BiteSize's Brews

New Blog - Check It Out!

2010-08-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

Please check out my new blog: BiteSize Brews: http://bitesizebrews.com/

Red Razzleberry Stout

2010-05-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! My present to my mom is home brewing at home while she is out playing golf. She isn't a fan of the smell and I'm not a fan of golf. So this works out well.

I've started working on my 4th of July brews for the family reunion. I'm doing a Red, White and Blue theme. Today is Red Razzleberry Stout, adapted from Aaron's Above the Rest Homebrewing website.

Ingredients:

7 lbs of liquid amber malt extract
1 lb of crystal mat (120L)
1/4 lb of H.B. Britsh chocolate malt
1/4 lb of black patent malt
4 lbs of organic frozen raspberries (donated by my Aunt Kirstie)
1 tsp of irish moss
1 tsp of gypsum
2 oz of Northern Brewer hops
1 package of Irish Ale yeast

Directions:

Steep grains for 30 minutes in 3 gallons of water at 155 degrees F.
Remove grains, add gypsum.
Add liquid malt and bring to boil.
Add 1.5 oz of Northern Hops for 55 minutes.
At 30 minute mark - add irish moss.
Add .5 oz of Northern Hops for last 5 minutes.
Chill wort. Add raspberries and yeast.
Ferment 5-7 days.
Move to secondary and ferment for an additional 5-7 days.
Bottle / keg and enjoy.

Know another get raspberry or stout recipe?

Jiving at Jive

2010-05-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I went to a happy hour event at Jive, a software company based here in Portland, Oregon. Not only do they have a great product and a sweet office. They also have their own custom pint glasses. Needless to say, I kinda wanted one...

Last week I emailed a friend who works there and offered a trade. One Jive pint glass for one home brewed beer (Blueberry Pale Ale - I'll post the recipe soon). He agreed and we met for lunch this week to make the switch.

Aren't they cute? Does your company do custom pint glasses? Let me know!

BiteSize's Brews

2010-04-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

I really like this new blog name. (Thanks Lauren for suggesting it.)

Why Bite Size?

It's been my nickname since freshman year of high school. Long story short, one of the senior guys over heard my dad calling me "Pint Size" after water polo practice one day and thought my dad said "Bite Size." Thus the name has stuck ever since. It also helps that I come from a family of giants and yet am pretty short. Plus, it's already my Twitter name, bite4size.

Why Brews?
This one should be pretty obvious. It's a blog about beer or "brews".

What do you think of my new name?

"The Time Has Come"

2010-04-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

the Walrus said, "To talk of many things"

Of blogs-- and beers -- and stating facts--

Of fermentation-- and dreams--

And why my blog is out of date---

And whether it shall change."

(Adapted from Lewis Carrol's The Walrus and The Carpenter)

Yes, the time has come for my blog to change. Something I've been meaning to do for awhile, but funny how time can get away from you. But like Madonna has taught us time and time again, we need to re-invent ourselves (and our blogs). Mine has got from a college update blog, to a transitioning into the real world blog and now to a beer blog.

Yup, I finally thought of a theme for my blog. Beer! It seems so obvious now that I've finally set my mind to it. Why didn't I think of this earlier? I know what you are thinking, "Ah, there are so many beer blogs out there, especially in Portland." But I've got some great reasons behind this one:

I love beer (duh!)
I love brewing beer (and I keep OCD notes about it).
I love talking about beer (as most of you know).
I'm a girl (not many girl's know as much as I do on this topic).
I'm young (not many YOUNG, WOMAN home brew).
I live in Portland, OR (the beer capital of the world).
I love traveling (thus more breweries to try).
I love hearing the stories behind different beers and breweries (good content).
I can't commit to blogging as much as I want to (and this will keep me focused).
I love social media (thus I can promote, share, talk about more breweries).

So what does this mean for you? Suggest a new name, links, breweries, times to meet up for beers, etc. And I'll happily oblige. I'll also be slowly updating my blog to meet my new theme.

Two Things You Should Know About Me

2010-04-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to be in a class webinar for my Master's course - however I can't seem to log on. Therefore, I'm writing this blog post.

Two Things You Should Know About Me:
1. If I say someone is in my family and they live in Oregon, they aren't really blood relatives.
My mom, dad and I moved to Oregon when I was a baby, my little brother was born here. However, none of my extended family lives outside of New England. To make up for this, I have been blessed with a lot of "family" out here. We go to the Carey family reunion every year for 4th of July. I have many Aunties and Uncles from both my "mom's side" or my "dad's side." I also have a tendency to call my friend's parents "mom" or "dad". Maybe I'm old school (way old school - tribal style), but I really do believe it takes a community to raise a child and I owe these people a lot and it's a term of endearment for me. I would like to point out I love my real parents very much as well as my family out on the East Coast. I just wish I could see them more.

2. Everyone is my best friend.
When I was little, my mom told me it wasn't nice to call friends "best friends" because it made other people feel bad. The way my brain processed that is, well then, everyone can be my best friend. Apparently this confuses a lot of people in my adult life when they attempt to keep track of all my best friends. My advice to them is, you'd be amazed how awesome it is when all your friends are the best ones.

Just two random things about me. Now, tell me two things about you.

10 Years Ago...

2010-03-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

10 years ago today, I broke my leg. Broke might be an understatement, I shattered my femur while skiing on Spring Break. Last Saturday, while my mom and I were skiing (yes, I still ski) I realized it has been a DECADE since that day. Crazy! In honor of this special day I thought I would do a trip down memory lane of all the things I've accomplished even with my titanium rod and four pins:

Learned how to walk again (very important).
Learned how to rely on my family and friends for everything (humbling).
Played varsity water polo in high school (major goal in rehab).
Swam competitively for my university (definitely was the slowest kid).
Completed 3 Nike Women Half Marathon's (and I got the Tiffany Co. bling to prove it!) See above photo. You can kinda see my scar too...
Enjoying telling stories of how I got my scar "I got bit by a shark," "I got knifed," and "so-and-so hates me".
Going off in airports (sometimes) and having to explain to people "no I can't take off my leg."
Still skiing, wakeboarding, hiking, camping and traveling.
Being able to do stupid things ("I can't break my leg again", "I'm bulletproof", "I'm 1/2 robot", etc.)
I now have the perfect excuse as to why I'm so short compared to the rest of my family!

Here's to a couple more decades of health and happiness. I can't wait until all my friends are 60 and catching up to my bionic-ness!

Where were you 10 years ago?

New Job!

2010-03-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you know I recently became a "free agent" in the job hunting scene. I'm happy to announce that I'll be the new Community Manager at The Standard in their Business Development department. I'll be in downtown Portland, if anyone wants to meet me for lunch or happy hour :) I think this is the best place for me to sharpen my social media / project management skills so that I can be a stronger marketer. I keep wanting to say "when I grow up." Does anyone else who's older than 25 struggle with that?

When exactly do you grow up? As Warren Miller says, "How old would you be if you didn't know when you were born?" Maybe I just struggle with this more than my friends since I still look like I'm 13, not 23...

Half way through my first day - so far so good!

Richard Stearns, World Vision President

2010-03-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I got the opportunity to hear Richard Stearns speak at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. Stearns is the President of World Vision and the author of The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World. He spoke, of course, about what God expects of us. The answer is actually really simple:

God wants everything: our heart, mind and soul.

This leads to a trickier question: Are you willing to be open to God's will for your life?

This is when you start looking up James 2:14-19, James 1:22, Ephesians 2:10, Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7:21-23. It starts getting a little intense.

As Stearns says "Good works and deeds are the evidence of our personal salvation."

Love God.
Love our fellow man. It's that simple.

"God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, who then sent us to be His hands and feet." What does that look like? Think of the parable of the mustard seed. If a tiny mustard seed can move mountains... What if we were each a mustard seed and we each had a shovel. How easy would it be to move a mountain? Now what if social injustice (lack of clean drinking water, sanitation, education, medical care, etc) was that mountain.

Don't think someone else will do it. It's our job and God expects us to do it. And we can do it.

The mustard seed can move a mountain. I think we can do more than that.

Are you willing to be open to God's will for your life?

Red Chair Group in PDX

2010-03-15T22:31:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the Red Chair Group's conference here in Portland, OR. I studied social media in college and have done some freelance work but my primary focus the last year and a half has been gaining a solid foundation in sustainability. This conference gave me the chance to get back to my roots.

Lead by Olivier Blanchard, this conference focused on mid-level managers and account-level professionals on how to properly manage, measure and grow social media programs under their care. Perfect for me and my new position as Community Manager at The Standard (more info on that in another blog post). Some of my favorite take aways from the event included:

"You can no longer live on the mountain." You need to engage in with your customers and communities. "Customize content for all channels."
It's my job to help bosses understand the shift that is happening. Something I definitely need help doing. But this conference helped me with that. From vertical engagement (the brand speaking to the consumer) to lateral engagement (the brand speaking to the consumer, hearing back from the consumer and the consumers talking to one another).
Social media enables social community. Yet another way to view this shift. "Create something worthwhile, then let the community share it."
There are four core disciplines of Social Media:

Strategy (Development)
Operations (Integration)
Monitoring reputation, community and customer support (Management) : ME!
Analyst (Measurement)

"Value has become a buzzword. Buzzwords are meaningless. Value is not a product. Value = Usefulness."
"Think of your department goals. Goals are not targets. Set targets. Be specific. Be Clear."
There was a lot of talk on legal considerations when it comes to social media. I learned something new here. Libel is written defamation and slander is spoken defamation.
Rules for Engagement:

Never get suckered into an argument.
Stick to the facts.
Never assume anything.
Be helpful.
Some people can't be reasoned with.
Do the best you can.
Listen more than you speak.
If you feel outnumbered, get help.
Follow up.

Steps to Channel Development:

Identify channels you should be in.
Understand channels you should be in.
Create listening outposts.
Connect with key citizens "denizens".
Become involved with topics and conversations.
Develop a positive reputation.
Grow social equity.
Establish leadership presence.

ROI = gain from investment - cost of investment / cost of investment.

Establish a baseline.
Create activity timelines (schedule!).
Monitor impacts on conversations.
Measure transactions.

F.R.Y. = Frequency, Reach, Yield.

Just want to share some highlights of the conference. Red Chair Group PDX will be back this fall, so I'll be posting information on that as soon as I get it. And I'll be attending So Fresh PDX in a couple of days so look for that post soon too.

What's On Your Bookshelf?

2010-03-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

I gave up TV for Lent. Which has honestly been pretty awesome. I've been getting more sleep and reading WAY more than I have since before college I think.

So far I've finished:

The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn - A Christian view on money and how it isn't mine, it's His.
Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson - What has been happening at the East Asian Institute since Three Cups of Tea was published.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - What it's like to be a black maid in the South during the Civil Rights movement.

I'm one of those people who reads more than one book at a time. Being that my mood changes a lot it would make sense that my choices for reading would change as well. Right now I'm working on:

One Tough Mother by Gert Boyle - about the Columbia Sportwear's CEO and the lady behind the brand.
The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn - I got the chance to met Randy's wife, Nanci last year and she gave me a bunch of his books, finally getting to them. This one is about a Christian view on sex.
The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman - I've already read Hot, Flat and Crowded, figured I should at least read this best seller.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - My book club book from last month which I never finished (shhh! Don't tell...)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I went and watched the new Alice in Wonderland with Janet and her awesome daughters and felt like I missed some parts so now I need to re-read this book and see what I forgot.

I also am going to be adding two more books to this list shortly:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Just got it on CD for my iPod. (I already got A Thousand Splendid Suns loaded but wanted to read this one first)
The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns - President of World Vision USA and whom I just heard speak this morning (blog post to come).

What are you currently working on?

Seeing God

2010-03-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

I've been volunteering at Wildfire, the middle school program at my church, for over a year now. I have a solid group of 7th grade girls, whom over this last year I've gotten really close too. Kurt, the youth pastor, most recent talk series has been called Pause, something I agree middle schoolers don't do enough, between cell phones, iPods, Facebook, school, homework, sports and other after schoool activities these girls are more involved than I ever was at their age.

Last night, Kurt compared pausing and looking for God to looking for Where's Waldo? Just because you don't see Him, doesn't mean He isn't there. I thought that was a great comparison. He then challenged the students to spend 60 minutes sometime in the next week to seek God. Really try to find Him, like they would search for Waldo. As a leader, I try to do the "homework" as well. Lucky for me, I've already found Him...

As many of you know, it's been a rough couple weeks for me. I was laid off, so now I'm a networkin', meetin', coffee drinkin' fool and to top it off a new friend of mine, Kate, is missing in the Gorge. I'm burned out, professionally and personally. Last night, while at Wildfire, I got a text saying Kate's search has been called off. Heart broken is an understatement to how I was feeling, but I tried to put on a good face for my girls. But then worship started and I lost it. I'm not a crier, but I bawled like a baby... And something weird happened...

I got a hug. Not just one hug, 15 plus, from all my girls, then from their friends and other leaders. I couldn't imagine being in another place to get such bad news and be able to cry out the weight on my heart. For the first time, instead of me loving on my girls, they were loving on me. And I couldn't be more humbled by their actions. So for those two hours at Wildfire, I saw God's red and white Waldo cap on each of my girls and couldn't be more grateful for having them in my life.

