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Check out this unique and overdue idea: On April 10, the College of Public Health at Ohio State University will hold a free online teach-in on energy, climate change, water, agriculture and population. I'm definitely putting this on my calendar.

"Converging Environmental Crises" is a Web-based conference featuring more than a dozen health and environmental experts who will provide live and recorded presentations. Details here.

Just with eco-festivals that practice what they preach by recycling/composting their waste, this conference gives the public access to information without requiring them to hop in a plane or car to get it. Perhaps our local universities could look at doing Web-based conferences.

The Green Festivals held each year also has a good practice of providing audio and video of their speakers online to the public, a vital service if you hope to expand your message beyond the activists and entrepreneurs who can afford to take the trip. And one organization blogs the presentations at a recent conference in the United Kingdom.

I expect that everyone who makes a major lifestyle change has that symbolic act that represents to themselves and to the world a new beginning. Perhaps it is the cutting up of a credit card, the tossing of a whole pack of cigarettes into the trash or the dusting off of a book of neglected sacred literature.

I often reflect on what act encouraged me to transition to a more sustainable, natural lifestyle. One defining moment that gave me the courage to ignore cultural expectations and be true to myself was the decision in the fall of 2006 to cut my hair.

What's the big deal about that? Well, I had never before cut my hair more than a few inches. I loved the feel of my hair brushing my shoulders and blowing in the wind, and to be honest, I was somewhat beholden to a popular cultural expectation that beautiful woman have long, straight hair. All of a sudden, I said poo to that. I wanted to wear my hair in its natural state.

Below, my before and after pictures:

Now, getting a relaxer is considered a rite of passage among many women in African-American culture. My first relaxer was a no-lye "Just for me" kiddie perm I received at age 10. I was hooked for the next 15 years. Over time I started to learn certain things about myself: I didn't like seeking out beauticians or sitting in their shops for half my Saturdays to get my hair done. I tired of shelling out $60 for a retouch -- not including the cost of its "support staff" of conditioners, hair sprays, cremes and gels -- and spending so much time wrapping, curling, rolling and drying my hair (relaxed hair doesn't air dry well). I also questioned the wisdom of loading my hair up with lye and other chemicals on a regular basis.

I did face some discouragement from family members when I told them I was considering going natural. To this day my mother occasionally asks if I am growing my hair back ("you've got to look presentable at work!")

But I found courage in peers who had made the change years before and had gorgeous afros or locks as proof that going natural didn't mean looking unkempt (although I admit I've since had my own bad hair days). That little bit of empowerment emboldened me to pursue other steps, such as changing my diet and narrowing overall the types of chemicals I will allow in my home.

My biggest learning lesson was that most of the opposition I feared didn't exist. The world didn't stop turning and I received more compliments than criticism.

What was your symbolic act and do you regret it?

I don't have a spaceship, sorry. But I do know of a couple who have created a "universe story walk" on their five-acre property in western Greensboro. There, visitors can take a 1/2-mile gentle walk that has markers of key moments in universal history. Each 100 feet represent 1 billion years and by the time you get to Lucy, the first human, you're literally a foot from the end of the walk. From there you step into the Ecozoic Era and are left to reflect.

According to the Stovers' flyer:

"Ther permanent Universe Story Walk at Stovers' Sejour itself manifests the dynamics of our emergent reality.... Voyagers travel at their own risk; Elaine and Nelson Stover, or any other guides for the walk, are not responsible in any way for any physical harm or shaken ideological foundations which may occur on the journey."

Point noted. I'm thinking about getting a group from my church to attend. This sounds interesting.

The walk narrative draws upon the work of Greensboro native Thomas Berry and his co-author Brian Swimme in the book "The Universe Story." Nelson Stover also developed the curriculum for the Thomas Berry "The Great Work" studies going on at local churches now. You may be able to find out more about both the walk and the study at an honoring of Thomas Berry at the central library on April 12 (tie-in with the Bicentennial).

Or, you can e-mail Nelson Stover at StoverN "AT" Bellsouth.net.   

Check out this video on TED.com, an updated talk on climate change by Al Gore. He argues for a global mobilization toward a low-carbon future and says, "We now have a culture of distraction. But we have a planetary emergency."

Also, a global campaign to stop global warming, founded by Gore.

NC Mobile CARE will hold a symposium on May 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro to recognize efforts of North Carolinians to reduce mobile emissions and promote fuel diversity. The symposium will also feature a tour of the green hotel and keynote speaker David Morris, co-founder and vice president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. He will talk about "Driving our way toward energy independence." Tickets for symposium and luncheon are $20.

Steve McCollum, co-founder of Environment Stewardship Group of Greensboro, is organizing a canvassing for Dan Besse, a Democrat who is running for North Carolina lieutenant governor. McCollum is endorsing Besse because of his experience working on environmental issues.

