"Independence Days"

I bought a book a few weeks ago at the Canadian Organic Growers Conference called "Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation" by Sharon Astyk
http://www.amazon.ca/Independence-Days-Sharon-Astyk/dp/0865716528/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1364535807&sr=8-3-fkmr0

Catching the worst cold I've had in years has confined me to my house for the day so as not to contaminate anyone I come near.  But it has allowed me to read.

A few things in the first few chapters of this book really struck me:
"Do now, do today, with all our hearts, the things we should have been doing "anyway" all along"
I realized that I have been seeing this everywhere. People engaging in direct action; movements like Occupy; small community-based restaurants and stores like Karma Co-op, The Depanneur, Creme Fraiche Market Cafe; the ever expanding list of farmers markets in the city–people are taking up arms and "doing what they should have been doing 'anyway'".
It is in everyones best interest to support local organic food systems that don't put huge emphasis on oil (approx. 35% of our fossil fuels are used in food systems).
It is in everyones best interest to lower their energy consumption because climate change is a thing.
It is in everyones best interest to grow their own food because our soil systems are becoming so degraded they are leaching nutrients like never before.
It is in everyones best interest to waste less food so that there is more for the impoverished (we have no food shortage, we have food wastage–we throw out approximately 1/3 of the fresh produce we buy).
It is in everyones best interest to support local organic food systems instead of major corporations to combat the massive economic and social inequities that our current system has created.
Start growing your own. Start small. Build as you can. It's worth it for all of the above reasons.
And hey, I guess I'm doing this in a way with creating my own social enterprises–creating the jobs that I think are missing, engaging those who need it, working from the ground up instead of waiting for the government to implement curriculums that reflect our current social and economic structure.

"It was a process of unlearning all the things that society had taught me"
I feel like this spoke the words that I've been thinking about the last few months.  So much questioning has been happening, a desire to get rid of all my 'stuff', to grow my own food, to make healthy body products, to cut my consumption.
It is just an unlearning.
I take comfort in that.

Perhaps this is why I got sick. To reflect. To further question. To slow down and remember the important things instead of getting swept away in paperwork and "busy-ness. Who knows.  Whatever the reason, I'm grateful.

Low-Impact Living

I heard from my friend Andrew today about an event going on at University of Guelph, Sustainability Week.  He was mentioning that there was a panel on "Low-Impact Living". The phrase sounded totally appropriate and so I did a little looking around and found this fantastic resource on anything and everything Low-Impact!  It is a British site so some of the resources are irrelevant for North Americans (like workshops) but the general information is beneficial nonetheless.
Have a look around! Be inspired!
http://www.lowimpact.org/

Arts and Sustainability

I started a business running dance and creativity workshops in elementary schools three years ago, with a major revamp to the structure this past summer: www.bodymindconfidance.com 
It's important to me.
Creative dance connects people to their bodies in an age of disconnect.
Creative dance creates community, promotes co-operation, and practices team-building.
Creative dance promotes empathy, understanding, and self-awareness.
Beauty.

But I'm also becoming more and more interested in other sides of self-wellness:
Connecting to nature,
Realizing our place in the cycle of the world, not at the top of a non-existant pyramid,
Understanding where the food that nourishes us comes from,
Understanding that things take time and you can't rush them without consequences,
Taking time and care to feed our bodies with nutritious food that will literally fuel us.
This is the Urban Organic Homesteading Experiment side.

But I had a meeting with the Program Director at Arts For Children and Youth today.

One of the things we spoke about was my interest in sustainability and food.

She suggested creating workshops that merge the arts and topics in sustainability.

BUT OF COURSE!!!

How had I never thought of that?

I'm coming to realize that a thing I want to do is build awareness about subjects that are life-changing and important.

I'm coming to realize that perhaps the side of me that always shied away from the word 'activist' because of the very specific image I had in my head is coming around and expanding her view. 

I'm coming to realize that I'm beginning to advocate for mind-body health, wellness, and awareness.

Maybe the answers aren't changing what you do completely, but changing how you do the thing you do already.  Maybe that's innovation.

I'm not sure how these things I'm doing are going to support me but I trust that they will, somehow.
Things will work out because I will make them.
I will support myself,
Meet people,
Be excited,
Learn,
Be passionate.
Let's see how this all pans out.