Changes in Attitudes...

From Patagonia's website.

I wanted to share some changes we have made since reading the book Everything Must Change by Brain D. McLaren...The book asks the basic question...

"How do the life teachings of Jesus address the most critical global problems in our world today?

Some of these social injustices I was aware of, others I was not. I thought I was doing an okay job of taking care of God's creation and His resources, I was not.

• We no longer use bottle water...ever! We have a filter on our tap and we drink that water.



• I recycle...faithfully! I was sporadic at best before.



• I have become a vegetarian almost completely. Most of our country's processed meats come from South America and that country is destroying it's Rain Forests to keep up with our demand for meat. In the past India and China were mostly vegetarians but they are now adopting a more western "meat eating" lifestyle. It also takes more water and land use to raise cattle than crops. (I did have a bite of a baby back rib, the other day!)



• We are now a one car couple and we plan our use of the vehicle daily.



• We have set our air-conditioning on 80 degrees. I am now cold almost any store I go in to because I have adjusted to that temperature.



• I shop only at stores that are rated an A or B by Better World Shopper.



• I consume far less than ever. I buy only what I need and look for environmentally friendly goods.



• I use cloth bags when I shop. No more plastic!



• When people say things that I believe are not factually accurate...I speak up. We can change this, we don't have to have a defeatist attitude and small changes CAN make a difference. No, I am not asking you to live in the "Dark Ages!"



• I use fair trade and organic items as much as possible. It IS the new name brand.

I am learning new ways of living...change doesn't have to be scary! I will continue to make more changes as I learn more.Find out what is the best possible solution for YOU and make small changes and share what you have learned. I would love to hear and maybe others would to.

A quote from Everything Must Change by Brian D. McLaren

..."The other day I saw two bumper stickers, spin-offs from the WWJD (What would Jesus do?) bracelet phenomenon of the 1990's--

WWJB and WWJE:

What Would Jesus Bomb? and Who Would Jesus Exploit? Bumper stickers aren't a good venue for serious theological reflection, but they can raise some good questions that deserve deeper reflection after a hard day of shopping for a bargains."

As for me, I can't just sit on the pew in my church or work on a committee anymore without these thoughts filtering every moment. I now ask myself daily"What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? For me, it means my acts of consumptions can not harm another person or the place where they will raise their families. My talent, my treasure and my time will go towards taking care of God's creation and His people. I may not be the most polite girl in church (okay, so I wasn't before) but I am going to speak up when I feel God's creation and His people are not being taken care of!

What are you going to do?

Sweet Deal...for Big Sugar

Okay, a disclaimer of sort's is necessary, again,....These are my thoughts and opinions hence the title Ronda's Rants not Hubby's Rants or Adult Children's Rants or even my Church Family's Rants and Oh, especially not my Parents' Rants. They are mine and other's may or may not agree, probably not... but again to make perfectly clear these thoughts are all mine!



I would like you to consider that if I damaged the wetlands on my property in Florida with any of my actions both private or through my business...I would be fined and made to clean it up! You are not allowed to redirect water flow or cut down any plant life on your private property if you have wetlands due to the Clean Water Act, also dumping huge amounts of phosphourous is a "No-No", which I do believe it is as it should be. If I could not pay my fines or clean up my land, a lien would be placed on my property. I could be forced to sell my property and if government decided that my property was for the betterment of the community...I could lose my property through eminent domain. I understand this. What I do not understand is every one's excitement over the deal our Governor has made with Florida Sugar. Government officials and Environmentalist are said to be "Giddy" with excitement.

Big Sugar has through the business of growing sugar very nearly destroyed the Everglades and the company management has been given a sweetheart of a deal. Former Sugar executives have stated that they feel Florida is overpaying or bailing out a company that is burdened with debt and while it's company is dealing with lawsuits from former employees due to questionable pension dealings.

Florida will pay $1.75 Billion dollars for United States sugar, which will have six years to continue farming before turning over 187,000 acres, along with 2 sugar refineries, 200 miles of railroad and other assets. The details of this deal does not require legislative approval...(just a bunch of lobbyists working it out, I guess) This purchase will be paid for with bonds and from fees already added to water bills. Now, we haven't been able to get Big Sugar to clean up their mess so far, so now that we are buying them out; What is to stop them from changing their wicked ways these next six years?
Now, that our Governor has this nice "shell game" with the Florida Everglades going, we are supposed to overlook the fact that he will ruin our tourists industry with drilling for "black gold" off the Florida coastline!
Meanwhile, Florida needs to make further cuts to education!

It's called Ronda's Rants because their mine.

Okay, a disclaimer of sort's is necessary, actually it was necessary awhile ago but....
These are my thoughts and opinions hence the title Ronda's Rants not Hubby's Rants or Adult Children's Rants or even my Church Family's Rants and Oh, especially not my Parents' Rants. They are mine and other's may or may not agree, probably not... but again to make perfectly clear these thoughts are all mine!
Mouth stops here!
I just want to say that drilling for oil off our coast will not lower your gas prices anytime at all. Making the big oil companies pay taxes on their huge windfall profits will not lower you gas bill either and taxing them at a higher rate won't either. Because for all of the above, they will further the cost of said exploration and raised taxes to you the consumer! That's how business is supposed to work here in America and I think it should otherwise you are living in a country like Venezuela! If you want to lower gas prices, invest your money in alternative energy and buy energy efficient vehicles and MOST importantly drastically reduce your usage of gas! This is based on supply and demand and that does not mean we demand you supply us with gas! That only puts us between a rock and an oil barrel!
So stop using this product drastically and watch the prices go down. You will have to sacrifice and change the way you do things for this to happen!
Also, stop forwarding those emails that tell you to stop using oil from certain oil companies on certain days and then your gas prices will go down. No they won't!
Please do everyone a favor and check those out at http://www.snopes.com/ before you hit forward!

Okay, I think I will walk somewhere now.

I'll have another cup...

Two things I like...coffee and fair trade. I have added another link I like (boy, are they growing!) it's called Saint's Coffee. Check out their site, you can get coffee, (good) at a fair trade price, (good) and you will help out an orphan (what could be better!)

Well, I'll tell you what I wish every church in this country would do...stop using plastic and Styrofoam cups and those God awful plastic stirrers! Have everyone bring their own mug from home or the church could offer reusable mugs with that cup of coffee to people who come to church.

Coffee...good, Styrofoam cups and plastic stirrers...bad!

Enjoy your weekend...my hubby is coming home!

Who is the unwelcome visitor?

This monster was recently found walking the neighborhood, but considering a housing development was built in his neighborhood, can you blame him for being lost?

Maybe, saving wetlands are important for him and us...

Don't waste it!

Americans are wasteful; We weren't always like this. Somewhere between the "Greatest Generation" and this one we have become consumers and gluttons who fill landfills up with the old only to purchase the "stuff of now" to later become the "landfill of tomorrow." We want our lives to look like glossy magazines and a sixty second commercials. Friends of ours recently rented a U-haul and threw away most of their possessions and replaced them with new possessions because they could, meaning they had the financial resources to do this. My friends know of my opinion of this...long ago my friends have labeled me a bleeding heart liberal. One friend who liked the coffee I gave him one evening asked where I got it and I said "Starbucks and it was their fair trade brand"...he smiled at me and shook his head and said "You're funny, Ronda." Another friend owns more cars than they have family members and they are not a car dealer.

While I love them all, my feelings over this...our country's culture of wastefulness seem ready to make me scream! These first mentioned friends could have called any charitable organization and they would have probably picked up these items gladly as they were still fairly new...just not "new to the minute." Sadly, my friends are not alone in their behavior and at times in my live I have shared in this mindset. As I have said earlier in a blog our business is in construction...there is a considerable amount of waste happening on any given construction site everyday. Corporations and individuals buy homes all the time with just the thought of the land beneath them and they have these homes or buildings torn down and these structures become part of a landfill. How wasteful!

If everyone would just stop and ask"Do I really need a new whatever?" or "Could I just have this repaired or repainted?"

And if after that you decide I just have to have this latest and greatest whatever, could you ask yourself "Who could I give this whatever to so that it might stretch the live of this whatever so it doesn't end up in a landfill today?"
Our culture of consumerism is choking the air we breathe, poisoning our water and top soil. Yet, still we buy, buy, buy.

I was in banking for ten years and I learned this from my customers...
The wealthy looking aren't the ones with money and a rich life has nothing to do with money or possessions.

I have found an organization called http://www.freecycle.org/ and it is a non-profit and their mission is about re-using stuff and keeping it out of landfills. You may list items you have to give away or items you are seeking. Check it out over at my favorite links.

Want not? Waste not!

Walking...a great way to use less gas and lose weight!

Almost everyone I know is either dieting or wanting to lose weight myself included. I have gained ten pounds over these last ten years, they just came and never went away. Magic, right? I have decided to not focus on the weight any longer but rather if I am honest with myself I would have to admit, I am eating quick, less than healthful meals and getting less exercise and much less sleep. All the ingredients to put on weight. So, I am going to focus on being more active and getting plenty of rest and I am going to eat healthy but also enjoy my food as well. I saw on CNN that most Americans do not get enough sleep at night for a variety of reasons and this contributes to weight gain. If you walk for thirty minutes every evening...you will lose weight, sleep better and have a lot of money. Okay, the last one was a lie but the others are true. Walking is also a great green tip. So...I am back to walking, not just on my treadmill but also in the great outdoors... tell me..What are you doing to be more active?

Special Note: Walk more than two hours before your bed time otherwise it will not help you with restful sleep. You will need an adequate cool down time.

Gather no more.