Where have you seen God lately?

Middle School Camp 2010 Highlights

2010-02-25T14:18:00.001-08:00

Man, my life has been crazy! Lots going on in the world

of Jenna, but I thought I would share my highlights from

Winter Camp 2010 Everyday Apples.

Sundays from Heaven: Dropping ice cream sundays from 2nd floor of building onto eagerly awaiting middle schoolers with bowls.
Earthball: Dominating mud game, humans vs. 6 foot yoga balls.

Accidently sending my co-leader Jenn to the ER: Don't worry she's okay and our 7th grade girls got a perfect example of how God answers prayers.
Meeting my co-leader Jenn: She rocks! God has great things in store for her. I'm a little bit jealous of her passion for life (okay WAY jealous).
Having one of our girls REALLY open up about her life in the foster care system.
DANCE PARTY! Yes, the tights made a return.

Being fed: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for four days straight!
Laughing so hard with my girls, all I can say is "Kurticus"...

Nothing like spending time with 7th grade girls to help you get your priorities straight in life.

Love, laugh, pray.

"Bars close at 2AM, My House is Always Open"

2010-02-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

I love micro brews. Maybe it's because I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the micro brew capital of the world. Or maybe it's because I like the taste. Or maybe it's because I compare beer tasting to wine tasting (I'm classy like that). Or that trying out local breweries gives you the opportunity to learn about the local community and the stories behind the beer. Or maybe it's all of these reasons... yeah, I think so too...

I graduated in May 2008 from college, my mom asked me what I wanted for my graduation present. I said "an iPhone!" Mom promptly said no. And I countered with a micro brew kit. And after a year and a half of stalling. I got one! Granted it's borrowed from a family friend but I got permission to brew in the house!

I've started my own micro brew adventure. Luckily I found Above the Rest Homebrewing Supplies, in Tigard, Oregon. Not only do they support locally sourced and organic products, they give FREE classes! How sweet is that? To top it off, Aaron, is a genius and can pretty much answer every question you have. He just loves beer, the science, the freedom, everything! Shameless plug, buy something at Above the Rest Homebrewing Supplies and mention my name and I get 10% of my next purchase. So support a great family owned company and me and buy from them!

Anyways, I brewed my first Amber Ale and it's not in the first week of fermentation. More coming soon...

Why Green Jobs?

2010-02-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Last week I got the opportunity to attend Portland Green Professionals Conference as a volunteer for Willamette University. I was fortunate enough to hear all the keynote speakers as well as attend two of the panel discussions: Sustainability in Education and Sustainability Consulting. It was great to hear all the awesome things that are happening nationally, state wide and right here in Portland around sustainability. In a world where recession, high unemployment rates and climate crisis dominate news reports, this conference was a refreshing and encouraging place to be.

Lots of people ask me what does it mean to be working for a sustainable consultant, how they can get more involved and why green jobs matter. Here are some trends and statistics I learned while at the conference that might shed some light on the green scene:

Portland aims to create 10,000 new green jobs in 2010 in industries including sustainable consulting, utilities, carbon neutral & renewable energies and education.
There have been a call to action placed around green jobs, they must be:
Not only white collar jobs, but blue collar ones too (LEED certified construction anyone?)
Available for every walk of life (social impacts are important when it comes to being a sustainable community)
Pay a living wage (Amen!)

Jon Wellington, the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the first keynote speaker described green jobs as vibrant, secure and successful. He pointed out that Americans waste 50% of our energy. Which posed the question, how do we improve efficiency? Anyone who has a passion for process-flows and Excel spreadsheets should be really excited right now. Some other cool trends Wellington highlighted were:

In stream turbines BEFORE ocean turbines (I wonder how this will effect plants and animals in streams…)
LED lights will replace compact florescence (Anyone see the Portland Christmas tree in all it’s LED lighted glory?)
Vegas LEED certified buildings (If you can be sustainable in Vegas, you can be sustainable anywhere)
Smart grid technology, which is being led by General Electrics smart grid technology
Get away from incentives -> create a market (Sounds like business class to me)
Make capital available to allow people to get involved (Portland has some great programs like Energy Trust)

Next up was Bill Bradbury, my tall Segway riding friend and is also on the Oregon’s Global Warming Advisory Commission. Who spoke about how climate change is affecting Oregon. Citing the dead zone off the coast, which is caused by the acidification of oceans. (Just think of the 6.3 billion tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere, of which 3.1 billion tons is sequestered by oceans…) There is hope though Bradbury also spent some time talking about Al Gore’s Challenge to RePower America. This goal of a 100% renewable energy country in 10 years through: energy efficiency, renewable energy, a smart grid and plug in cars. Seems like a pretty big challenge to me. But definitely one I’d like to aim for. Bradbury pointed out three reasons while Oregonians should get on board the RePower America Challenge:

Climate Crisis
Struggling Economy
Opportunity

Finally Erin Flynn, from the Portland Development Commission spoke. I heard her speak at the Green Light Greater Portland conference this summer and while her speech was pretty much the same it was really great to hear how on track Portland is to being the most sustainable city in the country. Makes me proud to say where I come from! Here are some interesting trends around Portland economy:

1,000,000 expected young workers in Oregon by 2030
Oregon Industries are broken up into four clusters:
Advanced Manufacturing
Clean Tech
Solar Manufacturing
Wind Energy
Green Development
Energy Efficiency
Electric Vehicles
Active Wear
Soft Ware
Oregon has the highest concentration on clean energy jobs, which is growing at a rate of 5% a year (versus the national rate of 3%)
The average wage for a green job is $22.61/hour
There are currently 51,402 green jobs
Oregon Sustainability Center is the first net zero building in conception in the state
Wind turbines have over 8,000 different components, therefore there is a growing need for certified suppliers
Portland has some challenges to over come as well, investors have a perception that Portland doesn’t know how to focus on customers, marketing or how to grow a business (This I found particularly interesting…)

Next was the Sustainability in Education panel, which feature PSU, U of O, Willamette and Marylhurst University, while I’ll skip the marketing pitches that were happening in this session for which school is better (my slightly biased opinion is Willamette) I will highlight the benefits of an education in sustainability:

Green energy in China is a $1 TRILLION dollar market
Talent goes to where the opportunities lie
Sustainability education is an asset (or even a requirement)
Project management and systems thinking are fundamental
Knowing how 3^rd party verifications and metrics systems work is important
Being able to answer the question what happens when a revenue stream becomes normal, what do you do?

Last but not least and definitely my favorite session of the day was the Sustainability Consulting session with featured Brightworks, Fluid Market Strategies and MarketShift Strategies. I think I liked this panel the best because my brain gets business and likes lists. For example:

Scott Lewis’ (Brightworks) Success Factors:

Need to understand the market need (both from an ecological and financial standpoint)
Deliver real value
Be flexible, nimble, responsive and agile
Remember why you are doing this!

“The only thing that is certain is things change.”

Stephanie Swanson’s (MarketShift Strategies) Best Practices:

Connect the dots – systems thinking
Find value in chaos
Plan for policy opportunity
Scale for flexibility

Not to mention leverage, planning, energy verification and implementation are all key.

This was a ton of information. I hope you enjoyed it and now have a better sense of why I think green jobs are the careers of the future and why I couple other local people think so too!

Questions/comments?

2010 Charities

2010-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

In 2010, I'm planning on supporting two great charities: Kiva and Wine to Water. I chose these two charities for a couple of reasons:

They make great presents: Kiva's gift certificates and Wine to Water wine.
They help two cause passions of mine: Microfinance and clean water.
They are legit: Backed by the Skoll Foundation and CNN.
They have an educational value to them: Getting younger generations involved in microfinance and clean water issues.
They believe in social media: Kiva's Blog, Wine to Water's Facebook and Twitter.

Now you know why I love them, but let me tell you a little bit about each of them, so you can love them too!

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Imagine creating an online stock portfolio, but instead of investing in large multinational corporations your investing in people. You can check out entrepreneurs' profiles on Kiva, choose who you want invest in. Your investing in human being, who is striving towards economic independence and thus improving the lives of not only themselves, but their family and community. With a 98% return on loans, you can reinvest that money into another individual within 6-12 months.

Wine to Water is focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. Over 1 billion people in the world today lack access to adequate water and sanitation. The first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine. Being Christ-like, Wine to Water prays that those who have plenty of water can help provide someone who is less fortunate with the gift of clean water. This can be done by buying Wine to Water wine or hosting a Wine to Water fundraiser.

Who are you supporting in 2010?

Where I'm At

2010-01-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions, but I am one for constant improvement. I've broken my goals down into three categories: mind (career development), body (physically and the fun stuff of life), and soul. Here they are, call them what you'd like.

Mind:

Improve my "professionalism," my dress, organizational skills, and manner.
Improve my writing skills. I'm going to practice this by blogging more here.
Start thinking about grad schools. Take a couple courses here and there and find out what I like (and how I'm going to pay for it.)
Grow my "freelance business" / non-profit idea more. Don't know about this? Ask me about it sometime.
Invest in something, a house, a car, the stock market, etc.

Body:

Work out consistently.
Go camping more or do more weekend get-a-ways.
Actually sign up for roller derby.
Start brewing my own beer.
Eat healthier and locally, build my chicken coop and learn what foods are grown in the Pacific Northwest and in what season.

Soul:

Pray more (with authority).
Build more community in my middle school small group. Hang out with them outside of Wednesday nights.
Work on forgiving those who've hurt me. Not because they need it, but because I need it.
Have a better attitude towards things I don't agree with 100% (be humble basically).
Invite more friends to church and develop my spiritual gift more (and don't let it freak me out so much...)

Better late than never. What are you doing to improve your life in 2010?

Why I Love Good Customer Service and Beer

2009-11-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know. I'm kind of a brewery fanatic. I tend to choose where I'm going to eat based on new breweries I've never been too. We live in the micro brewery capital of the world. Who can blame me? I also have a pretty "epic" logo pint glass collection from my travels. And this Thanksgiving weekend was no except. My dad was visiting from China (I have him to thank for getting me into breweries) and Kirk was playing basketball in Washington.

So for lunch we stopped at Fish Brewing Co. in Olympia, WA. They are an organic brewery (which is awesome in it's own right). And was pretty bummed when I found out they are out of logo pint glasses...Fast forward to dinner, we decided to check out the Green Dragon, who Dad had heard about from some friend in China and I had heard about through Twitter. And guess what? They were also out of pint glasses! I was so bummed and told our waiter about what had happened at Fish Brewing. She disappeared and came back with a Fish Brewing pint glass for me! Turns out they sell Fish Beer there and had some promo pint glasses. She seriously made my day!

When was your last great experience with customer service? Or tell me about another great brewery.

This Holiday Season, Give Gifts that Give TWICE!

2009-11-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I've been doing freelance work for an awesome company call CafeGive for the past couple of months. A lot of you have been asking about it. What I'm doing, what CafeGive does, how you can get involved. So with the holidays just around the corner I thought I would pass on the love by sending you all:

Your Personal Invitation to Shop for a Cause:

In July 2009, a brand new business launched, and I have been a part of the creation process. Please spend some time on our site, www.cafegive.com, where your purchases will benefit one of the causes you choose. Help us build some momentum for this new way to shop — where causes benefit and you can support change in the world! I am so excited to share it with you.

Lots of online stores—find gifts, cards and more!
• We’ve added lots of stores and made it really easy to shop while you earn for a cause.
• Over 150 great stores to choose from...we have it all, no need to go to the mall. Choose a cause you want to support!
• You’ll find local and national causes—benefitting children, animals, or the environment. Now that I’ve told you, pass it on!
• Visit www.cafegive.com and see how easy it is to select a cause, shop, and create a widget to encourage others to shop.

East Coast Day #2

2009-10-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before I stayed up a little too late (like 2AM, which honestly is like 11PM my time, which is pretty good for me), working on my Bible Study, The Search for Significance, and my book club book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. But in hopes of conquering jet lag, I set my alarm for 8:30AM, on a SATURDAY, which is really 5:30AM for me.

I managed to get up and survive quiet happily on coffee all day. Can I tell you how awesome my day has been? Grammie and I started our day checking out the Brewster Women's Library, where she volunteers. We used to check out books and movies there. I must have rented The Last Unicorn there over a hundred times when I was little. Then we headed to Paine's Creek, home of Kate's Ice Cream, which has real bubble gum in their bubble gum ice cream. And where I fell on the rock jetty and got my ankle crushed between two big rocks, when I was like 6. Followed by the Thrift Shop Grammie also volunteers out that is supported by her church. We then went to practice using an ATM machine, something that is still new to Grammie, followed by a grocery store run.

While Grammie took her afternoon nap, I took a walk up to the Brewster store, a penny candy store (now a dime candy store), I went to EVERYDAY while on the Cape. Then walked back on the beach. Even though it was misting out, it still was fun. When I got back, we looked through my parents wedding album, which was fun, my mom looks freaking amazing and my dad has a classic 80's mustache... We also looked through my baby album, which is is amusing because I'm 2 weeks older than my cousin Paul and the only way you can tell who is who is because I'm like twice the size of him. Seriously, I was one fat baby. Everyone used to call me "no-neck" apparently.

