the best of all possible worlds?

On one of my very cold days in Berlin, I participated in the Lange Nacht das Museen, and one of the museums I went to on my unlimited ticket was the Deutsche Guggenheim. The Deutsche Bank does a lot of purchasing, and it was a very interesting museum for this reason. They had a special exhibit on utopian laboratories, as the curator called them -- art that either embodied a utopian ideal or sprang from an artistsì colony, or a society, that was built upon these principles, and for whatever reason (nazis closed it down, it was the soviet union, etc etc), "failed", or as the curator puts it, simply ended. The article is interesting, and I am going to reproduce it or find it on the internet so that you may read it if it interests you as well, but I'll highlight a couple of points that resonated with me. It was interesting that both the curator (Vivien Greene of the Guggenheim i nNY) and her interviewer, Susan Cross, herself an art historian and curator, noted that the Internet is both providing opportunities for utopian reality, perhaps nowhere so obviously as Second Life, the online alternate world complete with economy and government, but that these possibilities are being misused: instead of reinventing or transforming their reality to achieve the utopian life they crave, people replicate what they know elsewhere -- for example, in Second Life they may buy the big house in the city that they cannot own in real life, but this is still playing into the capitalist model.
I find this interesting especially after a visit to the Wagenhausen in Freiburg, where people are living literally in caravans without electricity, heat, water, internet, and all the other comforts of life, to try to live in harmony with nature and with other people as much as possible. The concept was interesting but I have to say I was shocked upon visiting, though I consider myself pretty open-minded. Just how far is too far, in search of some other life than the one that we have, which can be so unfulfilling at times?

Or -- completely fulfilling. I am writing this from the Paris airport at the end of the 6-month journey that our globalized society permits a person of some means to take. I am grateful for this, truly, because now I know how much knowledge and experience one might forsake in pursuit of a non-impact or less consumerist lifestyle. There are battles to be picked.

I shall have to recount the torturous tale of getting home in my next entry, which will be soon now that my internet will be reliable 24/7 (Imagine!! A life without 24/7 internet?!) But for now I will say how happy I am to be returning to my home.

becoming friends with berlin

For the first while, as I trudged around icy and snow-laden Berlin, staring up at enormous, boxy edifices that are miles apart, and looking acorss squares a kilometre in area, I asked myself, "What is it about Berlin that I am missing?"
Because Berlin is one of the world's top tourist destinations, at least in my age group. There had to be something I wasn't seeing.
Each thing I do here, though, gives me a glimmer of what that is. It turns out Berlin is just playing hard to get -- a lot like Toronto, actually, in that a first impression of Toronto isn't always dazzling, but once you get to know the city you realize just how much it has to offer.
Last night was a Nuit Blanche of sorts - all of the museums and many other attractions were open and accessible on one (cheap) ticket. I saw the Dom, the Guggenheim, and the Musical Instruments museum, where they were showing silent films with a man playing a historically accurate organ as accompaniment. Berlin is full of incredible museums and galleries; I wish I could have seen more.
Tomorrow I leave for Freiburg, where I hope to frolic in the Black Forest and spend some time with a new friend, a fellow singer I met in Arezzo. She's Texan! I think my hosts live in the hippie commune near Freiburg so I will get a chance to see exactly how green I can handle my life...

and the seventh day...

... we rested.

Welcome to Eco Sabbath! Colin Beavan's year-long experiment has been condensed into one week, and on this seventh day, we have phased out everything he phased out and are experiencing life as he did over the period of several months. Today we're asked not to plug anything in, not to go anywhere or do anything -- have a true rest from the stuff that seems to make the world go round and really experience life au naturel.

I did go out today; for me, spending time with friends or family here means going out to see them. I went to the church I found here, an English-speaking congregation; this morning it was a mass with all three parishes that celebrate in that church: the English, Italian and Filipino communities. It was pretty crowded and it was nice to be among people. I wandered through the procession happening downtown in honor of the beatification of Don Carlo Gnocchi (I have no idea why he became a saint but he was obviously a big deal), picked up an empanada in the Peruvian market crammed into an alley beside another big church downtown, San Stefano, and wandered home, where I had a much-needed nap. I consider that a fairly low-impact activity... happy eco sabbath to you, too.

