Since the engine of my veggie-powered truck died, I’ve been graced with the opportunity/necessity to ride my bike more. The above pic was snapped as I was leaving the first BGI intensive of the year on Bainbridge Island. I took it down with Amtrak on the train, then ferry hopped and pedaled over to campus from downtown Seattle. The round trip was delightful except that the train didn’t really have surplus space to store my handbike. The baggage folks were not stoked. It turns out the long-haul trains have enormous baggage compartments but commuter trains are more limited in the baggage they can accommodate. They will take normal bikes which can hang in a rack but can’t deal with recumbents.
On the upside, the inside layout is incredibly accessible compared to my multiple cross-country trips with VIA Rail. The hallways are also wide enough for me to pass through in my chair and they even have fully accessible washrooms on board. So other than the handbike constraint, train travel has been by far the most comfortable way to get to school.
A friend of my family, Jim Murray was recently killed by malignant mesothelioma – a form of cancer caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos. I really had no idea what asbestos was or why it was bad, where it comes from, who sells it, who buys it or what it is used for. I just read a short paper titled: ASBESTOS – CANADA’S POLITICS OF DEATH that was written by a good friend of Jim’s who was helping with his palliative care and addresses some of these questions.
It exposes that Canada is one of the major exporters of asbestos in the world and that the Conservative and formerly Liberal governments have gone to bat at an international level to protect this perverse industry. This is horrendous policy because every medical community on the planet is in agreement that asbestos should never be used. Even the WTO is in agreement and has supported Europe’s ban. Please contact your MP, ask their position on the issue and pressure them to understand the implications of supporting the Canadian asbestos industry.
Thanks
Justin
I’m currently working on an MBA in Sustainable Development at Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) in Washington State. BGI is one of the most progressive institutions on the planet that’s focused on creating a socially just and sustainable world. The school is attracting the people who have the intelligence, wisdom, compassion and skills to transform how we do business on this planet – to something that benefits all life – and teaching them the skills to actually do it.
It turns out to be a rather expensive to start a graduate school. BGI is seven years in and doing well but the current economic situation is making it difficult to both deliver the education and grow to a point that the school can make a meaningful and lasting difference in the world. You can see our school founder Gifford below explain why growing BGI is essential. If you think what he has to say is accurate and you want to and can help, visit the following link which includes details on how to donate to BGI.
thanks
peace, in action
Justin
There is considerable energy in the strategic voting circles to organize votes against Harper. This (kind of) makes sense (in the short term) because our first past the post electoral system is so antiquated that it will likely elect another minority Conservative government even though most Canadians don’t vote Conservative and a significant number of Canadians do not have anyone in government representing their interests. I’m undecided if it’s a good idea. No one who plots themselves somewhere in the divided centre – left can say it is without its pluses.
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I just finished watching Chris Martenson’s Crash Course for the second time. Chris has done an absolutely world class job of synthesizing a massive tomb of interrelated societal and economic issues and presented them masterfully in an easy to digest form. No previous experience required! Fasten your seat belts and get ready for a far more interesting future than we have lavishly grown up with.
One question: How’s your garden?
Since I’ve been growing food in the city I’ve been concerned about soil contamination. One answer, innovated by urban farmers in New York is to lay down a thick layer of tree mulch and build raised beds on top. This is similar to packing lots of condoms and going on a sex holiday in Africa. It might work out but doesn’t do anything for the underlying problem. As a real solution, I’ve been curious about bio-remediation of soils but haven’t delved into it in any meaningful way. Paul Stamets at the TED conference gives an incredibly optimistic and inspiring presentation about the unseen world and work of mycelium. Check it out.
Gregor Robertson has decided to run for Mayor of Vancouver in the 08 civic election. This would be the best thing that could happen to Vancouver. I want to see Vancouver become one of the most sustainable, livable and vibrant cities on the planet. I believe we can develop a local economy that values well being and a society that takes care to make sure all its citizens are given full opportunity to create a better future for themselves. We need a government that is committed to transparency and community engagement. Gregor is all of this and much more. Check out his websites: Gregor for Mayor, Gregor – MLA Vancouver Fairview and join his Facebook Group.
Lisa’s recumbent and my handbike were stolen this morning around 6:00 am from our apartment’s garage. If you see them, please call 911 or Justin’s cell 604-671-6370.
Factory farming is an abhorrent practice that creates enormous suffering and pollution on this planet. Our treatment of animals is not unlike that of the Africans through the dark era that accepted slavery as a status quo and Hitler’s treatment of the Jews. Millions of animals are kept in concentration camp-like conditions around the planet, making them and us vulnerable to e. coli, Avian Flu and other major health threats.
In my late teens and early twenties, I held the belief that animals were born for food and it didn’t really matter how we kept them. But after visiting a factory farm, researching the practice and meditating on the ethics of consuming flesh from such operations, the notion of supporting the practice through my continued purchase of meat, regardless of it’s source began to feel incongruent with my internal beliefs. The argument that “animals were born for it” began to feel like saying blacks were born to be slaves or the Jews deserved what the Nazis did. Such statements seem absolutely absurd to most people alive now but were not uncommon just 50 – 100 years ago.
It is my hope that we can evolve our collective awareness and reject this practice as we have come to reject racial and religious intolerance. John Robbin’s book, Diet For a New America was highly influential in my thinking on this issue.
To get an idea of the scale of factory farming in the US check out this site: http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/
I’m Not Dead Yet (INDY)! 10 years ago today I had a run-in with gravity on my newly built slalom racing Stumpjumper. I was chasing the dream of being a pro mountain biker and adrenalin powered extreme athelete. After echoing “fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen”; my last words as a temporarily able bodied (TAB) 21 year old, I was unforgivingly handed the opportunity to master wheelchair pose. Overshooting my intended landing zone, I came down on my chest, crushing the fifth and sixth thorasic vetebra (just below my chest) and spinal cord.
Fast forward 10 years. Vancouver, May 7th, 2007. Not so adrenalin powered anymore. Organics and yoga have replaced adrenalin as the fuel of choice. I’m still sitting down, a spiritual seeker, java web geek, sustainablity, climate change, peak oil, zero waste, urban homesteading fanatic. I’m quickly approaching my last days as a unmarried man. On June 9th I’ll to be married to Lisa.
Living without the use and cooperation of my lower extremeties continues to be a relentless and terse teacher but also a great catalyst of personal, emotional and spiritual growth. There are no days off and every day brings its struggles and frustrations but also deeper levels of truth and awareness. With this awarness I sense a responsibility to act on what I contemplate and see. It feels as if I am being prepared for role of service to humanity and a steward to the environment. My most challening personal stuggles appear to be won as I am now being guided to serve in a larger context at the dawn of the Aquarian Age.
I look forward to the changes and challenges that the next ten years of wheelchair pose will bring.
Justin
