The Mindspring

Back when I first set off to college, I had a mission to learn the craft of filmaking. It might as well have been philosphy. My intent was to learn a way to help lend exposure to all the great ideas i thought I was learning. Eleven years later I'm still learning 'all these great ideas' and in hands- on ways as well. Despite my time 'in the trenches' I still am often disheartend. Not only do good ideas and projects still need more general exposure, but, conflictingly, that exposure seems to patronize the efforts more than catalize them.

It's not that I don't absolutely respect the power of media. It's that in order to do something of value that media effort really needs a sophisticated strategy.

And what is it exactly that is of value to do? Perhaps I'm conceited, but with so many challenges facing us, how insignificant of ones am I willing to consider my battles. What scale am I content with as my lifes work?

Fresh in Mind

I worked for 6 hours today moving around junk. In this case the junk is bikes and tools and bike parts stored in our outer storage area for the bike collective I work for. So many bikes that I've seen there taking up space since.... since.... well since about 2 years for some things, and that is not exactly turnover to be proud of.

I felt guilty the other day dropping off old books at the goodwill. They had so much stuff coming in to their donation area and really almost all of it is crap. My old books are crap. Obsolete- now kindle-able or at least the information can be referenced via the inter-web. the housewares holding up paper towels on the counter were just as useless- and the downtrodden staff were drowning in them.

I would like to reduce my own personal possessions to 100 items- as I suppose has become fashionable in the fruglista hipster universe. I realize the extreme challenge of this- especially because I seem to hold on to things that may -after finding that lacking accessory or after a little fix-....may just come in handy. Now that same neurosis has a collective form that has taken on horrific proportions at the bike co-op I help run. "These roof rack parts would be really expensive new..." or "these wheels just need a few spokes replaced and then a bearing overhaul and then..." Sure enough, The donors of these fine curses must feel just as I did as I unloaded my crap at the goodwill- "HA- some other sucker has to deal with this crap now!"

Yup- my community service has started to be making people feel good about unloading their crap- eerilly similar to my municipal job as a recycling coordinator- making rich people feel good about throwing things out. The real purpose, however, of the whole operation is to help provide bike repair to those seeking it DIY and those without any other choice. Selling used bikes and parts was just an auxillary- and it had become a man hour consuming monster.

So here -at last- is my resolve. Our shop will get rid of junk and sell valuable parts not useful for typical repairs by the end of the year. We will clean our operation and make it run smoothly.

From there on- new donations will get dealt with right then. New challenges will be taken up just exactly when they appear- taking on a problem fresh in mind will keep us from drowning in junk and being devoured by the man hour consuming monster. It also means we won't need so much storage space.

Togetherness

ARgh! another holiday full of half-amusing half-enervating family togetherness. I've been living with my parents, not because I'm broke but to help care for my father with Alzheimer's, and its been good. Tolerable. Not really aggravating over these last nine months. The last few days, however, have reached the tipping point.

My girlfriend frannie's family is much the same in their overwhelmingness, or really the overwhelmingness is the far too frequent visits of family that isn't even her relatives! Mine is all my all too immediate 'nuclear' family, but either way we both end up without our own space and certainly without space to be together. Here I am sitting in a coffee shop writing waiting for her to get back into town so we can finally take a little time together in her friends abandoned apartment. Up. Never-mind, turns out she just called and the apartment is indeed NOT ours for the evening as her friend did not make it out of town this afternoon. Fcuk!

Well, I'm the now the third of three macbooks here in this coffee shop so it might be time to blow this joint. My writing hasn't occurred in ages, so at least I'll make a post, show that I'm alive, to my all but existent fan base here at Ed words.


Aside that here's a topic,
Unemployment, Collective Bike Shops, and feeling like an enormous loaf.

Discuss.

Edward Garrett France - Community and Ecology Advocate

EdFrance@gmail.com, 310 936 0857, PO Box 2281 Santa Barbara, CA 93120


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WORK EXPERIENCE


Citizens Planning Foundation - Outreach & Development Coordinator

Duties: Execute short-term funding plan, external communications, aid in program and development planning for long-term work-plan (25-30hrs/wk)

Contact: Naomi Kovacs, 805 966-3979

Reason for Leaving: Philosophical differences with organization


City of Santa Barbara Administrators Office- Administrative Analyst II

Duties: Staff assistance to Sustainable Santa Barbara Program and other Organizational Development Programs : September 2006 to present

Supervisor: Nina Johnson, (805) 564-5307

Alternative Contact: Councilmember Helene Schneider, HSchneider@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

City of Santa Barbara Public Works- Recycling Coordinator

Duties: Public Area and Institutional Recycling, Green Purchasing, Composting and Conversion Technology program research and development, Green Business Program Monitoring: (FTE) May 06-September 06, (20 hrs/wk) April 04- May 06.

Supervisor: Stephen Macintosh, (805) 564-5678, www.SBrecycles.org

UCSB Dept. of Housing and Residential Services –Residential Assistant

Duties: conduct enforcement, personal and academic advising, organizing community activities (25-30 hrs/wk) 01-02, (returning) 03-04

Supervisor: Eeman Agrama-(831) 459.5668


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STUDIES


B.A. in Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara,

Department Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment


Universidad de Chile, Semester Abroad, co-author of academic article in environmental history, ‘El Desastre del Pueblo El Cobre’


Hawaii Cultural Ecology Field Study Program via San Francisco State University


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TEACHING EXPERIENCE


Teaching Assistant., Integrated Waste Management:

Environmental Studies 172 UCSB

Duties: Web Page development, Assistance in class materials, guest lecturing, student interface.

Contact: Paul Relis, 805 569-0914


Class Coordinator, ‘Clean’ Transportation group studies project: Geography 190

Contact: Kostas Goulias, 805 893-4190




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LEADERSHIP ROLES


Founding Member, Bici Centro of Santa Barbara, A Bicycle Collective now partnered with the SB Bicycle Coalition www.BiciCentro.org


Interim President, Vice-President Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative Board of Directors 04-05 www.sbcoop.org


Chair, voting member UCSB Associated Students Bicycle Improvements Keep Everybody Safe (AS BIKES) Committee Winter ´01-Fall ’04, Chair 03-04 www.as.ucsb.edu/bikes


Co-Chair, Sustainability Chair, Community Chair UCSB Environmental Affairs Board www.as.ucsb.edu/eab


Founding Member, Campaign Coordinator, California Student Sustainability Coalition. June 02 thru June 05 www.sustainabilitycoalition.org


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ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY


Co-organizer, Ecology Retreat (150-200ppl.) in Joshua Tree: 'Transforming Mindscapes and Landscapes.'

http://www.reverentialecology.org/conference2007.htm


Co-Founder, 'I'm Doing Something About It' campaign. Imdoingit.org 2007


Co-Founder, Founding Director, Associated Students Composting Program 'Department of Public Worms' 2005


Founding Member Students of the Land Farm Project, Spring and Summer 2005

Brought UCSB students to a local farm for self-directed commercial farming

experience


Director ‘Web of Sustainable Progress’ project (now a web component of Santa Barbara City College Center for Sustainability), August 2005-February 2006

http://sustainability.sbcc.edu/


Campaign Coordinator, CSSC’s MoveUC campaign (Moving the University of California toward Sustainable Transportation), Led statewide bicycle tour to lobby policy adoption at UC campuses. Spring 2005: www.sustainabilitycoalition.org


Student lock-in referendum coordinator; UCSB Broida Bike path construction, Campaigner Student Car Share program, Fall 04- Spring 05.


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ABILITIES


Exceptional written and oral presentation skills


Knowledgeable in transportation, agriculture, sustainable planning, energy, solid waste/recycling, and environmentally/socially responsible purchasing practices


Strong understanding of institutional decision making processes, individualized marketing (salesmanship), organizing/campaigning skills


Bi-Lingual in English and Spanish


Computer Skills: Advanced Proficiency in MS Office programs and media/database management. Proficiency in Final Cut Pro and audio/video format management, web content management. Experience in Dreamweaver, Illustrator,MS Access, Adobe Acobat, Quickbooks

Write it up

A distinct lack of inspiration for writing has kept my b-log update free for a while now. A strange mix of energy, complacency, and a boring day job have all but routed my interest to write. Scarcely any letters or emails pass beyond my desk. Sigh, even text messages seem onerous. Well, there is a lot of good going on, and not good too, and those things combine to make a spicy story. so i pledge to write another story soon. (since this isn't actually a story)

WhyDoIt?

I'm gonna do something about it because in every decision I make mountains shake
Unknowingly Celebrity, my fashion's followed, my actions re-enacted regularly.

Cognitive Dissonance destroys the fragile will. though the will to act reaffirms our passions.

I'm doing something about it because rationality and pessimism are as useless as rocks against a fire in this fight against a heating world.

My action may be minuscule, but my muscles flexed, more significant each step next.

I'm believing in the solution because I'm creating it.

I'm like all of you, powerless without resolve, but resolving to try to solve the troubles of the day. And a whole lot of us are moving this way.

So I'm gonna lead by example, and not worry about the debates. I'm making waves and what's left for my discussion is my own actions wake.

I'm doing something about it. Are you with me?

The Greywater Garden

One thing i love is gardening. do as little work as possible, but give the soil some love, and either the right seeds or starters, and leave it go! Out i arid santa barbara, though, our gardens are artificial creations, illusions of a more temperate reality. So do we pipe in more water still from where it rightfully belongs? Why do we use culinary water, with all the energy intensive pumping and treating, to provide moisture from plants and soil with zero interest in filtered water? There's not much that's local about stealing water to keep gardens native to different climates.
So why not use greywater? When I wash dishes and rinse veggies, I use a ton of that culinary water, but it certainly doesn't need to be swept away to yet another energy intensive treatment facility. No, best would be to put that water to an appropriate use, and it seems to me that my little veggie garden is a perfect one. Save energy, save water, grow veggies. Here are my rules:

- Don't use chemical dishwash soap- I use oasis, designed to degrade to plant food

- Don't let the water sit for a long time, it needs to go straight to the soil!

So what I do, since I rent and am not a master of plumbing, is close the drain of the kitchen sink, wash my full batch of dishes, which about fills the sink. I use a 3 gallon bucket to transfer that water out to the garden. I don't do it every night, but every few days. By knowing that I'm not using any toxics, I have no problem putting the water in the garden, and with compost-rich soil in the garden, the extra nutrients of the greywater are getting eaten up by the soil microbes. I can't wait to eat some of those greens and tomatoes!