Did you have a funny baby name?

Almost Didn't Make It

2009-10-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

...but I'm now in Massachusetts! Cape Cod to be exact.

Yesterday I realized United booked the wrong dates for my trip. Can we say freak out? Luckily things got taken care of (or are still in the processes of being handled but I'm here so I'm not worrying). Anyways, I stayed up most of last night. Flew through Denver, arrived in Boston, took the bus to Cape Cod. Had my cousin John and his wife Katie pick me up from the bus station. It was so great seeing them, I hadn't seen them since May 2008 when I graduated from Bentley. And headed to my grandmother's "Grammie"'s house. It was so great seeing her as well!

There is just something about being "home" that makes everything feel so good. So what am I doing here tonight? The same thing I did while at college, come down for a weekend, spend the first night working on homework. Although tonight it was "real" work. Can't believe the last time I was here I was a college student and now I'm a graduate!

What was your worse airplane experience?

East Coast Tour 10/16-10/25

2009-10-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to the East Coast on 10/16 for the first time since graduation! I am beyond excited. I get to mix: work + family + college friends = nine days of craziness. People keep saying "oh your taking a vacation!" To be honest, it doesn't feel like it will be one. Here is my schedule:

Arrive Friday Night: Take bus to Cape Cod for the weekend. Visit with Grandmother, Aunt, Uncle, Cousins.
Sunday: Take bus to CT. Visit other Grandparents, more Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Plus an old college friend.
Wednesday: Head back to Boston. Sleep over with college friends.
Thursday: Watch my boss do presentation at MIT, sit in on a class, have lunch, maybe take a tour and get something from the gift shop?
Friday: Alumni Weekend at Bentley + dinner and a play with another set of Aunt and Uncle and Cousins.
Saturday: Bentley round 2 with friends.
Sunday: Fly home.

Monday: Back to work.

Which is honestly a crazy busy week:

Bible Study
Book Club
Roller Derby Bootcamp
Halloween Inspired Wildfire
Two Willamette Events
Halloween
CafeGive proposal

Good thing I strive under pressure!

When is your next "vacation?"

10/4/09 2.0

2009-10-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Jon and I caught four mice in my garage this weekend. More like Jon caught them. And after every one I prayed, "Dear Jesus, I'm sorry. Amen." I tend to be an overly passionate person when it comes to mercy killings. I was the kid who would try to save the slugs after the neighborhood boys pour salt on them. Or when our neighbors had mice in their rice bin I wanted Mom to save the mice babies from the snakes in the backyard. Or when Dad ran over a rabit when we were driving to Utah and called out "Thumper" I cried for about an hour.

Floating Thoughts 10/4/09

2009-10-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Boston in two weeks - still haven't bought my tickets. I should be doing that instead of writing this blog post. Excited to see friends and family. Going to see my boss teach at MIT, going to Bentley's Alumni Weekend and visit Cape Cod and CT. All in a week!
Tomorrow is my two week post-op. appointment for having my toenail permanently removed. It's healing nicely, still kinda looks like there is a nail there, but I know that its just a scab (which kinda looks like my original toenail and thus why I had this surgery). Can't wait to see what it looks like healed.
Had such a good weekend hanging out with Jon. It's so good to have old friends!
I'm officially joining the Rose City Rollers and doing roller derby. Month long boot camp starts November 1st.
Excited for my Bible Study to start up and the fact that we picked a book.
Working on my Thriller dance for Wildfire. Shall be interesting.

What have you been up too?

Antarctica Update - TWO MORE WEEKS!

2009-09-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here is an email I received today from Quark! Just wanted to ask everyone to keep voting for me! And help me spread the word by telling YOUR friends, family and co-workers about it. Right now I have 112 votes! Would love to see a couple more hundred (or thousand) votes in the next two weeks!

Check out my blog and to vote here: http://www.blogyourwaytoantarctica.com/blogs/view/604

Thanks again!

Love,

Jenna

Who will become the Official Quark Blogger?

Dear Jenna,

After over 600 blog entries and 46,000 votes cast, the competition to become theOfficial Quark Blogger enters its final two weeks.

For competitors, the next two weeks are vital, as there is still time to overtake the leaders or consolidate a lead. Keep spreading the word! You have until September 30, 2009.

Or…competitors may ask their supporters to vote for another competitor, if they feel they no longer have a chance to become the Official Quark Blogger. We make this suggestion, because last week, a generous competitor asked to transfer his 500 votes to another contender. He will inform his voters through a notice on his blog entry.

The rules of the competition do not allow us to change a vote. Only the voter can. So for all you voters, it’s time to decide if the blogger you chose is the best candidate for the job. You can change your vote at any time before September 30, 2009.

Please note that voters are under no obligation to change their vote! Thank you to everyone for participating, and for making Blog Your Way to Antarctica a runaway success.

Sincerely,

Quark Expeditions

Personal Letter Asking For Help

2009-09-03T14:18:00.001-07:00

Here is the letter I sent out to my personal contact list!

Dear Family, Friends, and Those I've Met Along the Way,

I'm writing to you because I need your help! I just entered www.blogyourwaytoantarctica.com in hopes of getting a free trip there! As many of you know one of my life goals is to go to every continent. This trip I would be able to cross two of those off my list. Also, my boss got to go there earlier this year and while I love her dearly. I don't think she should get all the fun!

So, I need your help. First of all go to: http://www.blogyourwaytoantarctica.com/blogs/view/604 and vote for me. If you have more than one email address, use them all!

Second, tell people about it. Forward this email, tell your friends and family, random people you are connected too. Let's see how big of a tribe we can make! Blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc! If you need help or additional information just let me know I'd be happy to help in any way shape or form.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it and if I win - I definitely owe you all something! Postcards, photos, penguins, shout outs. You name it!

GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Jenna Forstrom

Want to help me spread the news? Let me know how I can help you help me get to Antarctica!

The Natural Step Wants Me To Go To Antarctica!!

2009-09-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter The Natural Step USA will be sending out!!

Hi Guys,

I would REALLY like to see my friend Jenna Forstrom earn her way onto an educational expedition to Antarctica this coming February but she needs your help (5 minutes, no money!) to get there. In order to address the ever increasing issues related to climate change, we look to Antarctica for information and answers. Jenna is a driven, intelligent, young sustainability professional who, full of energy and ambition, will truly make the most of this opportunity to educate and inform others about her experience there.

Please take a few quick minutes to 'vote' for Jenna online : Send Jenna to Antarctica!

Really want to help Jenna? Tweet the link above, add it to your facebook page, and finally pass this on to people who send you forwards and are often in your inbox. Give them the opportunity to make especially good use of their online time!

Holly

Did you vote for me?

Go Big Or Go Home!

2009-09-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

So I just entered to win a chance to go blog my way to Antarctica and would love your vote. Below is my official entry. Let me know what you think and please click here to vote for me!

Go Big Or Go Home!

My family has a saying: Go Big Or Go Home! Which is fine for them; they’re all tall. I, on the other hand, can sleep crossed legged in coach with my head on my dinner tray like a school girl at her desk (and I’m still mistaken for a 12 year old). I also have the unnatural ability of making single-serving friends while traveling. Since I was born on the east coast, raised on the west coast, and went to college back in Boston, both these skills have served me well. I have a fearless vulnerability. My life is an open book. This honesty can break down defensive barriers and allow others to comfortably share with me.

Being 5’2’’ in a family of giants, has other advantages. I developed quite a talent for getting attention. How else is a girl to get noticed if her “little” brother towers 16 inches above her? Yes, same biological parents – go figure.

I have an insatiable curiosity, asking both profound and completely random questions. “How does carbon dating work in ice?” and “What has been the most interesting rescue mission you’ve ever participated in?” to “Why does penguin poop smell so rancid?” and “Do you guys ever meet the people from Whale Wars out here?”

If I’m lucky enough to be your blogging connection to the Antarctic, I’ll GO BIG. I’ll take full advantage of every opportunity presented and create a few of my own. Let’s be honest, if I don’t, I might as well just stay home. I’ll share details overlooked by others and keep you updated with photos and videos on the blog and Twitter. And I’ll make sure to respond to your questions of me. Vote for me as the Antarctica stowaway blogger. After all, I’d fit in a duffle.

Friday Backpack Project

2009-09-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

My mom's friend, a nurse at Harrison Park School just started this awesome program and is currently looking for funding both cash and food supplies. Here is an email explaining the Friday Backpack Project.

We started this project as a trial to see if there would even be any interest. We knew there was a need but we weren’t sure about the interest. This particular school, Clark at Binnsmead (which since July of 2009 has had it’s name changed to Harrison Park School) has 720 students, 84% of which are at or below poverty level. This school is located at 2225 S.E. 87^th Avenue off Division Street. At Clark every student receives free breakfast.

The mission of our project is to “nourish the body that nourishes the mind”. The Backpack project would discreetly provide children with food to take home over the weekend. Backpacks are packed with nutritious, child friendly, easy to prepare foods.

We started off by sending information regarding the project in the school parent newsletter, with a tear off portion to be completed by the parent requesting participation in the program. The response was phenomenal!

We had already secured the backpacks (courtesy of Columbia Sportswear) so the next step was to figure out how we could collect all the food items. Basically the cost to fill a backpack is $12.00 (examples of items include: peanut butter, jelly, pasta and pasta sauce, fruit, juice, granola bars, and bread). To do this we enlisted the help of staff, friends, a neighborhood church, family and families of staff.

In planning this trial we chose to just do it the last 11 weeks of the school year because once we started the project we wanted to make sure we could sustain the project. Over these 11 Fridays we filled over 215 backpacks. This truly was a community project because while we did receive $700 in cash donations we needed over $2,000 in food which we were fortunate enough to obtain from the community mentioned above.

Our goal for the 2009/2010 school year is to offer backpacks during the entire year. $384 pays for a backpack for a child for every Friday of the school year. We hope to pack at least 20 backpacks per Friday which adds up to about $960 per month. We know this is a huge project to tackle, but it is so great for a child/our student to take home a backpack filled with healthy food for the weekend – a great boost for their self esteem as well as having healthy benefits!

Interested in getting involved? Leave me a note and let me know and I'll contact you.

DSWCollective.com is LIVE

2009-08-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Words can not express how excited I am to announce that DSWCollective.com is now live!! I would love for you all to check it out and leave some love on our blog. Thank you so much!

You can also tell me here what you think of the website too!

CafeGive Blog Post

2009-08-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Check out this super sweet blog post I just wrote for CafeGive:

http://cafegivetm.blogspot.com/2009/08/friends-of-children-now-earning-on.html

Check out the blog - comment away (both here and there)! Hoping to drive more traffic and would love your support!

Thanks!

My "Other" Other Job

2009-08-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Most of you know me. I'm the textbook example of a type "A" person. If I don't have something to do I'm bored, breaking something, or creating something. Lucky for me, I've graduated and people are finding out about what social media can do for their business. It also helps that Darcy Winslow is my biggest cheerleader in pushing my passions. And because of this I'm happy to announce that I'm the new Social Media Assistant at Willamette University's Executive Development Center in Portland, Oregon. While Willamette University? Funny story...Darcy is also working there as the Program Manager of the Sustainability Enterprise Certificate Program (SEC). Just wanted to share the good news.

And our first event is Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), October 8-10, 2009. For more information on this event as well as general questions about my new job feel free to leave me a comment!

Are you the Ultimate Athlete?

2009-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

My boss, Darcy Winslow has been working with a team to create an event call The Search for the Ultimate Athlete (SFUA) and their website finally went live! Check them out here!

SFUA features 24 of the best all-around athletes competing in 20 sports/disciples. No age category, no division, no invitation. Lucky for us, it's taking place here in Portland, Oregon. The only place in the world where you can bike, golf, swim, play some bball, skate, ski, windsurf, white-water kayak, climb, snowboard, surf, MTB freeride. (Falling more in love with my state as I write this).

Launching June 2010, SFUA will feature a one-week event including 6 days of competitions, a grand finale in PDX and a benefit concert and on-site festival.

Mainstream sports + Emerging Sports + Action Sports + Olympic Sports = SFUA Competition and THE ANSWER

Interested in getting involved as an athlete or volunteer - let me know!

Floating Thoughts 8/1/09

2009-08-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile (story of my life). I'm blaming it on the heat wave that has hit Portland. I can hardly focus at work so to write blog posts seems a bit of a stretch. But it is starting to cool off so I think I can manage a couple of floating thoughts.

