Great Lakes APLS: Discussion Group

How have you been? It's been a long time and I apologize for that. Why do I always bite off more than I can chew at back to school time? Then, throw in a presidential election and I am just over-extended! That said, I think it's high time for a local, Great Lakes region APLS discussion & advice group.

Got Apples? I do. Lot's of 'em. That's sort of a common theme here in the Great Lakes region. They're cheap, they're delicious, they're local and they're very kid friendly. How are you all preserving your apples for winter? I for one and planning to can applesauce, freeze apple pie fixings and try to create some kind of root cellar. But how? We are still experiencing some warm days here in Michigan. Our nights are pretty cool but when the sun is out, our day time temps can reach into the 70's and that's not root cellar cool.

So, Great Lakes APLS, what are you doing with your local apples?

If you haven't signed up for our local Great Lakes APLS group, please feel free to join here. We look forward to having you! Also, welcome to new Great Lakes APLS members Condo Blues, Selina & Ann Marie! I will be adding your name to our regional bushel basket straight away!

APLS Carnival Topic for October

Hello fellow APLS! My name is Abbie and I blog at Farmer's Daughter. I write about my attempts to live a sustainable life with my husband, our adventures in gardening, cooking, local agriculture, and some of my experiences as a high school environmental science and botany teacher. I grew up on an apple orchard, so I hope you're all enjoying apple season in your areas!

I also hope you're ready to contribute to the APLS Blog Carnival for the month of October! This month's topic will be:

Education!

How do you educate yourself about sustainable living? How do you pass that knowledge on to others? Do you educate your family members and friends? Are you a member of environmental organizations? Do you do volunteer work?

Please submit your posts to aplscarnival (at) gmail (dot) com by October 10. The carnival will be published at Farmer's Daughter on October 15.

New England in the Fall

Hello everyone and happy first day of Fall! My name is Tina and I've been blogging for a while over at crstn85.blogspot.com; it started as a regular "these are the funny stories of my life" blog, and then, rather rapidly, morphed into an almost exclusively environmental blog. This change mirrors the change in my life. I'd always been somewhat conscious of my impact, turning off lights and being bewildered by the popularity of bottled water, but there is only so much a girl can be aware of when she lives at home (in CT) or in a college dorm (in Western MA). A little over a year ago I finally headed out into the "real world" (north of Boston in Methuen, MA) and was able to make conscious decisions about more than just how long I let the water run while brushing my teeth, but big things like how my electricity is produced and what kind of food fills my kitchen. As with everyone, I'm constantly learning and searching for new ideas. That's where this group comes in, I'm hoping that we can join together and learn from each other.

One way we could start learning together is by attending events like this one. It's an event in Boston this coming weekend, and there are supposed to be ones like it all over the nation Saturday Sept. 27 (that means all you non-New Englanders as well!) The organization 1sky.org is hoping to bring awareness of the need for green jobs to the candidates, and in the process, to the rest of the world. To find out if there's an event near you, check here. For anyone interested in attending the event in Boston (or anywhere else in New England) email me (gmail: tina.cardone1) or comment here to let me know. Hopefully we can arrange some car pooling (I'll be driving to the T from Methuen, MA) and start meeting each other. Since this is superbly late notice, I'll be excited if anyone makes it. In the future, we can plan things further in advance. If anyone has ideas of what you'd like to do, please, please let me know. If you have lots of ideas I might even bestow you with the title of co-coordinator. In the meantime, I'm hoping we can start a conversation through blogs and an email list and let the momentum carry us. Please comment or email me you information so we can keep in touch. I can't wait to meet you all and I'm humbled to be the regional coordinator for what I'm sure will become an inspiring group of people!

p.s. Feel free to grab the button at the top of the post for your blog and thanks to Michelle for making it!

APLS Growing in New England

APLS fever is spreading . . . to the place where our country was born. That's right! It is APLS season in New England. Tina at crstn85 has offered to pick up the bushel and peck for your maple-syrup infested neck of the woods. Of course, she wouldn't mind a little help if so any of you Yanks would like to help her co-coordinate, leave a comment here on or her introductory post.

