Snow!

I'm so happy and so lucky that we didn't get caught in the snowstorm that hit yesterday on our way back from Texas. A snowstorm on the way out and n the way in would have been pretty unlucky.

So I'm back! Texas was really fun and I learned a lot especially about green buildings and water conservation. I know I've said it before, but it's heartening to witness Texans (mostly on a local level) getting something done in terms of non-petroleum based energy and water recycling and conservation.

Some of the stuff was weird, like the conservation program for fish called LunkerShare. A lunker is a fish that weighs 13 pounds or more. The program, sponsored by Budweiser, works by having fisherman call in any lunkers they catch, while alive. The conservation officers will come, pick it up and enter the fish in a breeding program. The fisherman gets a fiberglass replica of his fish, the fish stays alive, gets bred and then released back where it came from. So, technically the word is to prevent catch and kill for no reason and promote conservation of fish stick. But, because it's Texas, they only do that for the big ones, as they are in competition for the biggest fish with California. So, take from that what you will.

We went to San Antonio, Austin (stayed in the green hotel! it was awesome!). We went to the biggest wind farm out in west Texas (so beautiful) and to see a "green " Wal-Mart. We went to a "green " Toyota dealership and met the only woman certified two different ways to sell only green real estate. We met city planners, we met bio gas plant operators, we saw enormous tubs of manure being turned into a cleaner, cheaper alternative to petroleum based fuels. I saw and anti-Bush car sticker in Texas. In Texas, people!

We drove through and made some stops in Kentucky, Arkansas (Hot Springs Arkansas...we went to a traditional bath house and had the whole treatment in ancient marble tubs and steamers, with pure natural mineral hot springs water the whole time), Tennessee (Nashville! Graceland!), we hit up Mardi Gras in Austin and so-on.

It was a good adventure. We had fun. I caught some kind of bronchial cough (whee!) and we drove about 8000 km. Not bad at all.

I have lots of hope about what people can really actually get done in communities, when they really want to. We don't have to rely on petroleum fuels, and it doesn't have to mean a sacrifice of anything except the old ways of doing things. Ans also, we'd be sacrificing dependence on war-bent countries an other fun issues, but hey.

I skimmed over most everything. If you wanna know more or have any questions, please ask or shoot me an e-mail since I don't really know where to start. I hope you all had a great couple of weeks. I'm on catch up for now, so I'll see you sometime later :-)

xoxo