A beacon on the hill

So, today after a frustrating day at the office, waiting for the IT guy to fix my computer all day... I went to the groundbreaking for the new Charter School in my neighborhood.

Now, let me say, this is a pretty big deal. First, the Charter School will be green! As in incorporation of an existing structure in construction, windmills, gardening, a pond and green space. Also, the founders and folks involved are way cool. I have already been out drinking and singing Karaoke with the Principal.

But what makes this such a big darn deal is not so much that it's going to be awesome. No, the big deal is that it's HERE in my neighborhood.

When I moved here in 2007 my co-workers were like, "what! that's the HOOD! You're gonna get shot! Don't you watch the news!?" OK, fine, it's the highest crime zip code in the state. True. Yes, OK, there are shots fired. The challenges of this neighborhood are huge. But, I like it here. It's close to work, close to downtown, and cheap. The people are real, the houses are old, kids still play in the street. Moreover, I really do enjoy community organizing. I feel that my utility is maximized. Whatever skills and abilities I have, I can really get a lot of mileage out of them here.

Today, I'm excited that soon, 500 kids will have a really cool place to go to school, right here in the hood. As I looked around the construction site for the school, and into the faces of those around me, I felt really happy that in some small way, I helped to make it happen. I can't wait to see what's next.

Doing Something

I know, it sounds cliche, but ever since I found out about the giant BP oil explosion on, yeah, Earth Day, 2010, I'm taking my responsibilities as a citizen of earth a little more seriously.

I actually didn't even find out about it on Earth Day because I stopped watching TV some time ago. It's true. I used to watch TV all the time but now I just can't stand it any more.

I found out about the leak from facebook and my igoogle page BBC news feed. That's where I get most of my information these days.

It's not like I didn't care about the earth before...far from it. I pay for recycling, compost my scraps, live close to work, use CFLs, buy used clothes, garden, pay for energy offsets, I even have a push mower and a rain barrel! Hell people, I went to Live Earth. And, it's my vocation. But, the thing is, I look at that picture of the spreading oil slick and everything I do that requires oil, and it makes me kind of sick inside. Like nothing I can do matters much.

But I can still do something.

So here I am with my little sword, taking it to the sun. That's what this blog is about. My small attempts to make the world a better place. The people I meet along the way, the ride.

I actually learned about the giant oil leak about a week late on April 28th or so. I was frankly just disheartened. The 29th however, I bought a new bike lock and seeds. Friday the 30th, I made a move. I backed out of the garage not in my gas sucking car, but on my bicycle. It felt GOOD.

I'm only 4 miles from the office. Why not ride the bike? Really, it doesn't even take much longer than driving. There are even bike lanes nearly the whole way there! I got to work feeling better and more energetic. I had a great day at the office & rode home. After work, I put on my Grandpa's too-big overalls that I just can't seem to part with and set about planting my garden plots here in my inner city backyard. It was nice pushing the seeds into the soil.

Today, Monday, I did it again. I woke up next to my fantastic adorable boyfriend (seriously, he's too good be real) with the sun shining through the open window, a cool breeze full of promise blowing in...and after a cuppa & the am routine I headed out. On my bike. My neighborhood isn't exactly a manicured suburban paradise. I'm sure plenty of people would tell me to be careful or not to go at all. But, I like the edgyness of it here. There are real people here. Lovers, Fighters.

I rode through my neighborhood past the building that will soon be a new food co-op, past the bus stop full of waiting black men, left at the light, then right at corner with the liquor store and pawn shop. Past the high school. Rounding the curve in the road, I saw a man in white walking on the sidewalk & it turned out I knew him from neighborhood work. "Good Morning Tom!" I called out. "Good Morning!" he bellowed with a smile, recognizing me. I went over the tracks and under the highway that seperates the "good neighborhood" from the "bad neighborhood." The bike lanes are relatively new but the paint is coming off. The Cars don't seem to think the bike lane is really real.

Through the heart of the downtown, I get to see the big war memorials and public spaces every day. The bike parking is right outside the door to my office building. I headed inside with my jeans and yellow backpack on. The boss was the first to greet me: "Hey --! Runnin' away from home?"

"no, just rode my bike to work. I'm going to start to do it as much as I can."

"Yeah! The weather is perfect today. Too bad it had to rain all weekend"

"Well, that, and the whole Oil spill makes me not want to drive anymore"

"Oh. Yeah." Boss hangs his head, then looks up, a flash of anger in his eyes, "That's just awful. And they don't have shut off valves? And they can't get to the leak? It's crazy."

"Yeah." We talked about it a bit more. Disgusted. Sad.

I went in my office. Shut the door & changed into my lawyer clothes, did my lawyer work, ate lunch at my desk. Couldn't wait to get back on the bike.

Rode home, and my neighbors waived to me from their porches as I glided down my tree lined street of historic houses, rented doubles, wrecks, rehabs. I still had plenty of energy to mow the yard with my old push mower. Is the yard as pretty as if I'd used a gas mower? No. but STFW? Came inside & felt like good healthy food. I made baked tofu with sauteed onion and carrots celery and peas and rice. Chives from the backyard.

Fruit. It felt better. I felt better. I know I can't do it all, but I can do something.