Flow 4/17/2011 Issue 6

Flow is based on Sustainable Seattle's Happiness Initiative and is inspired by Vinyasa, which means one leading to another. Flow gives small, but important steps that can improve one's contentment amongst all nine domains of happiness. Flow is a weekly jolt of inspiration, pragmatism and a collection of local events that will raise our happiness. Health  4/17/2011-4/23/2011    Issue 6 This week we are focusing on Health and more specifically physical health habits.  We are going to learn some basic steps someone can take to give their body a better chance at getting the nutrients and exercise it needs to ease our minds and raise our happiness.    The most important step when taking on a change in habit is to start small.  Habit change takes time and it takes small victories to achieve lasting change.  So, the first step I recommend is a small one, but vastly important, eat breakfast. A balanced breakfast will have some sort of whole grain, fruit, and calcium source.  Examples of simple, yet effective breakfasts are: 1. Whole wheat bagel with jam, glass of milk and a banana. 2.  Whole grain cereal with milk, yogurt and a few apple slices.  3.  Fruit smoothie and whole grain toast. 4.  Morning Sandwich with whole grain bread, tomato, lettuce or spinach, lean protein and a glass of milk. Breakfast can be premade at night in case any of you are thinking: who has time for breakfast?  I plan out my breakfasts before I go to bed and have the ingredients ready to go for the morning.  Once again it is not about huge changes, but smaller important changes. Studies have shown that a healthy breakfast has many benefits such as: better concentration and mood, more strength and endurance, and weight control.  People who eat breakfasts have fewer cravings before lunchtime, healthier metabolism and energy to get their day started without a eleven o’clock crash that coffee and high caloric foods for breakfast can induce. An additional tip for this week is to get rid of your snooze button alarm clock or disable your snooze function on your phone or computer.  Getting up just ten minutes earlier will give you the time to eat breakfast and gather your thoughts before the start of the day.  If you have planned out your breakfast the night before, you can use the extra time to have a pleasant beginning to your day instead of a harried, hurried rush. Recommendations This week’s website recommendation is: Nutrition.gov This week’s book recommendation is: Good Food, Great Medicine by Miles Hassell M.D, Mea Hassell Sign up for the weekly newsletter. Support The Flow Campaign		Flow Suggests: Peter Kahn: Technology as a Poor Surrogate for Nature Community, Cultural, Environmental www.townhallseattle.org Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | 7:30 – 9pm   Beyond Empire: Peace and Sustainability Community, Governance, Psychological Health www.compassionateactionnetwork.com Thursday, April 21, 2011      7PM  - 9PM   Earth Day Dance Community, Culture, Health, Environmental www.sustainableseattle.org Friday, April 22, 2011 7:30 PM

Choosin' not excusin'

I've been writing so much lately, but for other people that I haven't chosen to write for my own damn self in a while.  I hate going more than a few days between blog posts so dear reader, I apologize.

I've been in a few heady conversations lately in the past few days and I must say the intellectual stimulation is like licking a battery.  I feel refreshed, charged up and ready to keep on keeping on.  Oh, by the way if you hadn't read my latest post for Sustainable Seattle, ya really should.  It's one of my better ones and you can check that out right hee-ah.

Ya see, this week has been all about the benjamins both locally, and nationally.  The president gave a speech that outlined his budget plan that is a middle of the road approach to fiscal responsibility and I've been trying to craft my own middle of the road approach to rent and bills.  I figure if I give them the middle of the bill, they should be happy with that.  I mean after all I could easily skip out on payment at all right?  So what's wrong with a little few dollars hee-ah few dollas dare?

Okay I will speak English for the rest of this post.  I'm just in a goofball mood I guess.  The president had a few good lines in his speech about how we cannot afford to give the wealthiest 1% more tax cuts when it would take 33 seniors to pay for every one rich person's tax cut.  When it comes to our tax code we really have slid from the progressive tax code that has been the basis for our continued economic success for the past 100 years.  It is like we've forgotten that we are not self reliant no matter how much we adhere to the lone cowboy Marlboro Man grilling his freshly caught rabbit over an open flame in the middle of rattlesnake country out on the ol range.

We are dependent on each other and the best security we have is the security of mutually assured construction.  We need the engineers, architects, teachers, policemen, farmers, and shop owners because none of us has the entire skill set in order to survive.  Let's stop pretending that what happens to our neighbor doesn't affect us.  Let's choose compassion and community.

The Flow Campaign 4/10/2011 Issue 5

   4/10/2011-4/16/2011    Issue 5

Community Vitality This week we are focusing on Community Vitality which is the idea that true happiness comes from the connections and relationships we build with the people around us in our homes, our neighborhoods and our work places. Most working adults spend the vast majority of their waking time at the workplace.  People who work forty hours a week spend more time with their coworkers than they do with their family and much more time than with their friends.  Therefore, it is essential for us to make our work environment community a more pleasant, meaningful place. So what are some actions we can take to make our work places more pleasant and more enjoyable?  Here are a few ideas that can transform the experience we have at our workplaces. Firstly, eating is fundamental to the human experience and many people working at full time jobs do not either eat properly or eat with others.  Eating with your coworkers is one of the first steps to take to establish and grow a more pleasant work environment.  When eating with coworkers I would first start by eating on the work campus when appropriate as this will tie the experience with the workplace. Secondly, get rid of your headphones or other personal devices that separate you from your surroundings.  Audio clues are so important to relationships, but body language is even more so.  The act of putting on isolating devices sends a strong signal to others that you do not care to interact and that you don’t value the ambient discussions and hubbub of office life.  Thirdly, come In to work early.  When you are relaxed and rested the day at work is a more pleasant experience as you do not need to be running around and catching up with duties or actions that need to be done.  When you have plenty of time every other action becomes easier and with less effort.  Also, when you come in early you can spend that time chatting with coworkers, getting the best coffee and of course impressing the boss. Lastly, listen more.  Coworkers are starving for attention and if you are a person whom they can talk to about small, and the most important, things they will pay you back in favors, friendship and respect.  Recommendations This week’s website recommendation is: Sustainable Industries This week’s book recommendation is: Not On Our Watch by Don Cheadle, John Prendergast Sign up for the weekly newsletter.		Brian Kahn:  Getting Back to Our Founding Values Community, Governance, Cultural www.townhallseattle.org Monday, April 11, 2011 | 7:30 – 9pm   Seattle for Japan Benefit Community, Material www.seattlegreendrinks.org April 12, 2011      5:30PM  - 9PM   Jane Fonda, Inspirational Luncheon Community, Culture, Health www.ywcaworks.org April 14, 2011 Noon-1:30PM

Just a quickee

Just a stream of thoughts today I'm afraid.  I've been so busy lately and when you are working as basically your own boss, sorta, the time really does start to become the most valuable commodity you have. It reminds me of why my work with the Flow Campaign is so important.  I have really taken the lessons I've been learning from this work to heart.  Time is the premium.

Yesterday I did some initial shooting of a site visit for the Sustainable Rain project for Sustainable Seattle.  The location was on the corner of MLK and Union in a formerly vacant lot that was overrun by blackberries, brambles and broken furniture.  Across the street is a Grocery Outlet, a cafe espresso stand, and a series of houses with no fences, dogs and comic book readers who flip through superhero hijinks while taking drags off of early morning cigarettes.

The neighbors are all behind the new project that is being lead by a fiscal sponsoree of Sustainable Seattle, Green Plate Special.  The project is all about teaching youth about healthy eating, cooking and urban agriculture.  It takes youth who have not had the training and examples of a well rounded diet or even the baseline knowledge of where food comes from or what it takes to bring that food from farm to table.

The Flow Campaign 4/3/2011 Issue 4

4/3/2011-4/9/2011   Issue 4

Environmental Quality The truth of the matter is that we cannot wait any longer for our leaders to make the tough decisions in regards to environmental quality.  Elected officials can only follow what their constituents are already taking steps to address.  Our individual actions can have a huge positive impact on our surroundings. This week we will focus on some small steps that we can take as individuals to improve our own environmental quality in the form of energy use reduction. First the things we can do around the house that are simple, but practical to both reduce our energy use and reduce our energy bills. 1.     Turn off lights and electronic equipment when not in use. 2.     When a light bulb burns out replace it with a Compact Fluorescent Bulb. 3.     Turn your heat down to 55 degrees or less at night or when you are not home. 4.     If you have access to your water heater, turn it down to 120 degrees. 5.     Shut down computers when not in use. 6.     Always wash full loads of dishes and clothing. Next let’s talk about the main problem which is over-consumption.  We cannot completely rule out buying material goods as we do have legitimate needs and desires when not overindulged are a good thing.  Let’s focus on a few ways we can reduce our consumption or make some fundamental changes that are practical. 1.     Wait 24 hours before buying something you see in a store that was unplanned. 2.     Do not buy “Green” products when the materials you have are still perfectly functional. Only buy new products to replace defective or broken items. 3.     We cannot buy our way out of climate problems; we need to reduce our material accumulation. 4.     When purchasing materials try to purchase in bulk or purchase items with less packaging. 5.     Buy local products when you can to reduce amount of travel for the item. 6.     Make a shopping list and stick to it.  If you see an item that you really want add the item to your shopping list for your next trip.   Recommendations This week’s website recommendation is: Seattle Public Library Events This week’s book recommendation is: The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget by Josh Dorfman Sign up for the weekly newsletter.		Steve Koonin: America’s Energy Challenge Environmental, Governance www.townhallseattle.org Monday, April 4, 2011 | 7:30 – 9pm   Disaster Preparedness Training Community, Material www.sustainablewestseattle.org April 7, 2011      6PM  - 7 PM   Plate of Nations Community, Culture www.plateofnations.com Through April 9,2011