I'm super excited my best friend, Beckie is visiting for the next two weeks. She makes my heart happy.
Went to WakeJam yesterday - I think they need some help with their marketing / execution for future events. But I definitely need to get back on the water soon.
It's August 1st - which means 26 days to my 23rd birthday. Crazy - that feels super old and yet super young to me.
I had a photoshoot with Sara Gray this week and can't wait to see how the pictures came out.
I'm attending my first black tie event for work this month. My boss is speaking at the event. Check it out here!
My dad is coming to visit for a couple of weeks at the end of the month. Bummed I didn't make it to China this summer but excited to see him.
Bummed that my Bible Study and middle school programming is done for the summer. Not sure what I'm going to do with my Monday/Wednesday nights now. I'm sure I'll come up with something...
Excited to be joining a book club starting in September - reading Trouble by Kate Christiansen. Has anyone read it?

My "Other" Job

2009-07-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my boss Darcy Winslow, told me about her friend, Sandra Morris, who was launching a new company called CafeGive, and was looking for someone who could help with the social media aspect of the company brand. Darcy thought I would be great for the job. Before I knew what was happening, I became the Social Media Director at CafeGive! I love doing what I'm doing and feeling like I'm making a difference.

CafeGive helps non-profits gain more support via fundraising by allowing advocates to create widgets and posting them on their blog or Facebook. Cool huh? So please check them out. Tell me what you think. And if you have any suggestions (both for the website or for non-profits we should reach out too) please let me know.

Floating Thoughts 07/09/09

2009-07-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm really struggling to blog lately. Between work, my contract work, my personal life and regular life it seems as though I have a lot going on and have been doing a lot of great personal reflection and yet haven't been able to sit down and write about it. Let's just summarize here via floating thoughts.

My Bible Study wrapped up for the summer on Monday. Had a great time learning about prophecy and Revelations. Wondering what I should focus on for the summer. Suggestions? Thinking about finishing reading Closer Than Your Skin or doing Song of Songs...
Leaving for middle school camp on Sunday. Super pumped about it, but praying for a good attitude adjustment, healing of my hip, preparation for my girl's hearts and general prayers of energy and safety. Care to join me in those prayers?
I had and awesome time camping with my "almost" family during 4th of July weekend. It was great to see everyone and catch up. And to get a reminder of what a large family who cares about one another looks like. What did you do for 4th of July?
I'm super pumped to announce that CafeGive finally went live. I've been working for them for almost a month now and it was good to watch them launch yesterday. Can't wait for the social media (aka my part) to go live next Friday. Please check out their website and let me know what you think?
I freaking love the flexibility, love and support that my boss shows me on a daily basis. I really believe I'm spoiled in this way. What is your favorite thing about your boss?

That is all I have for right now. What have you been up to while I've been gone?

Paul Hawken's 2009 Commencement Speech

2009-06-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

My friend sent this to me. Pretty powerful stuff. Thought I would share.

When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there.

Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation... but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food—but all that is changing.

There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn’t afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. The poet Adrienne Rich wrote, “So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.” There could be no better description. Humanity is coalescing. It is reconstituting the world, and the action is taking place in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, campuses, companies, refuge camps, deserts, fisheries, and slums.

You join a multitude of caring people. No one knows how many groups and organizations are working on the most salient issues of our day: climate change, poverty, deforestation, peace, water, hunger, conservation, human rights, and more. This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power. Like Mercy Corps, it works behind the scenes and gets the job done. Large as it is, no one knows the true size of this movement. It provides hope, support, and meaning to billions of people in the world. Its clout resides in idea, not in force. It is made up of teachers, children, peasants, businesspeople, rappers, organic farmers, nuns, artists, government workers, fisherfolk, engineers, students, incorrigible writers, weeping Muslims, concerned mothers, poets, doctors without borders, grieving Christians, street musicians, the President of the United States of America, and as the writer David James Duncan would say, the Creator, the One who loves us all in such a huge way.

There is a rabbinical teaching that says if the world is ending and the Messiah arrives, first plant a tree, and then see if the story is true. Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider. “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice,” is Mary Oliver’s description of moving away from the profane toward a deep sense of connectedness to the living world.

Millions of people are working on behalf of strangers, even if the evening news is usually about the death of strangers. This kindness of strangers has religious, even mythic origins, and very specific eighteenth-century roots. Abolitionists were the first people to create a national and global movement to defend the rights of those they did not know. Until that time, no group had filed a grievance except on behalf of itself. The founders of this movement were largely unknown — Granville Clark, Thomas Clarkson, Josiah Wedgwood — and their goal was ridiculous on the face of it: at that time three out of four people in the world were enslaved. Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists as liberals, progressives, do-gooders, meddlers, and activists. They were told they would ruin the economy and drive England into poverty. But for the first time in history a group of people organized themselves to help people they would never know, from whom they would never receive direct or indirect benefit. And today tens of millions of people do this every day. It is called the world of non-profits, civil society, schools, social entrepreneurship, non-governmental organizations, and companies who place social and environmental justice at the top of their strategic goals. The scope and scale of this effort is unparalleled in history.

The living world is not “out there” somewhere, but in your heart. What do we know about life? In the words of biologist Janine Benyus, life creates the conditions that are conducive to life. I can think of no better motto for a future economy. We have tens of thousands of abandoned homes without people and tens of thousands of abandoned people without homes. We have failed bankers advising failed regulators on how to save failed assets. We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant. We have an economy that tells us that it is cheaper to destroy earth in real time rather than renew, restore, and sustain it. You can print money to bail out a bank but you can’t print life to bail out a planet. At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product. We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future instead of stealing it. We can either create assets for the future or take the assets of the future. One is called restoration and the other exploitation. And whenever we exploit the earth we exploit people and cause untold suffering. Working for the earth is not a way to get rich, it is a way to be rich.

The first living cell came into being nearly 40 million centuries ago, and its direct descendants are in all of our bloodstreams. Literally you are breathing molecules this very second that were inhaled by Moses, Mother Teresa, and Bono. We are vastly interconnected. Our fates are inseparable. We are here because the dream of every cell is to become two cells. And dreams come true. In each of you are one quadrillion cells, 90 percent of which are not human cells. Your body is a community, and without those other microorganisms you would perish in hours. Each human cell has 400 billion molecules conducting millions of processes between trillions of atoms. The total cellular activity in one human body is staggering: one septillion actions at any one moment, a one with twenty-four zeros after it. In a millisecond, our body has undergone ten times more processes than there are stars in the universe, which is exactly what Charles Darwin foretold when he said science would discover that each living creature was a “little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars of heaven.”

So I have two questions for you all: First, can you feel your body? Stop for a moment. Feel your body. One septillion activities going on simultaneously, and your body does this so well you are free to ignore it, and wonder instead when this speech will end. You can feel it. It is called life. This is who you are. Second question: who is in charge of your body? Who is managing those molecules? Hopefully not a political party. Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life. What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.

This extraordinary time when we are globally aware of each other and the multiple dangers that threaten civilization has never happened, not in a thousand years, not in ten thousand years. Each of us is as complex and beautiful as all the stars in the universe. We have done great things and we have gone way off course in terms of honoring creation. You are graduating to the most amazing, stupefying challenge ever bequested to any generation. The generations before you failed. They didn’t stay up all night. They got distracted and lost sight of the fact that life is a miracle every moment of your existence. Nature beckons you to be on her side. You couldn’t ask for a better boss. The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer. Hope only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it.

Can you feel your body? Who is in charge of your body?

Happy Father's Day 2009

2009-06-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's weird celebrating Father's Day when your dad lives in China. We talked yesterday (because it was his Sunday and thus his Father's Day) and when he wakes up today Father's Day will have already passed. There are no cards or presents being sent to China. And regardless of how much I love him it's still weird to ignore the elephant in the room. I hope everyone who's dad lives close to them remembers how lucky they are and gives their dads an extra tight squeeze for those of us who can't, regardless of the reason.

Happy Father's Day!

Jenna Comes To Town

2009-06-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've been horribly neglectful when it has come to blogging the last month. (I swear I have a lot of good reasons...my life is very exciting these days - if you want to know more about that stuff just message me...) But I did want to let you all know that the other Jenna, came to visit me this weekend from Hawaii! The picture to your right is from our roadtrp to Niagara Falls last year. Where I got my first (and only) ticket, we stayed in a sketchy motel, and got to feed beluga whales! She was in my bible study at Bentley with me and I freaking love having her here. Especially since she is leaving this fall for Baton Rouge for a year of service with City Year before heading back the Bentley to graduate. How cool is that? This is what we have done so far:

Eat an awesome welcome dinner of kabobs and Indian rice with Kristi and her friend Megan (and Ryan)
Kicked Kristi and Megan's butt at Phase 10
Ate dessert crepes
Rode Max downtown
Checked out my office and the Pearl District
Went to the Rose Parade 2009 with Kristi, Megan, another Jenn, and Ryan
Walked to Vivaci on 23rd for more crepes
Took the Portland Street car down to Saturday Market
Check out the Naval ships for fleet week
Ate sushi at Sushitown
Watched Milk

Today, we are heading to church and then who knows? Will keep you posted?

Who was the last person to come visit you from out of state?

Two Books!

2009-05-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

This week I finished not one, but two books! That must be some kind of record. (Well for me at least). The first book I finished was Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, which Josh Groth so kindly lent to me a couple of weeks ago. To be honest I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. Which is weird because I loved Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. I think I didn't like The Da Vinci Code is because I had already seen the movie. But now that I've finished both books, I can't wait to see Angels & Demons the movie. Has anyone seen it? Or want to go see it with me?

The second book I finished was Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, which again I wasn't a big fan of. Which sucks because everyone else I know who has read it loved it. I'm just not a big fan of Christian themed writing I think.

Anyways, what was the most brilliant book you've read recently?

The Natural Step USA - Miles the Can

2009-05-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

Meet my friend, Miles the Can. I was introduced to this video a couple months ago at The Natural Step Conference's Sustainability for Leadership. For more information on The Natural Step, check out www.NaturalStep.org/usa/learn.

Last Monday, Miles was featured by business author/speaker Tim Sanders, a friend of my friend, Chas Martin, and former head trainer at Yahoo. http://sanderssays.typepad.com/sanders_says/2009/05/walk-a-mile-in-miles-the-cans-shoes.html

Sander's article was picked up by ABC-TV's GreenRightNow site in New York City http://www.greenrightnow.com/wabc/2009/05/04/take-a-trip-with-miles-the-can/

And then a day later by ABC in Raleigh, N.C.: http://www.greenrightnow.com/wtvd/2009/05/04/take-a-trip-with-miles-the-can/

Followed by ABC in Chicago: http://www.greenrightnow.com/wls/2009/05/04/take-a-trip-with-miles-the-can/

See where I'm going with this...? Talk about how Miles can travel! What are your thoughts on Miles the Can?

SoL Conference Post #1

2009-05-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to attend The Society of Organizational Learning's (SoL) Leading and Learning for Sustainability Conference in Portland, Oregon. The conference was lead by Peter Senge, an MIT professor who wrote The Fifth Discipline and The Necessary Revolution. Senge was also named as one of the 24 people who had "the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years" by the Journal of Business Strategy. Needless to say, this week was an awesome opportunity. Not only to learn more about sustainability and systemic thinking but also to have a chance to learn different listening and visioning practices. This conference happened one year after I graduated college and that I believe is really significant. I'm going to be doing several posts on the teachings and personal applications of this week. I hope it inspires dialoguge and personal reflection for everyone who reads it.

The program objectives where:

Deepen connection to source of generative leadership through clarity of vision and purpose and personal sustainability.
Appreciate relationship between interior development and external action.
Balance between intiating and sustaining systemic change in the long term and building momentum now.

We talk about the difference between "leadership" and "boss-ship." Something I learned is that the original meaning of "leadership" is the ability to help others step over the threshold. Whatever that threshold may be. Over the next three days, I learned that the language we use is very important and that I need to work on selecting the right words to use. Before I had just been concerned with getting my message out there, however, now I've come to realize I need to spend more time on picking my vocabulary wisely. We talked about how the word "sustainability" is not equal to the ability to care and is just an umbrella term for a lot of different things and has a different meaning to individuals. Following that discussion, we talked about if good leaders are born or made. Peter Senge pointed out that your point of view on that question sets up your view on your own personal development. George Marshall, one of only three five star generals in the US Army once said, "Great leaders are born, then made."

We then got into small groups and did our first "check in practice." Called What Do I Stand For, in which in small groups of complete strangers shared what we stand for. Here is what I came up with for myself:

I stand for:

God
Human rights issues, particularily around adsocent girls and water rights
Curiosity and always asking questions
Social media tools and hearing people's stories

What do you stand for?

OneEarth.Org : ECO : The Power Of One

2009-05-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

This was a video shared during the first day of the Society for Organizational Learning's (SoL) Leading and Learning for Sustainability.

As the power of one, what are you doing to make a difference in our world?

girl meets GOD

2009-05-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading girl meets GOD by Lauren Winner. Which is kind of random since I got the book in October 2005 from my college pastor at Bentley. It's a signed copy actually, I couldn't make it to Lauren's presentation so my awesome pastor bought me the book. But you know how college goes: school, swimming, work, travel, summers get in the way and I finally four years later sat down and read it. The book blew my mind. I'm usually not a fan of Christian reading or girlie book reading for that matter. But her passion for books and her geeky side comments made it totally worth it. I've learned so much about God and Jewish history from this book I feel like I could hold some serious ground talking about my faith with a Jew. I rarely feel this about authors but I would love to be Lauren's friend. For some reason I feel as though we have a lot in common:

found faith / relationship with Christ on our own (minimal parental involvement)
have tattoos
geekily obsessed with books (take me to a Borders/Powells and you'll see what I mean)
get side tracked by side comments, yet some how manage to bring it back into context

Anyways, I highly suggest the book. Let me know if you want to borrow it sometime.

What good book did you recently finish?

Word of God?

2009-04-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and would love to hear some opinions on the topic. I really believe that the Bible is the Word of God, divinely inspired. But when it is quoted in other books - is it still considered "The Word of God"? Or does scripture bound in the Holy Bible only count?

Office Party with Thought Provoking Outcomes

2009-04-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last night (before the Blazers win) our office hosted a little party to show photographs from Darcy Winslow's recent trip to Antarctica with BP. While the photographs were mind blowing, you can't help but feel responsible. Action must be taken. As Robert Swan, a world famous polar explore and guide for the trip says, "The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it." Our Green CPA, Brian Setzler wrote this awesome post about our office party last night. Check it out!

Who do you think will save the planet?

Going Carbon Neutral With 3Degrees

2009-04-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Since DSW Collective is a sustainable consulting firm, we take the environment very seriously. Not only that, but we want to walk the talk that we give to our clients. Know your carbon and water footprint and do something about it. Recycle, reduce, reuse. Remember that from kindergarden? Well times are changing, the new slogan is "calculate, reduce, offset". Some of you might know what carbon offsets are and some of you might not. Everything we do creates carbon: utilities, driving our cars, riding MAX, etc. Carbon is actually the umbrella term for all major greenhouse gases. Offsetting this, using companies like 3Degrees, helps counter balance all the carbon that we as individuals and companies dump into the atmosphere everyday.

I'll admit, when I started researching this I was a little be of a skeptic. Run some company's calculator, get a number, send them a check, and "be green". Kind of seems like a scam to me. But the more research I've done, through reading, monitoring how much our company drives and flies, and doing various calculators for me as an individual and for our company has really opened my eyes to how much each of us contributes to carbon emissions.

This is why I love 3Degrees. They are local, their office is actually kitty corner to ours, which makes meetings a breeze. And they actually inform and allow your company to pick which projects you want to invest in. This makes it way more tangible to me. For example, DSW is splitting our offsets between two different projects. One is a landfill gas capture in Neosho, Missouri and the other is a Wind Farm project in Dickey County, North Dakota and McPherson County, South Dakota. Another great thing about 3Degrees has high standards for their projects: Gold Standard, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), and Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), so their projects are legit.

An interesting fact about 3Degrees, the name comes from the scientific belief that by the year 2100, the earth's temperature may rise as much as 3 degrees celsius. This raise in temperature will result in 1/6 of the world's population becoming "climate refugees" as a result of flooding or droughts (depending on location).

What are your thoughts on carbon offsets?

What I'm Thinking About Right Now

2009-04-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

My mom gave this to me last year for my 21st birthday. Today the cleaning people must have found it laying around my room and left it out for me. Just what my soul needs.

What is your perfect bliss?

Happ Easter!

2009-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me, "So what's it like being done with school?" The only rational answer is, "It's weird." Granted I don't think I'm done with school. I'm still contemplating going to grad school in the next 3-5 years. And I know I'm never going to be done learning. I'm planning on taking the Motorcycle Safety course at PCC and possibly belly dancing. But being back in the Pacific Northwest after being gone for four years keeps reminding me of things I have missed. The most recent one is celebrating Easter with my immediate family. Granted I was in Boston celebrating with my extended family. But there is something about being at home and going to your home church that just makes it seem more "right".

Then there is the whole, "How does it feel to be a grown up?" question. Which I NEVER know how to answer. Because I don't feel anymore grown up than I did last year and I still get asked if I'm in high school. Or as of last week, was told I look like I'm 13 in the Apple store by an elderly gentleman...bless his heart. Last night at 11:30PM, I decorated Easter eggs with my mom. Because I'm still a child at heart and my mom really wanted too. I pointed out how much easier it is now that I'm 22. No laying out newspaper, tons of stickers, rubber bands, clear crayons, and attempting to tie-dye Easter eggs. But my mom pointed out how much fun the production of dying Easter eggs, exploring color choices and creativity was totally worth the mess. Not to mention having two very hyper kiddies entertained for an hour or two was totally worth it.

Just some random thoughts. Happy Easter everyone!

What are you doing to celebrate?

Saturday Sun Adventures

2009-04-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was so blessed to have my friend, Jon Grotz, come to visit from Washington. I've known Jon since we were sophomores in high school, we both went to Westview and Sunset Presbyterian Church (and thus the Honduras mission trip) together. Not only did Jon come to visit but he brought along some freaking nice sunny weather. So Saturday we decided to go for a hike on Wildwood trail in Portland. We also brought along Katie Kalk (our leader), her dog, Wilson, CJ Walters, and my dog, Dainty. We made plans to meet up with one of Jon's childhood friends, Courtney, at Laurelwood Brewery for lunch. I was pretty excited for the sunny weather, the chance to be outside, and the opportunity to check out a brewery I'd never been too. Needless, to say, we got a little lost. And our half hour hike turned into a two hour, how the heck do we went out of this neighborhood on a cliff ordeal. We eventually walked down Burnside and cut over to Kearney in time to meet Jon's friend. Ordered a couple of pints. I had the Mother Lode Golden Ale and some season ale (I can't remember the name...) Both were really good. We ended up calling my mom to come rescue us. More Dainty, who is getting a little old and I was worried wouldn't make it on the hike back to Jon's car. All in all a fun, laughter filled weekend.

Miniture Model

2009-04-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still struggling to blog on a regular basis, but I survived my crazy week! Details to come. But for now I wanted to share one thing I did two weeks ago. I got professional photos taken for my company's website! The best part about it was my friend Sara Gray took the pictures and did a great job! I've know Sara since I was in middle school. She used to lead worship at the Underground at our church. Since then she has gone to college, gotten married, lived in Argentina and started her own business, Sara Gray Photography. I was a little nervous, since the one and only time I've had my photos taken was for senior portraits 6 years ago. But Sara was super encouraging and we literally spent two hours talking and walking around the Nike campus. It was really fun and laid back. I loved the way Sara encourages everyone to "act like their in an iPod commercial!" Here are some photos from S ara's blog. Thanks again Sara!

Where have I been?

2009-03-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently I've been a little MIA the last couple of weeks. I apologize, I need to make more of an effort to update my blog with little life updates. Since my last post my boss has left for Antarctica so I've been really busy at work. And my younger brother, Kirk, has come home to visit for Spring Break. Can we just talk about how painful it is to be out of school for the first time since I was 4 and not have a Spring Break? Oh well, at least I got one day of skiing in instead of my usual 5 days for Spring Break. I have a crazy busy week coming up, which I'm really excited both for work and for play. But this means that I have a lot of work to get done this weekend. Did I mention this is the first weekend I've been home in over a month? Here is what I need to do and why:

Clean my car - because my mom's best friend, my aunt Kathy is coming to visit from Portland, Maine on Wednesday and is going to use my car for the 11 days she is here.
Clean my room - because I haven't cleaned it in months, and I did some rearranging when I set up my home office downstairs last night.
Do laundry - because I'm attending a conference next week with Natural Step on sustainability and I need more clothing options. I have to wait until this afternoon when Kirk leaves to get access to the laundry room.
Clean Kirk's room - because my best friend from high school, Jon Grotz, is visiting from Washington next weekend and will be crashing in there. Kirk just got a new bed so we need to set that up as well.
Overall house cleaning - because my mom likes having the house clean for guests.

So an exciting week coming up, two house visitors, a conference, maybe a day of skiing, plus I'm attending an event put on by the University of Oregon called the Sustainable Business Symposium.

I'm spending my weekend organizing and cleaning, what are you doing?

Antarctica 2009

2009-03-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting lately. Work is a little crazy since my boss leaves for an Antarctic Expedition on Monday! But I thought I would share this link to the site. Check it out! It's very cool and interactive. You'll almost feel like your traveling with these 50 student global leaders!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Sunset Presyberian Going Green?

2009-03-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I sat down with Marie Hamann, Facility Manager at Sunset Presbyterian church. Which as you most of you know, is my home church, and basically my second home. Last week, due to the economy, they announced a $200,000 budget cut, which basically means: less people + less hours = doing more. This is where I come in and I need your help! We are looking for ways that SPC can be more sustainable. I'm willing to do the research but I need help brainstorming.

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." -Genesis 2:15

Just because we are not living in Eden anymore doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to take better care of this planet. Before meeting with Marie, I did some research on what other church in the Portland area are doing. Here is what I found:

St. Philip Neri has built a bioswale to filter urban run off from it's building, parking lot and the community around the church.
Earth Home Ministries aims "to inspire and mobilize the Christian community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future."
First Unitarian Church built a LEED certified building called Buchan Building

While SPC is taking steps in the right dirrection. There is room for a lot of improvement. Here is what Marie pointed out as "trouble spots":

Plastic Water Bottles - people in Oregon still use these?!? My suggestion, stop ordering them, offer people water pitchers at events. People won't know the difference. And if someone has an issue invest in a Brita water filter for one of the sinks in the kitchen.
Disposable cups - think about how much coffee we drink as a congregation. Think we could take people into actually bringing their own coffee mugs to church? Or investing in recyable cups...
Recycling old technology (we just need a labor force do this) Freegeek in Southeast Portland refurbishs donated IT equipment then gives it to charities and non-profits.
Overprinting - how can we talk people into printing less, using recyclable paper, and recycling the excess. My suggestion, SPC should monitor for one week, how much paper gets recycled. I think thin numbers would be eye-opening.
Left over food - turning it into a compost. Available for the congration or maybe even a church garden somewhere on the property. I'm sure people would be interested in the coffee grounds alone + we have to have some gardeners in the congreation.
Changing SPC utilities over to renewable engery
Investing in solar panels on the roof - free real estate to anyone who wants it?

If you go to SPC, have any other suggestions or ideas? If you don't, what is some thing your community is doing to go green?

Oregon Executive MBA

2009-03-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last Friday (2/27/2009), I have the opportunity to tag along with my boss, Darcy Winslow, to a class taught at the Oregon Executive MBA, a partnership between University of Oregon, Oregon State, and Portland State, where Darcy was a guest speaker. It was a little weird to be there since everyone was older than me and I have aspirations to go to graduate school and everyone there has aspirations to work for a successful (and sustainable) company, which is where I'm at right now. Team Evolution, a group of students, presented a Stanford Case Study about Darcy entitled "Nike's Global Women's Fitness Business: Driving Strategic Integration." I've seen one other presentation of this case, last year at the University of Oregon, and this group rocked it.

The great thing about this case begins in 2004 and I interned for Darcy the summer of 2005, right smack dab in the middle of the case. That was my first internship and at 18, I can say I honestly didn't have a clue what I was doing for Nike, but now I can look back and read a case study and see what was happening both to our department, Global Women's Fitness as well as the organization, Nike, as a whole. Pretty interesting stuff.

The presentation was followed by a Q&A session which focused on making change to an organization "under the radar".

How would you change an organization?

Young Life In Need

2009-03-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in weeks! I'm starting to feel really bad about this. I have so much to update people on. However, this seems to be the most pressing. Yesterday I got a phone call from a former babysitter employer of mine, asking me if I knew any hip college, post-college, and adults that would be interested in reviving Young Life at Westview High School. To be honest (and I told her this as well). I'm tapped out. Between church on Sundays, my Bible Study on Monday nights, and being the "Games Girl" and a 6th grade girls leader at Wildfire on Wednesday nights. I just can't imagine adding something more to my plate. I think God is okay with that as well. But I am helping out in the search for new leaders. They are looking for three women and two men. So if you want to get involved or know someone who would be a great candidate, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

How do you serve God?

Weekend Get Away

2009-02-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

My weekend started off with me passing out in my clothes (unbrushed teethed and unwashed face) at 9PM Thursday night! I hadn't gotten an uninterrupted night sleep since the Wednesday night before (that is how I roll...) woke up at 9AM Friday morning. I seriously can not tell you when the last time that happened! I got a facial from Ann at Venus Allure Spa! Go see her! Seriously she rocks! And if you mention my name you get a discount! (Contact me for details!) Then my mom and I headed up to Mt. Hood for the weekend. Friday night we checked out Ski Bowl's 80th Anniversary Celebration. I got to rock my 80s outfit for the second week in a row! Won a new pair of gloves. Which totally rocks because I torn mine over New Years and have been borrowing my brothers cause I'm too poor to buy a new pair and their WAY too big for me. Saturday was an awesome day of skiing! It felt like Spring Break skiing, sweatshirts and sunglasses kind of weather. Upper Heather Canyon was open, and there were some awesome cruisers off of Cascade. Sunday was a whole different story. It snowed! Much needed snow, but the visibility sucked, so we called it an early day and headed home to watch the Oscars. All in all a pretty sweet weekend.

How was your weekend?

God Said "No"

2009-02-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.

When has God said "no" to you?

The Dash

2009-02-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

My boss emailed this to me today. Just thought I would share.

The Dash
Linda Ellis (1996)

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?

Andrew Hoffman

2009-02-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today I got the opportunity to listen and meet, Andrew Hoffman, the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, an Associate Director of the Fredrick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, and author of “Climate Change: What’s Your Business Strategy?”, on The Business Strategy of Climate Change. The event was put on by the University of Oregon’s Center for Sustainable Business Practices.

A couple of highlights from Hoffman’s lecture include the fact that climate change is a market shift in the business world and needs to be part of the core business strategy.

The Wrong Questions to Ask:

How much will it cost? (WRONG!)
What is it going to do for your business especially compared to your competition? (RIGHT!)
Does it pay to be green? (WRONG!)
How are you going to innovate? (RIGHT!)

Case Studies: Duke Energy, Shell, Whirlpool, DuPont, Aloca, Swiss Re

Why Take Action:

Increase profits

Uncertain energy costs
Investor interest
GreenTech sector
Growing consumer demand

2. Pending government regulations

3. Enhancing corporate reputation

Reputation benefits
Hiring practices
Mission statements

How To Take Action (from the PEW Getting Ahead of the Curve):

Ensure strategic timing
Estimate appropriate levels of commitment
Influence policy development
Create business opportunities

Stages of Climate Strategy Development:

Develop a climate strategy

Assess emissions profile
Gauge risk + opportunities
Evaluate action options
Set goals + target

2. Focus forward

Develop financial mechanism
Engage the organization

3. Focus outward

Formulate policy strategy
Engage external relations

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” – Thomas Edison (1931)

Check out these cool technological developments:

· GE Eco Dashboard

· Tokyo Train Station

Winter Camp 2009 "Love Wins"

2009-02-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights of Sunset Presbyterian Church's Middle School Camp: LOVE WINS!

Learning Phil Wickham's "True Love"
Getting to know my 6th grade girls story
Watching those same 6th grade girls go through "The Experience" without help from our leaders...there is something about the sound of hammering that just brings me to tears every time.
Finally understanding my mom's "Clean Up Fairy" This was their first winter camp, lots of "learning experiences" packing for themselves, cleaning up for themselves, making healthy habit choices, etc.
Being "Jenna, the Game Girl" Shaving cream hairdos, oreos, mummies, and dollar dollar bills ya'll...
Dance Party! Busted out my classic 80s college costume. First middle school dance party since I was IN middle school...DJ Five-Oh was jealous...
Being farted on by one of my girls during free time...YOU HAVE TO ASK ME ABOUT THIS ONE!
Watching my girls finally grasp how great an awesome God truly is...you could literally see their minds explode during this conversation. How great is God that He can be so small for a 6th grader to understand, and yet so complex to create the universe and then push that same little girl to grow even more in Him.

Pictures coming soon...

Winter Camp

2009-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

In 2 hours I'm heading to Sunset Presbyterian Church's Middle School Winter Camp! The theme of this weekend is Love Wins! (Fitting since it's Valentine's Day weekend.) I'm going with a group of 6th grade girls (starting all over again). I haven't been to middle school camp since I was a senior in high school, so I'm like 5 years out of touch. I'm also the "adult" leader. Which is usually a mom, instead their getting a 22-year-old women and awesome co-leader Emily. Here's to not being mistaken for a 8th grade boy! Long story, ask me about it sometime...

Prayer Requests:
* Camp in general, safety, etc.
* My 6th grade girls - it's their first winter camp!
* My co-leader Emily.
* For the games - I'm leading those this year.
* For my energy and my heart. I'm feeling a little unrested and down heading into camp. Not a good thing.

See you Monday night!

WAY LATE BUT...

2009-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

I was suppose to post this TWO days ago but I've apparently had the IT week from hell and on top of working, having my boss in town, I'm leaving for SPC's middle school camp tomorrow. So it's been all I can do to just survive this week. But I wanted to get this post out so here it is:

My super-awesome-blogger-friend-whom-I-can't-wait-to-actually-meet-in-May-friend Crystal is writing a book called Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts, that pretty much summarizes the book right there. Women and porn. Something that is not talked about ever. I'm probably the worse person to be talking about this topic. Being freakishly prude about all things related to sex and never actually seeing porn (minus the countless college parties that have it playing on mute in the background...) But what I can speak of is the affects and personal relationships porn has tarnished. One of my best friends in high school (who was male - not the Dirty Girls target market) struggled with a sex addiction, which included an addiction to porn. I watch him ruin countless relationships with his family, friends, and girl friend. Luckily, he found God, found an awesome accountability partner, and while he still struggles with this issue he is doing way better.

I know porn is an uncomfortable issue to talk about. Which I think is why Satan uses it to capture so many people. But won't you stand with me and start talking more open about it? If you want to be even braver, Crystal is collecting data for her book. Please take one of her surveys.

What are your thoughts on porn?

3D Glasses!

2009-02-07T11:57:00.001-08:00

[3D Glasses Throw Back to Last Halloween. We saw Nightmare Before Christmas!)

Coraline Review

2009-02-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Before I start this review it should be noted that I:
(a) Love children's movies - Little Mermaid, Never Ending Story, Fern Gully
(b) Love cult classic movies - Boondock Saints, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Donnie Darko
(c) Love all things remotely related to Nike - If you don't live in Oregon or have been under a rock lately, Coraline was made at Laika Studios, which is owned by Phil Knight...

Anyways, the movie rocked! I saw it in 3D which ALWAYS makes movies better in my opinion. Fun fact, Coraline was shot entirely in 3D, 24 frames per second for shot animation. Double that to 48 frames per second for 3D - INCREDIBLE! The soundtrack was amazing, very mystical and fun. Each character has their own personality, posture and movement. The sets were amazing, you can tell that people put their hearts into them. The opening credits were my personal favorite. And while I believe the black cat in Coraline is a direct reference to Vincent in Nightmare Before Christmas. (Who was the ONLY character who gave me nightmares when I saw that movie for the first time when I was 7). My friend, Katie, who went with me to see the movie pointed out that the story is told in segments (or episodes) which is something I hadn't picked up on, but in hindsight can totally see. She has read the children's book too (also something that I didn't know - but plan on reading soon).

Great movie! Go see it and tell me what you think!

Growing Up

2009-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

I need something to write about...it's been awhile...Here is what I'm thinking:

1. This summer will be the first summer I won't have a summer break. No more working at the swimming pool. Finding a sub so I can go wakeboarding when it's nice out. No deciding I can take a two weeks off to go to Houseboat Camp (which isn't happening this year - silver lining) or go to China or who knows where else. I'm not counting the first 5 years of my life since every day was summer...
2. I need to get health insurance...I'm currently one of 47 million Americans without it...working on it though. Talked to my boss, talked to my parents, talked to my friends who are paying for insurance out of pocket, talked to my friends who work in the medical field, checked out some websites, called some agents...I have the ball rolling. I just live a life where I need insurance. I tend to be a little too outgoing and my body is falling apart faster than a normal 22 year olds should be. Yeah competitive sports!
3. My mom recently started talking about paying rent. Not in a bad way, just brought it up, talking about it or more debating on how much I should pay. More to come on this. But my question is (if you feel comfortable answering):

How much did you pay for rent right after you graduated from college? Any special details?

Skiing Weekend

2009-02-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

Was AWESOME! I learned how to ski backwards...good skill to have when your younger brother can already do it...

[Mom and I]

[Ted and I]

[Ted, Mom, Mike and I]

Books, Books, Books

2009-02-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

I love to read. I love learning. I love the way books feel. I love how they can transport me to different places. I can't wait until I have my own place and I can go to Goodwill, Ikea, hit up garage sales, and Craigslist to get tons of bookshelves to rescue my extensive collection of books from the attic. I'm also one of those people who can be reading more than one book at a time. What are you reading right now you might be asking. Here is what I'm currently working on:

1. A Lion Among Men, by Gregory Maguire, the guy who wrote Wicked. Which is by far my favorite book by Maguire (Wicked that is). This one (A Lion Among Men) is the story of Brr, the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz. Once I finish this one, I just need to read Lost, and I'm all caught up with Maguire's writing. Anyone want to let me borrow it? This is my right before bed, read a couple of pages then fall asleep book. [Just checked on Amazon.com, looks like Maguire is coming out with a new book...better get going].

2. The Necessary Revolution, by Peter Senge. This one I'm reading for work, Peter is friend's with my boss, Darcy Winslow, and she is actually quoted in the book! Crazy. I pretty much only read this book while riding to and from work on Max or when I'm waiting for something to happen in the office. Just started reading it. It is helping me wrap my head around this whole "sustainability" thing that I do...

3. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. My mom loves getting books on CD to listen to on her way to/from work as well. Which I love because I load them up on my iPod and listen to them on Max when I can't sit down and actually read. I've listened to Gladwell's other book Blink. Which I loved! I also want to read (or listen) to Gladwell's other book, The Tipping Point. Once again, anyone own it and want to let me borrow it?

What are you reading right now? Why?

Facebook Game

2009-01-28T21:35:00.001-08:00

Here is a Facebook thing that has been going around. Thought I would share it here:

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I’m the “big” sister. Which is a joke because my younger brother, who is 3 years YOUNGER than me is OVER a foot and half taller than me.

2. I still sleep with a teddy bear. His name is Teddy Betty. I got him when I was 4 months old. And he has no face.

3. I have to have my toenails painted. This is due to a tattoo on my left foot and a funny “shrek” toe on my right foot.

4. I believe in an awesome God.

5. I love going to local breweries and trying new beers and learning about the process. I collect pint glasses too. I have over 30. My mom doesn’t like that part.

6. I love my family unconditionally, however, I think they are nuts.

7. I really enjoy q-tipping my ears. I love the feeling. I have no idea why though.

8. I think it would be cool to get a license to carry a concealed weapon. I would never want to carry a weapon or feel like I have too. I just think it would be crazy to know I could if I wanted too.

9. When I was about 7, my friend and I started “SAVE THE WORLD, LOVE THE WORLD CLUB” I now work for a sustainability company…surprised?

10. I have a metal rod in my leg femur from an unfortunate ski accident. I hate wearing shorts in public because of my scar. However, I’m perfectly comfortable wearing a swimsuit anywhere.

11. I’m freakishly flexible and normally told “Oh, that isn’t normal” when stretching.

12. When I was growing up I wanted to teach Killer Whales sign language…think about it for a second…

13. I was in a middle school play called “Becomes a Rose” in which I didn’t speak at all and I was the lead.

14. I have a sick obsession with popping zits and peeling dead skin off.

15. When I was 13, I buzzed my hair. It was also the time when I started getting mistaken for a boy, learned what the terms “butch” and “dyke” meant, and was told to be strong and not let the cancer win. I really was just sick of having long, curly hair.

16. I’ve dyed my hair every possible color. Finally did pink this summer and didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. My boss at the pool loved it when people said “that purple/green/black/white/red haired girl just did …” she knew exactly who it was.

17. I’ve been a lifeguard for 7 years, I’ve never actually saved a person in my pool. Aided in situations at a camp, downtown PDX, on the highway, even on an airplane.

18. I hate shaving my legs…ask me how long I’ve gone…seriously…

19. I have to write thank you notes after each present I receive for Christmas, Birthdays, etc. or I can’t open my next present – this got so bad my parents started hiding mixed presents under different part of the tree.

20. I need to wash my hands after I touch anything.

21. My room can be a complete mess but I know exactly where everything is, however, anything outside my room needs to be completely organized or I am lost.

22. I need to be completely wrapped in “Puff” (my blanket) to sleep.

23. I don’t sleep with any pillows. I also don’t own any which makes it really hard to have sleep over parties. Most of my friends know to bring their own.

24. When ever I fly, I must call my parents and tell them I love them. Even if its 3AM.

25. I hate that college has made me feel like I have to wear makeup and underwear everyday.

Green CPA

2009-01-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Seems like these days everyone needs something that makes them stand out. While researching CPA's for DSW Collective. I found Brian Setzler, an Oregon accountant who is green. He recently launched he own blog. Here is a quick bio about him and his blog. Check him out!

A blog about business, accounting and sustainability by Brian Setzler, CPA. Brian has an MBA in Sustainable Business with over 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and small business adviser. He is the founder of TriLibrium, a triple-bottom line accounting firm.

lemontree

2009-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

Our family friend, Pam Park, owns this awesome boutique shop in the Hollywood District in PDX. I went to visit her today to pick up a funky business card holder for my boss and thought I would do some promo for her on my blog. Here is an article on lemontree by Portland Picks from 2006!

Every year it gets little closer – the holiday when we’ll run out of every single gift-giving idea. We honestly believed it might happen in 2006 – we looked and looked and just couldn’t find anything for our parents, who possess a lifetime’s worth of gadgets, tchotchkes and knickknacks. But then we stumbled into lemontree and knew we could at least make it through a few more celebrations before we run dry.

lemontree is filled to the brim with brilliant gift ideas. There are vintage-inspired clocks, sassy cards, stylish journals and more funky salt and pepper shakers than any reasonable person would ever need to flavor their food. There are incredible wind-up toys that show off their inner gears and custom silk handbags made locally by Ginger Abernathy Creations. And local doesn’t stop there – look for Wicked Wicks handcrafted candles, Arcana soaps and Tao of Tea gift sets.

