Author: jennynazak

In my book and on this blog, I set out to help those of you who want to reduce your eco footprint and are looking for practical, do-able tips.

Even a beneficial change can be difficult to make. (A change that we want to make can still be difficult, I mean.) Because we’re changing a habitual routine practice. And furthermore, we are often swimming upstream against various things that are baked into our society.

So, one of the things I found helpful in changing my habits, and helping other people change theirs, was the incentive to save money. Who doesn’t want to save money, right?

Unfortunately, it turned out that most people were not sufficiently motivated by the prospect of saving $10 a month, or even $100 a month or more. There are various reasons for this, but for now I’m just saying this is what I noticed.

In recent times, I have noticed a further obstacle, even when people are sufficiently motivated by money savings. And that is that our capitalist economy oftentimes is structured such that people are not able to opt-out of certain purchases. That obstacle is exemplified by this recent news item from my local area. (Go here to see my Facebook post with the screenshots; and also see the quote & link to the article below.)

Florida Power and Light (FPL) is seeking a rate hike to recover costs of restoring power after the recent hurricane. Our bills will go up supposedly by an average of $12.

Big corporations that are deemed necessary public utilities can always rig it we don’t get to opt out of buying their stuff. Even when they increase the price.

In such times, it becomes all the more important to focus on yet another intrinsic motivation. I would sum up that intrinsic motivation as reducing our vulnerability. I can’t put a price tag on the fact that I am not fazed by a power outage, and can do without electricity indefinitely.

It’s not that I don’t find electricity convenient; it’s just that I can easily do without it (other than what’s needed to charge my phone, which is easy to get in a variety of ways including solar and hand-cranked), so the company isn’t dealing with someone who is desperate and fearful.

Of course, that still doesn’t mean I get to opt out of electricity. I still have to pay the base rate and all that stuff. But, reducing my vulnerability is an extremely strong motivation, I find.

And, I still do save money by not needing as much electricity. It’s just that my bill which used to be $12 is now $18 or $20 and probably going up to $35 or more. Still the savings compared with a typical bill is nothing to sneeze at!

A quote from the article:

“According to the company, ‘Electric bills in Florida do not include the cost of responding to hurricanes and tropical storms. Instead, a temporary surcharge is applied after storms.'”

Things may be structured to prohibit us from opting-out of purchasing certain goods & services from corporations. But the value of reducing our vulnerability is priceless.

(A play on that old folk admonition, be careful what you wish for.)

In my every day life, I can be a bit of a spoiled brat. Getting really annoyed when things don’t go my way.

One habit of mine is to refuse to face the fact that a certain task takes three hands. Lots of tasks around the house, you simply can’t deal with two hands. You have to break it down. And interestingly, it ends up taking less time if I do face up to that reality. Instead of struggling with two hands to do a three-handed task.

No examples are coming to me right now but it’s a very pervasive thing, so I will write some examples when they come to me.

Later: OK, here’s a simple one. Like when I’m walking with a whole arm full of packages or other things that need to go into the house, or out of the house. And instead of setting them down so that I can properly open the door, I try to do all of that and end up dropping the packages, or taking forever to open the door, or not being able to open the door. And then I cuss for a bit. Basically wasting time and energy, and getting agitated in the process.

OK, so it would be careful what you complain about department…

A few months back, I lost much of the use of my right arm. It was some kind of shoulder injury. At first I was afraid it was a rotator cuff tear. But after experiencing it for a while and looking into it more, it seemed more likely to be something calcific tendinitis which is calcium deposits.

It was not only loss of mobility, but also extreme pain when I would try to move in certain ways. Unfortunately, the certain ways were very routine daily necessary things. Repetitive motions needed throughout the day.

For a while, I could barely pour my coffee. One day I wasn’t even sure I could sew! Pulling shirts on and off became extremely difficult and painful, as did (ugh) wiping my butt. Good grief!

Tasks such as hauling water with that arm became out of the question. Lifting anything overhead, forget about it. Unfortunately, the affected arm is/was my right arm!

