March Moves Monday Run Down #4 (from The Hummingbird Project)

Do Something Month is coming to a close. In this final week of March, I, like the hummingbird, kept up doing what little I could in my corner of the world. It wasn't much, but I feel like my contributions will grow into larger, life-long actions that will influence my family and friends and who knows who else beyond that realm!

Composting is something our house has needed for a LONG time!

I am declaring myself a composter. Honestly, I know I still have a lot to learn, but I am actively collecting my kitchen scraps, bringing them to my bin outside which is layered nicely and my garbage has been reduced. In fact, just the other night, when my husband and I were out we return to a typical scene - a garbage bag strewn across the floor, chewed through, with various items taken out and explored through. The culprit? Buffy, the beast.

She's a beagle, she can't really help herself and she was taught by Chewy, who passed away in 2009. Anyway, as I got to the routine of cleaning up, which didn't seem that bad my husband said, "Well this is one huge benefit of your composting!" He was right! There was nothing but boring garbage in the bag - no food scraps, nothing messy - she basically went into the bag because of some old deli container my husband threw away, and she was kind enough to lick up every trace of whatever the heck it was he had in there! B.C. (you know, "Before Compost") there would have been potato peels, apple cores, melon rinds, strawberry tops, etc all over my kitchen floor, in the living room and, perhaps, even buried in Buffy's bed!


Gardening on the horizon with total appreciation (finally!).

I may even get started with this today. I purchased a nice planter for a small herb garden along with some herb seeds (I have basil, oregano and cilantro). I bought sunflower seeds, too. I am not sure where I want these yet (mom once grew them on the side of the house), but I really look forward to their growth. As for my husbands resistance to growing food in our yard, well, we had a very interesting exchange on Saturday:

Me: I saw this cool book that is all about gardening and homsteading. I think I am going to get it.

Hubby: Oh yeah?

Me: Yeah. I thought it was awesome because it talked about everything from planning your gardens all the way to canning and preserving which I don't remember anything about. I would just love to be able to can my own tomatoes.

Hubby [putting XBox controller down]: Wait... What do you mean? We can do that? OH WOW. I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT.

Me [smiling/laughing]: How do you think my grandmother was doing it back in Palazzo Adriano?! Why do you think I want to grow my own food so badly? THINK of how DELICIOUS it would be!

And for some reason, after all of these years, after so many long, arduous conversations about growing our own food he finally gets it.

Turning out the lights enlightened me.

This past Saturday my husband and I participated in Earth Hour 2011. It was not a public gathering, but, instead a small act in our own home. The experience drove us to a simple evening together over a book. It was wonderful, relaxing and gave me much to think about in terms of my own abuse of electricity on a daily basis. I wrote a complete post about our experience, including candle-lit pictures called Lights Out for Mother.

What's something YOU DO that we can replicate in order to make great changes from small moves?

*If you think you might be interested in writing a guest post about any action you took during Do Something Month, please feel free to e-mail me at BlogWithNV@gmail.com.

March Moves Monday Run Down #3 (from The Hummingbird Project)

The third week of Do Something week seemed as though it might not be as productive as I had hoped. My health was not on its best behavior, but the moment that it decided to come back to me - I pounced!


I played in the dirt! 

After spending Saturday night running in and out of my house trying to catch a glimpse of the Supermoon we were promised, I awoke on Sunday ready to get into my garden! Here's what got done:

• The Dirt Emerged When I went outside I found my "garden" was covered in all types of death. Dead weeds, some debris from all of the wind as of late and a pot with a dead blueberry bush in it. I grabbed a rake and freed the dirt! It was beautiful! The soil is so dark and looks AWESOME. I have not yet explored the soil testing process, but I will be shocked if there is anything wrong with this stuff. It smelled wonderful.
• The Compost Bin is Erected After seeing all my hard work, my husband treated me to my very own compost bin. The details of the entire event and first filling of the bin is laid out in the post My Composting Adventure Begins! Long story short: I am a full-fledged composter now!