Some reflections on the week are in order. I learned that while superficially, my big problem appears to be food packaging like every Italian, the hidden problem of energy and water over-consumption are much more pronounced, and this is probably true of all of us. It is really hard to gauge the amount of energy and water you use individually, but it's worth trying to track for a week if only to become cognizant of your consumption. It also made me think: If I reduce my trash, buy locally, buy unpackaged foods, take the stairs, etc etc etc etc etc, and then take a 15-minute shower, did I just undo everything I tried to accomplish? Some things measure higher on the footprint scale. Is it that easy to undo your good intentions? We need priorities.
Mor ethan a week of experimentation this felt like a week of becoming conscious. I learned so much this week due to my research and to the people I met in my forums; I am really glad I was inspired to do the reading and researching that I did. I feel a lot more in control of my actions now that I've quantified them and evaluated them against a standard (the organizers put otu a guide for the week); I also feel like I can make better choices now, being equipped with the information and resources i need to follow through.
There's nothing wrong with taking the stairs, hopping on the bus, choosing not to buy when you don't have to, carrying a hanky, handwashing your clothes. Most of these things I do already.
I am excited to buy bananas again, and eat food that came in bags (granola, here I come!), and super excited to go out for a drink this week! Some things you just don't want to live without.
And with all that said, I am going to turn off my computer and sing some music. It's nice to have a no-impact passion.
Good night!

I took action.

Today marked my first and only attempt at environmental activism.

I heard about a march in Milano in honor of 350 Day, which is basically to get world leaders to talk about climate change in Copenhagen at the summit. (350 refers to the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is considered liveable for Earth; we are at 385 right now.)
I showed up in Piazza de' Mercanti to find that there was another demonstration happening as well; some people were handing out flyers and denouncing Berlusconi in the name of freedom of speech and of the press. Can you believe that in a so-called democracy, such a thing occurs? Maybe it's just the Canadian in me whose sensibilities are offended. I know that people live differently the world over, but Italy is a developed, European nation with a democratic government in place; yes it's a rightist government, but its people should still be able to express their opinions of said government. No?
Anyway, I saw a mass of bicycles behind them, all with people atop them sporting cloth signs saying "NO" to various things related to oil and greenhouse gases, and they all seemed to know each other. Needless to say, the activist community in Italy is small but mighty. I went up to a girl handing out cloth banner thingies and asked if there were people walking.
Girl: No. We're all riding our bikes. But there's a march on foot at Parco Sempione in a n hour.
Me: Oh. Thanks.
So, it woul dhave been really nice if the website told me where to go for which event. I saw them off, then wandered around downtown for a while before going to the pool and then coming home to sign up for an internet chat room as a volunteer ESL teacher. It's based in Afghanistan, which is only a three-hour time difference from Italy, and I'll be chatting with Afghan women in various stages of education and emancipation and providing ESL support, international perspective, and maybe just a friendly presence on sort of a part-time basis.
It's something I've been meaning to do, and I'm comfortable putting my efforts towards this type of cause. I've never been the type to get in your face with a megaphone about any cause; I am also a terrible fundraiser. I just don't like to make my personal opinions the immediate problem of anyone else, as I don't like it happening to me, even if I happen to agree. When my help is asked for, it's a different story. When I feel my efforts actually make a tangible difference to someone else, also a different story.
Though I didn't actually participate in 350 day, I am still impressed by the website today. Many photos and videos from all over the world have been uploaded and it's heartwarming to see the variety of events, settings, nationalities and languages represented. It makes me want an elementary school class of my very own for one split second because that's the type of group that's really interested in this type of activism. The feeling passes quickly, though.

Tomorrow is an Eco-Sabbath... we also turn our clocks back tonight. Good bye, dinners in the waning light of day!

TGIF!

Well, I made it this far -- Now I HAVE to see it through!

That was my motivation today to do... well, anything really. It was another grey and dreary day, and I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all, which is a really awful feeling when you've slept 6 or 7 hours. Or, you thought you did.

Today was water day. We were to do everything in our power to consume as little water as possible. Did I? What do you think?

