New Urban Mom Podcast Show 10 - A Visionary Builder
June 23, 2008
Eat local, protect our green spaces, stop urban sprawl, rebuild our cities, drive less, work closer to home (or at home) - are all buzz words today that are making front page headlines in most major news papers across America. Listen in to today’s show as we talk to one of the leaders in the new urbanism development movement, David Pace of New Broadstreet Companies.
David Pace, was Director of Real Estate Development for Walt Disney when the much talked about early new urbanism community, Celebration was developed in the late 1990’s. He later joined Pritzker Realty Group to lead the redevelopment of the 1,100 acre Orlando Naval Training Center into Baldwin Park, a $3 billion project comprised of houses and apartments for 4,300 residents and 1 million square feet of commercial space. Today David is president of New Broad Street Companies.
David represents the expertise that goes into re-shaping inner city neighborhoods and suburban/rural areas into welcoming and rejuvenated communities that bring residents together for social and business benefits. These “sustainable” communities are also designed to make it easier for residents to not only work and carry out their businesses close to home, but to lead their personal and family lives in ways that are healthier for them and the environment.
Website references:
Tags: Featured, Green Living, New Urbanism, Podcast, Your Home, Community, David Pace, Work from Home, Work Local
Squirrel Man’s Wife
June 15, 2008
My husband is following me on my journey to being green in our new urbanism community, but he is no treehugger…yet. That’s why I was excited (at least initially) with his developing interest in our “wild life.”
I don’t know if it has to do with hitting the big “40″ (a little while ago) but in recent years he’s taken a real liking to squirrels. I love animals but squirrels aren’t up on my list of wildlife I’d like to get closer to.
Case in point: Today he picked me up from my 2-day meeting in the city and surprised me with a decision to stop at our local market for some fresh items for lunch. I stayed in the car as I was exhausted. Then as I waited I hoped he would think to pick up some other grocery items that I know we were running low on at home.
That was wishful thinking. Unless we are specifically shopping for household groceries my husband can’t run into a store for one item and then change gears and pick up other things that might strike him as items that need to be replenished in our home - like toilet paper, milk, orange juice, cereal and fruit.
He’s a one track guy (personally I think this is a male gene thing - any guys reading this blog are free to argue with me in the comments below).
Anyhow, the point of this post is that not only did my husband not come out of the market with some useful household items instead of just some items for our Saturday lunch, but he bought an item that was for the consumption of someone other than his family or dog. He bought peanuts for his new found, wildlife friends - our backyard rodents squirrels.
They actually anticipate his return to the house. Just as we came up to the house two ran across the driveway. I thought I heard one squirrel say to the other:
“Big guy’s home Morton - go get the kids it’s lunch time.”
Now as I write this post, my husband is in the backyard on the bench under our maple tree with a glass of Chardonnay, and a bag of peanuts by his side.
He’s going to be one of those odd old men that the kids nickname “squirrel man.” YIKES - that makes me squirrel man’s wife.
Tags: Green Living, New Urbanism, Recreation, Your Home, back yard, community life, new urbanism, recreation
Going from 2 Cars to 1 - The Green Family Way
May 16, 2008
It has been almost a year since we decided to forgo being a 2-car family. Some of the benefits we’ve realized have been pretty significant and they are not all financial.
First the obvious. Having one car payment versus two has saved us a significant amount over the year. But it has taken some change and some sacrifice. We have to coordinate our schedule a little differently and we use the public transit a lot more.
So if I have to take a trip to someone’s office or to a meeting location that is outside of our normal daily route, I might keep the car and my husband would use public transit or vice versa. It all depends on how far the destination is from public transit.
This is a why I get a little frustrated with the delays and endless regional discussions about how and whether there will be more integrated transit systems in our region. If there is clean, safe, reliable transit in suburban and urban areas people will use it. Period. I know debates like this are happening across the country. I just can’t figure why it takes so long in some communities to become a reality.
I absolutely hate sitting in traffic. I don’t know anyone that does. Give us the option of taking environmentally friendly and reliable public transit and stop quibbling.
