Needless to say, I have ZERO interest or use for an SUV.  Truly, most people who have an SUV have no excuse to have one except they think it looks big and cool.

Hybrids, frankly, were no option.  I had $13K to work with, and I refuse to have a car payment.  I’m lucky that I don’t have to make monthly payments to that, and I refuse to start by choice.  Cash, up-front, and done.  It’s mine.

With hybrids being not affordable (including pre-owned 2004 models, which were still fetching $15K), I looked into the Smart Cars.  Affordable, but as stated in a previous post, I also refuse to drive a small, fragile vehicle that cannot ultimately protect Marc, myself, and our passengers in the event of an accident.  We got incredibly lucky with the first in that the driver at fault was not driving an SUV when she t-boned us.

This week, I saw a flurry of articles online supporting my fears.  Had I gotten a smaller hybrid or such, I would have been paying out the wazoo for insuring it!  Turns out these cars do not stand up well in accidents, resulting in insurance premiums to cover the high personal-injury claims that such accidents cause.

Other costs leading to high insurance, as sited in the article, are maintenance and repair costs of alternative-fuel vehicles, street racing incidences, and theft rates of compact cars.

Cost is not the end-all-be-all for me, and I believe that efficient vehicles are the long-term cost-effective solution.  We all still inhabit a world, however, where we can only do what our wallets allow.  Still yet, the biggest point for me is safety.  I actually feel like I NEED a mid-sized car just to have a CHANCE in surviving a serious impact.

Thankfully, driving smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles is becoming cool and will eventually become more affordable.  Unfortunately, driving demolition monster-trucks and SUVs is also still “cool” in our culture.  And in an odd world where people think it is OK to text, talk, email, and jam while driving (totally ignoring our culture’s tendency to drink and drive), we each have a lot of considerations when choosing a vehicle.

In case you hadn’t heard, I chose an almost exact replacement.  Gina is salvaging other Impalas, and Lelee, a 2007 Impala, is taking care of me now.

Safe driving and sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue Allen

(That’s Lisa on her blackberry in the pic.)

My sister discovered this place several years ago and introduced me to its wonderfulness.  I love that it is locally-owned and better than anywhere else around.  I love the funky, warm ambiance of its inside area.  I love the essence of Raleigh you feel when you eat on their patio, which we did being the great night it was (plus Doug brought his buddy-dog Willow Bee ~ btw, thank you, Doug, for suggesting Moonlight!). 

I love that I can order a tasty pizza without cheese and have avocado and pistachios on my marinara instead.  I love that two of the four beers they had on draft were Angry Angel (my favorite Raleigh beer) and Highland Oatmeal Porter (an Asheville brewery).

Then, when I asked for the to-go box for my leftovers, I found another thing to love about Moonlight:

100% Recycled-content box.  Heck yeah!  Locally-owned and steps toward a more sustainable business practice and smaller footprint!

Cheers to what is wonderful about Raleigh and Moonlight!  ~ Ashley Sue

While that may not be entirely true, the ecological impact of deforestation certainly has already made its way into our children’s textbooks and society’s pop-culture.

Yet, people frankly don’t think about the ramifications of disposable items such as paper towels and toilet paper.  They are easy and darn convenient, and frankly, I think people don’t want to ponder the damage they cause.

About five years ago, my family was lodging in a WV cabin for a summer family trip.  Dad had purchased a 15 pack (or something equally massive) of paper towels.  At the end of the trip, Dad offered them to my sister and myself to split up.  Bonnie said, “No, but thank you.  Dave and I don’t use paper towels.  We use kitchen towels.”  I grabbed the whole sack and said, “We’ll take them all.  We’re broke and they’re free.  Thanks, Dad!”

Five years later, Marc and I still use paper towels, and considerably more than we should.  I have decided that upon the full move to Asheville, we will use cloth napkins at meals, and that will be a dramatic decrease.  Also, for most spills, I would be happy using a cloth towel.  And, since I’m temporarily moving in with my sister and her husband, Marc and I better get used to that!