Fortunately, over time, the “core class” that I do to build muscles in my back and shoulders and glutes, and restore more flexibility to the the connected muscles such as quads and hamstrings, seems to be helping. (The core class is online. At dailyom.com; class title “Pelvis Reset for Lower Back Pain.” You pay one time, and the recorded sessions are yours to keep using.)

I hope I never forget and get ungrateful again. Every time I pull on or take off a shirt, and I don’t experience a sudden eight or nine level of pain, I try to remember to say thank you!

Some tasks take three hands. It’s best to slow down and break them down. And now, I know what it’s like to have only one hand or arm to work with! “Be careful what you bish for,” I tell myself.

This also works on a societal level. like, there’s a lot we can point out that’s wrong. But there’s a lot that’s right and available to us. Like right now, I can go to the public library and check out a book and use a printer and all sorts of other things.

And, with my phone, I can send an email in seconds, anywhere in the world.

And, with my paper and pens, I can write a postal letter and drop it in the mail and it will very likely get to the recipient without a hitch.

We can’t take these things for granted. Gratitude is a great attitude, it’ll get us through the roughest times.

Self-knowledge is always good. And one component of that is knowing the characteristics of your mind or brain.

For better or for worse.

Me, I have a mind that tends to be really bad at remembering and retaining facts. On the other hand, my mind is really good at making up stuff. Planning, problem-solving, art, that sort of thing.

I guess I would call my mind “flexible” or “pliant.” It’s good at learning languages, and finding different ways to look at things.

The downside? Sometimes my mind is so pliant that I end up feeling like I’ve disassembled my whole core, and don’t have an identity. This happens especially when I go on a trip or something. Something where my everyday responsibilities and things are not right there around me. After my recent trip to a college reunion I walked around feeling like just a floating pair of eyeballs for a few days.

Maybe you have a super strong sense of identity. That can help a lot when it comes to mustering willpower to accomplish difficult tasks. Also, that type of mind tends to not misplace its rudder easily.

If you know your mind, you know the upsides and the downsides, and you can learn to work with both.

Also: One thing great about being human is that we can borrow from each other’s mind strengths. Or even directly experience a bit of them just by hanging out with each other.

Thanks to my friend/fellow civic activist Anne for sharing the article that sparked these musings. (The original post is from a page called Architecture Lab which I follow on Facebook.)

The post talks about how the renowned urban-planning activist Jane Jacobs (author of the famous book The Death and Life of Great American Cities — which to this day is still required reading for many planners) was herself a cyclist, and believed that car-dependency actually fosters sociopathic tendencies.

And the post makes reference to a 1960s essay by Jacobs, titled “Cyclist.” I need to look it up.

My thoughts on just the post:

Sociopathic might sound like a really extreme label.

But then again, the degree to which we have normalized individualism in our society, and the degree of the individualism, those things are very deeply dysfunctional.

I’m not sure if I’d label it sociopathic or psychopathic, but it does feel pretty far along the scale.

For example, we just very casually choose to live far away from the people we love the most. If that’s not nuts, I don’t know what it is?

And from there it just escalates into just knowing that we can hop on a plane any time to visit friends & family, and we do, with a murderous vengeance.

Note, as with most all of my other content, when I say “we,” I am referring to my general age cohort and demographic, which is white Boomers.

And then sometimes that whole mentality leads us to thinking it’s a good idea to have multiple houses in multiple cities, those who can afford such a thing. Which even more deeply contributes to the erosion of community. Again, feels kind of sociopathic to me.

I used to think of it as options, when I was younger. Now I realize it’s a deadly feature of capitalism.

And on a personal note, as I get older and face a lonely old age (compounded by my “bad choice” of choosing not to have children) I’m not so sure. A lot of times we can’t go back to the places and people we have left. And yet we don’t fit in where we are. And the rush rush rush of car culture, and the distances between us, are a big part of the emptiness & sparseness of interactions.

And then there’s the whole “dependence on fossil fuels” component. (And now also lithium etc for electric cars.) Definitely sociopathic for us to trash the biosphere — our own life support system that is our only home — and just keep going.

Also: I once read there was a study that showed that when people who get around by bicycle, but also drive, get behind the wheel of a car, they instantly become just like any other impatient motorist. Whereas when they were on their bicycles they were more patient, calm, generally in a better mood. I have absolutely found that to be the case. I have watched myself do it.

On a personal note: I just spent a weekend in my old college town. A person can actually get around by foot or bicycle and just blend in, not be considered some sort of weirdo, or delicate flower who needs to be fretted over and offered rides. There’s plenty of public transport too. And the distance just aren’t as spread out.

As it’s possible that chronic pain is becoming my new normal, I may need to move to a place that doesn’t worship private automobile ownership, just to maintain my own sanity and dignity.

Now, one might think that a person with chronic pain would be precisely that sort of delicate flower who would need rides everywhere. But an interesting thing happens when one lives in a dense walkable area, allowing daily basic needs to be met within a small radius. With tree-shaded streets, that have speed limits of 20 to 30 miles an hour as opposed to 40 or 45 or more. And ample public transport. In that kind of environment, a person doesn’t have to walk as far. So even if they have, say, chronic back pain, chronic knee ailment etc., they can get around and go about their day with a measure of independence.

Also, in that kind of environment, a person getting around on foot or bicycle doesn’t stand out. That’s a very important point of quality of life. It’s more than a little bit disconcerting to be standing out as “the person who walks or rides a bicycle.”

BTW everything that comes to me in life, becomes fuel for the collective. So, when I get injured, I incorporate that into my transportation activism. And as I get older and start the serious planning for aging-out of being able to take care of a whole house and yard, I have become more and more into housing activism. Especially watching the young people struggle with insane rents, when we had it so much easier because the housing ecosystem was healthier back then.

Not only do I not want to ever own a car again; I probably shouldn’t be driving at all. (I strive to be a good defensive driver, but I know my tendencies to get lost in thought.)

Neither should a lot of other people, but I don’t get to make that choice. At least I can choose it for myself, if I find a place where I can fit in without submitting to the burdens of private car ownership.

And a comment I added on a local note:

And speaking of which, East ISB, the so-called great FDOT improvement project, is an absolute nightmare for anyone on foot or bicycle. Anyone not in a car.

Yesterday as I was riding back across the bridge from home, I just broke down in tears of frustration. I know the project’s not finished yet but I don’t foresee it getting any more bikeable, walkable, etc. They have basically boxed us into the neighborhood, Suburban gated-community, one-way-in style. It’s bad for motorists too.

Added later: actually, a friend who walked over the bridge yesterday said he had felt good and safe. So maybe it’s mainly just bad for bicyclists or anyone trying to turn across the street into the neighborhoods. Of course, pedestrians might end up having to jaywalk.

Further exploration:

• “Jane Jacobs: A Pioneer Urbanist and Cyclist.” (Anton Giuroiu; Architecture Lab; https://www.architecturelab.net/jane-jacobs-a-pioneer-urbanist-and-cyclist/ ) “… She added, ‘The car is not only a monstrous land-eater itself: it abets that other insatiable land-eater—endless, strung-out suburbanization.’ Foreseeing decades of suburban sprawl, Jacobs criticized car dependency and its impacts on land use. Her analogy of drivers as centaurs — half-men, half-vehicles — suggested cars made people less human in their interactions. …”

Left Signal Boost, one of my favorites on Facebook, posted a great essay “The Wealth Gap: How Extreme Concentration of Wealth Fuels Inflation and Hurts the Working Class.” Talking about how the ultra wealthy create a bottleneck that generates installation.

This is excellent. And, furthermore, it’s not just the ultra wealthy. Which is good news because the middle class is far more numerous, and therefore collectively have more leverage. The “upper-tier middle class” is able to hoard a lot of wealth, and that generates strong inflationary pressure.

Yes, the “upper tier middle-class” (I would roughly say, what, people making 60 K to 120 K or something?) may not be mega billionaires, but there are many many more of them. In other words, a large segment of the population.

Furthermore, I think a lot of people in this demographic tend to have 401(k) and other financial instruments. Some of those middle-class 401(k)s have $200,000-$1 million in them. Basically these folks are are investors undergirding the corporate economy. This is playing out in a planetary ecosystems way as well as the social economics way. Which is painful, as a lot of the most passionate environmentalists I know are in this demographic, while also participating in this sector of the economy.

They definitely have a distortive effect on the economy, and it’s almost like people are living in a different world. While still considering themselves part of the 99%, and railing against the one percent. As a Boomer who dropped out of the middle class some decades ago to do activism fulltime, but who still finds herself in contact with a lot of social circles with my richer peers, I often feel the split.

In my book DEEP GREEN, I didn’t have a whole chapter about money but I did mention in passing that it surely has an impact on the biosphere and ecosystems etc.

In the 7 years since I launched my book, I have learned just how deeply that is true. At one point in my middle class working life I had amassed about $70,000. It came to me that this amount could have the effect of an oil spill if not deployed properly.

I ended up deploying it carefully, using it for my continuing eco education, mental health, as well as sharing w the community, etc.

Money is a big thing that just doesn’t always get talked about. Especially among the middle class. The middle class underestimates the effect of its money. I’m really thinking of my fellow white Boomers. I sometimes wonder how different the world would be if all the Boomer 401(k)s and other Wall Street investments got liquidated and instead the Boomers use that money to pay off their mortgages, or buy a commercial building in their own town and let the young generations have a launch pad for their local businesses (instead of needing to occupy themselves at crappy “jobs”) etc.

I made reference to 401(k)s. The reason for their existence is this construct known as “retirement,” where people are supposed to amass a pile of cash and then use it to live out their later years. For various reasons I have mentioned here and elsewhere, I consider this whole construct to be very unhealthy.

And yet, people are afraid to NOT do this whole “retirement investment and savings” thing even though it’s based on the extractive economy so ppl are making massive amounts of money on the backs of the planet and indigenous people etc.

If you would like practical steps on how to build economic security without participating in the murderous extractive economy, I highly recommend following my friend Laura Oldanie (Rich & Resilient Living), who produces a huge wealth of content about ethical economics, regenerative business, etc. She offers a course in regenerative finance / permaculture economics. The title of the course is Personal Economy Makeover. She is now, by popular demand, offering it as a recorded course that you can listen to any time. I will post the link below.

Here you go: https://www.facebook.com/share/GgVQFdD4udoDqGTL/?mibextid=WC7FNe

That is the link to Laura Oldanie’s Facebook post about her Personal Economy Makeover class. (For those of you not on Facebook, I have also pasted at the end of this post the text of her Facebook post. It’s really great stuff, very inspiring. I think a lot of us are looking for this right now.)

Also, here is the web link to the place on her website where you can see the info and sign up for the class. This is the newly available pre-recorded version. https://richresilientliving.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1172918

The live version, which I had the honor of participating in, was fabulous. But I really love that she is starting to offer it as a recorded series of sessions. So you can tune in anytime!

“Conventional thinking about personal finance & money leave us fragile & unprepared to navigate the economic and climate uncertainties that await us, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

“I had such a positive response to the live Personal Economy Makeover course that I offered back in May that I’ve turned it into a self-paced video course that can be accessed anytime. The material it covers feels especially relevant in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene & Milton, which I personally experienced in a coastal Florida town.

“As a green living & money coach I’ve spent the past 15 years transforming my conventional personal economy from a fragile, soul-crushing system that relied on and upheld the destructive corporate economy I abhor into a resilient, life-affirming engine that grows wealth naturally for me and my community over time.

“I created the Personal Economy Makeover Course to help as many people as possible do the same. You’ll find the link to access it in the comments below.”

jenny’s corner October 2024

As I cannot attend City Commission this Wednesday, I’m writing what would be my comments. I’ll keep it within the citizens’ comment time of 3 minutes.