The other “sacrifice” associated with us becoming a one car family is that we have to be a little more structured in our schedules - especially in the morning. We all leave together in the morning at the same time so that we can drop the kids off at their high schools. There are exceptions where I or my husband have to be somewhere earlier or later and in those instances we just take the transit.
But I’d say the sacrifice part is felt by the teens a little more acutley as they don’t have the luxury of sleeping in some mornings. By sleeping in I mean sleeping past 6 a.m. They call it cruel and unusual punishment. I tell them it builds character. I use that answer for a lot of things. I’m not claiming it works, but I like saying it.
That leads me to one of the key benefits of having one car. It has forced us to travel together in the morning with our teens and we have found that hour or so of getting ready and driving off to our series of destinations has been a great time for family discussion and general catch-up on each others’ lives.
I know many people find dinner allows them to have good conversation with family. That is true for us only on the weekends. Given that our kids are involved in sports and music lessons in the evening, when we do eat dinner together during the week it is often late and our conversation is rarely that energetic. We’re usually so tired it’s just a chance for light talk and then off to do homework.
Our most energetic chit chat takes place in the kitchen as we eat breakfast and then in the van as we drive to the kids’ schools.
As for coming home…we use a combination of transit, our vehicle and grandparents who are only too happy to take in a game of Rugby or whatever sports team my son is on as they wait to carry him home.
We feel really good not just about the few extra hundred dollars that we have in our savings account each month as a result of not having a 2nd car, but we also feel good about not adding to the vehicular pollution in the environment.
We are not located in the urban core which has all kinds of transit options - we’re in a smaller urban community. Our transit system enables us to make greener life choices.
It enables my 15 year old son to get to his part time job. It gives my daughter the option of taking the transit to and from her piano lessons. Walking is also an option, but depending on the time of day and weather conditions transit is often a convenient choice that is far less expensive then revving up the van.
What’s the public transit service like in your community? If it is insufficient, unreliable, or unsafe speak up about it to your political representatives. Make it an issue that is important to your community. Entrepreneurs, young professionals, retired people and so many others can benefit from the existence of reliable, clean transit that can keep us connected and cut our heavy consumption and reliance on fuel.
Tags: Family Life, Green Living, New Urbanism
Podcast Show #4 - Hot Tips for Green Living & Business Growth
April 22, 2008
Not quite sure how to adopt green living behaviors into your life? You’ll want to listen to today’s show for the introductory green living primer - a short and easy overview of some practices you can start making a part of your regular routine.
And for business owners: Growing your business 10 helpful tips.
Share your feedback on today’s show here in the comment section. Remember to let me know about any eco-friendly lawn and garden products you use or can recommend!
The weekly link love list:
Tags: Featured, Green Living, New Urbanism, Podcast, entrepreneurs
Earth Hour 2008 - Fine Family Dining by Candlelight
March 30, 2008
On March 29, my family and some close friends joined other families and individuals across the world in making a statement about our environment and our role in it. We were part of the thousands (hopefully millions) who as part of Earth Hour 2008 turned off our electricity from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to emphasize our ability to change our behaviors and find solutions, like conserving energy, to help reduce the damage we are doing to our environment.
I’m not always that punctual when it comes to meal preparation, yet on that night everything was done by 7:40 p.m. The Tilapia fish in herb and butter sauce, pasta, brocolli and tossed salad in Raspberry Wine Vinaigrette - all complete, nothing overcooked or burned (miracle!!).
My family and guests were seated by five minutes to 8…my son lit the candles as and we sat down to one of the most enjoyable dinners and conversations we’ve had in a long time.
Detatching ourselves for an hour from some of our unnecessary creature comforts like TV, video games, radios, etc. meant that a lot of us had to make plans to do things differently…like planning to eat together at the same time in one room in order to share the candle light. It was like we all couldn’t get to the dining table fast enough. And while I’d love to say the urgency was related to my scrumptious cooking, I think it had more to do with the notion and excitement that we were doing a very little thing that was part of a big thing for our world.
We were activists by candlelight! We all should take 60-minutes like this more often don’t you think?
Tags: Family Life, Featured, Green Living, Menu Planning, New Urbanism
Train Initiative Can Help Struggling Communities and the Environment
March 9, 2008
I just read a blog written by real estate professional Carole Cohen about a lobbying effort to bring high speed rail to her state. I mention her profession because often some of the best cheerleaders for strong and sustainable community life are real estate agents.
Financial incentives aside, sometimes real estate agents are the most informed community advocates and when they use their marketing skills to help promote and protect the best that a community has to offer it can be beautiful! Tip: work with those kinds of agents and invite them on your PTA and fundraising committees.
Anyhow, what got my attention was a new railway initiative highlighted on her site. I lived as a student and later as a mother in two Midwestern states - Ohio and Michigan. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to travel throughout and between those states both as a struggling college student and later as a new mom.
Without a railway system with schedules that are regular and that allow you to arrive at your destination at times other than 3 o’clock in the morning, you are stuck paying outrageous sums for airline flights that have 2 connections or choosing the environmentally unfriendly alternative of driving over state thruways.
Not to mention you end up turning off potential new residents to your state who are skilled and educated and that’s not good for many small and struggling communities.
Well now it appears Amtrak is looking at proposals from a few states. Ohio’s proposed 3′C high speed rail corridor plan (Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati) would serve among some of the most populous cities in the country currently without a high speed rail system.
I couldn’t believe it. One of the countries largest universities, Ohio State University, is in Columbus–a city which also happens to be the state’s largest and growing.
Now that I have a daughter potentially attending college next year in this region I’m really concerned about his initiative.
What better way to help struggling cities and small towns throughout Ohio and other states than to install clean, energy efficient high speed trains. Think of all the cars we can take off the road if business people and families start taking comfortable high speed trains to cities and small towns within their state or out of state.
Where I live and work we often meet with individuals who are hundreds of miles away but are able to come in to our city on the morning train for a 10:00 a.m. meeting and be home that night before 9:00 p.m. Our high speed trains provide an affordable, clean choice that enhances business life here and helps support our regional communities and towns.
Look at the Railroad News Blog widget on my sidebar for more information and support high speed rail initiatives where you live. It’s what our environment needs and will help to make our communities more sustainable.
Tags: City Life, Green Living, New Urbanism
New Urban Mom Entrepreneurs
February 8, 2008
I’d like you to meet Carrie Lauth (pictured here). Carrie is a natural living specialist and host of the popular internet radio program, Natural Moms Talk Radio. I posted about Carrie today because she’s written an exceptional business guide that I think many new urban moms will appreciate, especially if you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
As a new urbanist, I’m so thankful be living in a town that makes it easy for me and my family to access natural products and services. I’ve already posted about our farmers’ markets that help urbanites like me to feast on the best regionally grown and developed produce and products. Deciding to buy food that is grown locally is gratifying because I know its good for my family and my community.
But for many savvy new urban moms and other women the desire to live green is about more than what we eat and buy it’s about how we work.
There are many women making the transition to working in the green or “natural business” economy by creating their own businesses. Examples abound and include writers, gardeners, lactation consultants, nutritionists, event organizers, marketers, researchers, natural cosmetic consultants, home decor consultants, caterers and many other specialists and experts who are part of the growing natural business sector. If this is something you’re thinking about then I think there’s a guide that you really ought to take some time to read.
The Natural Mom Business Guide is an exceptional resource that I read in one hungry sitting. If you’re ready for a practical, step-by-step business guide for setting up your natural family living business click here.
Tags: Green Living, entrepreneurs
A Movie for our Times
November 13, 2007
I’m not one to blog about movie celebrities (especially when unrelated to the topic of this blog), but there are a few actors who stand out for me because of their work and their public stance on issues of real importance, like our communities.