Still yet, Marc and I will probably always use paper towels for some cleaning jobs.  And just like toilet paper and tissues, when you start to realize how much you use, you have to think about how to quieten the impact from your destruction.

As far as TP goes, Flahute gives a pretty accurate (if not graphic) description into the recycled TP dilemma.  It’s a FUNNY read, concise, and really taps into a TRUE issue of buying recycled paper products.  And RiverWired taps into the conundrum of recycled-paper costs.  While I find the recycled-content goods are more expensive than those I’d get at the local warehouse store, GoGreen - Save the Environment says

…what’s more, Seventh Generation’s recycled-fiber toilet paper costs less per square foot than most of the leading brands-reason enough to make the switch.

So, I have to make that switch next.

Frankly, having virgin paper products for wiping, blowing, and grease-cleaning is absolutely absurd.  Recycling paper may not be the best thing for the environment, but it absolutely trumps further deforestation on every level.

Any other thoughts on the various ways and wastes of paper in our lives?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

The rules go something like this:
Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

I was tagged by Jen over at Eco-Office Gals.

7 things about me…

~I am the liberal, agnostic daughter of a family of staunch West Virginian Republicans, a family of religious conservatives, and one apolitical.  As a result, I wanted to grow up to be either a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, a Native American Indian, or a mermaid.  You see the correlation, right?

~As corny as it sounds, I fell in love with Marc in the fourth grade when his family moved here from PA and, on his first day at his new school, the teacher put his desk beside mine.

~I’ve had a hard time having a truly open, honest, best-friend relationship with any girls since my heart got broken in 1998.  Every friendship I have had since has suffered.

~I am a Christmas junkie, but figuring out how to align Christmas within the realm of sustainability and eco-friendliness, not to mention with my morals and beliefs, is a contradiction I have to meander through annually.

~Despite my V-Day vlog from this year, I think Valentine’s Day is lame.  Capital LAME.  Except for between parents and children.  THAT is special.

~van Gogh is my favorite artist of all time, because of both his personal story and letters, and because the effect his paintings have over me in person (prints and pictures do little justice to real art).

~I have always felt Asian inside, and yearn for summer-long trips to navigate Chinese and Mongol cultures and history.

Here are the cool cats I tagged (selfishly so, as I want to learn more!):

Lenore at Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity   Twitter: eronel

Ginny at Ginny from the Blog   Twitter: GinnySkal

Allie at Allie Larkin   Twitter:  AlliesAnswers

Teran at This is in my Backyard?

Dave at Toastie.st   Twitter: Toastie

Daryl at Verda Vivo   Twitter: VerdaVivo

Jake and Anna at Green Home Headquarters

Ok there you go, 7 blogs and tweeple to check out who are well-worth knowing! 

If you were tagged, I hope you have the time and spirit to indulge for a minute and share more with us all!  And I promise, this is the last tag from me!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

On a much (much) lighter note than roadkill, here’s a video I took last week of geese overtaking the valley… the urban mecca known as the strip mall (Pleasant Valley, Raleigh).

Sustainably yours, and be nice to the geese!  Ashley Sue

John over at Raleigh Nature shared the most AMAZING pics of the foliage over at Dorothea Dix campus. 

My photos are not nearly as beautiful, but I still felt inspired to share the view from my living room of the same tree that I caught as it began its transformation.

Yes, you may notice that in these photos Marc and I had pitched a tent in our living room.  If that seems odd to you, you must not know Marcus and myself very well.  Trust me. This is nothing weird.

Sustainably yours, and hoping you are enjoying ALL of Raleigh’s beauty this Autumn,
Ashley Sue Allen

Truth of it is, there’s no need for me to give a full-on analysis of how contrived of an episode it was, juggling moments of her eco-spending spree, hybrid SUV purchasing, and “Going Green!” chants with the filming of her new commercial touting her choice of transportation via personal cars, chauffeurs, and a private jet.  Pennyrile does a better job than Icould.  By the way, Pennyrile, I dig your perspective.  Grounded, realistic, and without the pretentious idea of instantaneous green-perfection. 

