PROGRESS!!

Some things do get better. And one of them that I have to report on is the recycling situation. Can you believe that one year ago most of you had nowhere to recycle anything? And now you can easily drop off in Woodbrook if you live or work in the North West.

The recycling has gone so well that the bin has now been moved from Sun Eaters compound. We were filling the bin so quickly that Piranha - the recycling company - has put a much larger bin on Murray Street in the park. It is shaped like a large bottle and is made of wire. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll give better directions.

When I first decided to put the recycling bins in place I got lots of negative feedback - and I myself had my doubts. It would make it hard to keep the place clean (somewhat true), it would take really long to fill the large bin and the bottles would attract flies (not true - it filled every week and Piranha did a great job emptying once they got the rhythm down), and it would take lots of effort on my part (true but now I have at least one volunteer and others are coming). And now it has gone so well that I won't even have to deal with these problems.

Last week when the Piranha guys came by I felt like a parent saying goodbye as their child moves out. Tears came to my eyes as they dragged that red bin away and put it into the truck (sad music plays). And when I walked outside to simply toss a plastic bottle in I did feel a moment of regret when I realized that I would have to walk around the corner. But my heart sings to see how - when it is made easy - we are willing and able to adjust our behaviors in the right direction.

I have your back

I remember one year when I was in France there was a campaign called 'Touche Pas Mon Pote' a phrase which I think approximated to - Don't Touch My Buddy. There had been a surge in racism and racist attacks in France and so this campaign was in response. Several of my friends there were involved and I can definitely say that it made life seem a lot more comfortable.

In the last few weeks in Trinidad there has been such an increase in incidents amongst people that I know - one attempted rape, one kidnapping, one murder, a few buglaries. We need a 'Touche Pas Mon Pote' campaign everywhere in this country. EVERY neighbourhood needs to be sending a strong message that it will not tolerate bullying, victimisation, or a compromise of the personal safety of its residents.

And this is not only needed in the large chaotic communities. Why should a small village in Tobago like Black Rock have 13 - yes 13 - break-ins during the past couple of weeks. And unfortunately one of these happened to a friend of mine. A nightmarish experience. The locals need to make it clear to any confused individuals that they will not get away with their intimidating behaviour. In this scenario, the tourist becomes the 'Pote'.

What would it really be like for us to have a similar campaign here in T & T? What would it be like for uprisings of support to happen whenever they were necessary and in the early stages of problems brewing- not after serious incidents happen but when the development of the scenario for these incidents was taking place?

Yesterday in St. Anns my neighbourhood had a meeting for us to meet each other. It was great! About time that people recognize each other, wave, look around as children pass by, etc. I am looking forward to more of these.

Of course deeper issues need to be addressed in order to remove the culture of violence. I found Amy Chua's book 'World on Fire' to be a superb insight into why some countries - such as T& T - are facing a spiralling in violent crime and some others, despite poverty - are not. Her solutions, however, are incomplete and unhelpful. The book is still worth reading but just don't look for it to provide the answer. But even while these deeper issues are being addressed it is critical for us to make it clear that endangering personal safety is not acceptable for anyone - Woman, Man or Child.

Leaving Room for Milk

My days are often full of moments of hesitation. I can feel when my intuition/inner voice has something to say. And either I choose to listen and heed or not. Many times these days what happens is that I start to overdo things and suddenly I get to realise that it doesn't all have to be perfect. The little voice says - leave the dishes on the counter until tomorrow and just sit down. Or - the clothes can wait till later. Go and read a book to the little ones, or read a book to myself, or look at a movie. What revolutionary thoughts!

And in the midst of my checks being doodled on and torn out of my checkbook, a bottle of pineapple juice being spilled on the car floor, a glass of water being poured into my cereal, and lots more, it is still amazing to notice how perfect my son and daughter are. And so there must be some time remaining in my life to enjoy the simple pleasures with them. The raucous laughter at a simple sentence, the enthusiastic description of a Pokemon card, and the rapid gobbling of a favorite cereal. And of course today it is about 1 hour of Efua singing the same line to her petite dolly.

