Make a Difference: Community & Calls to Action Archives - Page 20 of 26

Breakin’ the Law: I’m a (Sub)Urban Homesteader

February 21, 2011 By Robin Strong Elton 9 Comments

I was not designed to be forced.

I will breathe after my own fashion.

Let us see who is the strongest.

-Henry David Thoreau,
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

Actually, I’m not even suburban, I’m really borderline rural, but that’s beyond the point.

Some people I’ve never heard of before, the Dervaes family in Pasadena, has trademarked the phrases “urban homestead” and “urban homesteading,” and apparently going after bloggers who use the terms.

In addition to URBAN HOMESTEADING® and URBAN HOMESTEAD®, the terms PATH TO FREEDOM®, HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION®, and FREEDOM GARDENS® have been claimed by Dervaes trademark machine.

Now, see, I was under the impression that these were common terms, going back to war effort Victory Gardens. I thought it was part of Michelle Obama’s healthy eating initiative. I thought it was an umbrella that, historically, communities had formed under.

Why would the Dervaes seek to take that umbrella away?

It doesn’t make any sense to me. Bloggers who literally wrote the book on The Urban Homestead, who were the inspiration for many to build themselves a self-sustainable lifestyle— why would they work to disenfranchise those they had inspired in the first place? Those who stand together and share their experiences in an effort to make the world better?

Who does that?

What precisely is an urban homestead, anyway? According to Wikipedia:

“an urban homestead is a household that produces a significant part of the food, including produce and livestock, consumed by its residents. This is typically associated with residents’ desire to live in a more environmentally conscious manner.”

Aspects of urban homesteading include:

Resource reduction: use of solar/alternative energy sources, harvesting rainwater, greywater use, line drying clothes, using alternative transportation such as bicycles and buses

Raising animals, such as chickens, goats, rabbits, and fish, as well as worms and/or bees

Edible landscaping: growing fruit, vegetables, culinary and medicinal plants, converting lawns into gardens

Self-sufficient living: re-using, repairing, and recycling items; homemade products

Food preservation including canning, drying, freezing, cheese-making, and lacto-fermenting

Community food-sourcing such as foraging, gleaning, and trading

Natural building

Composting

Ruh-roh. My husband hasn’t allowed me my chickens or goats yet, but we’ve got that worm farm. We garden as many herbs and vegetables as the deer will leave for us to harvest. We reuse and repair like our lives and wallets depend on it. We recycle, upcycle, and make ourselves. I’m still a little scared by canning but we do plenty of freezing. And we’re double-dealing with the composting; in addition to the worm bin we’ve got a straight-up compost heap happening in the backyard.

So, it looks like we fall under the umbrella of the (sub)urban homestead. Are we in trouble?

Of course not, they can’t trademark our way of life. All they can do is try to take away our efforts to align ourselves with a community that values the same ethic. You can be an Urban Homesteader, you’re just not allowed to SAY you’re one without giving credit to the Dervaes, even if you’re seeking to align yourself with a movement that began decades before.

They’ve very generously (that’s sarcasm, folks) mentioned that formerly urban homesteaders can now brand themselves as Modern Homesteaders, which really burns my britches because that’s not what we are AT ALL. What we are is trying to relearn the ways generations before us lived, to fit the skills and environmental responsibility and independence and connection to the land of times gone by to the reality of the world we live in now. That’s, like, the opposite of modern. It’s retro.

This whole business is like me saying, I’m an Asian mother. I know a bunch of ya’ll are Asian mothers too, but I wrote the book on being an Asian mother in a very specific way (let’s pretend I wrote a book called On Being an Asian Mother ). Now, it doesn’t matter if ya’ll are Asian mothers or not, I trademarked the commonly used, descriptive term, so you gotta call yourselves something else. May I suggest Oriental Matriarch? It’s pretty much the same thing.

ONLY IT’S NOT. It’s a bunch of BS, and you can quote me on that.

Do you consider yourself an Urban Homesteader? Can a lifestyle be trademarked?

Let me know if you’ve written about this today, as it’s the Urban Homesteaders Day of Action. I’d love to hear your take.

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The 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count: Feb 18-21

February 17, 2011 By Robin Strong Elton 13 Comments

Downy woodpecker

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

-e e cummings

If it looks like a duck,

and quacks like a duck,

we have to at least consider the possibility

that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.

-Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

It’s here! It’s here!

I look forward every year to the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s an opportunity for me to combine so many of my geeky favorites— birds, hiking, photography, field guides, counting, graphs— and for a good cause, too.

The GBBC is a four-day “citizen scientist” bird counting extravaganza across the country. Amateur birdwatchers can go out “in the field,” or cozily watch from their kitchen window. You’re only obligated to count for 15 minutes, but you can go all day if you’re cool like that.

It’s a great way to get kids outside and quietly attuned to nature as they listen for bird calls, or active and running around looking for birds in trees and bushes. It’s also a chance to sneak in a little extra education as you encourage them to use their field guides, sketch any birds not easily identified (I’m looking at you, sparrow species) for researching later on the internet, and then graphing and submitting your results.

sparrow

another sparrow

After you’re done, you can print out a certificate for the fridge.