As cute as her daughters are in absorbing the “go green” messages Kimora was teaching, I WISH Kimora had taken a more realistic and honest approach, as I feel it would inspire more people than she did with an episode that seemed entirely too gimmicky and ultimately like a self-absorbed publicity stunt.

But hey, maybe she really was inspired to do her part, and gimmicky is just Kimora’s style.  Effort deserves applause, right.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

PS.  The Daily Green touches on some of Hollywood’s more annoying Green Trends that border on blatantly hypocritical, and that’s actually how I felt about this episode of Fab Lane.

And in case you missed it, Barack Obama is our President Elect, the 44th President of the United States of America.  North Carolina was an important state for the first time in decades, and one of the last to officially have a concluding count.  North Carolina voted narrowly in favor of Barack Obama, ousted scandal-clad Senator Dole, and my three near and dear counties (Durham, Buncombe, and even Wake) all voted blue.

I must say, I am quite astounded that at a time that I feel so positive, so uplifted, and so optimistic, I have encountered several friends who are fearful and disheartened… some even angry… in feeling that our nation is “spiritually bankrupt” enough to have a majority that voted as they did.

I do not respond.  I allow each of these friends to express their fears and doubts because, frankly, we all need to vent our anxieties.  And this is, for almost all of us, a very anxious time in the world.

Yet, I feel a positive message ringing through that the “majority” supports each of us being who we individually are while still embracing us each into the larger, more important group ~ also known as Americans. 

I hear strength in the voices and words of both Obama and McCain’s speeches Tuesday night, as a call to action was placed upon every one of us to unite on this hurdled road toward solidarity.

I saw promise and progress in the tears of civil rights leaders and centenarians who participated in this Election Day after witnessing so many atrocities and surviving so many seemingly hopeless days.  These Americans survived more than my peers or I can begin to imagine or pretend to understand.

I know that whoever leads us is only human, but we have long reached the time when we needed leaders not who look back to regain strength our nation once had, but leaders who look forward and construct a new America with our new strengths and abilities as our young nation faces age-old adversities for our first time.

So many issues in our world need revolution, only one of which is the issue that stands before us in the air, in the water, and in the earth.  We must find new ways to fuel and sustain a growing population, an industrializing world, and a weakening economy.

Green Grounded toasts our future and learning from our past… and invites those living in fear to breathe, step out of the shadows of doubt, and unite in the common cause of one for all.

~Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Also, check out these GREAT posts by some of my FAV NC bloggers on the election results:

*2Sides2Ron talks about a purple NC and progress

*ayse’s tumblelog

*Lenore’s voting experience, and the power of believing

*Chris Kromm of Facing South on How Obama Won NC

*Carl Kenney on our nation and beautiful brown skin

*Toastie on why Obama seemed to come out of nowhere

*Goodnight, Raleigh! and Obama all over downtown Raleigh! and Raleigh’s Election Night Celebration!

*NewRaleigh shares the downtown Raleigh celebration

I waited to put the video up for a while, but now, one day from Decision 2008, those of us who are waiting until actual Election Day to cast our votes still have time to weigh out all of the issues that matter most to us.

The economy.

Health care.

Employment.

Our parents.

Our children.

Life.

Education.

Poverty.

Terrorism.

Energy for today and tomorrow.

In this video, I urge you to consider how you feel about the realities and possibilities of drilling, “clean coal”, ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, and all other alternative energy fuels.  The Green Revolution is one for our generation to shape the future, better or worse.

I also ask for you to consider the unexpected.  I’ve said before and will continue to say… gas prices may seem reasonable again now, but can we hinge our complacency on that?  We need to account for the unexpected… no one expected 9/11… Katrina… Ike… hanging chads… mortgage crises… and these were pivotal moments that effected every other aspect of our lives that matter.  These crises will continue to occur:  right when you need to find health care, or plan to buy a house, or have to find childcare but were laid off, or want to celebrate an election outcome, or have to drive to work.  So please take it all into consideration, as it all fits together.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue Allen

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).

*****************************************

Hello Asheley,

I would like to introduce an eco-friendly pet product for you to review. Please share this unique green product with your readers. Thank you very much.