Looking Ahead: EARTH HOUR IS THIS WEEK!!

Visit the official Earth Hour Website

 Each year we are called to unplug for one hour on March 26th. It is the one big DO SOMETHING of March that is pretty simple to do and, as physically dark as it may seem, enlightening. We will definitely revisit this idea later this week, but I wanted to remind you today so you could start making plans for your weekend.
 

How did your third week of DO Something Month go?

What would you like to do during this year's Earth Hour?

Remember that the Hummingbird Project is a  MONTH LONG challenge, so join in ANY time!

What's something YOU DO that we can replicate in order to make great changes from small moves?

*If you think you might be interested in writing a guest post about this (or even Earth Hour), please feel free to e-mail me at BlogWithNV@gmail.com.

Starting Small To Make Big Changes (A Hummingbird Speaks)

This is our first-ever guest post from Jen who blogs over at The Misadventures of Mrs. B which includes cooking, fabulous writing and some irresistible food photography!

Hi, everyone! I’m so glad Nicole offered the opportunity for me to be here today so I can share my Hummingbird ideas with you and hopefully pick up a few tips as well.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been the type of person to say “Oh, I’d love to do that” or “I really need to make a change in my life” or “I wish I had the discipline to keep up with a plan for change”.  It’s the story of my life, truly.

That’s why I was so pleased to read about Nicole’s Hummingbird Project.  What better time to start than right now? And thinking of it as a project, and as a way to effect lasting change in my little family and (ideally) throughout the world, makes it that much easier to not only stick to it but to make it fun!

Most of the changes I’m working on deal with nutrition and stretching our food dollars.  The fact is, it may take a little more time to make something from scratch but the result is something I can eat with confidence – after all, I know exactly what went into it.  There are no hidden additives or fake colors or “natural flavors”.  It’s all real.  Besides, there’s a sense of pride in knowing that the bread we’re eating came from my hands.  Same with any baked goods (why grab a muffin at the coffee shop when I can bake my own over the weekend to eat all week long?) and even pasta.  There is just nothing like homemade pasta.  The fewer steps a product takes between production and my mouth, the better.

I’m already working on my herb garden! Last year I planted flat parsley and sweet basil.  This year I’m expanding to include dill, thyme, chives and oregano, too.  My husband is sweet enough to be building boxes for me to start my own vegetable garden as well – I can’t wait to plant! I’ll definitely be starting small – tomatoes are on the list but I’m looking for any ideas on something a beginner like me can grow with ease! Thoughts, anyone?

Other changes I’m working to implement:                                                                                             

• Carrying a large insulated cup to work – if I feel like stopping off for coffee on the way in, I just present my cup rather than using one of theirs.  I hope that it catches on amongst the people I see waiting in line every day!

• Drinking from a reusable water bottle rather than constantly buying and discarding plastic bottles.  This is something I see people doing around the office all day long – not to mention using a paper cup for a single drink of water and tossing it out immediately.  Wasteful!

• Being more diligent with my recycling – now that recycling rules have loosened a bit in my area and everything can be included in the same bin, it’s easier to remember.  I admit that I haven’t always been a smart recycler in the past.

• Learning about green cleaning products.  It’s fascinating what you can do to lessen the amount of potentially harmful chemicals in your home! It’s an education for sure.

I know that there are so many other changes to be made, and this is merely the tip of the iceberg.  But it’s easier to start small, isn’t it, rather than getting overwhelmed.  At least that’s what I tell myself! I hope to document my progress on my blog – at least when it comes to cooking and gardening.

I’d love to hear any tips or suggestions from those of you who read this for ways to improve (and tips on gardening, since I’m a newbie)!

Thanks, Nicole, for having me here.  You’re an inspiration.

About Jen:

Jen blogs over at The Misadventures of Mrs. B, where she shares recipes, ideas and stories from her life while trying to maintain a sense of humor about the whole thing.  You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter or email her if you would like to be a part of the misadventures or just to pick up a sinful new recipe.