Instead, I decided to do as much as I usually do -- that is, quite a bit -- and observe where in my life I create the need for water usage indirectly, and where I can cut down or eliminate water usage.
I worked this morning and needed a hot shower to wake up. I take fast ones, but let's face it -- we could all probably take shorter, colder showers and still live to tell the tale.
I forwent the pool, which is a HUGE water-sucker. However, I don't think I'm prepared to give up swimming as my main outlet for fitness. Gyms and other public fitness locations are probably enormous sources of energy and water consumption; is there a real solution to this?
Going to a restaurant, or even just a coffee bar for a quick espresso, can generate a lot of water consumption. Think of how much water is used to cook your food and clean your plates. The amount of water used in the cleaning of my espresso cup, making of my coffee, and cleaning following the making is decidedly out of proportion to the amount of water used in the actual coffee. Perhaps it is better to have your coffee at home. I turned down a lot of social invites this week because I would either have to take a taxi home or they were out at restaurants. It was hard to do, that's for sure, and unless you and all your closest friends have made a green-living pact, it's impossible to keep up, in my opinion. The more bold among us would be pesky and push establishments that had made certain green adjustments in their energy usage or food choices, but I am definitely not a greenvangelist.
I did do my laundry today. In the end, I did the great majority by hand in the bidet (which is really the best use for it I can think of.... if you really feel the need to use the bidet for its official purpose, just bite the bullet and hop in the shower... though I am sure the tree huggers will argue me on that one). But I took one look at my jeans and bath towels, thought about squeezing them out by hand, and set the washing machine to cold and energy efficient. Sometimes you just CAN'T break the habit. We are spoiled! The washerwomen of yore must have been Amazons -- it's more work than I can imagine doing. And they'd never dry! I'm curious -- has anyone here ever grapestomped an entire load of clothes?

Tomorrow is Giving Back day. It's almost the end of this experiment. I wonder how many of the changes I made will stick.

Addendum to the last post: I forgot to mention that the article directly before Dump Berlusconi was written by a British guy and entitled, "In defense of Berlusconi". (I still don't buy it.) Gotta have that devil's advocate!

When I woke up today, it was still raining. Rain has a discernible effect on my well-being. It produces that sluggish, bluesy feeling we all experience when it's cold and damp out; I also become quite stiff and sore and decidedly self-indulgent. (Admittedly, since I've made certain changes in my diet and begun natural supplements things have improved but that doesn't mean I've kicked the self-coddling.) Needless to say, today was not a day I felt particularly strongly about my little experiment. In fact, at times I resented it and consciously performed actions that were contrary to my aims (example: I am eating spelt cookies from a non-reusable bag right now), just because I COULD. It really threw into relief just how much of a commitment a no-impact, or low-impact, lifestyle is, just like any other lifestyle commitment: a specific diet, quitting smoking, trying not to phone that bastard who stood you up on Friday but totally apologized and after all is really cute (this didn't happen). At times you couldn't care more and willingly devote all of your most positive energy to your cause, feeding off of your own success; other times you just say, "screw it", and reach for the spelt cookies. I can be an indulgent person; I guess my own personal challenge has to do with reducing the amount of times I cave, and furthermore, setting realistic goals.

Today is energy day. Instead of trying to use less energy, since that clearly wasn't going to happen, I decided to do some research on the devices I used and how much energy they really account for.
I wasn't able to find a lot of really concrete figures. But environmental blogs the world wide web over agree that using your microwave oven, especially for short periods of cooking or for small portions really does save a ton of energy once you do the math. My Chinese doctor cousin David would be having a conniption but you know what? Most of us use it anyway, and in exactly that manner; good to know it gets a green thumbs up.
The bulbs we have here are all energy-efficient. If you have not changed your bulbs to CFL's, I suggest you do so. Today, preferably.
Something I may never be able to renounce is a hot shower in the morning. I researched ways to reduce your hot water usage: installing low-flow showerheads and faucets, fixing leaks, and using the energy-efficient cycles on your dishwasher and washing machine topped every list. There is also something called On-Demand hot water, which is basically a tankless system: water is heated as required. The only downside is that you might let it run for a while before it warms up sufficiently, so I'm not sure how much you really conserve with this method. You can also just set your washer to "cold"; the clothes still get clean.
If only I had known! The Green Beanery in Toronto has a novel little gadget that makes espresso without any electricity -- it's lever operated. You still have to boil the water, though.
I could go on and on-- generally, if you are interested in lowering your energy impact through absolutely any small obscure detail of your life, there is a way. It was a useful thing to discover, and anyone can -- I amno Google master but I found a wealth of information.

Needless to say I didn't grape-stomp my clothes...

Hump Day.

Well, if I didn't cave today, I won't cave.

Today it rained. In fact, it's still raining. When it rains here it doesn't just kind of lightly sprinkle periodically, it barfs water for hours. Luckily this does not happen as often as the Milanesi would have you believe.

However it also means I just don't want to do ANYTHING. Rain is terrible like that; it takes away your will to live. I totally meant to go to the pool but didn't make it out of the house til almost 12 (though I did make soup); then the nine flights of stairs up to my English lesson nearly did me in. I was so close to taking the elevator -- it's almost automatic when you know you have to go up 9 flights. My own seven flights seemed like peanuts, on the positive side.

Another positive was that I ate my homemade yogurt this morning and nearly died because it is SO GOOD. Everyone should do this at least once. You will never go back to storebought, I swear.
And that brings me to today's topic of discussion: food. Today we had to renounce all packaged food and consume only local products.
Because life is so hard, I limited myself to things that come in reusable packages (glass, durable plastic), and only ate things from Italy. I don't think i would have eaten too much otherwise. EVERYTHING comes in a package here; at some stores, you can't pick your own fruit from the bin and must bring it home on a styrofoam tray -- even stuff like bananas (which come from Ecuador, so I can't bring thos ehome anyway). I would really like to be buying my grains and beans in bulk, and I think I have found a store at which I can do this; loose-leaf tea made from things harvested in Italy, however, or coffee, is an entirely different matter and I am not too sure I am at the point where I give up caffeinated things because they don't grow here. Individually wrapped cafeinated things -- I can probably handle that.

In short, this is definitely the hardest day, and I can't say I fully succeeded. In fact, I am not sure I ever will, since some things I don't feel I want to do without (bananas and caffeinated beverages aside -- avocado, spices like curry...) Also, I struggle with the packaging thing. There are only so many plastic bottles you want to keep around, or so many glass jars you can wash out and hang on to. The key is finding sources at which you can refill them with whatever it is-- milk, beer, wine for example -- and that can be hard in the city. Maybe this will be the start of breaking my Nutella habit??!

Tomorrow should be really interesting. I am grape-stomping my clothes in the bathtub in honor of "use as little energy as possible" day! I may or may not blog -- I am using my laptop on battery until it dies, then charging it only when I am using it so that whenever it is plugged in, it's also being used, ad when it is off, it is always unplugged. If I have juice at the end of the day, you'll hear about it -- if not, stay tuned for Friday...

Tuesday Chapter Two

Sometimes, you just don't want to walk up the stairs.
Like when it's 11.30, you're tired and have to pee, haven't really had dinner, and there are seven flights of them.
You'll all be proud to know I did it! I used my feet for the entire day, and when I needed to get somewhere fast (work), I jumped on the subway.
For this week, that's fine. But I think I wouldn't choose this particular issue to be militant about. Sometimes, it's OK to take the elevator, you know? But I stand firm on gas-guzzlers.

I saw a concert tonight -- a great little Baroque orchestra that reminded me a lot of Tafel -- the 5 euro ticket reminded me of them too -- and 3 singers, performing the two cantatas that Handel wrote in Italian. It was a long concert, about 2.5 hours, but it was really well-played. It took place in the Conservatory's massive Verdi Hall, which puts VKH and Walter Hall to shame, but not Roy Thomson -- it is acoustically excellent but a bit less comfortable than RTH, and smaller, of course. It might seat about 700. It's actually a really nice hall and I have enjoyed everything I've seen there, as the sound is always great and I am always able to find a seat with an excellent view.
Anyway, the three singers -- it was interesting to hear some very dark voices singing repertoire that we normally relegate in our singer-brains to light voices without the power to cut a bigger orchestra. Well, these voices were dark, but definitely rough around the edges and though they were all excellent artists, there were some technical problems with each of them. Isn't it funny? If you can't sing opera, sing Baroque. What a shame, that this mindset/stigma/whatever exists, however subconsciously, in singers' minds. I think this is especially true in Italy, where large, rich voices are prized.
Though the concert ran long, I enjoyed it. It was conducted from the clavicembalo and the violinists and winds stood; I think the energy this brings makes for a more intimate, engaging performance for the audience, not to mention the performers.
If you don't know Tafelmusik, you should... take a second and check them out.

