Night time Musings

The night sky is a beautiful thing to behold!

During a recent river trip on the San Juan in Southeastern Utah, I had a chance to again experience a deep dark sky filled with glittering and flashing stars unimpeded by the light of the moon. In between dark rain clouds were galaxies of stars, too many to contemplate. We were camped only a few hundred meters from an ancient Anasazi settlement that is still standing, perched on the cliff, timeless in its presence. The memories are everwhere.

I am back home now, in Boulder, Colorado. I just returned from a late night visit to our small plot at the community gardens. I was again watching the sky, viewing meteors flashing from all angles. It is amazing that space debris can cause such impressive streaks. I reflect on us as a species. Such a sky makes one feel pretty small and humble. Why do we care so much about ourselves and our tiny insignificant planet? If we are religious or spiritual do we care more or less about our earth? Since we do seem do care so much for our survival and pleasure, why are we doing so much do destroy the earth and ourselves? How is it that the condo I live in will be long gone in just a fraction of the amount of time those ancient buildings have been around?

Reflecting back on my that river trip, some of it becomes clear.

We humans, ever so capable of committing despicable acts against ourselves and our home, are also much more capable of caring for one another and for the planet. In this I truly believe. We need good teachers, good souls to teach us how to do it. Sharing our knowledge and understanding of these good traits we have is really not so difficult. I am committed to making this sharing easier and more accessible. The more we share the better we become.

What will you share?

My Main Project These Days!

Check out the humble beginnings of the website for our consumer empowerment project called Visionary Values!

I recently returned from a lovely time in the North Country of New Hampshire as is now seemingly becoming a customary holiday. I am lucky to have the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with a familiar place.

At the beginning of my trip, my father and I took a short hike over past the Twin Mountain intersection to walk on a trail that follows the Ammonoosuc River for a short distance and culminates at a pool with cascades of water flowing in. Layers of granite line the river and look like stacks of multi-grain bread. These are old places. This has been a popular swimming hole for many years and my father tells me that he remembers heading over there on numerous occasions with my mother years ago.

On our return, I decided to take the road less travelled and scurry up the embankment to the old railroad line that runs through the area. It has been many years since the trains operated here although it does continue to get used by cross country skiers and snow mobilers in the winter. Before the automobile, access to these areas was almost always by train. Families packed up their trunks and boarded the trains in New York or Boston and then spent the summers in Franconia, Bethlehem and other small towns in the area. Huge hotels dotted the landscape. The notches were split up the middle with tracks. Up to ten trains a day rumbled back and forth.

As I walked along these empty tracks I thought about how vitally important these railroads were to the development of the area back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Transporting people and supplies to and from hard to reach places. Many of the early travelers to the huge hotels that once dominated the landscape arrived on these trains. Huge swaths of forest were cut down and transported out of the area by train to the urban centers of New England. The area was very different back then. To a large degree, it is now a very undeveloped part of the country compared to those early days. There is so much more forest and much less industry.

While wandering on those tracks I thought about the massive amount of embodied energy still in place. How many man hours it took to produce all the steel for the tracks and spikes and the effort to cut down the trees and process them into the cross timbers that hold up the tracks. The hillsides that were torn down to make space for the tracks and vast amount of coal that fueled these beasts all had tremendous costs.

Now, these tracks lay unused, a relic of a bygone era. What does this say of us? How much effort do we as a species put into creating things that do not last? Have we not learned our lessons?

My short journey on those tracks tells me quite profoundly that we are not making the right decisions. Fifty years from now what will we no longer be using that took millions and billions of dollars to build, projects that used precious resources, caused terrible pollution and environmental destruction and took great effort to create that no longer is functional? We so easily build and then tear down. Houses and other buildings are erected that have 20-30 year lifespans. They are built to not last when we are very capable of creating structures that can last longer and are healthier and less environmentally destructive.

Let's learn our lessons and focus on sustainability!

Viewing the Meaning of Sustainability

Take a look at this 18 point "primer" on sustainability written by Eric Zencey and appearing in the May/June issue of Orion Magazine.

Give a read (or a listen) and tell me what you think!

Transcending Sustainability As We Assume It

I came across an interesting posting on the Triple Pundit blog in which the author mentions that a more holistic vision of sustainability is needed to address our global eco-problems. A more comprehensive, realistic and accountable link between our talk and our walk is needed.

