People who care for the natural environment tend to embrace or reject many labels.  Greenies.  Environmentalists.  Conservationists.  Conservatives.  Liberals.  Hunters.  Vegetarians.  Gas guzzler.  Clean coal.  Wasteful.  Shop-a-holic.  Hybrid.  Republicans.  Just kidding about that last one, by the way, and feeding on the stereotype of a Treehugger.

Environmentalists are blamed by some for hating.  A lot.

Seriously, Google “Environmentalists hate”, which I did to see what kinds of words would pop up.  ”Solar”, “Grass”,  ”America”, “blacks”, “minorities”, “the poor”, and “humans” all make the list of who and what environmentalists seek to destroy.

Googling “anti-green” yielded interesting results, too.  As it turns out, a slew of webpages devoted either  to railing the environmental movement due to people feeling annoyed by “greenie” superiority complexes or to proving the environmental movement theories as we know it to be wrong.  A couple were just humor blogs… and some, I frankly could not tell how serious they were.  Just look here, here, here and here for a few examples of these sites.

My biggest issue, however, are those that are sustainability and conservation-minded basing each other.  The ends do not justify the means for many, and the semantics over how to achieve a healthy ecosystem create confusion, misunderstandings, and blatant failure of communication.

After all, when is the last time you heard a “vegetarian” speak nicely of a “hunter”, or vice versa?

I attended the Dixie Deer Classic ~ a hunting type of convention at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh a couple weekends ago.  I brought a video camera because I wanted to ask some hunters to share their visions of conservation and environmentalism for my blog.

I realized, however, being approached by a vegetarian “greenie” with a video camera may be a little threatening and questionable.  So instead, I simply opted for conversation.

As it turns out, I spoke at great length with the Wake County Wildlife Club, and learned a lot.  I will be sharing, shortly, more regarding that conversation, some of the inspirations I gained from that weekend, and questions that arose for me.

Thus, I bring you a Green Grounded featurette ~ “Face of Sustainability”.  Starting this week, I will occasionally chronicle one person, one every day normal person, who in lengths great, small, or controversial, are environmentalists.

I look forward to bringing you this segment, and if you are in the Asheville or Raleigh area and would like to share your views, feel free to contact me.

Until then…

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

The debates rage on for all the reasons to commute in town on bicycles (and motorcycles), as well as why they should stay off the road.  We all know bicycling reduces pollution, slows our dependency on oil, and keeps us much healthier.  Regardless of the benefits, here is a list of the reasons I won’t ride a bike on main roads ~ even to work, which is a straight four-mile ride on a main road in Raleigh.

1.  Frankly, I’m scared.  Drivers are crazy and dangerous around here.  Many of them seem to hate each other, the stoplights, the medians, pedestrians, and even themselves.  Everyone, it seems, is on a personal path to self-destruction and general public annihilation along the way to their jobs.

1b.  The Triangle is NOT very bicycle or pedestrian friendly.  The Triangle has almost no bike lanes navigating the city.  Further, even where bike lanes exist (for instance, the beautiful stretch of Ridge Road in Raleigh near Wholefoods), I see drivers most frequently use it as a passing-on-the-right-side trick to avoid pausing for cars that are turning left into driveways.

1c.  I also fear how much drivers forget to look out for people on bikes and motorcycles.  Seriously.  If the vehicle driver doesn’t check their blind spot or even see the car in the intersection, how are they going to pay enough attention for someone on a two-wheeled vehicle?

1d.  Many vehicle drivers are hostile toward bicycle and motorcycle riders.  I have been on a local bicycle listserv where I have heard many horror stories from bicyclers who have had people throw objects at them from vehicles and been jeered at for taking up road space ~ a general “you deserve it if you get hit because you’re asking for it” commentary.  I’ve even heard one of my friends say a motorcycler should get hit because he changed into her lane (and for the record, he used his motorcycle signal, a hand signal, and changed lanes at least four car-lengths ahead of us).

1e.  Couple all of the above list with this new text-while-I’m-driving phenomenon…  Bah!  All the trimmings for a tragedy.

2.  Law-abiding bicyclists must ride on the road and follow the rules of the NCDOT.  But, just like with vehicle drivers, many bicyclists do not follow NC vehicle laws.

2b.  Instead of riding on the road, many ride on sidewalks, as Marc says they should.  I disagree… the law is that bicyclers should ride on the road… granted, sidewalks are less dangerous for bicyclers to ride on, but what happens when you ride your bicycle and encounter those moms strolling their children in those SUV-version strollers?  Or several bicyclers come at each other on the same sidewalk?  Or the track team is jogging along the sidewalk?  This can be impending doom for everyone involved as well.