Anyway, I want to tell you something else. Before this concert, I had to teach my class from hell.
Colin Beavan maintains that living no-impact makes you a happier person. Is it possible that this can rub off on other people? My class from hell was not the same class today. I couldn't believe the difference -- they acted like humans, sat still, listened, spoke English, answered questions, and did their homework. Was it because I came in with more positive energy? Maybe it was because we finally had our textbooks -- kids like structure, and they feel like they're in class with a book in front of them. I'd like to think it was the former, though.

Some things just take time, I guess.

So far, this has been a week of victories, and I am glad I can say that after being turned down for the masterclass. Everything bad can be made good; everything old, new; everything used, re-used. This is the lesson!

Oh, and I did it -- I carried my snot around today and it wasn't half bad.

Here I am in the kitchen, working on battery power, making yogurt after lugging the milk and fruit I bought up seven flights of stairs. So far, so good!

I feel amazing right now, actually. It's surprisingly empowering to reuse plastic vegetable bags and to buy only produce grown in Italy (today there is no market -- on Thursday I can re-stock with 0 km food). It seems silly. But I am beginning to see that once you have built your personal infrastructure it is easier and easier to subsist on what you already have.
I'd still like to find a solution to the problem of non 0-km ingredients for the food you make at home. As well, ingredients still come packaged, though you can buy them in larger quantities (huge bags of flour for example, versus a small bag of bread. I still haven't found milk in anything bigger than 1 L plastic bottle; maybe there is a way to get your milk containers refilled but not in the city, that's for sure. I' using old plastic bottles for water.)

Today is the day we "green" our commute. That means, for me, cutting out any automated mobility devices -- no escalators, moving sidewalks, or escalators except where stairs do not exist. It also means going home on the last subway, always, to avoid having to use cabs, and carpooling when it is socially awkward to refuse a ride somewhere. Since I don't drive here, it's relatively easy to rpomise myself to walk or take the bus; it also means that today I'm considering the possibility of never owning a car, just to think about it and what it would mean for me.

Did you take the bus today? Sometimes life is hard when you can't just drive to where you need to be. Cities are so big, and here they have the added obstacle of many spread-out villages with a city as their common centre for commercialism and industry, with many mountain roads and no train or bus infrastructure. At home, things are just so far away that sometimes it isn't practical. It's definitely something that needs to change here in Italy, though; I'm glad to see many smaller cars and hybrids, but there are still too many. There is also something called Eco-Pass, which is basically a zone of the city encompassing the downtown area where you cannot take your car unless you pass an emissions test. Milanesi say it hasn't changed much, though. In Florence you can't even drive downtown! But Milan is much bigger.

Stay tuned for more flights of stairs and how the yogurt turns out... right now it's busy multiplying on the hot-water heater...

Here I am, back in Milano after an unsuccessful attempt at La Freni's masterclass, and no, I don't want to talk about it. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, but I did learn a lot. I think I will probably do a post soon about singing teachers here and at home, and some of the observations I have made til this point.

What I want to tell you about today is my garbage can.

Yesterday I collected all of my garbage in a bag so that I could analyze it today. What was very clear to me was that the changes I need to make are few but significant.
Here are the contents of my trash bag from yesterday, admittedly an abnormal day but nonetheless --
- paper napkins and paper towels
- receipts
- an orange peel
- two yogurt cups and foil lids
- food packaging, paper and plastic
- an apple core

On the Italy group in our forum, the results showed an overwhelming amount of food packaging and that is seriously no surprise to any of us. How to avoid this? Well, you try your best but it is nearly impossible. By asking around I have learned of a bulk food store. As well, I try to buy products in one layer of packaging only, or in reusable packaging: resealable containers or bags, glass bottles, durable plastic if necessary.