Always leave room for the milk on top ... just in case

Mother/Children's Day

After several long discussions with my son today about what it is REALLY like to be a child, I felt much more compelled to have a great day and to bring my children along. Yes, he is right. I do not remember what it feels like to be small. I do not remember how it was to have someone else setting the limits all the time.
Of course with radical unschooling I try to do things differently. But it will take a lot for me to get all the way, to live in a rule-less house. So for now it is enough to eat some chocolate with them, get silly on the tricycle, learn to understand Pirates of the Caribbean and hold my tongue when I feel the constant urge to say 'But...'

Heartbreak and Hippies

So the heartbreak is coming hot and heavy these days. Crickcrack. When things around me unfold in ways that are deeply challenging I don't start to lash out at others or whine and criticize. Instead I feel the little cracks in my heart getting larger.

This week I dealt with a common problem of small, young and successful businesses - the aggressive approach of someone intending to start a business like mine. With a frontal attack from an entrepreneur - Crickcrack - accompanied by a full explanation as to why they would be more successful at this business than I (of which one of the given reasons was that they would make the place look more welcoming to the elite of the country) I could feel the internal tears building and the fissures expanding. How could it be that this is what someone who wants to operate an organic shop thinks - that it is just a business and the focus of all businesses is profitability? Time to get some Paul Hawken - one of the most successful entrepreneurs worldwide - on the shelves of this country. Even the title of his most recent book - Blessed Unrest - is a breath of fresh air. http://www.blessedunrest.com/video.html. I am not alone.

Our maturation regarding issues of commerce and sustainability is long overdue and its time to stop indulging with our wallets or our respect (including awards like Entrepreneur of the Year) businesses who insist on remaining in infancy around these ideas. We no longer have time for this type of behaviour. Environmental healing and social justice are two of the largest markers of a truly successful business. The ability of a successful business to achieve its financial goals is a given assumption and does not have to become the mantra of any project. I think most of us tested the edible qualities of money as children and found it sorely lacking.

There was a time when all the people involved in organics (which ultimately is within the business of sustainability) were committed to what they were doing despite the lack of governmental support, the marginalisation that they experienced and the financial lack of support of environmentally and ethically sound businesses. But then organics began to get wider consumer support, and soon you saw the eyes of many outside of the field turn to dollar bills. Even in Trinidad the feeding frenzy has begun.... And to think that this is happening at the 11th Hour for us globally, a time when we could excitedly be making the major changes that make our lives, the lives of our communities, and the lives of other life forms and the planet, stand a chance! (Crickcracks become deafening).

I am committed to sustainability - of which organics is one aspect. But in my understanding of sustainability, the end does not justify the means. And developing anything - a business, a relationship - anything, from a position of greed does not give one the slowly unfolding moments that are supportive of sustainability. Hard cold meetings with banks, vendors, clients, and with products which one sees as pure commodities is part of what has gotten us in the mess that we are in now. Inescapable in coming to clarity are many moments spent enjoying the hairy caterpillars, engaging in uncomfortable conversations about race, class and gender, developing respect for pioneers, and ruthlessly participating in a self-examination of whatever cockiness we may still be feeding in our own spirits.

So where entrepreneurs should be congregating right now is not over bottles of imported wine, but in breezy front porches at BYOB functions fleshing out what it will take for ALL of us to survive and for our children to thrive in tomorrow's world. Please join Sun Eaters Organics over the next few months as we intensify the pace of these conversations, but help organize the practical sessions to help us engage with the environment around us. Express your interest. Drop by the shop to leave a note that says - I hear you. Let me know what hidden talents you have and /or how your commitment to sustainability is slowly building and changing your life. Unleash the hippie inside of you.