Kindred spirit...I have found a couple of people in my life who I just immediately clicked with, granted they are usually irreverently funny and it helps if they are a liberal democrat but that is not always a prerequisite. But, lately my love of shopping and gift giving has made me feel badly about the effects of all the consumerism on our planet. I haven't found many people who feel as I do about shopping much, much less and passing up on all the latest fashion trends. Not until this morning, that is, when I opened the St. Pete Times and read the article by Justin George titled "The stuff of irony no more" then I knew I had found a kindred spirit in Barbara Rhode, a person I didn't even know. She is also doing something to control and rethink her ideas of shopping as am I. Her words were my thoughts and feelings and so after reading the article, I decided to check out her blog named Grandma goes green (she is even a grandmother, just like me.) I have listed it in the section "Blogs I like." If you have a minute check her out...she seems like a smart woman! Who doesn't love a smart woman?

Small changes matter...

My hubby and I spent Friday evening at Busch Gardens and I bravely rode the sky ride. Fun...right up until it broke down, it was stopped just for ten minutes but for a coward that seems like a life time. I survived the experience and it was very nice otherwise. I enjoyed walking in the new Jungala section, the tigers were beautiful and amazing to watch. The park has this beautiful mural which they encourage you to buy beads and eventually the beads will fill in all the colored spaces. With each bead purchased money is given to Busch Garden's conservation fund. The symbolism of each bead, is that of a person who is making a small change but all together those changes will change the picture of the world. That idea was the inspiration behind the mural and the beads. I liked the idea that each one of us can make small changes and collectively change how the world looks. So many of us think because we are just one person... why bother? But it really does begin with one person and that one person's effect on another and so on.

We have gifts that differ according to grace given to each of us, let each exercise accordingly.
Romans 12:6

Axis of evil closer to home.

So, the oldest son said my green tips are "weak." My point was to provide easy things that can make a big difference. We actually do use bags from home or carry out items in our arms when we forget the bags which does happen on occasion. We prefer also to do most of our shopping in bulk, many items are cheaper and have less packaging but it also cuts down on trips to the grocery store. We have set our air conditioner to 78 degrees and turn it off most nights. I haven't seen electrical bills this low in quite sometime. Was this an adjustment to us? Yes. But it has been worth it in savings to our budget and we feel good about our actions toward the environment. The biggest adjustment for us has been from two vehicles to only one. It helps that my husband and I have our own business so often we are going to the same location still this has resulted in quite a few "think ahead" moments. I love saving gas money and dropping insurance for the gas guzzling truck we sold. I personally feel if there was an axis of evil it would involve an oil company and an insurance company! You'll notice the insane profits both are receiving even during this "down turn" in our economy. The biggest change in our lives will be occuring in our business as we are in the construction industry. We would like to start working with like-minded contractors who care about the environment. It is a very exciting time. God is good.

Going Green...Mint Green to start...

Our family through a series of "God moments" has started to be very conscious about our environment. We recently read a book, Everything Must Change by Brian D. McLaren with a group of people who are politically diverse but all with the same love of God and his creation. And while we didn't agree on everything we did agree on many things. I am learning about renewable resources, sustainable practices, conserving , recycling. I have also learned that while free trade is important, fair trade is just as important. I am learning that some changes will need to take place in how we do things for us to have a sustainable life. Now, sustainable means future generations not just mine, being able to do things like have clean drinking water, clean air and non toxic top soil. It is very important we address problems without creating others but I feel if we can put people on the moon we can solve these problems. I am learning how to recycle, I am conserving water and trying to use less gasoline. I am have put a water filter on my faucet so I don't use plastic water bottles anymore and I drive much less. This has cost very little and has actually saved me money but more importantly I feel I am helping save the planet! I am going green, mint green to start.

What a lot of stuff!

The name of this blog is Ronda's Rants...so this is my first rant. We, Americans seems to consume so much and waste it as we go. I think of how much stuff I have in my life and how many things I have that are "wants" and not really needs. I have decided that I am going to consume less and try to be satisfied with what I have. This sounds so simple but I am like a consumer junkie who has had her supplier cut her off. Not a pretty sight. I had watched the Story of Stuff and realized how true this was for me ( if you haven't seen it...I encourage you to watch it) and how I really wanted to change! A journey begins with a simple step, so for my birthday I told my three grown children "no presents" for my 50th birthday. If they felt like honoring me to please make a donation to my favorite charity, they took it an extra step and invited my friends to honor me in the same way. I can truly say it has been the most amazing birthday ever! I have great friends who are as generous as they are kind. My day has been filled with opening beautiful cards with kind thoughts and generous gifts to people who have actual needs. I am blessed beyond measure with my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my siblings, my extended family and most of all my husband. It has been a beautiful birthday!!! I am less fearful about trying to comsume less because it has felt wonderful to celebrate my birthday this way.

But Jesus immediatly said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Matthew 14:27