George Clooney is one of those individuals. He has spoken out on the outrageous destruction of human life and communities in Darfur. And he has lent his support to various political leaders who in his opinion will make a difference (see picture at left featuring Clooney with Senator Barack Obama).
We recently saw George Clooney’s latest movie Michael Clayton and I found myself moved by one of the simple yet meaningful messages in this film. You can only fool yourself for so long - do the things that you know to be right and true for you - you’ll never rest otherwise.
I think the whole “green movement” is fueled by individuals doing their bit according to what they believe is the right thing to do. Every day we make decisions that are driven either by others’ opinions or what we believe to be right, according to our own moral compass.
I’m a little bit of a Pollyanna in that I think every human being has a decent moral compass. Unfortunately for some, that moral compass becomes damaged through experiences in life. In the movie “Michael Clayton” George Clooney’s character has a somewhat damaged moral compass that is not beyond repair.
Clayton, a despondent lawyer at a large New York firm, becomes aware of the real link between a large agribusiness client his firm represents and the death of folks in a small Wisconsin community. When the lead litigator on this case has a breakdown after years of bamboozling the victims in this case Clayton is called in to use his unique talents to “fix” the situation. Through a series of events that cause pain and intropspection, Clayton is finally moved to make the kinds of moral decisions he should have made about his life and career years ago.
This movie is great on two levels. First the personal one around how we choose to lead our lives. And the second one around corporate greed and how we need to not take things at face values. It seems on a regular basis the powers that be are finding out about the dangers of substances in our food and products that we buy for ourselves and our kids. Don’t take anything for granted. Keep informed, read credible news sources, compare information, talk with friends…then think about your decisions and make choices that are truly right for you.
Tags: Green Living, New Urbanism
What Happened at the Bioneers Conference?
October 24, 2007
The Bioneers Conference was an exceptional experience and coming together of some of our country’s most innovative leaders, thinkers and advocates for green, sustainable living. I took my teenaged son out of school for a couple of days to feed his interest around environmental activism and to widen my horizons around the important communitiy issues raised at this phenomenal event.
Please visit my new site New Urban Green Living for details. That site will focus on sustainable communities from a wider perspective (not just the perspective of us wise moms!). If you’re interested in how businesses, non-profit groups, citizens, students and others advance initiatives to achieve healthier sustainable living for all in our urban/suburban centers, please come on over.
Tags: Green Living
More Urbanites Buying into Local Food Trend
October 10, 2007
On our Green Living page and in a previous post I discussed the positive impact on our environment of buying locally grown food. A recent feature by environment reporter Catherine Porter with the Toronto Star newspaper stated that 91 percent of people in that paper’s province (Ontario) would buy locally grown food if they could find it in the grocery store.
Those kinds of statistics haven’t gone unnoticed by green entrepreneurs and savvy urban dwellers. A non profit Toronto company has begun to certify food as “sustainable - which means it was produced in Ontario in a way that’s gentle on the environment and strict on worker and animal rights.”
The company, Local Food Plus, has certified 50 farmers and food processors in the region who abide by these ethical principles. Toronto’s largest independent grocery store, Fiesta Farms, is a large client for Local Food Plus, providing city dwellers with easy access to locally grown food.
Just last weekend my husband and I ventured out to the inner city to visit one of our all time favourite farmer’s markets - the St. Lawrence Market. It’s located close to the waterfront and is among one of the happiest places to be early on a Saturday morning. The bustle of urbanites sifting through freshly baked breads, scented basil and sage, fresh cuts of meat and all manner of locally grown fruits and vegetables was a treat for all the senses.
The Toronto Star reports that Local Food Plus can not keep up with the demand as farmers are lining up to be certified.
“The idea is not to provide consumers a one-stop shop for their 100-mile diet. LFP aims to correct some redundancies in our food system” and stop the crazy practice of shipping locally grown food overseas and importing things we grow locally (like apples) from China.
So whether you live near the countryside or in one of our continent’s great old cities, take the time to search out your local farmer’s market because what you eat can and will affect your environment.
Tags: Green Living, New Urbanism
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