———————————————————————–

FlushDoggy, is a fully biodegradable, flushable(water soluble) dog poop bag that is very eco-friendly. Dog poops are best to be flushed down the toilet and degrade naturally , just as our own poops. Let’s stop destroying our earth and start educating the public, one poop at a time. Be a responsible owner and go green for our pets.

I flush my dog’s poops down the toilet with a flushable dog poop bag. Most eco-friendly way to get rid of poops.

There are flushable dog poop bags. The best answer probably because dog poop can get treated just as your poop is. Throwing dog poops into the trash overcrowds our landfills and pollutes our water system.

flushdoggy.com offers FREE SAMPLE TO TRY !

We also donate 10% of sale to ASPCA to fight puppy mills.

Thank you so much for reading.

Sincerely,
Michael Yang

It’s horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. ~ Ansel Adams

I can feel decent that Gina, being the organ donor she is, will be reused in various other vehicles needing parts and body work.  But what will my new purchase be made of?  What workers will be paid for the manufacturing of my vehicle?  How will my car be with gas efficiency?

These are a few of the many questions I have to ask as I explore a new car.

My options aren’t unlimited, however.  I do have a budget to work within.  I am choosing to pay cash for whatever vehicle I buy, so a new hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle will not likely be an option, even if it were the greenest option.

According to The Daily Green, I could afford the 2008 Smart, but I have to be honest in that I like the size and space offered in my previous 2006 Impala.  Frankly, I am also not sure the Smart would have much to offer in terms of protection when t-boned.  I already shudder at how lucky we were the Impala wasn’t hit by an SUV or mega-truck.

A simple Google search on “eco car” lands me all kinds of sites on hybrids, primarily ~ and particularly sites in the UK (and here too).  The more research I do on hybrids and AFV, the more I realize I will certainly have to stick to more conventional transportation.

Really, though, my Impala had quality mpg.  I know firsthand how well she held up on gasoline, and unfortunately, for my job, I put quite a few miles on her.  And she had ethanol/biodiesel/diesel potential I just hadn’t tapped into.

So, I Google “green” “used” “car” and find a few useful websites.  I even found a Wired article declaring that buying a used car can be greener than buying the uber-efficient hybrids. 

As Matt Power notes in this month’s issue of Wired,

hybrids get great gas mileage but it takes 113 million BTUs of energy to make a Toyota Prius. Because there are about 113,000 BTUs of energy in a gallon of gasoline, the Prius has consumed the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gasoline before it reaches the showroom. Think of it as a carbon debt — one you won’t pay off until the Prius has turned over 46,000 miles or so.

That’s good, I feel.  I don’t have to feel like a shlub for buying a conventional car.  In fact, Power chronicles several car models from the ’90s and even the mid-’80s that beat the Prius on mpg efficiency!  That, I would have never guessed! 

Of course, it can be tough finding a car that old that hasn’t been beaten like a drum, and Robyn Eckard of Kelley Blue Book tells us most used car buyers prefer something no more than 5 to 7 years old and with fewer than 100K on the odometer. No problem.  [Several models are mentioned specifically here]

We’ve undoubtedly left some off the list. But the point is, you don’t need to buy a Prius — or any other hybrid, for that matter — to get great fuel economy and minimize your carbon footprint. You might feel better driving a hybrid, but you won’t necessarily be greener.

On that note, judge me if you wish, but I am focusing my new car hunt on replacing my 2006 Impala with a used 2007 or 2008 Impala.

Until I have more news on the car-front~

Safe driving.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

…and I never saw a single “printed on recycled paper” or “printed with soy ink” stamp on any of it.

Add this to the onslaught of political ads we receive in the mail, and we have a true waste nightmare. 

I hope each of you are recycling the political smear-papers you’re receiving.  According to a recent issue of “Triangle Home Improvement”,

City of Raleigh Waste Reduction Specialist Linda Leighton says nearly 40% of the trash in the local landfill is paper products that could have been recycled.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Indeed, I have been avoiding writing this post… I am still shaken up by the ordeal.  Everytime I think about Marc and me getting t-boned by a distracted driver, I shudder. 