The post goes on to endorse a perspective that I and my associates at Visionary Values have been very vocal about and that is that any true effort at supporting sustainability requires that we all begin integrating sustainability into our daily lives. This means that our communities and workplaces must also be centers of commitment to these principles. We are the key(s) to making the concept of sustainability a normal part of our lives. Through our actions we become the change that is needed.

Take a look at the link a let me know what you think!

Pushing the Green Building Boundaries

Boulder, Colorado is especially beautiful this time of year and one of the best ways to enjoy it is on a Saturday morning down at the Farmer's Market. After my usual cuppa yummy Conscious Coffees java, I wandered over to the Boulder Green Building Guild Product & Service Fair that was being held in the adjacent park. It seems as though they have been holding this event for a few years now and it offers the general public a chance to take a look a local green building businesses as well as to ask questions of seasoned veterans.

Boulder considers itself to be a sort of center of innovation and progressiveness when it comes to environmental issues and green building. So, it is always interesting to see what types of options the industry is offering folks each year. What are the trends and where is the focus? My opinion is that the answer is not much of a truly innovative or paradigm challenging set of solutions!! Now, I certainly understand that not everyone is a proponent of nor a potential client for natural building, but it seems to me that the green building concept is lacking in low impact and truly sustainable building concepts and materials.

It was a great pleasure to turn the corner and encounter a couple of guys with whom I could have a truly interesting and valuable conversation! Ryan Chivers and Phil Metzler are the craftsmen behind Artesano, a locally based traditional plaster company. Artesano specializes in using natural materials such as earth, lime, gypsum, and clay to fashion gorgeous sinks, showers, countertops, floors, fireplaces, etc. that can fit into virtually any type of home. These functional works of art are truly a sight to behold. Having a natural building background myself, I was quite pleased to see Artesano putting themselves and their work out on display. To me, they are part of the paradigm shift in green building that must be adopted in order to really integrate sustainability.

What do you think about the state of green building? Have you thought about the life cycle of the materials used in homes built today as well as in the solar technologies that are gaining favor? Has or will your opinion change now that the Gulf of Mexico is being destroyed by our insatiable thirst for oil? Why can't we make sensible decisions regarding our use of resources? Let me know!!

Biowaste Fueled Scotch

Way up in the Scottish Isle of Islay, an interesting decision was made recently. Based in part on concern for the environment, but rooted in the bottom line and community interest, a Scotch Whisky distiller called Bruichladdich (pronounced "Brook-Laddie"), has begun to re-use its distilling waste product to produce power to run the distillery!


In reviewing the costs of disposing of the pot ale left over at the end of  the process, they determined that it would make sense to invest in the installation of a biogas generator that would convert what is essentially water and organic by-products into energy that would cycle back and produce electricity. The company will save up to around $175,000 annually between energy savings and disposal costs. If this trial succeeds, then the pot ale will be permanently cycled into the digester automatically.


In addition to the green energy they will produce, Bruichladdich also supports sustainable agriculture by using up to 40% organic barley. Again, these decisions are based on what is best and most practical for an industry dependent upon its community for its success and quality.


How would you envision changes to your business that would take into account the community where you work and/or operate?

Green Honey!

It isn't easy, but there are companies out there putting a very conscious effort into being sustainable. A good example of one is Volcano Island Honey operating in beautiful Hawaii'. In business since the late 1970's, the owner, Richard Spiegel, formalized his beekeeping hobby into a business in 1982.

Over the years Spiegel has committed his business to the betterment of the community and the environment. Among the company's commitments to sustainability are:

• Using 100% recycled paper and soy-based inks for his brochures
• Use of 100% post consumer waste office paper
• Thorough zero waste program
• Encourages and fosters open communication and personal growth of employees
• Donates 0.5% of gross profits to charity
• Allows for flexible scheduling for employees
• Use of biodiesel to run the primary farm truck

Take a look at the website for more information on his operation.

Clearly there are many ways in which a business can approach integrating sustainability into an operation. Remember the three key components of sustainability according to triple bottom line measurements:

1. People - your employees and your community
2. Planet - not just the physical pieces, but the spiritual, resources, waste produced, etc.
3. Profit - taking into account the full range of impacts your business has and the value you produce

What kinds of ideas can you come up with for "greening" your business?