The film here was filmed in mid-September, as Green Grounded and the Triangle were suffering from $5 a gallon gasoline.  “Drill Baby Drill!” was a popular chant (or source of criticism), and I was still driving Gina.  I planned on airing it before registration deadline, but life (and car accidents) got in the way.

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

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

A colleague of mine recently had me meet Pete Pagano of Green Planet Catering here in Raleigh, NC.

NBC 17 covered the company recently, and though the catering company has only been catering for about half a year, but the concept has been growing much much longer.

I have to admit, the “greenie” in me is deeply suspicious anytime someone mentions to me a business claiming their “greenness”. I agreed to meet and told myself I would keep an open mind, but truthfully, I expected very little as we met at Tir Na Nog’s “The Cottage” room.

Pete quickly wowed us, however, with sharing that Green Planet Catering uses as much local and/or organic produce as possible. They use spudware and compostable materials. They create their own bio-diesel and work with a farm, headed by Ben and Charles Keefer here in Raleigh. “We work to be as sustainable as possible,” Pete says.

Green Planet Catering, a team comprised of six members with over a 100 cumulative years of restaurant experience (at least a decade under each of their belt’s), also collaborates with other area partners for composting events. Partnerships for composting and events they’ve covered include Burt’s Bees (headquartered in Durham), NCSU, UNC, Matchbox 20, the Cary Wine Experience, Southern Energy, weddings and private parties.

While the company is already taking impressive strides to show their dedication to a healthy environmental philosophy, Pete’s own education and passion is what sold me.

Referencing Native American philosophy, the Weston A. Price Foundation and movement toward traditional food and knowledge of pesticide and chemical use in mainstream American food industries, I found myself enthralled with Pete’s passion and mission. And I liked that he was not one to put down other companies and their efforts, or arrogantly praise all of their own implemented environmentalism. He is about encouraging the movement by spotlighting positive steps of each company.

Pete explained the importance of educating yourself and making your own decisions for your health and beliefs, saying that eating better and taking care of the environment can go together beautifully. “You’re not twisting your arm. It’s not a New Year Resolution. It’s a way of life.”

“Some people say ‘green’ is a fad. It’s not a fad. It’s a necessity,” Pete says. “We have to do something. We have X amount of resources, and we have a growing population.”

Pete furthers his point, explaining “Seventy-thousand new chemicals have been added to our daily lives in the last 50 years.” Put that together with dramatic increases in unexplained diseases such as autism, ADD and Alzheimer’s, and I myself am asking (more…)