At home, we separate our food garbage so I never had to think about composting. Here, I am thinking about putting a bin on the verandah or asking for a corner of the garden in the courtyard. I think it would be better to compost though, so that the family I live with could participate too.

As for paper products I have begin carrying a tea towel for hand drying and napkin usage; as for a hanky I have yet to get one and get comfortable with the idea of carrying my snot.

I started a box of scrap paper today. As a teacher I kill at least one tree a day; the least I can do is milk that tree for all it's worth. Into the box went the receipts and the train tickets.

Look! I can make my own yogurt! So can you! Kefir is easy to make too; you can purchase the starter at any health food store and then just buy milk as you need.
(Milk here comes in small cardboard containers that are not really like Tetra paks but they call them that anyway. I have yet to see milk in glass containers.)

What other ways can we reduce trash, besides reusing packaging, composting, making things instead of buying them packaged, and recycling? Any more creative ideas out there?
Maybe the freegans have some. Wow -- I am not so sure about my thoughts on humanure. Wikipedia was definitely on the right track by linking this article with "radical environmentalism".
Thoughts?

Lastly, I wanted to share the climatecounts.org pocket.sized company profile with you. It's right here so have a look and see if you're surprised at all.

Well, happy Monday! From now on, we are trying to be trashless, people!

Tomorrow we green our commutes. I am walking to work and the pool and taking the stairs everywhere I go, even at home where there are seven flights!

Day One

Today is "Stop Buying New Stuff" day.

I thought a lot yesterday and today about what's hard to give up buying and what I already don't want or need.

Consumerism has ruined us - as Colin Beavan puts it, this "keeping up with the Joneses" business. Even though I know the only reason I want any of that stuff in the store windows is because I've been conditioned to think I need it, and deep down I DON'T want it, I still struggle daily with the urge to buy.

I have always been uncomfortable buying things secondhand (except books). It's a weird trust thing -- I know for sure if the item is brand-new that I can trust its cleanliness, its ability to work and its durability (insofar as it is durable). It's something I have to get over, and maybe some fun evenings swapping clothes and other belongings -- CD's, magazines, books for those of us who don't live in second-hand bookshops like I do -- will break the ice.

Some things you just have to buy new, though. I draw the line at underwear. I've also got terrible feet and have to buy shoes new, or else I pay with days spent horizontal. In that kind of a case, what do you do? I guess you make sure your shoes go to a good home once you're done with them and suck up the one or maybe two things in your life you just need to buy.

I had to make a list of all the things that I "need" to buy this week, and figure out which I really didn't need or could make, borrow, or get second-hand.

Here is my list:
- food (you buy this new, no getting around it; try to buy with minimal packaging, or reusable packaging like glass)
- a coat and hat, if it gets much colder (researching a second-hand shop here)
- train tickets (it's a must, and you have to have a paper copy, no getting around this)

Short list, eh? Everything else I am tempted to buy, I can probably do without, can't I.

In honor of this auspicious day in which I have promised myself to try my absolute best to stop buying new stuff, I leave you with the Story of Stuff which is a really entertaining video about the effects consumerism has on our earth and what you can do in your own little way.

If you'r einterested in knowing how specific companies stack up, you can go to Climate Counts to check their carbon-output rating. Very interesting stuff!

I'm also looking into recipes for body products like soap and lotion. If you have any please leave them as comments!

That's all for now. It's bedtime here. Toronrrow I take out the trash for the "last time"!

No-Impact beginnings...

Here i am in Vignola, settled in to my hostel for the night with two very nice Spanish girls who are definitely going to think I am weird. So far, being here and gauging the situation, I think certain things will be a snap this week -- I can walk everywhere, for example -- and certain things will be impossible -- I have no control over our general energy consumption, for instance.
Before I began the week I was asked to take a survey which asked me about my general happiness: what percentage of last week I was truly happy, somewhat happy, or down; my general habits in the categories that are addressed during the week: food, energy consumption, transport, water consumption, volunteerism, and trash production; and my hypothesis for the week.
I am generally a pretty happy person, and when I am not happy it's usually related to something like money, work, or traffic jams; sometimes I am really cranky if I haven't eaten properly. Colin Beavan maintains that improving your lifestyle in a "no-impact" way makes you a happier person. At least, that is what he discovered. I think that my particular experience will prove him right; in fact, I already think he's right. In my own experience I have noted this. Take travel. Going by foot means I feel in control of my mobility, for example, and I can go as fast or as slow as I want. Having to plan my meals means I will eat well and healthily. Producing less trash means consuming less and therefore buying less; buying less stuff means spending less money; spending less money means Danielle is happier. I am generally a happier person when I am taking up less room on the planet and being less of a consumer -- this I know already, and it's partly why I am doing this experiment.
In terms of my general habits I am already pretty conscious of how I treat the resources at my disposal and how much I consume. I am a big reuser and recycler, and I don't like to use products that are not natural; I try to buy organic, and in bulk. Here, that is impossible --everything is packaged, so that has been a challenge. I already am a public transport kind of gal. The areas I could improve, I know, are water consumption and energy consumption, and I would like to give back in a small way. I don't have a ton of time to volunteer but it doesn't take much. I would also like to make nearly no trash.

What I think will be most difficult here is eating. Finding products that are not packaged is impossible as I've said, and in Vignola it might be really hard to find anything organic.
My goals are to find out if there is a farmer's market and use it; to use as little of the hostel's resources as possible (ask them to leave my towels, no cooking, only hot water with lemon in the morning as opposed to coffee); and to talk about the experiment with the other singers who are here doing the masterclass week. That last will take a lot of balls for me, since I have never really been the "converting" type. It hink of talking about environmentalism like that is a little bit like evangelism which makes me uncomfortable. I have to get over that.

Iniziamo!

Getting warmed up...

...Because it's finally chilly here! I had to buy a sweater at the travelling Chinatown in the main piazza in Cremona this morning. Funny thing is, it's just a sweater, and it sufficed; I saw ladies in winter coats and toques today!! It was really only about 12!
There is something about fall that makes me really happy. Maybe it's just the changing of the season, or maybe there is a certain brisk, joyful energy that comes from people bustling in the crisp air of a fall morning, when the sun is still shining but your cheeks get red. It makes me think people are somehow more connected .. there is more energy in the air, people smile at each other as they pass, as if to say, "Yep, it's cold, but we're in this together." It's why I love Act 2 of Bohème so much, actually. That scene isn't the same if it takes place in Australia on Christmas Eve. Or is it? Maybe I'm just Canadian to the bone.
Anyway, speaking of community and people coming together --

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ...

my NO-IMPACT PROFILE!!!!

Yes, I am taking the Huffington Post's No Impact Challenge starting October 18th. Inspired by No Impact Man Colin Beavan, it is aimed at people who either have not really thought abotu the impact they are making in their daily lives, or who have thought about it but don't know where to start making changes. It's something I think will be really interesting to try and especially here in Italy, which is not exactly the greenest country.

You can sign up , or just learn more at this link, or read the guide that I'll be following throughout the week.

I would love to have friends do this with me. There are some people in Italy doing it so I belong to that group on the networking site, but there are so few so I've created a worldwide site and there are people everywhere -- Cyprus, South Africa.. one girl from Freiburg, who says her city is an incredible hub of green energy. Something to look into.

Anyway you can follow me as I try this out. I'll be blogging nightly and posting tidbits on there. I'll always link here as well. Looking forward to your comments!

two heads are better than one, I think.