After settling on a gift for the ‘rents, we took a few more spins and came up with options for the rest of our list. Who knew lemons could produce a store so sweet?

lemontree
4035 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR 97212
503.287.3070

Sustainable Coffee Mugs

2009-01-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

Every second, 4 million cups of coffee are served in Styrofoam or paper cups and end up in landfills across the US!

14 billion cups of coffee are served in Styrofoam or paper cups per year. The disposal of these cups is a detriment to the planet. Even paper cups may seem biodegradable, but the conventional coating on hot cups prevents them from even being compostable.

Crazy Statistics?!? Want to make a difference? Check out Eco Mugs, a company making a difference one cup at a time.

Know any other ways to "Be Green"?

Business Cards

2009-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

Our graphic designer just dropped off our amazing business cards. If feel so official. I'm an actual employee. Not like in college interning, not like a lifeguard, but an actual employee of a company that is making radical changes in the business world. Mind blowing.

I got a super cute business card holder from my mom's friend at graduation in May and I can finally use it! Ha! Brought it into work and everything today. My boss wants one now too...we are freakishly alike...which I love! She is so encouraging. I can't be any happier when it comes to work.

Also, we have a "static" website now. You can check it out: www.DSWCollective.com

For those of you who are old enough to comment on this: What was your first job out of college?

How Many Planets Are You Worth?

2009-01-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm working on calculating my boss' carbon footprint for a presentation and found this awesome personal carbon footprint calculator:

Global Footprint Network

Try it out! Let me know what you get!

BTW, I'm 4.5 Earths...Need to work on that...

New Title

2009-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

Got my official business title!

Market Research Analyst!

Business cards coming soon!

New Office?

2009-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

My boss is out of town this week (teaching at MIT...heard of it?) And as a surprise I'm fixing up our office. Here is the plan:

New paint on one of my boss' walls - she doesn't like the color...Got the first coat up today!
Hang up a HUGE framed photograph - check! Got my wonderful friend Thomas to do that for me today!
Pick out an awesome bookcase for myself and set it up and get some books in there.
Blow up my new yoga ball/office chair.
Put everything back where it was before I started painting.

Hoping the get the second coat up tomorrow. And pick out my desk on Thursday!

I'm looking for a really awesome bookcase...any suggestions?

Sustainable Fonts?

2009-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

Jen Wilde, an awesome girl from my spectacular Bible study, recently blogged about EcoFont which when printed uses 20% less ink! How crazy is that?!? Being green can be found in small but significant ways.

How are you "being Green" today?

Sunday Musings

2009-01-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

I've been really out of the whole blogging thing lately. I got a promotion at work, so I have more of a "schedule", with more responsibilities and expectations. Which takes away from my blogging time. But my boss is out of town next week and I have a lot to get down around the office to keep me busy. I LOVE MY JOB!

This weekend, my mom and I (and Dainty) stayed up at Government Camp. We've rented a condo for 5 random weekends this winter to get some much needed skiing done. Spending most of my last four winters in Boston has really killed my skiing, but I'm definitely making up for it now. I have a seasons pass at Meadows if any one is ever interested in going. Plus, Tuesday's at Ski Bowl ladies can go night skiing for $14, so I'm down to do that as well. Our condo is super cute! Amazing beds, I don't think it is because I'm exhausted, they are just heavenly!

Got to the house Friday night, checked out Mt. Hood Brewery for dinner. I love breweries! Great beer, horrible fish tacos. Sunny day on the mountain on Saturday, but there was a ton of people, which was a drag, hung out in Heather Canyon most of the day. Ran into family friend's of ours who's daughter is on Beaverton's ski team. They came over for dinner and drinks. Then mom and I went to this dive bar. We walked through town (which is like 2 blocks) and went to the loudest bar, called Charlie's had fun. Introduced my mom to Sublime and explained what Jagger on tap was... We decided to sleep in today since it was rainning. By the time we go to the Mt. it was sunny and slushie. Which makes me nervous cause those are the exact conditions I broke my leg in. Had a great work out though. Skied for 4 hours, then it started raining so we called it a day and headed home.

Pretty much my life in a nutshell for the time being...

How was your weekend?

'Cause I'm A Gangsta Like That

2009-01-03T21:23:00.001-08:00

From our ski weekend in Sun River. I should have worn this when I had my accident, it would have been WAY more funny!

Sun River Update

2009-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you all know Batchellor was open today. Although it was a little chilly (-10 degrees!) And apparently the mountain lost power yesterday which was why they were closed. We only skiied for a couple of hours because of the cold. But there was some great snow (12 inches in the past 24 hours). My leg kept up with me fine. Thanks to all the facebook comments...Really, never heard that one before...

First Vacation of the New Year

2009-01-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

Already on my first vacation of the New Year. Spending time with my family in Sun River, OR. Hopefully going skiing Friday and Saturday. Apparently Bachelor was closed today because of the wind. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Happy New Years 2009!

2008-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

Has it really been this long since I have blogged? WOW! I must be loosing it...

I'm contemplating doing a year in review...however, it might be short and sweet:

Jan. - Visited Key West, FL. with my friend, Sam for a week and lived on a boat. Craziest time of my life. First time I ever slept in an airport overnight and the first (and only time) I went to a strip club (in my defense, I didn't know it was a strip club until we got into the place).

Feb. Went an saw Spring Awakening in NYC with Julie. Met Greg Mortensen who wrote Three Cups of Tea. Which I didn't read until May when I did my road trip with my dad (we actually listened to it on tape).

March - Did a Spring Break cruise with my friend, Julie. First real experience cruise (I'm not counting the ghetto on I did in Greece last year). Went to Miami, Mexico, Grand Cayman. Almost missed our cruise and kissed a sting ray!

April - Was basically spent finishing up college. Finals, papers, projects, wrapping up extra curricular work. Lots of reflection time.

May - Graduated from COLLEGE! Went to the Bahamas with 600 of my fellow graduates. Did a 10 day cross country trip with my dad. First time we had ever hung out in my life.

June - Jade came to visit from Boston. Although a somewhat awkward visit, it was fun to show an East Coast girl and West Coast way to have fun. Really, I'm just glad our friendship survived it.

July - Went to my 9th year of Houseboat, bitter sweet since BK wasn't there with me. Learned what it was like to be a "utility player".

August - Spent two weeks visiting my dad in China and Thailand, actually rode an elephant. Like sat on her head, not in a basket on her back.

September - GOT A REAL JOB! And joined an awesome Bible study with eight wonderful ladies, an awesome leader/mentor, and a phenomenal cook. Also went to Auburn to visit BK and experience my first Div. I college football game.

October - Pretty uneventful. Saw Warren Miller's Children of Winter and adjusted to being a "working gal".

November - Still adjusting to being a working girl. Trying to learn as much as I can about sustainability. Being a Geek. Also saw Call+Response.

December - Got snowed in from the Oregon "Arctic Blast." Celebrated Christmas and had to deal with my family.

WOW! So maybe my life isn't that bad. I guess it could be way worse. Maybe I just need to travel more...

I'm super excited about 2009. I even made a New Year's Resolution. Which I've never really done before. But being a "grown" up and all. I really think I need to start taking my finances seriously. So...

My New Year's Resolution is for every pay check:
Tithe 10% and Save 20%!

What is your New Year's Resolution?

Coolest Tattoo Ever

2008-12-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

I was killing time on MySpace today and decided to check out Adorn's newest work. Since my dad has been talking about getting a tattoo while he is visit for the holidays. And I saw this one:

I'm seriously in love with it. As many of you know (and for those of you who don't feel free to ask) I have a huge scar that runs down the side of my left leg from my butt to my knee cap from a ski accident when I was 13. I'm totally happy with my scar, I view my accident as a sort of coming of age event and it was the biggest obstacle I've ever had to overcome. But this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. People have asked me if I wanted to have my scar laser removed or covered up. NEVER! It is an awesome story and a testimony to God on how He protects me. But I might consider doing something like this...

I wonder what my parents would say...

Cradle to Cradle

2008-12-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, which discusses the way we make things. Instead of doing less bad, actually looking back at the re-design of a product. The first interesting thing about this "book" is not really a book, or should I say tree. It is not made of paper, but instead printed on synthetic paper and bound into a book-like format. This makes it durable and even water proof (great for the swimmer!) For someone who loves the way books smell and feel it was a little hard to get used to it, but after a couple of pages I got over it. Other cool highlights I enjoyed about this book:

Consider this: all the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than humans. Ants have been incredibly industrius for millions of years. Yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals, and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for a little over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have the a design problem. People do.
The average lawn is an interesting beast: people plant it, then douse it with artificial fertilizers and dangerous pesticides to make it grow and to keep it uniform - all so that they can hack and mow what they encourage to grow. And woe to the small yellow flower that rears it head!

The author's also included steps to retool their thinking and their actions in service to an eco-effective vision:

Get "free of" known culprits.
Follow informed personal preferences. Prefer ecological intelligence. Prefer respect. Prefer delight, celebration, and fun.
Creating a "passive positive" list. The X list. The gray list. The P list.
Activate the positive (P) list.
Reinvent! Single your intention. Restore. Be ready to innovate further. Understand and prepare for the learning curve. Exert intergenerational responsibility.

Another highlight (and shameless plug) about this book is that my boss is featured in it with her work with Nike and their steps to becoming more eco-effective.

MIA

2008-12-11T17:04:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. I apologize...but here are my excuses:

My boss is in town this week. For the first time since I started working for her, I've seen her twice in the same week. I started working in September.
I've been writing content for our new website. So I've been kinda blogging, just not publicly all week.
No one gave me suggestions on what non-profits to research and write about. That's right I'm blaming all of you.
I just haven't been in the blogging (or for that matter reading blogs) mood. But I'm getting out of it - can you tell?
I've started going back to the gym.
The holidays are coming. And I'm not celebrating Christmas and instead doing Advent Conspiracy, but I'm still attending holiday events.

That is all I can come up with for now. Maybe I'll do some floating thoughts:

I'm checking out a new potential job at Enviromedia, and yes this is a shameless plug. In case they find my blog. I'm in love with their website.
I'm a little frustrated at myself for not coming up with a cool business title and thus a new blog title. Suggestions?
I'm super frustrated that I can't write eloquently enough about what my business does to actually post it on a website.
I love that at my job I can be everything from market researcher, legal, IT, and assistant.
I'm super excited that Kirk (my brother) comes home tonight, Beckie (my best friend) comes home on the 17th, and Stu (my dad) comes to visit on the 21st.
I'm a little upset that there is not enough snow at Meadows to open. But I'm praying that this weekend will change that.
I'm in love with my Bible study.
I'm feeling more at home at Wildfire, where as of last night I became an official 6th grade girl's leader. There is something so encouraging about being prayed over which makes it seem more official. And my girls (all three of them) prayed out loud last night. That is huge for an 11 year old.
I think I need a new haircut.
My dad wants to get a tattoo over Christmas break...I'm thinking about trying to talk him into letting (aka paying for) me to get another one.
I was reading Jenni's blog about childhood lovely's. And realized as much as I want to be an "adult" woman, I still am not ready to give some stuff up.
While I am in fact an adult woman (I have the driver's license to prove it) I still get mistaken for be 16. Like at Costco, last Thursday...

(red)

2008-12-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

So my December 3rd, showcase of cool non-profits is project (red). Great shopping ideas in this super cute video. Enjoy. Hopefully I'll have time later tonight to write about all the great things product (red) does.

Traci's Challenege

2008-12-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

So my friend Traci, just challenged me to not say the "F-Word" for the entire month of December in honor of Jesus' birthday. Apparently I say it more often than I realize. So if you hear me say it. Please point it out to me. Trying to change for the good. Thanks!

December Goal

2008-12-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Our church is doing Advent Conspiracy this year. And for the next 24ish days I would like to show case different non-profits that are making a difference in this world. But I need your help. Know a great organization? Tell me about it! Ideally, I would like to do one per day. To get the ball rolling:

Nike Foundation

Nike believes in the power of human potential. Both on and off the playing field. They are now applying this belief in the game of poverty. Nike tried to find a place where they could make the biggest impact and found it. Teen girls. If you invest in them, it leads to a powerful ripple effect that can not be stopped. This is the Girl Effect, unleash them from, poverty, AIDS, early childbirth and they can do amazing things.

What can you do?

Give. Check out Giving Coupons for more information.
Share the information. Blog about it, tell a friend about it. Join in the conversation.
Volunteer. Check out this cool website, VolunteerMatch to search for your perfect volunteering opportunity.

Today is World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.

I think it's both exciting and disappointing at the same time. Exciting that we have come a long way in 20 years, but disappointing that we still have to "celebrate" World AIDS Day to still get the message out.

I pull some statistics from today's CNN article on World AIDS Day.