March Moves Monday Run Down #2 (from The Hummingbird Project)

After a fantastic first week in my Hummingbird Project, I simply knew that week two couldn't possibly reach or exceed the high expectations, however, I at least tried to maintain some stance of consistency in my efforts. I continued to work at projects that I began in the first week of "Do Something Month" while only adding one new feature to the list for now.

Things This Hummingbird is Still Working On:

• Composting My kitchen scraps bin in filled and I keep on jamming it. I have not yet made a decision on my outdoor composting yet - pile? bin? digging a hole? I don't know, but I really must make a decision soon!! I have not heard back yet from my composting workshop man, so a follow-up e-mail is due.
• My ASAP Pledge (see last week's post to learn about the ASAP post) I have continued to shut my computer down every single time I walk away from it ever since taking the pledge. In addition, due to this fact, I realized this morning I can actually use the light switch in my office again without fear of shutting the computer down in the middle of some important post!

New Move in the New Week: 

CALLING ALL HUMMINGBIRDS!!!

 

I tried contacting every person who wrote a comment on one of the Hummingbird Posts discussing their great inspiration for things they wanted to do for the month of March either through e-mail or on their own blog (if they had one) to invite them to write a guest post about their own actions. I am really excited about this because I think there are SO MANY awesome ideas out there that we can all get some inspiration from! Interest is growing by the day, so stay tuned for some fun and diverse content coming your way.  

How did your second week of DO Something Month go?

Remember this is a MONTH LONG challenge, so join in ANY time!

What's something YOU DO that we can replicate in order to make great changes from small moves?

*If you think you might be interested in writing a guest post about this, please feel free to e-mail me at BlogWithNV@gmail.com.

March Moves Monday Run Down #1 (from The Hummingbird Project)

As I declared March as "Do Something Month" for myself and any others who have joined this challenge with me last Tuesday (March 1st) with an introduction to the Hummingbird story I had not anticipated that it would take off so quickly!


The Hummingbird Project Spreads Its Wings

Upon reading the post for themselves, two fellow bloggers decided this was a challenge their readers needed to read about. I was more than happy that this came to fruition and hope that it further inspires people in this country, and the world, to do something this March.  Please check in with Emily at the Family and Life in Las Vegas blog and Meg at the Do Good blog to support our fellow hummingbirds!


My First Moves

• Donated clothing and household items to the Vietnam Veterans of America. This just proved to me that the universe was waiting for me to Do Something this month. When I checked my mailbox the day after the hummingbird post their was a postcard with a bag in there from the VVA. They were requesting donations (especially clothing) for them to sell to raise money for their organization.  According to the postcard they would be in my area on March 4th - since that was Do Something Day I considered that a sure fire sign that I needed to take action. I called in, scheduled a pickup, and by the time they arrived on Friday morning, we had gathered together five bags of clothing and one bag mixed of household items and board games.
• Started my kitchen scraps bin for composting. I began researching things to compost right away. As soon as I found out that nearly everything I throw away when cooking could be composted, I got started. I have a large plastic container that I noticed the seal was getting more weak in... its days in food storage service in my kitchen were limited. I decided it was time for it to change roles. It is now my kitchen scrap container and I keep it in my freezer (I have read about this in a couple of different places).This is it so far. I am pretty sure I have to come up with an outdoor composting system by the end of this week!

I can't believe how quickly this is filling up!

Check out the Baglady blog!

• I took the ASAP pledge and adopted a baglady. In my research about composting I came upon the story of a a wonderful woman named Shirley Lewis and her work as the "Baglady" in Northern Ireland. When you show up at the Baglady Productions website you are instantly greeted with a video of Ms. Lewis talking to young people and local politicians about what they all can do to make sustainability a priority for their country. Her idea is genius ~ sell the kids and the parents will follow. I remember, as a child, being the one to tell my mother and father to "buckle up!" every time we got in the car. We were taught about the unconditional nature of this action, and for their sanity's sake, our parents followed our beckoning requests. The Baglady wishes to instill this same type of relationship with children and their parents about the environment, from firsthand experience, I simply know this will work. While at the site, there are numerous reminders to take "The ASAP pledge" yourself. The ASAP pledge simply requests that you 

"Make your contribution to the new ASAP World [As Sustainably as Possible] by pledging to give up one thing, and take up one thing."