I have weekly Friday afternoon dates with myself.
The Castello Sforzesco Museums, or Musei Civici, are free on Friday afternoons, and they are glorious. You can walk through room after room of ancient Lombardian ruins, Lombardian Renaissance sculpture, and finish at the last sculpture Michelangelo ever worked on, the Rondanini Pietà; you can wander the art gallery and take in the view of the courtyard from the windows; and right now, you can ogle photographs and prints from the original produciton of Madama Butterfly in an exhibit devoted to the opera and guarded by a 400-foot-tall, weeping Cio-Cio San (picture coming).
Or, if the mood strikes and the weather is good, you can just wander the grounds and take in the castle as a sight in itself. It is rather majestic; it's laid out in a large square and fronted by an enormous piazza. In back, Parco Sempione stretches far into the northeast of Milan; previously all that land belonged to the Sforze, who, I suppose, were rich on a Medici scale. The buildings themselves encircle a spacious courtyard and comrise several turrets, a fortress, and a large, imposing central tower.
One of these days I will post pictures. The camera saga ended with me picking up my camera and getting my dad to scour Walmart for an extremely cheap alternative. Consumerism, obsolescence and The Man: one. Danielle's social consciousness: zero.
Anyway, this particular day, I was at the museum in the art gallery alone.
Alone is something I never thought I minded until I came here. I really only mind it sometimes. In fact, I only mind it when I think too much about it.
I really enjoy being alone, so much so that I feared I wouldn't even bother trying to achieve any sort of social life while I was here; I love living alone (I don't here) and eating alone (at home), and I love going to concert, movies, and cafes by myself, and I actively seek out places like libraries and museums where I can move amongst the fixtures and lose myself in my thoughts. Sure, I look at the stuff, but it's like knitting: you occupy your mind with something gross-motor-ish to do so it can abstract itself from reality and figure crap out.
Not that that is why I go to museums -- in fact, I am an avid learner and I like to read all the panels. I really appreciate well-curated collections. But sometimes art or carpets or dead people's stuff can be useful in this way as well. I could never go to a museum and brain-knit with a companion.
Anyway, I, who normally do not mind being alone, mind it here. It's the extremely social aspect of the culture that is a painful reminder of my solitary status. Itlaians travel in packs, and tourists tend to travel in two's, usually lovey-dovey two's; I look twice when I see someone else silently wandering around, because it is so rare. I am still shy about sitting down for a coffee alone here; at home, I have no problem getting my drink at the counter and disappearing into a chair at Second Cup for an hour or two. Maybe it is the lack of anonymity in general that makes it impossible to escape from scrutiny. You have to own up to being alone, because interactions are more personal. But isn't that a good thing? Isn't that what I wanted, or at least part of it?
Also, there are no benches. Because I am too shy to plop down at a table by myself for a coffee, when I have a half hour to kill before a meeting or a concert I am forced to keep walking, walking, walking, until I find a park (few and far between) or enough time has passed. I miss roadside benches.
But you know, sometimes it's nice to be alone. I had a rough day at work and I came to the museum searching for something to evoke a reaction in me, to help the bad mood pass. I guess I wasn't too open to that today. But there is always next Friday.

A great find

A friend of a friend posted a link on Facebook, and I followed it to the 12th annual Torino Environment film festival. I was brought there from this blog, which appears to be dedicated to living green in Italy. Italy is not exactly known for being ahead of the curve in terms of eco-conscious living, but it is the home of the slow food movement, and its vineyards and olive groves are usually organic, if unoffically; people here are huge public transit users, and we recycle and separate our garbage. Their one foible is perhaps the bottled water obsession; my Sigg gets weird looks. But where I'm living we use a Brita, so there are people out there trying.
The link was posted by a guy about my age; I think probably this generation the world over is the one with eyes for anything green. However, the site for the film festival talks about a competition between green families: some have come up with some awesome initiatives, like pedal-operated washing machines (they don't use dryers here, or very seldom), gasoline-less living, and backyard/urban gardening.
I might hop on the train to Torino and try to catch a film!

In the spirit of living green in Italy..
My friend Olivia posted a Facebook group she'd joined called No Impact, and out of curiosity I followed the link here to the Huffington Post. They were so inspired by this guy, Colin Beavan, who has written a book, keeps a blog, etc etc. Turns out they are launching a communal No Impact week where you get to experiment in a guided fashion with ways to reduce and eliminate your footprint, and find out what things you really can live without. The guided week is taking place starting October 18th, so if you're interested, visit the sites and join the mailing list for information on how to participate. That happens to be the week that I will be in Vignola, which is a very small town where it is easy to walk everywhere and buy locally, but I am still going to try it. Then I will do my own week here in Milano.