2c.  Some bicyclers feel that because they are small and on an open vehicle that they are not on a vehicle at all… hence feeling like it is OK to ignore stop signs, or shooting through red lights and crosswalks after a quick glance to the left and right.  (By the way, if you are a bicycler and do that, you only perpetuate drivers’ philosophy that you’re asking for whatever perile you put yourself in.)

Ultimately, I have no conclusion here.  Bicyclers, bikers, and drivers have some tensions that need worked out.  While I am not one for general conformity, however, I do think if we could all stay calm and pay attention to (not to mention follow) the rules of the road, we could all find order in our local transportation infrastructure.  This, in turn, could make us a more bike-friendly society, which would only benefit us all.

Any feedback on the dangers you face as a bicycler or motorcycler… or on why you take issue with bicycles on the roadway?

Until I live somewhere more bicycle-friendly, Marc and I will keep our bicycles to trails, parks, and parking lots (…or relegated on our porch).

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

For those of you who have not heard, Green Grounded and team are relocating to Asheville, NC.

This move has been nine years in the making, and once upon a day, I would have easily thought Asheville was too full of self-righteous granola types to want to move there.  I may be veg, and I may be a creative thinker, but I do not subscribe to the “damn the man”, “can I bum a cigarette?”, “wanna puff?” philosophy that I too-easily pegged as “the Asheville scene”.

Granted, we have no plans set, no date readied, nothing concrete.  But Asheville looks to be our Forever Home, and I am so very excited!

Capturing the beauty of Asheville, blogger John Morris has an amazing blog called “Goodnight, Asheville!”, from which this photo has been borrowed:

The last couple years, however, upon visiting family and friends who live there, Marc and I have seen very different sides of Asheville than my original misconceptions.

Asheville is full of diverse opportunities, creative people, extraordinary nature, fresh green-collar opportunities, and the splendor of, what I feel, is humanity.  Despite hearing how much more Raleigh and The Triangle can offer, you cannot deny what is right for you when you realize it. And it seems everyone who knows us says it just “feels right” too. The stars have aligned!
 

Since our time here in The Triangle is limited (as opposed to the “indefinite” quality I feared to be stuck in), I picked up two six packs of NC-brewed bottles to celebrate my state and our homes, past, present and future:  Angry Angel Kolsch to say goodbye to Raleigh, and Highland Gaelic Ale (and a 32 oz. bottle of French Broad Wee-Heavy-Er Ale) to say hello to our future in Asheville.

And so our time in Raleigh is ticking away…

This amazing photo is also by John, from another of his blogs, ”Goodnight, Raleigh!” 

No moving date is specified, but I am looking for an inspirational career in Asheville as we speak.  I do love Durham, but I do not love the Triangle… and our future, we agree, lies in Asheville.

So, Asheville, here we come!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

The wildfire last week had Raleigh (and other parts of the state) looking like Houston in the late 1980s.  My girlfriend from the VA beach area said it covered them last week as well.

The smoke lifted by Friday, but in case you missed it, were out of town, or just want to know what Raleigh could look like if we don’t pursue alternative fuels, here are some pics from last week as well as a rockstar live stream (live at the time) from my pal Wayne Sutton on his way into the station that day.  (more…)

I’m guessing unless you’ve sat in your home the last day, you’ve also inhaled the warm smolder lingering in the air.

Both Durham and Raleigh are feeling the effects of the 42,000 acre wildfire burning in Eastern NC.  Which is a huge ordeal, and with rain levels lower than average, the fire could continue burning and smoldering for months. 

I ponder what further consequences this fire has.  What else is burning besides the soil and trees?  What toxins are becoming a further aspect of our atmosphere?  How many animals will lose their homes, forcing them to evacuate into unsafe territories, like our sprawling road system?  How many animals will lose their lives, and how will that affect the balance of our local ecosystem?

I remain positive, however, that no human injuries have been reported, and that this was caused by nature (lightning), thus stopping me from feeling angry at someone who threw out a cigarette or was irresponsibly burning leaves or garbage, or even worse, simply wanted to be an arsonist.  Just keep the firefighters in mind as they continue to fight this mess.

As for the current haze and stench, it should lift from the Triangle in time for the weekend… so long as wind patterns don’t bring it back again, I suppose. 

Until it lifts, avoid spending time outdoors or performing vigorous activity outdoors if you have any allergy and respiratory sensitivities.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Kiddies, it is again time to pull that bike out and get to Wooly the Bull in downtown Durham by 530 tomorrow night (first Thursday) for Critical Mass.

