Gross Polluter?

Have no fear Carbon Offset Kiosks coming soon to an airport near you to rescue you from the guilt of flying and leaving all that carbon emission in the atmosphere!

So what are you actually buying? You get a piece of paper that describes an offset project purportedly sanctified by the city as "real, quantifiable, and permanent greenhouse gas reductions". According to an environmental lawyer it's better than nothing, for awareness generation alone, but is unsure about the validity or value of the purchase. The kiosks cost $200,000 to install and are currently operating out of SFO where they charge about $34 per passenger for a 6000 mile trip, roughly 6 cents per mile. It has been reported, however, that San Francisco is charging 60 times the actual cost of the offset with a portion of the proceeds feeding the San Fransisco Carbon Fund.

The way I see it not traveling creates other environmental strains. What's next?

Step Forward Day

In memoriam for the victims of September 11th that day is a nationally recognized day of service. The alumni association at Pepperdine University is actively involved in community improvement efforts and encourages all alum to participate. When I heard that my local chapter had partnered with Habitat for Humanity I was eager to sign up and see what the organization is all about. I confess, my volunteerism is auxiliary to my charitable giving and as a consequence I am not very well versed on the inner workings of many do-good-er operations. My favorite and most trusted organization, IMC, reduces me to a fund raiser and donor, since my skill set does not include that of a trained medical professional so I have to seek out other groups to volunteer with locally.

I have heard good things about Habitat. Their main mission, and a bold one, is to eradicate homelessness and poverty housing worldwide. Candidates are chosen on a need basis although the criteria is unclear. This is accomplished by offering a couple of different models. The overarching one that most people identify with is the new build whereby candidates make a nominal monetary investment and a whole lot of sweat equity in exchange for a interest-free 30 year mortgage. Building materials and supplies are donated as is the labor involved in the construction project. A program called A Brush With Kindness is a way to partner with community members to improve existing homes for those families in need.

Our project today was A Brush With Kindness in a Los Angeles residence. Like I said the selection process seems a little ambiguous and I am trying to refrain from being judgmental in any way but I was a little more than miffed about this particular project. The homeowner is an elderly lady who has owned the home for 23 year years. The house is a spacious, well-kept Spanish style with signature tile roof and original wood-frame paned windows. The Habitat staff made a big deal about how she works with seniors in her retirement. To me, it seems like an unbalanced pay back for contributions she's made to her community to have a collective of 15-20 volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, Americorps, and Pepperdine University repaint the exterior of the house while 2 able bodied young men sat watching football all day.

I hate myself for having these feelings and am sure I'm going straight to hell but how do I sign on for a such a gift? My house, certainly the landscaping, leaves much more to be desired than this so called needy homeowner. The saddest part is that most of this woman's neighbors could have benefited from the help offered by this organization. Many of the surrounding homes are in a state of ill-repair and dilapidation yet the target property was nothing more than an ugly color.

My excitement about doing something that significantly improves life for a deserving family has been somewhat tainted. I my search continues for a deserving organization committed in practice to their stated mission.

Idyllic Idyllwild

A gem in the Southern California landscape is the charming hilltop town of Idyllwild. Nestled at the summit of the San Jacinto mountains this art enclave is a throwback to simpler times. We first discovered Idyllwild on one of our trips to Palm Springs when we decided to take the mountain route. It is a picturesque drive up the winding road to an altitude of about 7000 feet. The surprise (for me anyway) at the top is a village committed to art and nature's beauty. I had no idea that there is a world-renowned art institute attended by artists world-wide in the heart of the community. Otherwise, it is a sleepy hollow where urbanites escape to in order to breathe some fresh air and reinvigorate on the numerous challenging hiking trails. The streets are littered with art galleries and artisans crafting their wares. Another delighful surprise is the gastronomic accomplishments. For such a teeny town there are some amazing restaurants. My favorite is the Cafe Aroma operated with life and precision by Frank Ferro who's one of those guys you just feel like you've known forever. Live entertainment all day turns this enchanting eclectic forest dining experience into a fun sing-along - especially since the wine list is enviable.

We decided at the last minute that we'd like to go up for one night over the Labor day weekend. As luck would have it there was room at the inn and since Idyllwild is a pet friendly town we brought our pup up to wind down the summer in nature. We arrived around noon hour on Saturday and spent the afternoon meandering the galleries and thrift stores in town after a hearty and fresh lunch at Natures Health Food and Cafe - I had the Mediterranean platter - highly recommended. We had invited some friends to join us and they arrived around 5pm. Our dinner reservations were at 7:30. They only had an inside table but we have the dog. Frank in his most accommodating manner invited our sweet, well-behaved Jackson to sit inside. He didn't make a peep and most of the patrons didn't even know he was there. We had a beautiful meal, great conversation, and lively entertainment.

After a knock up on Sunday morning of gourmet coffee, freshly baked scones and homemade jam, Jackson and I set off on a nice brisk walk over to the Nature Center. Our friends wanted to get home early and since there is not too much to the town of Idyllwild we hadn't already explored we left after breakfast at Gnome (I recommend The Bread Basket). I was going to be attending a birthday party the next day and wanted to pick up a little trinket for the birthday girl so we popped in to a little shop on the way out of town. The shop is full of handmade finds from Nepal. It turns out the shopkeep imports good from his native Nepalese village to sell in Idyllwild in order to finance treks in Nepal with groups of Americans he gathers throughout the season. Nepal (along with Tibet) is my number one destination in this life. How serendipitous was this encounter! Idyllwild is truly a magical and surprising little gem.