As a reformed North Carolina loyalist, I recognize the ability to take amazing day trips as one of the amazing perks of this great state.  One example of the perfect day getaway is Pittsboro, which I took my dear friend Sara to visit while she last visited the Triangle.  It is a cheery gem of Chatham County thriving with personality and charm.

Oh, Pittsboro, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways:

1. Locally-owned storefronts.  I found tons of nutty antiques and second-hand stuff, like at Oldies But Goodies.  French Connections also amused us with tons of unique new items, much of which were unfortunately made in India or China.  These were just the beginning…
2. Local craftsmen and artisans.  Like Vespertine, an inspirational and happy store with an amazing woman (Ginna) who owns it, runs it, and creates products for it!  Sara bought the cutest glass sculpturette by Leslie Fesperman and Ginna from here!  Lots of locally-made herbal soaps, fun jewelry, unique stationary, and more live here too.
3. Quirk galore.  Pittsboro = quirk.
4. Cats in windows.  Sara and I loved the cat here!
5. Locally-grown foods and co-ops.  We grabbed a DELICIOUS lunch at Chatham Marketplace restaurant!  I have previously visited General Store Cafe as well, and highly recommend it.

If you are located in the Peidmont of NC, particularly central or so, consider taking a day trip to Pittsboro.  Be forewarned:  going mid-week insures that some of the great storefronts will be closed, so consider a Saturday for the full lineup.  Pittsboro is known as well for plenty of great festivals.  The residents and history are rich, the downtown quaint yet ahead of the game.

If you are on twitter, check out ChathamNC, ChathamMarket and the Pittsboro Convention Visitors Bureau too.

(Side note: please pardon the truly horrid cellphone pics. WHY did I not take real photos that day?!)

I should plan another trip to Pittsboro…

Until then, sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Our Pittsboro Cheat-Sheet:

Eating:

Chatham Marketplace, www.chathammarketplace.coop, 480 Hillsboro St, 919.542.2643

General Store Cafe, www.thegeneralstorecafe.com, 39 West St, 919.542.2432

Locally-made:

Vespertine, www.vespertinecafe.com or www.ginnae.etsy.com, 64 Hillsboro St, 919.356.6825

Joyful Jewel, www.joyfuljewel.com, 919.545.6836

Bizu, 18 E. Salisbury St, 919.545.9255

Quirky:

Unity Books & Stuff, www.unitybooksandstuff.com, 80 Hillsboro St, 919.545.0619

New Herizons Trading Company, www.newhorizonstrading.com, 52 Hillsboro St, 919.542.7366

Chatham Habitat for Humanity Home Stores, www.chathamhabitat.org, 467 West St, 919.542.0788

French Connections, www.french-nc.com, 178 Hillsboro St, 919.545.9296

Oldies But Goodies Collectibles, 106 Hillsboro St, 919.542.1126

Have a blast!

At the 2009 N.C. State Fair, I had the completely, unabashed, enchanting pleasure during the Deep-Fried Tweetup to meet Steve Trash, who needs our vote for President Obama’s Green Job Czar.

Steve Trash is my new Enviro-hero in addition to being a comedian and magician.  Yes, an Eco-minded Magician and Comedian, but Steve is no joke (though he is a complete kook!).

I have wondered about illusionists and magic since I was a mere child, always fascinated with David Copperfield and, in more recent years, Chris Angel.  All I can help but wonder is, are these guys for real?

I saw Chris Angel take a woman and her friends right off the sidewalk, take her necklace (an heirloom from her Grandma), take a hammer to it and break it up (putting the woman in tears), place the fragments in her hand and tell her to squeeze it really tight, and when she opened her hand, she seemed genuinely shocked to pull it out in absolutely perfect condition.

I thought… wow.  I wish I were that chic.  I want to have the experience personally so I know I am stumped as to the magic.

Enter Steve Trash at the Deep-Fried Tweetup at the N.C. State Fair.

He had a few cube-shaped sponges, about two inches cubed.  He placed one in my hand, another woman had one, and Steve had one.

