A little off topic but very important anyway

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to take a little time to plug an event that my good friend, Barb, is organizing the NYC for the 5p- Society. It is for a great cause and was motivated by the fact that her son was born with Cri du Chat Syndrome. It is an extremely rare condition and if you know anything about rare conditions, it's that that foundations that support research for them often have a pretty difficult time as opposed to those where more of the population is inflicted. To learn more about the condition, you can follow the link above.

It should be an awesome event and we are sad that we cannot make it. “An Evening With The English Beat” begins with a buffet at 7 PM. Guitarist and lead singer Dave Wakeling will be on hand for photographs and autographs for a donation (bring your CDs and vinyl!) before the show. After the first set, there will be a guest speaker from the 5p- Society and a live auction. You can also bid to perform with the band when they go back on stage. The event is for adults only, so have a drink and bust your 1980s dance moves.The money being raised is to support research into the disease.

If you are in the NY area, I can't think of a better reason to get out and have an awesome time. If, like us, you can't make it, please show support in any way that you can. Thanks.

-Chris

Blog Action Day 2008 - Considering Poverty and Clean Water

Today is Blog Action Day, a day when thousands of bloggers “get together” by blogging about a single subject, hopefully raising awareness and initiating action. Last year the Tiny Bungalow participated by blogging about the environment. This year’s topic is poverty. As part of Blog Action Day, I thought it would be worthwhile to highlight an organization that is working to help impoverished children.

Several years ago, we had the great fortune to be able to travel to China for the adoption of our daughter. It seems almost a cliché when visiting places halfway around the world that people say, “don’t drink the water”. Living in the Great Lakes Region, it is easy to take water for granted. This is probably why it becomes a sort of fixation while traveling. In China, after much research, we decided to heed this warning. We didn’t go the extent that some people did of wearing a bag over our heads while bathing but we took precautions when we ate out as well as preparing food in the hotel room.

While in China, we did a lot of sightseeing, taking in all of the typical tours of the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and so on. We were with a particularly adventurous group so our tours also took us somewhat off the beaten path seeing beautiful Mount Lushan and the unique experience of walking around a traditional rural village.
The reason for our trip gives some clue about the economic conditions of some parts of the country. Walking around the farming village, those conditions were magnified tenfold. Much of what I saw, quaint buildings in various stages of disrepair and tightly packed homes between which chickens roamed freely, was shocking to me.
I am sure that on some level, I held a prejudice because I am a westerner and though not rich, am used to a more opulent style of life but there was something more. Being an architect, I couldn’t help but take notice of the infrastructure of this small conglomerate of homes. Wastewater flowed in narrow ditches between the homes and water for the village came from a single well and pump that was shared by many families.

If the water in our nice hotel room wasn’t “safe”, then what was the quality of the stuff being pumped from this well? If these are the conditions that the average person from China exists in, then what is it like for those that are on the lowest level of the economic ladder? What are conditions like for the typical orphaned child or to a greater extent, anyone cared for under the Chinese social welfare system?
I am still not positive of the answers to these questions but after some research and from what I saw, it didn’t seem promising. It seems that this basic life necessity should be available to all people, no matter where they are or what economic background they come from. For the people that concerned me the most, those tiniest members of society that seem to have fallen through the cracks, something must be done.

Several years ago, we learned of a non-profit organization called “A Child’s Right”. The organization believes that clean drinking water is the right of every child. They work to provide this essential part of life to children around the world. I could go on and on about the merits of this organization but it is probably better for you to learn more on your own. Please visit their website by clicking the link above and if you feel so compelled, help them to achieve their goals with a donation.

Considering the Environment

As a way to celebrate Blog Action Day, I am writing down a list of things that we do here at the Tinybungalow in the hopes that in some small way we will impact the environment in more good ways then bad.

1. Live small.
I am not suggesting that everyone should be living in an 800 square foot home but it is worth considering why people in our country seem to need so much space. Regardless of how energy efficient your home is, an extra two or three thousand square feet per home is just not sustainable.2. Live in an old home.
If you don't have to build it, you don't have to use resources to manufacture it and you will create less waste during construction. The greenest building you can build is the one that you don't build at all.

3. Get off your butt and walk.

I hate driving so this is an easy one. When we chose this home, we knew we wanted something near public transit and within walking distance to park, school, and village. Burning off the last meal you ate will do yourself and the environment much more good than burning fuel in your car.

4. Recycle.

It doesn't take a lot of time to have an extra garbage can for recyclable items. If we could find the space for it, then anyone can. If it can be used again, help to put materials into the recycling pipeline.

5. Re-use and Re-purpose.

We love Craig's list and e-bay. Old stuff is usually cooler than new stuff anyway. Now, we don't buy everything used but there is so much that you can buy and sell so why not do it? An old piece of furniture will do more good in your home than it will in the area landfill.

6. Compost.
A lot of people think composting is rocket science. We do not have a composter - I prefer to layer stuff in a big pile. The result is great. If it can help out your garden then why would you throw it away?7. Repair, don't replace.

I am a fan of our old plaster walls, the wood windows, and just about every part of this old home. There are some good reasons to update particular items in old homes but why create waste and use resources when you have something that works and is currently in your home.

8. Go bottle-less

It is tough to avoid them - this is one item that we have had some difficulty embracing but so far, so good. To help the water taste better, buy a water filter and instead of buying several cases of water a week, use refillable bottles. The nice part is that we save money.9. Put in some CFLs.Look, they even have holiday ones now!10. Install a rain barrel

Putting in a rain barrel is not the easiest thing to do and it does add a little more maintenance to the house. We love them though. Why pay for water when it's free?