This was pretty simple for me, after watching the baglady video where numerous children pledged to shut down their XBox, or commit to shutting lights off when they leave a room. I decided my thing to give up would be leaving my computer(s) on standby ~ I do this all of the time! So, from now on, when I walk away from my computer I will SHUT IT DOWN.  The thing that I will take up, is one I have already pledged here on my blog: composting. The more and more I learn about it, the more I realize that this can dramatically affect the amount of waste in my home! 

• I am working to get a composting workshop here in Staten Island for a group of interested participants. It truly seemed as though the stars were aligned for my March moves. The day after posting the challenge I received an e-mail about a master composting course ($40 for a seven day course) starting on March 16th. I inquired and found out that it was not for a beginner like me, but the gentleman running the course would be happy to arrange a workshop for me if I could find a small group of people to join me. I was elated! I am awaiting to here what topics he would like to share, so I can then extend a more detailed invitation to the possibly interested parties! In the meantime, I am learning as much as I can on the Internet.

Reflections

I'm really happy I started this Hummingbird Project for myself because it is pushing me to do things that I always talk about or think about doing that stay, seemingly forever, on my list of things "To Do." While my condition(s) do limit my actions, I am pleasantly surprised to find out how much I actually can do. In addition to these moves I made this month so far, I was also asked to become a participating author on The IH Brain Pain Blogs, a blog about and for IH patients. I have been wanting to contribute to my IH community for a very long time, but had no idea what I could do this is just the perfect opportunity! March has been marvelous so far (even though I have been sicker than I have been in a really long time....) and I hope I can keep being the hummingbird I know I can be!

Resources

I found a lot of cool sites think month so far while trying to start up my own actions, so in case anyone is interested in making some of these moves, here's some good stuff!

• 163 Things You Can Compost The title says it all, but honestly, after reading this I think I can dramatically reduce the amount of waste coming out of this house!
• Composting at Home 2 Easy Methods YouTube video by Enviromom.
• How to Make a Compost YouTube video by KitchenGardeners.org.
• The Rubbish Diet A challenge to reduce the amount of rubbish your home produces. I have only skimmed this so far (this is where I found the Baglady and got swept away!), but this idea intrigues me.

I would love to know what my other hummingbirds are doing out there! Remember this is a MONTH LONG challenge, so join in ANY time!

What's something YOU DO that we can replicate in order to make great changes from small moves?

March Forth on March Fourth - It's Do SOMETHING Day

Every year, as March 4th rolls around, the date begs you to MARCH FORTH! and do something! To add to this beckoning call, this past Tuesday, I challenged you with my Hummingbird Project to extend this to an entire month of doing something.  Whether you are willing to do something for a day, or take the leap for the entire month, you may still be stuck wondering What should I do? I have been thinking about this kind of thing for awhile, so I am going to share with you some ideas I have,

Simple One-Day Acts to Do Alone or With Others

• Watch a documentary for a new perspective on something you are interested in. Here are some of my documentary experiences that can possibly help you with your decision:  
• Blue Gold:World Water Wars,  
• Fuel, The Future of Food and Food Matters, 
• Food, Inc., Tapped, King Corn, and No Impact Man, and  
• Dirt: The Movie

• Get in the kitchen. Get the whole family involved in learning about some new cooking technique, how to make your old recipes healthier, or just to rid your pantry of some evil ingredient (may I suggest high fructose corn syrup?). Here are some posts that may help you on your path:
• Vegetables Every Day,
• The Meatless Monday Experience,
• Vegetables: Raw or Cooked?,
•  Quinoa: The Mother Grain,
• Clean Eating Defined,
• Finding Healthy Recipes, and
• The Land O'Lakes Boycott

 What You Can Do With Just A Computer

• Watch (or Read) and share some inspirational/educational videos. Whether it is through the wide expanse of YouTube or you take a direct route to a worthy  organization's website (ie. TED), there is so much out there to absorb, share and enact change simply in the way we think. Here are some web videos I was moved by:
• Birke Baehr's TED talk and a peek at The Meatrix, 
•  The Perennial Plate 
• Small Ways to Make a Big Difference (a free eBook)

• Find a nonprofit that needs YOUR help (virtually or financially). One of the best actions you can take is to network with like-minded people around your cause - whether you join a mailing list, sign up for an event or have the means to donate, finding a way to Do Something may be easier than you think when you connect with the right groups. Here are some you may want to check out:
• FOOD BANK,
• Food & Water Watch, National Resources Defense Council, The Center for Food Safety,
• Organizations and Readings from the Changing the Way We Eat (ChWWE) Group

Long-Term Projects You Can Begin with Just One Step

• Composting. This is a project I am getting started on myself, so I am still learning, but I have found a couple of great resources to start out.
• Home Composting Made Easy
• Meet the Green Compost Episode

• Gardening. I am truly a novice when it comes to gardening. I should have picked up more tips from my mother when she was around... Alas, I must learn again (I'm really hoping that the things I learned as a child start to come back to me when I begin!). Here's a great resource that a fellow blogger, Brenna, pointed me to:
• Master Gardeners

And If You Are Ready to Build a TEAM of Do-ers 

• Build a Culture of Community Involvement. Meg Appleby of the How to Make a Difference blog and the Do Good blog has all the tips you need to get some volunteers to join your cause. Read her post How to Build a Culture of Community Involvement to see how!

I hope this gives you lots of ideas for March 4th's task to DO SOMETHING (and I really hope it inspires you Do Something every day! I look forward to reading how everyone spends their day.

...and don't forget to wear your action too! (I think this company is SO COOL!)

Where Are All My Hummingbirds? A Call to Action

I am going to be honest with you today. I have a problem. I want to change the world. I don't know exactly when this idea first occurred to me (college? high school? earlier?), but I know that I very much felt that was exactly why I belonged in the classroom. I am not delusional, I am completely aware of my smallness in this world, however, I believe every single one of us is capable of changing the world no matter how small we are. As I watched Dirt: The Movie last week, I saw a great story about a hummingbird who had the same problem as me. 

I am doing the best I can... Can't really ask for more than that. 

The best that I can do now is shift audiences (put out of the classroom on medical leave) and use this time to still create ripples in my small pond. Will you help me make some waves?

This Friday, March 4th, has been declared "Do Something Day," but I've been thinking - why not make this a "Do Something Month"? It's a great time of year to start something new for your health, your wealth, your family, your home or your home planet. 

Here are some ideas I am working on for my own personal challenge:

GARDENING IDEAS

• learn about and begin composting
• get soil tested in yard to see if growing food is a safe option, if not - plant other things to start to heal my soil

COOKING IDEAS

• work on meal planning and getting hubby to bring more lunches to work (save $$!!)
• do some more baking

ENVIRONMENT IDEAS

• continue to spread the word about the Farm Bill and actions that need to be taken to ensure our food is appropriately labeled and regulated
• take my dogs on longer walks and get back out to my parks

... this list is getting long and can get even longer if I allow it to. These are all small things, doable things, but right now they represent me doing the best I can. Not one of these individual little droplets of water can put out the huge forest fire around us, but, like the hummingbird, I must do something, I simply can't stand by in shock.

As I come up with new ideas, I will implement them and I will share them each Monday (since I will most likely need weekends to put some bigger things into action) in March Moves Monday Run Down! I challenge you to join me and share whatever "moves" your making this month each Monday. Also, spread the word about this challenge far and wide - who knows? Maybe we can inspire an elephant to fill his big trunk up with water to really start to extinguish this fire!

Ready to "move"? 

What things can you do this month - big or small - to help enact change in the world around you?

What things are you already doing that may be a good idea for someone else to try?

Here's a post to help you get started: March Forth on March Fourth - It's DO SOMETHING DAY