On the first World AIDS Day, December 1, 1988, there was nearly 80,000 reported AIDS cases in the United States, thousands more were living HIV, and AIDS was reported in more that 135 countries. There was only one anti-HIV medicine in 1988, AZT. The life span of patients was measured in months.
In 2008, there are more than 2 dozen anti-HIV drugs, life spans can now be measures by decades. Scientifically proven prevention approaches have been deployed with great success in the US and around the world.
Global outreach programs, such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria along with nongovernment organizations have reached millions of people in low and mid-income countries.
2.7 million people were infected in 2007 alone.
Globally 33 million people are living HIV+.
More than 1 million people are living with HIV in the US.
56,000 people in the US are infected each year in the US.
In low and middle-income countries, less than 1/3 of people in need of anti-HIV therapy are receiving it.
1 in 5 people at risk for HIV infection have access to prevention services.
In the US, more than 1/5 of people living with HIV are UNAWARE
One exciting concept is a pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, giving a preventive doses of anti-HIV drugs to individuals who are at an increases risk of HIV infection (still in experimental strategy).

Seems like there is some hope for the hopeless. As for me, I'm going to be wearing my Bentley goes Red for Africa shirt today and probably head to Starbucks today since 5 cents of every coffee today goes to support (red). What are you doing to celebrate World AIDS Day?

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

It seems fit to make list of things I'm thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day:

Having an amazing Savior, who loves me despite my many flaws.
My wonderful family from all over, Beaver, Eugene, China and the East Coast - for all their support.
My awesome friends (I wish more of them blogged), especially BK What?!? (today is also her 23rd birthday), Elan, Celeste, Katie and Jade.
My inspiring Bible study, with an awesome group of seven other ladies, genius leader Janette, and wonderful cook, Frank.
My cute puppy, Dainty, who isn't really a puppy, but still looks like one and doesn't at like a 10 year old lab.
My awesome job, with an awesome boss, Darcy Winslow, who gives me responsibility and flexibility to make my life wonderful and that this work makes me feel like I'm really making a difference in this world.
The fact that my mom is letting me live at home, rent free (and let me drive one of her cars).
My health and that of my friends and family (everyone is doing really well!)
OPI Nail Polish (I really need to paint my nails today)
My ridiculously long list of books I want/need to read - so I'm thankful for the gift of literacy I guess
That even though I'm broke, I'm not living in poverty and that I have the education to make a difference in the world.
That I graduated from Bentley College/University in May this year.
That my dad is coming to visit this Christmas for two weeks!
That my brother and I are super close for being brother and sister.
I'm thankful for the invention of sushi.

Maybe I can write more later - gotta go paint my nails and get ready for FOOD!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Nike ad: If You Let Me Play (1995)

2008-11-25T13:50:00.001-08:00

Just a little blast from the past. Enjoy!

2008-11-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Stole this from Jenni Clayville.

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together.

People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Take the test and leave a comment letting me know What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Girl Effect

2008-11-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got the chance to check out a photo exhibit at Nike about the Girl Effect, the idea that changing a girls live can radically change not only her life but those who live around her, her parents, siblings, friends, and community. I've posted their video on my blog before, but if you want to see it again check it out on YouTube.

Here are some pictures from the event:

[Inside these four walls, girls learn there is something wrong with normal.]

[Let's See Some ID]

[Illiteracy Does Not Look Good On A Resume]

[...And Pregnancy Doesn't Look Good On A Little Girl]

[The Face of HIV Is Increasingly Young and Female]

[A Nice Place to Work Would Be Nice]

[The Check Is In The Mail, But It's Going To Your Brother]

[Adolescent Girls Aren't Just "Future Women"]

[Laws Were Made To Be Enforced]

[She Should Be A Statistic]

[Everyone Gets On Board Or We're All Overboard]

The Facts Don't Lie:

When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school: 15 to 25 percent.
Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship between better infant and child health and higher levels of schooling among mothers.
When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
Today, more than 600 million girls live in the developing world.
More than one-quarter of the population in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are girls and young women ages 10 to 24.
The total global population of girls ages 10 to 24—already the largest in history—is expected to peak in the next decade.
Approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school.
Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls.
One girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15.
38 percent marry before age 18.
One-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before age 18; 14 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth in developing countries each year.
In Nicaragua, 45 percent of girls with no schooling are married before age 18 versus only 16 percent of their educated counterparts. In Mozambique, the figures are 60 percent versus 10; in Senegal, 41 percent versus 6.
A survey in India found that girls who married before age 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands as were girls who married later.
Medical complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide. Compared with women ages 20 to 24, girls ages 10 to 14 are five times more likely to die from childbirth, and girls 15 to 19 are up to twice as likely, worldwide.
75 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female, up from 62 percent in 2001.

Powerful stuff. What are you doing to help make the world a better place for girls?

UPDATE: 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days

2008-11-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

Today you can win an autographed copy of Seth Godin's Tribes and Anne Jackson's Mad Church Disease. For details check out Anne Jackson's blog!

New Job, New Title

2008-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

So, I have this new job, which I already wrote about. I'm the only employee and it is a fun, creative job. We are ordering business cards soon and I want to have a fun/different job title and I'm wondering if anyone wants to help me come up with something or have any suggestions. Please let me know! Along with that, maybe I'll change my "Who Knows the Title of My Life" to something else.

So, if you were working for a sustainability consulting firm and you were the only employee (other than the owner/founder) what would you call yourself? I do a lot of market research and general helping (administration, business launching stuff). Plus your a pretty cool, recent college graduate girl, who is a little on the funky side.

Maybe I'll award a prize for the best job title!

Soles 4 Souls Update

2008-11-16T15:09:00.001-08:00

I just donated for the first time today. (I know, I know - I ask you guys to donate when I haven't gotten personally involved yet myself). But I did do it today. Found out with donations over $10 you get a free Soles4Souls key chain - pretty awesome stuff. Here is the Facebook update that was sent out on Friday. Enjoy!

Also, to check on the 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge anytime click on the link.

What's up 50k in 50 day challengers? So, we had a great start but things are kind of slowing down over the last week (cricket, cricket!)

There are over 1000 people in this group and I know today is payday for many of you.

If everyone in this group just chipped in another $5 (or your first $5) that would be 2500 pairs of shoes purchased!

Or....even bigger..if everyone chipped in $10...5000 shoes would be purchased.

The power of a LOT of people doing something SMALL in order to accomplish something good.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous. We haven't quite reached 4000 shoes so it is my challenge to you this weekend to help get us to 8000 shoes by Monday!

If we all really chip in where we can and invite others we know to participate, it will be a piece of cake. Just everyone doing their part.

Happy weekend,
Anne

I think it is safe to say

2008-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

...I have a "real, grown-up, post-college" JOB! I've been holding off on blogging about this but I just thought I would make it official. Just so I can actually talk more about work stuff these days.

Here it is: I'm working at a sustainability (think going green) consulting firm downtown in the Pearl! So if your ever down there, give me a call and I can show you my new pad! It is pretty exciting stuff. I'm doing a lot of market research for my boss as well as helping out with the actual launching of the new company. We've been around since September 1st. And I've actually known about the job since before that but had to play dumb for certain reasons. Anyways, my boss rocks, she has been my mentor for the last 4+ years and was my boss a Nike, when I interned there when I was just 18. Our company is called Designs for a Sustainable World or DSW for short (those are my boss' initials). As soon as we get our website up I'll post a link to it.

Another thing I would like to point out that this job is part-time right now, because my boss goes on so many speaking engagements (hopefully, I'll be able to start tagging along on those). So while she is gone, I work for another company who we share office space with called, Social Enterprises. They do events all over Portland. The next one is going to be the CRAVE Holiday Party, which benefits the Go Red For Women Foundation and is all based on sustainable and eco-friendly products. If anyone is interested in going. Just let me know.

So, what is my exciting news. Now my question for you is:

What do you do?

CRAVE Holiday Shopping Party

2008-11-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!
Here is an event I'm helping put on for my new part time job. Just thought you might be interested. Feel free to contact me for more information!

CRAVE Showcases the Best in Sustainable, Local Holiday Shopping on December 3rdPortland’s Largest Holiday Shopping Event Benefits Go Red for Women

Local boutiques, designers and specialty shopping will be featured as the popular CRAVE Party returns Wednesday December 3rd with their annual CRAVE Holiday Shopping Party at LUXE Autohaus, located at 410 NE 17th Avenue in Northeast Portland. All designers are required to showcase at least one sustainable, green or organic line as part of this event. The CRAVE Holiday Shopping Party will bring together the best local designers and boutiques, converting an luxury auto dealer space into specialty boutique “shops” complete with stage and catwalk for designer fashions to walk the runway. Busy shoppers looking for the best local selection in sustainable fashion can get all of their holiday shopping done in one place in an atmosphere of fun. Go Red for Women, a non-profit group that celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke, is the charity partner for this event.

More than 1,000 women (and men) will experience the boutique shops at CRAVE while they mingle over a Crave-licious Gingered Pom Sakétini while watching Gypsy Chic headline our live fashion show series. Guests will explore the first-ever Crave Holiday GREEN Zone sponsored by Greenloop that will feature sustainable local designs and specialty gift items that are sustainable, green or organic (a requirement for all participating vendors). The ultimate in pampering services featuring “holiday hands”~a pumpkin hand mask and manicure, head massage, waxing, henna and more will be offered to maximize relaxation and to de-stress before the holiday rush. Featured local shops include Greenloop, Meringue Boutique, Frock, Gypsy Chic, Amy Burgess, Sameunderneath, Allium, Missionary Chocolates, Blooming Moon Spa, Green Lemonaide and many others from all over the region.

CRAVE brings “everything you Crave under one roof” – shopping, pampering, mingling with friends, live fashion shows – all in one place, for one event. CRAVE takes place from 5-9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3rd at LUXE Autohaus, located at 410 NE 17th Avenue (NE 17th and Glisan). $15 advance tickets online at www.craveportland.com. $20 at the door.

Contact Information:
Ericka Dickey
crave@craveportland.com
503.969.7852

Soles4Souls

2008-11-09T23:18:00.000-08:00

My friend Crystal alerted me to this challenged today, which actually starts in 37 minutes PST. I really encourage you to check it out. As a Nike Tyke and Christian, I seriously consider myself a "Sole/Soul Collector." I'm going to try and post updates on this Challenged through out the 50 days.

50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge

Nashville, TN -- November 7, 2008 -- Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need, has announced plans to launch a new fundraising website, www.50000shoes.com. The charity is challenging bloggers and social media users to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of new shoes in 50 days.

Through the new world of blogging, emailing, twittering, and through many other forms of online media, the non-profit hopes to achieve not only the fundraising goal, but also to spread their mission far and wide. The Soles4Souls www.50000shoes.com charity challenge will be live on Monday, November 10, 2008 and end on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

"We have been utilizing the basic Web-based marketing tools such as e-mail blasts, social networking and YouTube videos. However, this website, www.50000shoes.com, is the natural evolution of our viral marketing plan," said Soles4Souls Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey.

"A strong grass-roots effort, combined with an effective web-based social marketing platform, will allow Soles4Souls to form online community in a creative manner while being effective with raising funds and helping those in need," he said.

Both the tech savvy and the computer challenged can visit www.50000shoes.com to download their choice of four (4) Soles4Souls banners ad and blog widgets. Using the tools provided, users will be able to easily email, blog, or twitter the challenge to friends, family and co-workers as well as ask everyone to continue spreading the message.

"This is a huge challenge to meet a huge need. We want to virally attack the issues of poverty and make it simple for the end user to play a role in it," Elsey stated.

Donating is easy and takes just a click and a couple of minutes. It requires no shipping, no wrapping and no trips to the post office. The monetary donation is small with $5.00 buying two pairs of new shoes. Anyone can click and give, and all donations are tax-deductible.

After 50,000 pairs have been donated, one person (with a guest of their choosing) will be selected at random to deliver the shoes they purchased to someone in need on one of Soles4Souls' trips to Mexico!

"Can you imagine what it would be like to personally give someone their very first pair of shoes?! We look forward to connecting the tangibility of handing someone a pair of shoes with the virtual world of the Internet," Elsey said.

Social networking has become a very powerful communications tool; however, no one knows when life will hit hard or where a disaster will strike. One day you have everything you need; the next you may only have your life. A pair of shoes can help people begin the rebuilding process. Shoes not only bring hope, but in millions of cases they can save lives. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets while over 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes. This is an opportunity to "Step Up" and to help Soles4Souls with their mission of "Changing the World, One Pair at a Time" with "One Click at A Time."

CALL + RESPONSE

2008-11-08T22:44:00.001-08:00

Is playing right now at The Living Room in downtown Portland. GO SEE IT! INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT IT! It is an amazing movie that is tied together through music in an awesome way. Mind blowing stuff.

CALL+RESPONSE is a first of its kind feature documentary film that reveals the world’s 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history. CALL+RESPONSE goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India to reveal that in 2007, Slave Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.

Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand account of this 21st century trade. Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.

Music is part of the movement against human slavery. Dr. Cornel West connects the music of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing.