The Thought Kitchen is our effort at collective inquiry and its power to affect change. Have you ever noticed how the party is always in the kitchen? There are more walls to lean on and people are energized by the proximity to food and drink. Well, welcome to our kitchen, where we hope to tap into everything we love about that feeling—community, vivacious exchange, food for thought.
I killed a bird on the way home from the beach. There was no way of avoiding it. It crossed in front of my car quickly, emerging from the snowy bushes on the left shoulder and flying madly toward the other side of the road. I didn’t have time to react—to do so anyway would have put my family’s life in danger on the icy mountain pass.
I heard the small thud and looked in my rearview to see feathers flying and a black dot in the lane behind us.
I felt bad.
When I told my wife what had happened, it spawned a conversation about the cost of doing the things we love. We talked about the gas used to get to the ocean and my petroleum-laced wetsuit and toxic surfboard. Was the negative impact I had on the environment worth the positive impact the environment had on my life through surfing? Read on »
The Big Apple welcomed Nau with open arms last month, and I’d like to thank everyone for all of the excellent recommendations. While I didn’t spend much time getting to know the greener side of New York, I did spend some time getting to know New Yorkers. On our last night in town a server told us that New Yorkers who visit Portland are never the same. Here are a few things I learned while visiting New York:
1. Shoes. It’s all about the Shoes.
2. If your eyes are open, art is everywhere.
3. Don’t miss a beat or blink an eye when the wildest thing happens right in front of you. Take it in and keep moving.
4. “Lanes” are relative.
5. Eating anything less than amazing food, regardless of the time or your budget, is totally unacceptable.
6. While politeness has its place, being direct is so much more efficient.
7. Women’s clothes look just as good on Men
8. There is a reason why the restaurants name is “Peep”.
9. Respect moving vehicles. They do not, and will not, stop or slow down if you step in front of one.
10. Always look your best because when you least expect it, you could bump into an old college crush. It’s a big city, but a small world.
I’m at that stupid age where all your friends decide to get married at once. You know how it is: where you get to pretend that you LOOOVE pink silk bridesmaid dresses (I do love it, Rebekah!) and that you are excited to celebrate unity and togetherness ad nauseum by flying around the country for frantic three-day visits. Being the nerd I am, I’m not actually concerned about retaining my mental sanity in the midst of the summer of love. Honestly, I’m concerned about my carbon emissions.
Seriously. I bought this plane ticket a few days ago and was offered the option of, for $5.99, purchasing a one trip “TerraPass.” Apparently, with my four trips this year, I am using 129 gallons of fuel, and producing 2,527 lbs of CO2! TerraPass offered me the option of paying to offset these appalling numbers and using that money to fund wind farms, landfill gas capture, and the like. These seemed like worthy causes so I paid my carbon dues for the flight, but I still felt sheepish and slightly evil about flying in the first place. Read on »
I killed a bird on the way home from the beach. There was no way of avoiding it. It crossed in front of my car quickly, emerging from the snowy bushes on the left shoulder and flying madly toward the other side of the road. I didn’t have time to react—to do so anyway would have put my family’s life in danger on the icy mountain pass.