I kind of rolled the sponge around and looked at it, just checking it out.  Just a little squooshy sponge, you know.  He told me to squeeze it really tightly in my fist.  I obliged happily, even noticing that a smidge of it was peeking out between my pinky and palm, and I poked it back in.

The other woman, Linda, also squeezed hers, and Steve squeezed his tight.  I watched this happen.

Then, Linda opened her hand… her sponge still stood sweetly in her hand.

Steve opened his hand (by the way, never moved his hands around, no sleeves, etc… trust me, I was watching for that); no sponge.  Then Steve told me to open my hand.

“I can’t!” I replied.  He assured me I can, to which I replied, “No, I can’t!  I’m scared!”

The little child in me was desperate to find both his sponge and mine, shockingly together in my hand.  The adult me prayed I would find only one sponge, joyfully sitting open in my palm, and the world could continue to make sense.

I held my breath and pried my fingers open, and…

I literally screamed!  Then I continued to squeal and nervously giggle.  I began to jump up and down!  Both sponges were in my hand.  I felt as if I had somehow blacked out and it had been planted.  That is the only scenario where these things happen without any knowledge or recollection, right?!

Steve laughed and said this is why he does magic:  magic makes people happy!

Are you curious why I tell you about Steve Trash, the magician?

All of his props are previous trash and recycled goods.  Things he finds, sometimes not even knowing what they previously were used for (”What is that?  A googles lens?  I toy submarine window?  I don’t know.”), and finds ways to incorporate them into his act.

Plus, he uses magic as a fun way to teach kids, and apparently the kids inside of us adults, about recycling and eco-responsibility!

I just adore Steve Trash, and if you want to know more about him, you can check out this awesome article on him, as well as his website.  Cool as he is, it should be no shock he is also on Twitter, Facebook, other Facebook, and Vimeo (think YouTube).

Steve, you have my vote!  I am writing President Obama now!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

On October 8, 2009, North Carolina found itself amidst two conflicting news stories of a national caliber regarding technology manufacturing:

DELL is laying off 905 employees by January 2010.  Boo.

CREE is creating nearly 600 jobs in the green tech LED industry.  Yay!

On Wednesday, DELL announced they are closing the North Carolina plant in Winston Salem, laying off around 600 employees in November and retaining the last 300 employees until January 2010.

Well, a huge happy holidays to you and yours, courtesy of DELL.

For the record, I want to say how opposed I was about granting DELL any tax breaks, grants, and incentives back in 2005 when North Carolina leaned over and kissed their shiny hineys in order to get the plant here.  Not that “I told you so” ever does any good, but I cannot help myself.

So, here we are, four years and two days after it opens, and they announce they are closing down and leaving a thousand families without income and burdening NC with more than $3 million added in unemployment spendings.

DELL says they will repay everything paid to them by the state of North Carolina.  Hmmm… did Exxon not say the same thing 20 years ago regarding the Valdez?

On the other hand, Thursday afternoon, CREE (LED Technology) held a planned press conference to announce the creation of 275 North Carolina jobs before the end of 2009, and another 300 jobs by the end of 2012.

Yes, friends, that means North Carolina company CREE is manufacturing LED technology right here in our state, creating 575 jobs.  Durham, yet another score for you!

Why do I support CREE?  The North Carolina-based company has impressed me with their commitment to such a huge environmental undertaking from the beginning.  Add to that how North Carolina State University has a role in CREE technology (a personal victory! They are so underrated), not to mention how our state, at 11% unemployment, needs a company who will invest in the educated and eager workforce in our state.

I support CREE because LED is significantly superior to CFL, which is known as the energy-friendly choice among mainstream America.

• One LED lasts 50,000 hours and consume only 500 kilowatt hours in the course of its life.  That would take 10 CFLs.  Plus, trust me, I am simplifying the numerous benefits of LED.
• LED lights are bright, are infinitely more reliable and warmer looking than the CFL bulbs currently living in my home.  The LEDs give a true color, unlike what I get to experience now.
• One LED can cost only $.16 a year to operate in your home — that is 16 cents!  Thus, the initial cost may be higher than CFL or incandescent bulbs, but the savings far outweigh the initial cost difference.
• LED bulbs are far more robust than CFL or incandescent bulbs.  This even leaves out the fact that CFL bulbs contain mercury.