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Good evening everyone!

First, let’s talk about Flooding. As I’ve said repeatedly over the years, our landscaping practices are directly undermining stormwater absorption and heat mitigation!!!

For brevity’s sake I’ll share just two examples.

One: Leave the leaves. We need to leave the leaves under the oak trees (and other trees). A tree is a powerhouse stormwater pump, and heat mitigator. Protect their root systems, and the soil, by leaving the leaves and not mowing under the trees.

On that note: The standard for an empty lot needs to be trees and shrubs, or a tallgrass-and-wildflower meadow, not buzzcut turfgrass. There are ways to keep people from trespassing on empty lots without turning them into denuded moonscapes that can’t absorb stormwater.

And two, the Sabal palm, our state tree. We need to stop mutilating the Sabal palm tree. This is a costly and unnecessary practice. Sabal palms in their natural state provide massive canopy and stormwater diffusion.

Mayor Henry, I’m grateful that your father was able to earn a good livelihood and raise such wonderful citizens by being a palm tree trimmer.

But our knowledge has evolved over the decades, as has the severity of heat and flooding. Our landscaping practices need to evolve accordingly.

We can’t point to one culprit of heat and flooding. It’s a worldwide result of the first world’s relentless consumerism. But what we can do, here, is prioritize tree canopy and lush vegetation. Every square inch counts! It’s a matter of life or death.

Our city and region can either be a healthy sponge, or a clogged bathtub. Drains can only accomplish so much. We also need pumps. Trees are great pumps because they pump water back up into the air and help restore a healthy rain cycle.

As part of becoming a sponge city, we need to prioritize expanding our knowledge base of arborculture and horticulture.

Landscaping is green infrastructure. It’s a lucrative career path, with many opportunities for local people to feed their families and lead a fulfilling life of service in partnership with nature.

We need people to be more than just grass-cutters, tree-cutters, and leaf-blowers. And we need to invest in their training accordingly.

Regarding homelessness. We won’t solve homelessness by being heartless. For example, preventing people from sleeping in public places. If a person can’t sleep in a public park or on the public beach, where can they sleep???

While we keep steadily working to solve homelessness, we at least need to let people sleep.

Public toilets are an issue as well. We need public restrooms all around town, open 24-7, with paid attendants. This helps all of us. After all, even rich people have to use the bathroom.

This is a city where we invest in human services, and it’s a city where we practice our spiritual faith. Let’s do this.

This is a post I made just now to my Permaculture community. I’m sharing it here as well because it’s relevant to my DEEP GREEN community as well. And because it may be helpful to others who are experiencing similar.

#CareOfPeople #ZoneZeroZero #InnerLandscape

Dear Florida permies,

The other day, right after the hurricane, I said something awful to someone in our permaculture community.

I responded to a post they made on their personal page, and gave advice that was totally out of place, presumptuous, shaming, and rude, and not knowing anything about their circumstances. My advice was supposedly coming from care of the earth, but I showed zero care for this fellow human being.

The person was understandably angry and messaged me calling me out. Subsequently, my apology was horrible as well, and just added insult to injury. And my apology was understandably not accepted.

My inappropriate comment was part of a stubborn pattern that I’ve been working on in myself. Giving advice that’s supposedly about care of the earth (permaculture design ethic #1), but fails to show care for people’s circumstances or emotions (care of people and all other living beings, permaculture design ethic #2).

Not only do I feel regret for speaking out of turn at a person who’s a fellow permie and a truly beautiful soul, but just in general for treating a fellow human being unkindly.

I have reflected deeply and processed this incident so as to avoid causing this kind of harm again to anyone.

I am keeping this post general and anonymous on purpose. Just wanted to confirm that I am accountable to this community and will always strive to make amends and do better.

If I ever hurt any of you, in any way, I will do my best to take ownership and make amends.

With love for all of you, and for Mother Earth and all of Her creatures! I hope you are all hanging in there after the storm. Please post in this group any time if you need some help or support. Even if it’s simply a listening ear.