Mass PowerShift lobbied in the Statehouse in Boston (see previous article) to encourage lawmakers to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act before the end of the legislative period. And they did!

A few days ago, right before the summer break, Massachusetts committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by the year 2020 and 80% by 2050. It is a good first step, a statement of intent that allows investors, industry, government, scientists and all citizens to focus their efforts towards a carbon free economy and can make Massachusetts, with its overflow of brainpower and technological capabilities, one of the leaders of new development in the country.

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Carrotmob is an innovative group creating innovative ways for concerned individuals to come together and create real change in a lighthearted way, and I’m proud to say that I will be working with them and an awesome team of volunteers to create an event in New York City this fall!

What really excites me about Carrotmob is that it is about bringing people together for a shared, do-able goal that has a lot of impact. It’s somewhere between remembering to bring your reusable bags to the store and re-inventing our entire infrastructure and it also looks like a really good time.

This video explains what Carrotmob is about much better than I could so please check it out! I’ve started a Facebook group (search for Carrotmob NYC) which anyone can join to stay current on dates, events, and opportunities to get involved.

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Personal development is a topic tailor-made for the web. Alone in an office at a boring job, or in a quiet moment in an otherwise hectic day, reading practical tips on how to improve our lives is both a balm and a beacon—such stories make us believe that we can improve ourselves, or at least we can feel better by reading about how.

From increasing productivity to picking up more and hotter chicks, advice and how-tos abound, and there’s a lot of great stuff out there—I myself am particularly fond of Steve Pavlina’s experimental, experiential, sometimes esoteric take, and I’m supergeeked for his book to come out in the fall.

But for years I read these articles without my life ever dramatically changing. And, judging from forum postings and the continued popularity of PD material, I don’t think my experience is unique.

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Lately I’ve been dreaming about where I want to live in the near future, what sort of home environment I envision creating, including the physical structure and people around me.  I know that I don’t want to live alone in an apartment.  The kind of space I envision living in is one with other adults in a community where resources are shared and more importantly where ideas, dreams and hopes are welcomed for the purpose of evolving ourselves and our natural and built environments. This is what the kind of space I want to create and abide in looks like. 

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Food is probably one of the first things people think of when they are trying to save money and when they are trying to save the planet. It is probably the largest of our easily controlled expenses and with food prices rapidly rising a lot of people are looking for ways to eat a healthy, more sustainable diet for less. You can have some serious impact on your wallet, your waistline, and the planet, but you need to be flexible. Eating like royalty on a budget really does call for some compromise.

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