How the New England APLS group evolve is up to you. You may end up passing about information on local events, sharing seasonal tips, swapping supplies, discussing local green politics, or meeting up in person. This regional group can be anything you want it to be - but first you have to join. Please let Tina know that your a Yankee APLS by commenting on her welcome post - coming up very soon.

If you are not yet in our bushel basket, leave a comment so we can add you. And if your region is leader-less as of yet, ask yourself if you'd like to be an APLS coordinator. No experience necessary. :) Just enthusiasm. Email us at aplscarnival(at)gmail(dot)com to volunteer.

Then stay tuned. APLS season is spreading. More regions ripening soon.

September's Carnival

Don't forget to check in and see what everyone is saying about Affluence. September's carnival is happening over at Green Bean Dreams. Also, weigh in on whether you think we should keep Affluent as part of the group's name.

Hello Fellow California Golden State APLS!

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm Bobbi and I’m excited about being the APLS (Affluent Persons Living Sustainably) coordinator for California.

Some factoids about me: I'm a work-from-home suburban LA publicist, former journalist, former associate producer with an unproduced screenplay in the file drawer. Your basic SoCal resident.

I’m married 20 years and have 2 daughters, 19 and 16. So if you’ve got questions about teenage girls, shoot them at me. I am a survivor.

I’m a nonfiction reader, dinner party thrower, spice and herb experimenter, media fiend and avid kickboxer. Got a political science degree from UCLA but will interact politely with USC grads. For those of you who don’t get that, it’s our cross town college rivalry.

Southern California has been home since I was a teenager. My family moved here from New Rochelle, NY for the usual reasons – the weather and a better job. I know the state and its people in my bones. My own blog, ToLiveLocal, is not only about living green, but also about living local, becoming native to a place.

I’ve been a volunteer in the community for nearly 20 years. I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom during the early kid years and turned my energies to working in the schools and most especially in my religious community, our synagogue. Plus I was a staff writer for our local weekly, The Acorn, as well as a local columnist for the LA Times.

I’m newly committed to the green movement. Just started composting and turning the side yard into a kitchen garden. Discovered how much paper we can recycle. Turn off lights as I move from room to room. And have done some heavy duty sweating this summer by turning off the AC.

If I had to share with you what signifies California for me, I’d say the mountains. Sure, others might mention the Pacific. Then there’s Hollywood and our redwoods, the wine country and the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe our orange groves or the desert for those of us who can stand the heat.

But I see the mountains every single day whether I walk out to pick up the mail in the front yard or poodle poop in the back. The power of nature is always in front of me, reminding me that when the ground rumbles, it’s not always a truck going by!

Can you see that I love my state? So the rest of you Forty Niners out there, let’s band together, share green tips, local events, products and how to’s. I’m hoping we can be an Environmental News Central for each other and the other APLS. And when it comes to civic organizing, we can get the word out to each other on California issues and national issues as well.

Plus I need help and feedback. What do you guys want? Who wants to be a co-coordinator? You there in Northern California? The Central Valley? Don’t be shy. My email is bobbiwords@aol.com .

So the great state of California casts all its Golden State APLS votes for a green tomorrow!

…can you tell I’m a political junkie too?

APLS Are Growing in the Golden State

APLS season has spread all the way to the West Coast. The great state of California is loaded with APLS, ripe for the picking. Bobbi from To Live Local has grabbed her fruit picker and bushel basket and she is ready to organize.

If you live in the Northern half of the state and would like to coordinate activities up there, let Bobbi know and you can work together. Otherwise, look forward to sharing lots of eat local tips, news on local and state politics, and even some in person stories.

Check back soon for Bobbi's inaugural post, where you can comment to add yourself to the California bucket, and then, visit regularly, to see what us Golden Delicious apples are doing here in California.

If your region hasn't come up yet and you'd like to organize, please drop us a line at aplscarnival (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll get you set up!

What region will be in APLS growing season next? Check back later this week. More regions to be announced soon.