I can think of few better ways to engage in your community, engage your physical health and start the habit of biking where you can.

Check out this great youtube clip of one of last year’s Critical Mass rides in Durham.  This is awesome!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue
BTW, This post was pre-produced due to the fact Green Grounded is vacationing a la mountain hiking this week.

Here in the Triangle, the housing market isn’t our biggest financial woe.  Energy costs is.

As the price of energy goes up incrementally every day, we are less concerned with foreclosures (though some do face this nightmare, we are significantly lower in foreclosures than the national average) and far more concerned with the cost of going to work.

My own commute, as hypocritical as it may seem, is often over 60 miles a day. Nope, I’m not willing to bike that. That’s a price I pay to live where is convenient to Marc’s work (Raleigh) and me work in the city that I love and dream of (Durham). The extra kicker is that Marc drives for a living sometimes (UPS).

My sister and I were on the phone last week and joked how we’re tag-teaming to kick the Ozone’s butt, letting it know we will all do our part to destroy it a quickly as possible. Joking is all we can do to rid ourselves of some of our guilt in an action so contrary to the lives we *want* to lead and the values our hearts carry.

Then we lightened up and agreed we do our part in other areas. We try to shop and eat responsibly. We try to keep the lights off, and to use CFL or LED lights where they make sense (don’t use them in closets… that doesn’t make sense). We wash dishes only in a full dishwasher and laundry in cold water most of the time.

We are big proponents of alternative energy ~ smart research and application of alternative energies ~ here at Green Grounded. Wind is one of our faves, so far, along with solar, and even switchgrass. And there are no definitive answers right now, but by God, the current situation is bleak and getting bleaker. At the current rate, some Triangle residents will have to choose between gas to get to work and healthy food for their families, or their rent, or (more…)

Marc and I went to Falls Lake in Raleigh this past Sunday for, what Marc thought, was fishing.  I went just to relax on a rock.  Little did we realize that Falls Lake is simply a disaster zone of plastic, broken glass, cigarette butts and nuclear waste.

OK, the nuclear waste is a step too far, perhaps, but I did take this odd picture of some sort of oily rainbowish substance floating around the edge:

Then, I realized why Marc and I had actually ended up at the lake (as if the fates reigned us in).  Enjoy the next few minutes and see how I turned something sad into something fun. I turned trash into a disco!

Yes, I had fun with Marc, picking up and logging each piece with a picture.  And no, every single pic in the video is a different piece ~ no duplicate shots of litter.  And this all took place in 30 minutes in about a half a square block of land (fishermen were on both sides of us, so I opted not to disturb their “area”).

What’s sad is, I could do this every day for a year at Falls Lake and still not get it cleaned up.  Not Marc and me by ourselves, at least.  I have to feel that other people out there are doing the same thing as us, though. 

C’est la vie.  We each do what we can, right?

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

“The hideousness of that foot will haunt my dreams forever.” ~John Turturro as Emilio Lopez in Mr. Deeds (2002)

That is the line Marc gave me upon looking at my foot, one week after being viciously ravaged by fire ants.  Rest in peace, little buddies.  You got me pretty good, and trust me, your suffering was much shorter lived.

And closer up:

A scene near my car seemed intriguing, so I (accidentally) stepped through a Den of Human Devastation and Fire Ant Fury… all to take this picture:

A week later, I can say the picture was so not worth it.  I could have checked that intrigue at the door because I think I’m the only one finding this lonely jug of Simply Green thought-provoking.

I hope my gross foot doesn’t haunt your dreams forever too, though I have no doubts that the fierocity of itching and pain will haunt me… for at least a few more nights.

Painfully yours,  Ashley Sue

A couple listservs and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) of Durham are publicizing this coming week is National Bike to Work Week. 

Monday, 12 May through Friday, 16 May, get your fanny on a bike to get where you have to go.  More info is at www.bikewalkdurham.org.  Also know that you can stop at Mad Hatter’s on Friday the 16th from 7 am – 9 am and get free food, coffee and prizes for cyclists!  REI will be there too handing out water bottles and 15% off coupons as well as giving free bike inspections! 

Do any of you bike to work?  My Grandma just brought me my AutoBike last week (I have a chronic phobia of changing gears), which I have never ridden despite having it for nine years.  I guess Marc and I will put some brakes and new tires on it and see how that goes.  But I will not be biking from Raleigh to Durham, I can say that now.

If only I had the ability to bike to work!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue