and other book
vendors.

29

If you would like to submit information for an event listing in our next edition, please send all information, including event date, time, location,contact information, and
any online links to Sorcha Hyland, Calendar Editor at: calendar.blueskygreenearth@gmail.com. Blue Sky Green Earth does not take
responsibility for errors in content. Every effort will be made to correct errors where noted in time. All content is included at the Editor’s discretion.
EVENTS / JANUARY 2010
Monday, January 4
LAWRENCE HOLIDAY TREE RECYCLING PICK UP DAYS
Live-cut Christmas trees can be left at the curb or alley for city
collection and recycling. Remove all artificial items, including tinsel,
lights, etc. This service is available again on Monday, January 11, 6am.
Thursday, January 7
GREAT PLAINS VEGETABLE GROWERS CONFERENCE
Thursday-Saturday, 7-9 January, 8:00am-4:30pm daily, Fulkerson
Center, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph MO.
Contact Katie Cook at 816.279-1691. It will feature presentations
from university researchers, extension staff, and growers such as Zaid
and Haifa Kurdieh, business partners in Norwich Meadows Farm,
LLC, who have been organically farming since 1998. Conference
program and more information here:
http://extension.missouri.edu/buchanan/GPVGC.shtml
Friday and Saturday, January 8 & 9
BREAKING THE SILENCE, 3RD ANNUAL, ENVIRONMENTAL
CONFERENCE, Friday 5PM -10PM, Saturday 8:00AM-6:00PM,
Reardon Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas, Contact
Richard Mabion, rmabion@sbcglobal.net, 913-481-9920. More info at:
http://www.breakingthesilence.us/
Sunday, January 10
NATURAL SYMBOLS OF KANSAS WORKSHOP , 1:30pm-2:30pm,
Prairie Park Nature Center, 2370 Harper Street, Lawrence, KS. FREE.
Ages 5 years and up, children under 15 must attend with an adult.
Spaces limited. Celebrate the anniversary of Kansas statehood with
a program about the historical significance of the bison, cottonwood,
honeybee and other natural symbols. Contact: 785.832.7980.
More information at: www.lprd.org
Friday, January 22
SOLAR ENERGY LUNCH N LEARN: PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
AND NEW ECONOMICS
12 Noon to 1PM Discovery Center, Lewis and Clark Room, 4750
Troost Avenue, KCMO – US Green Building Council Kansas City
Chapter $15 members/$20 non-members, Business Casual Attire.
RSVP at: http://www.usgbckansascity.org/
Saturday, January 23
“ASK THE EXPERT” -- QUARTERLY WORKSHOP AT THE
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL CENTER AND HALL OF FAME
1:00pm- 4:00pm, 630 N. 126th Street, Bonner Springs KS 66012,
913-721-1075. Museum fee: $7.00- Adults; $6.00- Seniors; $5.00-
Students; $3.00- Children. More info at: www.aghalloffame.com.
Topics will include such areas as: garden design and plant selection,
turf management, landscape design, etc. Watch the website for more
details.
Sunday, January 24
14th ANNUAL KAW VALLEY EAGLES DAY
11.00am – 4.00pm, Commons Area, Free State High School, 4700
Overland Drive, one block north of the intersection of 6th St. and
Wakarusa Drive, Lawrence, KS/Clinton Federal Park, Lawrence, KS.
FREE! Celebrate the annual return of the Bald Eagles. A family-
friendly event featuring lots of hands-on educational and fun activities.
Presentations by special local experts from 11 am to 4 pm in the school
auditorium. Director of the Prairie Park Nature Center, Marty Birrell
presents rehabilitated Bald and Gold Eagles at 1.30 pm.
More information here: www.jayhawkaudubon.org
30
GREEN CALENDAR
Sunday, January 24 (Con’t)
14th ANNUAL KAW VALLEY EAGLES DAY: FIELD TRIPS Two
trips: starting at 10am and again at 3pm, Clinton Lake Federal Park,
south west of Lawrence, KS. FREE! View bald eagles in the wild. Both
field trips are led by park rangers in conjunction with the 14th Annual
Kaw Valley Eagles Day activities. Warm clothing and adequate footwear
advised. Binoculars and telescopes are useful and a limited number will
be available. More information at: www.jayhawkaudubon.org
Friday and Saturday January 29-30
K-STATE SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE
This year’s sustainability conference at K-State will focus on
sharing ideas and building new networks across Kansas in the higher
education community. It is open to university students, faculty, staff,
administrators, alumni, and interested stakeholders, extension agents,
leaders in education, commerce, government, and non-profit entities.
Questions regarding the conference can be directed to Sharon
Brookshire, Program Administrator, K-State Division of Continuing
Education, sharonb@k-state.edu. Registration is available on-line at:
http://sustainability.k-state.edu/conferences/2010/registration/
Saturday, January 30, 2010
SEASONAL KARMA YOGA WITH ALICE STEUERWALD 3.30pm-
5pm, Be Moved Studio, 2 East 7th Street (2nd floor of the Liberty Hall
building the entryway is the north side of 7th Street off Massachusetts
Street). Downtown, Lawrence, KS. Contact: 785.550.8931 or
info@bemovedstudio.com. Begin your New Year on the right “p_da”
with some karmically-charged and deeply restorative yoga. All
donations from this class will go towards feeding the homeless.
More information at: www.bemovedstudio.com
Sunday, January 31, 2010
FOOD, BREATH AND SOUND 2.00pm-3.30pm, Be Moved Studio,
2 East 7th Street (2nd floor of the Liberty Hall building the entryway
is the north side of 7th Street off Massachusetts Street). Downtown,
Lawrence, KS. Contact: 785.550.8931 or email info@bemovedstudio.
com Presented by Wise Earth Ayurveda Moon Jewel Healing Food,
Breath and Sound is a healing practice inspired by and incorporating
ancient ayurvedic rituals. Full Moon Ghee Meditation, involving the
preparation of “ghee” or Indian butter is also part of this evening.
Space and enrollment in this workshop is limited. Please contact the
teacher, Laura, for more information. Cost: $15
ONGOING EVENTS:
PRAIRIE PARK NATURE CENTER,
2370 HARPER STREET, LAWRENCE, KS.
EXPLORING NATURE FOR HOMESCHOOLERS Two sessions
weekly, every Wednesday-January 1- March 3, Session A (9.30am –
10.30am) for ages 5-8 years. Session B (10.30am – 12.30pm) for ages
8-12 years.
TEEN NATURE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Every Tuesday,
January 12 to March 2, 4.00pm-5.00pm weekly,
WILD ADVENTURES FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND PARENTS
10.00am-11.00am, every Tuesday January 12, 2010 to May 18, 2010,
weekly.
WINTER HIKING CLUB: WEDNESDAY AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAM 3:00pm – 4:00pm, 2nd Wednesdays (Jan-Feb only),
Ages: 7-12 years. Cost $5 Contact: 785.832.7980.
More information at:
http://www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/ws/nature.pdf
Here at Blue Sky Green Earth we agree with Daniel Goleman (Ecological Intelligence, Broadway Books, 2009) that
it is chiefly consumer pressure that will help industry redirect its efforts, and in some cases, reignite its efforts, to reap
the economic benefits of “going green.” We are hopeful that Blue Sky Green Earth will serve as a means to provide
consumers in North East Kansas with information and entertainment, connections and resources, to keep that pressure
growing and effective. Government may have the deep pockets to invest in the infrastructure and invention that will
transform energy use in the long term, but it is consumer pressure that will make going green possible in the short term.

We will not wait for governmental regulations, although we will continue to lobby for them; we do not wait for massive
financial investment, although we hope that will occur; we will not wait for someone else to make the changes, and take
the risks; we will take the steps ourselves, in our own way and at a pace that we can sustain. This approach, we feel, is
consistent with the complex goals of creating sustainable relationships, sustainable communities, and sustainable
economies.

I would like to acknowledge the gracious reception Blue Sky Green Earth has received in its initial steps towards
realization. Our columnists and interns, local business owners, friends, and family have all supported our efforts with
good wishes and good will. In this season of frosty chill, sustaining warmth has greeted our first steps. We thank those
who have so willingly, and articulately, helped us with genuine care and concern. The relationships we have forged in
beginning this important journey have been nothing but indicative of the true Kansas spirit of good fellowship and
authenticity.

What we intend with Blue Sky Green Earth is to serve the community by sharing the experimentation and innovation
currently emerging in Northeast Kansas. As we explore the practice of ecological awareness, we recognize that “going
green” is a process of personal discovery, not a prescriptive formula. And as we walk this path together, we wish our
readership all the peace and harmony, success and centeredness that come with personal engagement and the passionate
pursuit of deeper understanding.
.

from the publisher

Stephen Pite, Publisher
.

Blue Sky Green Earth Blue Sky Green Earth is printed at

1636 North 700 Road Townsend Communications, Inc. on
BLUE Vinland Valley, KS 66006
785.594.0396
Enviro100 paper. Each ton of Enviro100
stock reduces the ecological footprint
when compared to virgin equivalent by:
Green Earth Publisher
Stephen Pite 17 trees
a resource for sustainable living
646.623.8159
1,080 lb. of solid waste
Editor
Karen Dillon 10,196 gallons of water
646.717.2091
2,372 lb.of air emissions
Contributing Writers
Elizabeth Benincasa
Mina Brenneman
Beth Dillon
Sorcha Hyland
Jacqueline Pierce
Amy Stuber
Kelsey Tyler

National Sales
Joy Solomon
917.903.3670

Marketing Intern
Sally Waldon
31
BLUE FREE
issue 1
Green Earth
a resource for sustainable living

Blue Sky Green Earth

is dedicated to improving
the health of the
eco-sphere,
the human bio-sphere
and the social/political
sphere of human welfare.

We intend to be
thought provoking,
challenging,
forthright,
and informative.