Welcome to Shasta Commons

Coffee and Tea

I am pretty sure that it was history in the making. Local history, anyway. And, who knows? Maybe Mount Shasta's example will encourage other towns to take similar action.

 

The Lost Art of Barter

I recently participated in the Shasta Commons monthly Trader's Co-op. At first, I felt reluctant to attend, uncertain if my items were good enough and how uncomfortable it would be to refuse a trade. Would they say yes? How would I say no? What is it worth?

 

Supply and Demand

Have you ever been driving behind another vehicle that is traveling with their brake lights on? Unless this is a mechanical malfunction, you are watching a driver who is unconsciously resting their foot on the brake peddle.

 

Styrofoam—A “Line in the Sand” for Sustainability?

Do you have an environmental "line in the sand"? I mean, is there some environmental activity you must do because you believe it is important for sustainability?

 

MY CAREER IN CRIME

Let's get this straight: I've never been a big-time criminal. True, I was arrested once as a trespasser. I was a newspaper reporter at the time, covering protests over clear-cutting in an old-growth forest near Arcata. I still remember the taunts of the other prisoners as the protesters and I were led into the holding cell. "Ooh, look out, here come the trespassers. They bad, man, they bad."

 
 

Getting Back to Normal

For many years I have noticed that reporters often talk about "getting back to normal" only a few days after major disasters. They seem to want to reassure us that, even though something disruptive and tragic has occurred, we will quickly get back to normal, and things will go on as before. They seem to imply that nothing will be changed as a result of the disaster; we will simply pick up the pieces and reassemble our lives. They imply that we are immune to real change—maybe even immune to learning, or transformation.

 

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men

Patricia Williams wrote in The Nation this week that, "You know these are interesting times when Glenn Beck, Dianne Feinstein, Rand Paul and the ACLU all stand on the same side of an issue." She was referencing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Here is what is at stake: Most critical are Sections 1031 and 1032 of the Act, which authorize detaining U.S. citizens indefinitely without charge or trial.

 

Sustainable Reality Versus Denial

Human beings are intellectually capable of fooling themselves until hit with the hard reality of devastating bad news. Often that news is accompanied with no way out, such as a smoker being told he or she has terminal lung cancer or emphysema.

 

Picking The Low Hanging Fruit First

I have been involved with renewable energy (designing, installing and maintaining systems) since 1985. There is a common misconception regarding a transition to a more sustainable form of energy production. Many people think that they can just add some solar panels and life as we have all known it (full of unconscious consumption, waste and inefficiencies) can continue.