McCollum will also host a meeting with Besse at his home from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Says McCollum:

"If you haven't met Dan yet, please plan to drop by and bring another committed Democratic primary voter with you!! Oh, yes, I was sure you'd ask: There is no required or even suggested donation for the April 16 event; however, you can bet that if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still raising money after reaching the $100 million plus stratosphere each, the you'd better believe Dan Besse needs whatever financial support we can give him as he takes on two of the most well-heeled Dems--Walter Dalton and Hampton Dellinger, each with several times in their campaign coffers as Besse. If you want the GREENEST possible North Carolina, then consider a little green investment in the best environmental steward on the ballot."

Contact McCollum at 286-8665 or smccollum@triad.rr.com  if you are interested. 

I attended the 5th annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh last week as part of my reporting on a project for the N&R. Gov. Mike Easley and others spoke about the need for the U.S. and North Carolina to become more energy independent (i.e. stop importing foreign oil) and the importance of creating a decentralized, diverse energy infrastructure. Overall, the presenters tried to sound hopeful about our opportunities. Below, photos from the conference.

Listen here to the speech Easley gave participants during the conference luncheon (about 20 minutes of unedited audio). He wrapped up his speech by saying:

"We're all trying to get independence from foreign oil. We know we have to have that to survive. America has to have independence from foreign oil to survive.... What will get us there is that new way of life, bringing the future to us now, taking those mini steps in unison."

Scott Sklar, president of The Stella Group, a marketing firm for renewable energy, said Americans must use less energy and become decentralized in our infrastructure, similar to what happened with the Internet and cell phones. He said:

"It is very hard to bring in the new technology when to this very day we're subsidizing the old technology.... They think this is a free market. It is not."

Even with the work being done, government leaders are taking a 10- to 20-year view on reducing energy consumption and some question whether we have that much time to adequately curtail global carbon emissions and prepare for a peaking in conventional oil production. Richard Heinberg, for example, has a greater sense of urgency.  

I've got a few announcements for you about events going on in the area.

This, by way of Piedmont Environmental Alliance:

April 30: Another Green Drinks Gathering will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Foothills Brewery on 4th Street in downtown Winston-Salem. This is a networking opportunity for those interested in green living/working and environmental issues. To see well-developed and bustling groups in action, check out LA Green Drinks or Asheville Green Drinks.

May 10: Ten Thousand Villages in Greensboro will celebrate its first annual World Fair Trade Day Children's Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is designed to educate children about fair trade and ecology, and to celebrate global culture and the diversity of the Triad. There will be live music, and dance performances, storytelling, costumes, games, and other activities.

Guilford Solar Communities has an announcement on its blog about a May 10 session on installing solar hot water at your home.

Also, T.S. Designs in Burlington is hosting the Sustainable North Carolina Café on May 8 from 5:30-8 p.m. The company is showcasing its new sustainable initiatives along with food and wine from local vendors. RSVP with Eric Henry at eric@tsdesigns.com if you are interested.

Don't forget to register for the faith and environment forum at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in Salisbury on May 29-31. Registration fees go up on May 7. I'll actually be giving a workshop on that Friday. Hope to see you there!

I oscillate between striving for simplicity and security, flexibility and permanency. For more than a year my husband and I have been trying to decide whether to continue renting in Greensboro or make the commitment and try homeownership again.

But the beacon toward homeownership burns brightly when I see the work going on with these urban homesteaders in Pasadena, Calif. They show what is possible when you stop complaining about politicians and corporations and start making changes in your own life. This family's personal efforts to produce more of their own food and become energy independent has turned into a formal non-profit educational tool and a revolution. I want to join in.

Check out this video about the Homegrown Revolution:

I believe this spirit is catching on in Greensboro. Yesterday, I spoke to two Glenwood residents, one a teacher who has a community garden plot and is starting a garden in her backyard; the other who intends to microfarm in a neighbor's yard. I myself have a garden plot and some herbs growing for the first time on my apartment patio.

What if one out of every 10 homeowners in Greensboro had a 2008 version of a Victory Garden? What if apartment complexes provided space for residents to develop their green thumbs? Imagine the possibilities for both income generation, self-sufficiency and better health.

One might scoff at this idea and say, "Hey, it's just easier to buy one's food at a supermarket. If everyone gardened at home, imagine the possibilities for businesses to close and people to lose their jobs!"

My response is people are already losing their jobs due to global wage arbitrage and the consolidation of corporations. I believe that food reliant on fossil fuels for production and transportation is a system that is under stress now and people need an alternative.

I also believe that if you both provide the infrastructure and education on how to microfarm, more people will do it. It may take time, but it will happen. For example, as an apartment dweller I started gardening when a community garden opened up in Glenwood. The infrastructure provided an outlet for me to exercise my interest. It's kind of like the argument that people don't bike in Greensboro so why pay to expand bike lanes. Well, it's hard for people to bike with no lanes! Chicken and egg.