I think over and over again how funny it is I spent 17 months with my new car, Gina, who I was lucky enough to receive as a gift.  After Gina came into my life, I promised her we would take good care of her and protect her from all of the careless drivers on the road.  I did everything right.  I drove extra defensively, which Marc has always been good at.  I parked her far away from other vehicles, and even put her next to parking medians when I could so that another car would only be on one side of her (hence reducing the odds someone would ding her with their door).

Now, yes, I know, Gina is an object.  A car.  Replaceable.  And Greenie Rockstars aren’t supposed to care about material possessions, or so the notion goes.

Gina was a gift, however.  A special and unexpected and unwarranted gift from someone very special and amazing and loving and generous in my life.  Until this gift, I had never before owned truly reliable transportation.  So, I wanted to shelter her.

As it turns out, Marc and I can only do so much. 
No matter how “right” you do things, no matter how “defensive” you drive, certain things still lie beyond your control.  Perhaps that’s the hardest thing I am absorbing from this all.

Last Wednesday, I found out Gina is indeed a total loss.  I will likely get a check today for her “actual cash value”.

Her actual value, however, is in that she protected Marc and me.  Her frame stood strong, and after all the silly things I did to protect her from dings, she protected us when it mattered.

So, now you have a full emotional update… at least to the extent that I am willing to give.  The accident was a reminder that life is unexpected and I simply cannot afford to live in a rut of colorless blah waiting for the things I want.  And I know I may sound dramatic in what turns out to be just-another-accident where everyone was lucky enough to walk away… my bruises have healed, my body’s still tight, and regardless… to me, the accident was pretty darn traumatic… mostly in my head, as it put me back in my cave.

So the transitions begin, and Marc and I proceed with a number of new adventures and dilemmas.

I guess I am a bit early for Thanksgiving talk, but I really feel thankful for so much right now… a number of special people in my life who shape me and support us, for one.  That the future holds new possibilities and growth of new friendships, for another.  That the universe works for you, even when you could look at a situation as sour, but you just need to look through a new perspective.

The good news for Gina… she’s an organ donor.  So she will be helping other Impala’s undergo life-saving and cosmetic surgery to live happy, healthy normal lives.  My Mother responded to that very poetically with, “You could be beside her at a light one day and not know it.”  I smiled.  The thought was comforting as I realized she was everywhere and we were one.

…so, do you think I’m crazy yet?  Regardless, in honor of happy memories with Gina, here’s a video from The Day of the Raleigh Rainbow back in April…

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Without fail, this time of year is a sign of renewal for me.  I know many people attribute the obvious charms of Spring with renewal, but I instead find solace in the crisp air ripening the leaves into the most dazzling array of personality.  After oppressive sweltering North Carolina days, everything seems to dance freely again with renewed breath and an air of possibility.

Check out Raleigh Nature, too.  John always has really beautiful posts on the area’s beauty, and I bet that in coming weeks, we’ll see some spectacular shots of foliage there.

Sustainably yours ~  Ashley Sue

*posts in progress:  car accident update, clean coal as an option, kimora lee simmons, and others!

The article states

On Friday, fears of a global recession helped drive down U.S. crude oil futures prices more than 10 percent to the lowest settlement since September 2007.

The Lundberg Survey this article is based on says

Gasoline demand will continue to shrink in our weak economic condition, and retailers, who have been receiving deep buying price cuts, will be anxious to pass through any further price cuts they receive quickly. They need the sales.

To be honest, I have no idea.  I’m no economist, but I am convinced that we will not again have economic stability until we devote our time, resources, and capitol toward alternative energy investments… meaning it’s time we STOP wishing for and relying on gas prices dropping.  That logic will only going to keep us on the same roller coaster currently nauseating us.

Think about it.  Hurricanes.  Volatile housing market.  Crumbling bank institutions.  A very important election season within days of us.

And we can never discount the unexpected.  No one saw 9/11 coming.  No one saw hanging chads coming.  No one saw Katrina coming.  No one saw our WaMu/AIG/etc fiasco coming (at least not like this).