Bora and I were able to talk with CREE CEO Chuck Swoboda, Social Media Specialist Ginny Skalski, and Product Marketing Specialist Kyle Rogers.  Here, Rogers walks us through a few of CREE’s current major products, as well as discusses with us a few future products for residential use.

If somehow are are asking yourself what LED and CFL light bulbs are, I wonder how you have missed that incandescent bulbs emit 80% or more energy on creating heat, thus creating an issue where you spend more money creating heat in your home than light, and then you have the costs of increasing air-cooling methods to counteract the heat in our sweltering NC summers.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

For raw clips of the press conference with CREE CEO Chuck Swoboda and Governor Beverly Perdue, you can watch:
Part 1 (CEO Chuck Swoboda introducing CREE and green jobs announcement)
Part 2 (Governor Beverly Perdue)
Part 3 (CEO Chuck Swoboda talking LED as our future)

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has a hunting trip planned for first-time and beginning women hunters.

Ten women will spend two days (October 23 and 24) in North Hampton County.  $135 includes your food, lodging, and an experienced guide to help you get used to hunting, all while building possible friendships with other women exploring the arena also.

If you are not familiar with hunters at all, you may be surprised by the women in the field.  They are not 230 lbs. women with bad perms and a love of roadkill.  I learned from my NC Hunter Safety Training Course that in hunting, stereotypes need NOT apply.  Just check out these women hunters.

More women hunting resources:

• Women Hunters
• Hunting Magazine for Women: The Woman Hunter
• Camp Wild Girls
• Shoot Like A Girl
• Prois Hunting: Take Pride in NOT being one of the guys
• Women’s Outdoor News

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

After a week hiatus, I will have some major major major posts coming about hunting, weddings, BPA, CREE and LED technology jobs, and more!

I do apologize that I took a little break.  Marc and I are engaged.  He proposed while we vacationed at North Carolina’s Outer Banks (Buxton), and all last week was time with our families telling them.

I did squeeze in an amazing press conference with CREE and NC Governor Bev Perdue regarding green technology jobs coming to NC, however, and I can’t wait to share some awesome video with you.

Plus, I have at least one BIG giveaway coming up from Earth Fare… and maybe some from other companies too.

Hugs and sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Welcome to the 2009 North Carolina State Fair, with a new Deep Fried theme (yum) and the second annual Green NC exhibit!

In eight days, Raleigh will host the Deep Fried State Fair.  I personally love the tasty, indulgent, artery-clogging, sizzling hot fun of this year’s theme.  Frankly, they found a way to make our deep-fried Southern reputation and make it kinda hip (instead of the hokey themes of years past).

OurHashtag even got the NC State Fair into super-hip mode by getting an NC State Fair Deep-Fried Tweetup rocking on October 22nd.  I expect to see you there.  Really, can you pass this up?  Western NC needs to make the trip to meet and greet with other Tweeple from across the state.  This will be an awesome Tweetup experience!  Get your free ticket here!

I actually found the Green NC information while surfing the N.C. Deep Fried State Fair on MySpace blog.  There I learned about the Confessions from the Green NC Exhibit and am excited to see how it grows this year.  Check out the official Green NC Exhibit website for a preview of what we will see.  On top of great exhibitors, we can expect an increased recycling effort, care to storm water, and LED lights to green up our fair.

For the full up-to-date NC State Fair info, check their deep fried blog, Facebook page, YouTube, and Twitter.

See you at the NC State Fair and Deep Fried Tweetup…

And will cover the Green Efforts!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

In the quaint, beautiful North Carolina city of Durham, an incredibly inspirational couple lives off the grid in an effort to have The Carbon-Free Home.  This couple, the Hrens, released a book in 2008 named “The Carbon-Free Home”, which is a practical, easy-to-use guide for 36 different remodeling projects that will help you reduce your own carbon footprint.

Sunday, 17 May 2009, the Hren’s invite you to an OPEN HOUSE from 10am-4pm.  From edible landscaping from their housemates of Bountiful Backyards to their exciting renewable energy installations, you are guaranteed to walk away with fun, creative ideas on how you can save both the planet and your wallet!

What? You are questioning how legit these cats are and why you want to spend your Saturday at their house?  Simply check out all of the media coverage of the Hren’s book and lifestyle (including a full-hour radio interview on The State of Things, magazine coverage in Ode and Preservation magazines, and more).

Other sustainable ideas while in Durham:

Durham Farmers Market

Durham Central Market Coop Grocer

Guglhupf (a personal FAV locally-owned restaurant and bakery)

Eno River (BEAUTIFUL walking along the river)

…Waft the Eno, too! Boo on DPR… But Tree Camp is great too!

Make the trip, enjoy Durham, learn how to help the environment (and your wallet)!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

230 W. Trinity Ave., Durham, NC 27701, corner of Trinity Ave. and North St., just north of downtown.

http://www.thecarbonfreehome.com/?q=node/31

So, I went to another coffee den that my sister and bro-inlaw recommend:  West End Bakery ~ A Neighborhood Cafe, on Haywood Road in West Asheville.  Again, needing some reliable internet connection, I headed out in hopes of finding somewhere to call home.

Initial impressions:  

Smells much less like coffee and more like savory foods… which is a good smell, but not the comforting smell of espresso that I expected.

Yellow.  Tons of yellow.  I’m not a fan of yellow, but on this grey winter day, the warmth of the room is nice.

RAD art.  I love love love love the art here… It’s by Marie Knight, whom I obviously will have to look more into. 

Good coffee.  Really good coffee.  And though I’m not partaking of food today, I hear their food is super excellent as well.  Major bonus points for a big sign of all the foods they use that are locally grown.  Very cool.

Also have signs up sharing the cafe policy of recycling and composting.  Right on.

Big white C9 Christmas lights and silver plastic garland around their front windows.  Not eco, but reminds me of my childhood.  I hope they have them up year-round.  And I can’t judge.  For all I know, these were salvaged from some thrift store or an employees basement.

Neat plant life and real flowers in bud vases throughout the cafe.  Very very nice touch.  I despise finding artificial plant life in cafes and restaurants.

I’ve been here for a couple hours, gotten a lot done, and know I’ll be visiting again.  It’s down the road from where I am staying, it’s homey and interesting, and I have to say, the people who’ve come and gone have intrigued me immensely.  I hope I eventually get to meet some of them.  They just further compel me to come back and come often.

It’s not my Global Village, but again, like I said in part 1, I don’t know if anyone else is.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

A couple nights ago, my sister and I had picked up some groceries from Asheville’s amazing thrift-grocer (stocked FULL of healthy, off-beat options that I am alllllll about)), Amazing Savings.  I picked up some vegan, macrobiotic noodles with a tangy asian-styled sauce in the cooler section.  

So, we got home, and I dove right into them.  It had been hours before when we purchased our loot, and I had been a little slobbery for them since.  

Unfortunately, they were really dry.  They were covered in a tasty sauce, but I kid you not, the noodles and mushroom combination sucked all the moisture from your mouth while you ate.  Plus, it was a STONG earthy, mushroom taste that was a bit too much for me.  So, after eating about half, I knew I had to toss the noodles.

So, I chunked the whole thing in the trash.  Plastic prepared-food package and all.  

My sister scorned me instantly and removed the plastic from the trash can, dumping only the noodles back in.  ”What’s up with that, Green Rockstar?” she said (or something like that).

Oops!  Hadn’t thought twice about it!  I’m so in the habit of tossing all plastic that isn’t a bottle, since Raleigh only recycles plastic bottles.

Guess that’s one more thing I’ll adjust to as I settle here in Asheville!

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