Your bird count numbers are entered into a national database which updates in real time, painting a picture of exactly where and how big bird populations of each type are. This helps scientists determine all kinds of stuff, like which species are declining, whether this year’s migration is happening earlier or later, and what birds prefer what sorts of areas.

This year will be particularly interesting as we determine whether all those weird bird die-offs that happened a few weeks back had any impact on overall numbers.

tufted titmouse

carolina wren

crow

We’ll definitely be seeing everybody pictured here (except the duck, who I photographed at Disney but couldn’t resist including when I came across the Douglas Adams quote in my notebook), probably along with robins, cardinals, chickadees, finches, mourning doves, grackles, cowbirds, towhees, juncos, blue jays, pileated woodpeckers and a stray raptor or turkey vulture. (Owls we hear but rarely actually see. Too early yet for bluebirds or hummingbirds.)

It’s amazing how much life is bustling all around you, all the time.

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I read earlier this week that a mayor in California is planning to broadcast birdsong through public speakers along Main Street. “Why? Because scientists tell us that if you use bird sounds, Cortisol level drops, your feeling of security enhances. Exposure to it 15 minutes a day will make you happier people.”

At first glance, this seems like a little too much clucking around for me. There’s birds everywhere, is it really necessary to amplify them? But then, I live in a rural area, and there’s not too much noise competing for my attention. And the pigeons that score the prime real estate in urban areas aren’t prodigious songsters like my wrens.

I’m curious to see if he follows through with his experiment, whether levels of depression and crime rates drop.

I propose you try your own experiment: lie down comfortably and count how many different bird calls you can pick out in a 15 minute period. You will all be wiggily at first; stick it out. See if your happiness is affected.

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Have I talked you into it? You in?

You can print out a tally sheet of common birds by region here.

Some pre-game kids’ activities are here (listen to bird calls, printable coloring sheets, etc).

I really like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site for post-game bird identification.

Another nice idea is to jack your odds by putting out a bird feeder. This post has some easy homemade feeder ideas; there’s always the bird feeder made from a milk jug, milk carton or soda bottle; or you can just put out a plate with some bird seed on it. Make sure you sanitize it afterwards.

UPDATE: The Crafty Crow has a TON of super-cute bird-feeder ideas on her blog today.

You can input your data here (click on the birdy!)

Have a great weekend!

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Lolli @ Better in Bulk invited me to play along with their weekly meme.

Go link up your photo post!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

January 25, 2011 By Robin Strong Elton Leave a Comment

External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge.

No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him.

No wind that blew was bitterer than he,

no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose,

no pelting rain less open to entreaty.

-Charles Dickens,

“A Christmas Carol”

It’s fricking’ freezing, Mr. Bigglesworth.

When I got up this morning, the outside thermometer read 4 degrees.

In Jeff’s car it read zero.

When I took the kids to the bus stop, I couldn’t stop rubbing at my face. Because the slightly runny nose I had inside (which I experience every morning for no obvious reason) turned into stabbing ice crystals outside. It felt like I had jagged icicles in my nose.

But it wasn’t too bad- I had a warm jacket, and gloves, a hat and scarf. Fuzzy sweatpants tucked into tall furry boots. The bus was thankfully only a few minutes late, and walking back into the house was a welcome relief- all 63° of it.

We keep our house chilly, but it felt great after the frigid outdoors. I made myself some coffee, cut myself a slice of homemade coffee cake, and sat down to work in my cozy bed. Usually I do force myself into my office for optimum productivity, but today seemed like a good day to indulge.

I am, like, one of the luckiest people alive.

On days like this I can’t help but be aware of those who have no cozy beds and dogs that act like living foot warmers. (Even if their hound-dog breath can be likened to the stench of month-old egg farts, deep-fried.)

No hot drinks at will, no thermostat to elect to keep cool to save money.

People who have to give up their privacy and dignity and possibly their safety, to sleep in a shelter with strangers.

Or who just keep moving, trying to find a place that won’t kick them back out into the cold.

Or simply bundle themselves as best they can and hope they don’t freeze in their sleep.

Many of those people are mentally ill and cannot make the decisions that are best for them.

Many of them are children.

Today sucked, weatherwise. It sounds like Wednesday & Thursday are going to suck too- wet snow and sleet followed by yet another cold snap. It hasn’t even warmed up enough to chip away the snow from the last snowfall.

These are the days that I remember just how lucky I am.

I have the luxury of complaining about nothing of importance.

** I have 3 kids and a picky husband. I went through my closet and found half a dozen coats and an embarrassment of gloves, scarves, boots and hats. If your coat closet is like mine, consider donating to a local shelter through One Warm Coat- you can search for an organization by zip code. Even better, make it easier for those you know to declutter and help others keep warm: hold a coat drive. It doesn’t have to be a big organized effort, just email your friends and neighbors and ask them to drop off any donations at your house and make one big drop at the donation center. What a great way for your kids to perform a service for your community! Just a thought 🙂 **