How to avoid “Black Friday” and get good deals for the holidays

Yep… I’m really excited to share some anti-Black Friday tips.

“Black Friday” is the day after Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day of the year. Consumerism at it’s ugly peak!

If you are interested in avoiding the consumerism and still “contributing to the economy” and getting some good Christmas deals…. read on!

Totally into avoiding consumerism and still having a good time?

Get all revved up and join Reverend Billy on “Buy Nothing Day!” Fabulous Worships, Actions and Online Apparitions!
Come to Church! Wherein we refute, rebuff, and rebuke the mad-dash junkie rush of holiday shopping sin. In the Twin Cities check out the film “What Would Jesus Buy? Buy Nothing Day Screening!” It even includes footage of the Mall Of America…
Friday, November 27, 2009 10:30am.

Want to go green?

Electronics are big now but not everyone can afford them. So we’re heading out to buy refurbished laptops, ipods, etc. I just bought a ThinkPad and Ipod Shuffle today (Wed) at Reboot in Minneapolis for Black Friday prices. Reboot is the online leader in new life, or previously used, electronics. They reclaim, recycle, refurbish and remarket computers, laptops… I called on Monday and Tuesday to check around town for good prices. I was able to check out Reboot’s best prices and the best discounts and get the managers to let me come in today (day before Thanksgiving) and still receive the discount. Not only did I get a great discount, I got great service (not many folks in the store) and the pick of the best technology they offered. I got the tops and not picked-over merchandise!

Eat Green

Other good deals: Bought a Blue Sky Guide so was able to use my coupons at neighborhood co-ops to save over $35 on Thanksgiving dinner! Plus the Blue Sky Guides were offered as part of a fundraiser for my kid who is raising money to go on an environmental learning project next month. AND, they make great Christmas presents at $20 each!

Indigenous Tourism & Biodiversity Website Award nominations by Nov 30th, 2009!

Nominations are open until November 30 for the 2010 Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. As of November 23, 2009 we have five applicants from three countries (Australia, Kyrgyzstan and New Zealand).

About the award
The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is a collaborative effort between Planeta.com and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity/UNEP (CBD) with the generous support of the Heidehof Foundation.

The award is aimed at private tourism services, owned and operated by indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles, and its main objectives are to motivate candidates to improve their online communication on biological and cultural diversity, to highlight their best practices in managing tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way and to raise operators and public’s awareness on biodiversity.

#itbw10

Changes
For the award’s second year, we are making a few changes. First, we ask that operations self-nominate. Behind the scenes we’re adding more judges and we are using more Web 2.0 to develop the award, starting with the award’s very own hashtag: #itbw10 (more info about tags and tagging).

The big news is that in 2010, the International year of Biodiversity, the Reisepavillon will feature the winners and host a web marketing workshop. Mark your calendar. We’ll share the best lessons learned.

Timeline
November 30, 2009 – Nominations close

December 2009 – Confirmation of eligible candidates

January/February 2010 – Online voting

April 2010 – Winners of popular and jury award are invited to a face-to-face web-based marketing workshop at the Reisepavillon in Berlin, Germany

Eligibility and Criteria
Tourism services owned and operated by indigenous people and communities are eligible for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. We prefer to receive applications from operations in business for at least three full years.

The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award creates an opportunity for indigenous people and communities to tell their stories direct to potential visitors by improving their websites. Among the criteria for selection, the website should …

* be regularly updated
* link to other relevant sites
* reflect indigenous ownership, authenticity and heritage
* encourage sustainable livelihoods, respect of life on earth
* be user-friendly
* be trustworthy
* provide clear contextual information
* have text in English
* add the award logo

Bonus points to applicants making the most of Web 2.0 channels, including Blogs, Facebook, Flickr, Google Earth, Twitter and YouTube. If you have these services or an RSS feed, let us know!

I googled “sustainable travel, branson”

cause we’re going to Branson, Missouri.

However, I got

VIRGIN ATLANTIC CHAIRMAN SIR RICHARD BRANSON UNVEILS PLANS TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS FROM AVIATION BY UP TO 25%

The Chairman of Virgin Atlantic, Sir Richard Branson, today called on the global aviation industry to develop a shared solution to the growing issue of climate change. The move follows Virgin Group’s plans to invest $3billion in renewable energy initiatives over the next ten years.

Checked out some local music tonight!