Do we want to assume anything about what we think we know?  Or should we move toward change?

I, for one, will move toward change.  Would you like to join me?

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Ron from 2Sides2Ron even explains how you can register and vote early in one big swing, so check that out!  Then you are done (just better not change your mind!)!!

Get registered, find out how to register, or find out if you are registered at the NC State Board of Elections Voter Registration website.

Cheers and Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Fourteen states besides North Carolina are included in this study, where volunteers will have GPS devices installed in their car to gauge the miles the accrue.  Further, volunteers will share their feelings on the fake federal and state tax bills they will receive based on their commuting.

New energy is one reason for this study.  The article does address the need for this measure by saying,

Gas tax collections are slowing as cars get more miles on each gallon, and as $4 pump prices force Americans to reduce their driving. A few years from now, many Americans might be driving plug-in electric and fuel-cell cars that don’t use gas at all.

That’s true, and N.C. State economist Michael Walden agrees that our current gas tax simply cannot support our transportation infrastructure.  And in a state and region growing as rapidly as Durham, Wake, Chatham and Orange Counties, I fully agree.

They start looking for volunteers next week, and if you are interested, you can check out (by phone, toll-free) 866-363-1975 or www.roaduserstudy.org.

Ultimately, I am not sure how well this will go.  I have no doubt that SUV owners and teamsters will fare far better with a tax measure such as this, but how will drivers of electric, hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicles feel about being taxed per mile?  And if they have issues, should they?  After all, if we are all taxed the same per mile we drive, then we all pay our fair amount for utilizing our roadways.

If we are all paying per mile taxes to our fed and state governments, wouldn’t that be another great reminder to think twice about how you get where you want to go, and which method of fuel you are using?

But when we drive out of state, will our own state still tax us for the miles driven?  Or will we receive tax bills from the federal government and various state governments for that period?

By the way, if the government is watching us drive to and fro in order to collect taxes on us, won’t that be a huge expense out of tax-payer pockets ~ just to make the project work?  Where will those tax dollars come from, and at the expense of what else?

Will driving with government installed GPS in our vehicles remind us a bit that “Big Brother is Watching”?

And here come the questions…

I, for one, will be contacting them about volunteering.  I think it would be great to find out more on the project… not to mention could make some great material for Green Grounded…

Stay tuned.

Sustainably yours ~  Ashley Sue

Voter Registration as of 10/03/2008

 

Democratic: 2,736,668

Republican: 1,960,138

Libertarian: 1,603

Unaffiliated: 1,332,583

 

Total: 6,030,992

So, if Democrats outnumber Republicans here in NC, why are we notoriously a Red State?  Are those “unaffiliated” voters primarily closet-Republicans?  Or are Democrats just not voters?

Just curious if you have any thoughts…

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

PS.  By the way, if you haven’t registered, your deadline in NC is October 10, and you can find out more at the NCSBOE.

Don’t vote.  Not like it matters anyhow.  After all, this whole last week has shown me what good it all does anyhow.  Right?

Now tell all your friends… don’t vote.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Regardless, today, Marc has a sore hand, which he isn’t letting slow him down, and I am struggling with tightening back and neck muscles. Everyone at the scene yesterday did tell me I’d be hurting today.

After refusing to go to the hospital post hit, I did, however, talk with someone with some medical experience last night. He let me know I must must must stretch if I want to make this process as smooth as possible.

I fell asleep without stretching last night, and needless to say, woke up tense and in pain. My medical expert called us today and asked if I was stretching, reiterating that he’s seen similar patients who struggle with muscle injury and stiffness for even six weeks. Doing nothing from the start, he continued, is a great way for the problems to compound.

So, for the first time in ages, and I mean years, I pulled out some yoga poses. Simple stretches to start limbering me back up and ease the pain. This is more my method of healing anyhow.

Quickly, however, as I folded over into child’s pose, I began crying. Deep guttural crying. For the pain I am in, for the hiccup this is for all of us, for the look on Marc’s face as he saw the car slam into my side of the car, for the fact Marc was noticably mad at himself for not seeing her run the red light, and for all the fears of what the situation could have ended up instead of how lucky we all are that it was only what it was.

… and instantly, as I wrote all of that, I began with the sobs again.

Frankly, I have a half dozen little ways I can tie this into Green Grounded’s “being green” theme, but I just don’t feel like it right now. Explanations will become clearer as I work to recover my body, relax my mind, and repair my car.

Marc, myself, the young girl who hit us, Gina and her car all have a way to go on our journey before we will all feel normal again. Green Grounded will chronicle what it can of our experiences.

Meanwhile, we are all just thanking God for the blessing of knowing it wasn’t any worse than it is.

Cheers to progression, to good health, to moving on, to recovering, to intertwining lives for inexplicable reasons.

Cheers to having each other.

Cheers to having today.

Cheers to hoping for an easier tomorrow.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

What is sparking my rehashing of this issue, you ask?

Well, a couple nights ago, after seeing Lou Dobbs Live on CNN talking about it (blogged here), I was approached at work two mornings later by a frantic, “Ashley!  Do you know about #7 plastic?!  Your drink bottle has BPH in it!”

Appreciating her concern and humored by her slip, I had then to argue to her that a) I haven’t owned a plastic sports-drink bottle in months, and b) it is BPA.  She was insistant on both for a little while, but that’s a different story.

I also follow this great couple, Jake and Anna, in their own blog.  Jake talked about BPA months ago too and revisited the topic after the past week’s FDA ruling.  And Jake knows his science.

Due to all the previous conversation, I am not going to continue telling you what I’ve already said or what you can find in articles and TV segments nonstop this week. 

I will, however, remind you that it may be time to get yourself a Sigg or Kleen Kanteen, and a stainless steel (even the inside) travel mug.  Check out this blog, written exclusively on switching to more grounded, more green methods of carrying your beverages.

But, still try to find a use for that Nalgene too… make it your new coin jar, maybe.  Be creative.  No need to hurl something useful into a landfill.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue Allen

On that note, I also mentioned that DATA and Wolfline Bus trips were free today.  I saw over on David’s New Raleigh that Raleigh’s CAT busline was too, and tomorrow at the Moore’s Square Station, they will be serving ice cream for all (first come, first serve)!

So try transit!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

I hear, though, that Durham is allowing all riders to get on for free today. And in Raleigh, of course, the NC State Wolfline is always free (though very limited in its routes).

How are you getting around today? Do you think it’s realistic to have a “Car-Free Day”?  I would love your feedback.

Meanwhile, I am having to drive to the station and run some errands… perhaps I will enforce an honorary car-free day sometime soon…  when my bikes are ready to go.

He and his team are EXCELLENT, so if you need a dentist recommendation here in Raleigh, go to Dr. Benson on the Millbrook Rd near Six Forks.  But back to my point…

Naturally, I take perfect care of my teeth.  I floss three times a day and brush eight times a day. 

Or, perhaps, I live in this world and happen to be a little bit negligent once in a while of the actions I should take.  My teeth are still in great shape, but I definitely need to follow Dr. Benson’s advice:  “You have to start flossing daily.  You’re an adult now, and adults floss,” he said humorously.

He and his hygienist did a great job cracking me up and cleaning my teeth, and they tried to give me the obligatory new toothbrush and box of floss to take with me.  I chose to decline.

Yep, I gave them back their toothbrush and floss.  Who actually cares to brush or floss anyhow?

I am only kidding.  I have embraced the need to floss more regularly.  But I already have a toothbrush I am loyal too, as I have already shared with you all, because I love that Terradent is a great toothbrush with replaceable heads.  That way, Marc and I aren’t throwing out all of the virgin plastic of the toothbrush every couple months.  We only dispose of the bristles.

And a couple months back, Tiny Choices and readers gave some ideas on floss that has a reduced environmental impact than your tradition plastic flip-box of waxed floss.  So I tried one of them.

I gave EcoDent floss a try.  A great recyclable paperboard box of recycled materials, printed with soy ink… vegan, petroleum-free nylon thread.  I really like it, but I do have to say, it shreds easily between teeth that are a little tight.  But you also get 300% more floss for the packaging than other traditional brands. 

Good stuff. 

Any flosses you suggest?

Until next time, get glamorous.  At the least with your pearly whites and smile!

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

:)  Thank you, Jane.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

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 studies that are complete show a direct correlation between BPA and estrogen in the human body, creating a toxic reaction.  Exposure, and to what extents we have yet to know, has a direct correlation to cancer, consequently.  And New Dream Blog’s Michele shares the Washinton Post story linking BPA to diabetes, liver disease, and heart problems.

As Lou Dobbs pointed out, studies have led many European countries and Canada to ban BPA in production of goods. 

If all it takes is banning it to prevent the further corrosion of American health, why is our governmental protection and health agency fighting it?  Who is really to gain by allowing BPA in plastic bottles and consumer goods?

My grounded recommendation?  We can all afford to ignore the FDA.  This week, make it a priority to buy a Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottle or Sigg bottle.  This way, you aren’t using plastic bottles that have sat in warehouses and store shelves for who knows how long.  Plus you get brownie points for reduced impact on the environment!  That alone will be a major step in reducing your interaction with BPA.

And get a metal coffee mug, too, to save yourself from all of those finnicky to-go cups (insult to injury, many places double-cup) of joe and their little sleeves.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Regardless, Marc and I have been so happy to leave windows open most of this summer.  Worst case scenario, we would close the windows during the day and occasionally turn on the air conditioning, just to turn it off and reopen the windows in the evening.  This has been wonderful, and allowed me to hear crickets chirp nonstop all summer.

Crickets bring me to a deep sense of peace.

Back to the air conditioning, the last few nights have been humid enough that we decided to keep the windows closed and AC on for the last three or four nights.

Now, Marc’s and my allergies are flairing up.  He has been extra lethargic for the last 24 hours, and my infamous earaches are kicking in.

Coincidence?  I think not.

Air conditioning.  Bad for the Earth.  Bad for people.

And before you go calling me an unrealistic granola, please remember I never lived in a home that had an air conditioner until a few years back when I moved here to Raleigh… but I have lived in humid North Carolina my entire life, and faced many thick, muggy summers.  I agree with Sue Sturgis that we, as humans, have got to work back toward acclimating to our natural environment, for our own sake and the sake of the planet.

I am so very happy that temperatures are back in the 70s, however, and that my windows are open again!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Hi ,

 

The Pacific leatherback turtle is on the brink of extinction. 

 

There are only 350 northern right whales left off the Atlantic coast. 

 

Red snapper populations in the Gulf of Mexico are down to 5 percent of the species’ historical numbers.

 

The list of wildlife threatened by overfishing goes on and on.

Help reverse the decades of damage from overfishing by sending the administration a message that overfishing must stop. 

 

https://www.environmentamerica.org/action/oceans/comment?id4=ES

 

With your help in 2006, we convinced Congress to pass a bill to put an end to decades of overfishing in our oceans. It’s a tough law, and it holds everyone who fishes accountable, including the big industrial fishing companies.

 

If the president honors the spirit of the law, it could put an end to overfishing. Period. No excuses.

 

But as with a lot of laws, powerful special interests — in this case the commercial fishing businesses — are fighting back to water down the effectiveness of the law.

 

We need your help to put the pressure on the Bush administration to offset those powerful interests and their lobbyists. 

 

https://www.environmentamerica.org/action/oceans/comment?id4=ES

 

It will take thousands of comments from people across the country to convince the administration to keep the law strong. And the comment period is up in just five days.

 

If you took action last week, thank you. You can help now by sending this e-mail to five friends. If you didn’t take action, please do it today.

 

Together, we’ll be one huge voice calling for an immediate end to overfishing and strong rules to protect the health of our oceans.

 

Thanks for making it all possible.

 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Ouzts
Environment North Carolina State Director
ElizabethO@environmentnorthcarolina.org
http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org

I just thought I would share, as it really fits with my recent focus on the Ocean.  Blue is the new green!

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue