Greetings from Alison Wiley here in Portland, Oregon. I'm a writer/doer/thinker who lives happily by putting people, nature and God ahead of accumulating more stuff. Read more →
I feel a little defensive here, so please bear with me. It’s not that I’m antisocial – no, no, I love interacting with people. And it’s not that I’m a Luddite. I love the internet, for example: it’s made this blog possible, which is in the six figures on number of views. Please know, too, that [...]
I know. You never thought you’d hear me yodel with joy about a visit to Radio Shack here at Diamond-Cut Life. I’m not a fan of chain retail shores, nor of buying any more technology than I absolutely need. Which is the exact reason I loved my latest encounter with
Tags: laptops·Luddite·power cords·Radio Shack·retail·technology
Yesterday afternoon I alit at the Amtrak station here in Portland, heavily laden with my laptop, book-bag and purse. It would be quite a trudge to where I needed to go. What should conveniently appear at the curb but a pedicab, pedaled by a lovely young woman named Margaret? Margaret, who leases her pedicab from [...]
Tags: bicycling·carbon footprint·cars·Cascadia Pedicab·fun·green living·happiness·Oregon·outdoors·pedicab·technology
1.) Ads. Don’t want ‘em. I’m jonesing for readership, not dollars. 2.) Hatchet jobs on anyone or anything. I’m here to be constructive, not tear things down. I’ve angered some people with some measured criticism, but at the same time I’ve suggested a positive path they might consider taking. I’ve even rewarded someone who took [...]
Tags: ads·cars·consumption·fun·green living·happiness·life·rich and famous·technology·thrift·water
Vermont has beat out Oregon in becoming the first state to allow people creating their own renewable energy to be paid competitive rates for the energy they are putting into the grid. Vermont’s feed-in tariff legislation passed May 27, 2009, and is a breakthrough in the energy world, which has been dominated by large utilities [...]
Tags: green living·Oregon·renewable energy·technology·thrift
Today’s post is a guest column from Frank Marquardt, author of The Solar Job Guide. The solar industry could create as many as 110,000 jobs over the next two years as a result of stimulus spending, according to the American Solar Energy Society. Now a new book, The Solar Job Guide, tells you how you [...]
Tags: development·Frank Marquardt·green careers·green living·green-collar jobs·happiness·Oregon·renewable energy·solar energy·technology·The Solar Job Guide
It’s the last day of the month, a good day to look at household finances and where money was well spent and less well spent. You know me; I embrace thrift. I continued my theme of drinking less alcohol, including in social settings where ‘everyone’ is drinking, and it’s been wonderful. It saves money but [...]
Tags: alcohol·bicycling·Fred Meyer·Oregon·relationships·Somalia·technology·thrift
Did you know that 40% of trips made in the U.S. are two miles or less in length? That’s walking and bicycling distance. Yet cars are currently being used for most of those trips. So much physical, sensual pleasure being bypassed as we vegetate in our vehicles! And carbon emissions needlessly created. And overweight-ness perpetuated. [...]
Tags: bicycling·carbon footprint·conservation·energy independence·exercise·fossil fuels·fun·happiness·life·outdoors·technology·walking
My experience is that great books are like life-blood to the Diamond-Cut Life (a life rich in joy and low in consumption). I have often been dollar-poor, and though I’m not any longer, good books give me — I think us — an exciting inner life whatever our external status in the world. Reading an [...]
Tags: Anne Lamott·Barbara Kingsolver·books·Eric Brende·happiness·Jared Diamond·technology·thrift
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