You come to Minnesota to look for some homegrown music? Here’s some historical and tasty suggestions:

Big Daddy Squeeze
Spider John Koerner
Davina and the Vagabonds

Thanksgiving Travel

So we’re heading out onto the road next week, like many families and friends do, to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday together. This time its time to visit my family, so we’re going to meet the Okies. And the place of choice is Branson, Missouri! Not the typical type of travel that we prefer. Branson is sometimes called the Hillbilly Las Vegas because of its cornpone buffets and musicals. Will it be a challenge for us to find sustainable lodging and food? So far it has been tough to track down. Please send me recommendations for organic dining and green hotels. What we do for family!

Salmon-free wines

Nope. Doesn’t mean your wine is free of fish – (mmm… like so many wines are inclined to be…)

“It means that essentially, Salmon-Safe wine growing is an effort to help preserve and sustain Northwest salmon habitats by requiring that vintners commit to not polluting the groundwater and surface water that may flow from vineyards into the streams and rivers where salmon live and spawn. Each vineyard must meet a rigorous set of guidelines specific to efficient irrigation and water conservation measures, erosion control, integrated pest management, and native vegetation and habitat management.”

I’m a serious fan of Washington’s boutique wineries and this is good news! Check out a great article “Tasting Notes: Salmon-Safe Wine”
by the lovely Shannon Borg in Seattle Magazine by clicking the link above.

Also note a program in Oregon at http://www.salmonsafe.org/about/index.cfm

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

I have spent the past couple of weeks thumbing through the book “Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World” by Paul Stamets. As you can imagine from the title, Stamets is practically religious in his message that we can use living systems to solve environmental problems and to restore ecosystems.

One story that stands out in my mind is about his brother’s no-till farming technique. After the produce is cut, the stalks and roots are left in the field. As mushrooms grow in this material they hold the earth in place, absorb and keep more water, and return nutrients to the land. The land stays fertile.

Stamets also discusses the numerous ways that mushrooms have been used as medicine, discussions from the renewal of toxic land to the rehabilitation of toxic human bodies, gardening techniques, how fungi can live off of and absorb and grow on human hair, petro products and other crazy stuff — and compares mushroom growth and shapes to those of galaxies and universes. Could this book be more interesting? And it is written in perfectly readable, understandable English.

My husband Rob and I started taking our son, Anil, mushroom hunting this fall. He was immediately captivated and not only discovered many different types of fungi, but was intensely interested in helping us identify them later. I think part of his interest might have had to do with the fact that many mushrooms are dangerous and have names like “Death Angel,” and sometimes glow – like Jack-o-lanterns. Very cool for 9 year old boys — and I’m happy its mushrooms instead of Play Station 3 warriors… way more organic!

I’m going to have to check Stamet’s book out for another term from the library. It’s too much fun. And I think I might have to start doing mushroom tours! I’ve got some great places in mind — call me if you want to tour both wild and domestic mushroom sites in Minnesota next year!

Truffles-R-Next!

building community

What brings my community together? We love our community councils, beautiful, historic neighborhood and unique shops. Next week we’re meeting to discuss how we can make our urban, capitol city neighborhood more sustainable. What are some things that have happened in other urban neighborhoods to bring people together around “sustainability?”

Love in the Fall

Minnesota seasons roar
None come in smoothly or quietly
One day you are in shorts in the sunshine
Next day you are in parka in the snow
Sun dogs rule!

Regional Flavor Strategies

Working as a consultant to implement and expand the Regional Flavor Strategy at White Earth Indian Reservation and nearby area. Coordinated a meeting Sept 10th that brought together the 6 RF pilot projects with government, nonprofit, tribe and entreprenuers in West Central Minnesota. Working to build small, sustainable businesses (microenterprise) around heritage, culture, arts, foods, and tourism. Look for info at RFCircle.

Other RF participants and interested folks from W. Central Minnesota encouraged to join!

From the AEO website:

Microenterprise Development is a pathway to business ownership for underserved entrepreneurs that generates income, builds assets and supports local economies in creating employment. Most microenterprise development programs provide core services including business training and technical assistance, and access to capital. Other services may include access to markets and technology training.

Why Regional Flavor?

As many rural communities experience a ‘loss of power’ in their traditional economic engines (manufacturing, resource extraction, etc), this project offers new hope and opportunity. Utilizing collaborative efforts to implement a mix of rural economic development strategies that incorporate microenterprise development, regional tourism, cultural and historic assets, and agricultural product development, the Regional Flavor approach supports these entities and entrepreneurs in working together to rethink, redefine, and rebrand themselves and their regions.