All Creatures Great and Small & Naz Foundation

I recently had the opportunity to visit the animal sanctuary run by Anjali Gopalan.

I was contacted by Claude who is in charge of composting at the sanctuary.  They have a something like 1/2 an acre of a vegetable garden from which they feed their staff and center for children who are affected by HIV in Delhi.

I came to test the soil, which the results should be coming out soon, for general nutrients and also testing for heavy metal contamination.

The organic farm/animal sanctuary was beautiful. It was so touching to see all of the animals taken such good care of by Anjali and her staff, the animals are visited weekly by the employed veterinarian.  The animals that make their way there are typically in critical condition.  They may be missing limbs, or have broken bones, orphaned, blind, etc.  They had a small monkey who was paralyzed they were feeding, I also saw a calf who was rather disoriented as he was blind. A small pup couldn't quite keep his tongue in his mouth, he was missing a part of his jaw.

I asked Claude, is it possible to get prosthetics for these animals, is there such thing as a prosthetic jaw?  Claude looked at me and smiled, "Well just because they may look a little funny, doesn't always mean that their quality of life is any lower or they are less happy.  This one still eats normally and plays normally, just because he looks different doesn't mean he hasn't the right to be, or shouldn't deserve to be around."

Of course I didn't mean it in the sense that something ought to be done or else. But it's always a good reminder, for us all when we are ever seeking perfection and improvement.  I guess there are those who feel that way, that a dog with three legs may not live a happy life.  I didn't get that impression from the animals here. Their very presence really touched my heart.  You could definitely tell they had a good life, and had so much love, they were love. And it was beautiful to be there.


 They had many animals, they had donkeys, horses, cows, one camel, emus, baby monkeys, over 200 dogs, cats, peacocks, chickens, and baby deer who were very very adorable.

They also had a pond of fish :)

 They also had such a beautiful big and open kitchen

They recently purchased more land so they could expand the amount of land that the animals could have.  Claude is very keen on integrating as many permaculture principles as he can into the design as well.

As of now his compost his a mixture of old farm soil, ash, compost/fresh greens, straw and newspaper.  The crop looks awesome, he bought some simple soil pH tests, which indicated that the soil and the compost were rather alkaline -- about 8.0

Our thoughts were to maybe decrease the amount of ash used in the  compost.

Yet, it will be interesting to see the results from the soil lab because we also don't really know how accurate those tests might be.

In this picture you can see their system for watering, they put in these tubed pipes so that they only need to water into the tube, so the plant receives directly the water that it needs.

I am a little apprehensive about this method, just because watering the soil isn't just about making sure the plants get the water that is needed, it is also important to take care of the soil itself and the organisms that break down organic matter for the plants.  It would seem like a good idea to water the soil periodically to keep the soil itself alive, but I guess if there is limited water on site, of course the plants themselves will be prioritized.  

So you want to become a farmer?

How do you change professions? How do you do it in a way that you can support yourself?

You don't necessarily have to quit your current occupation right now.

So in what ways can you get involved?

1.  Assess your current skills
-- Where are you currently working? What are you good at?

• Business?  That is awesome, maybe you could use your skills to help farmers in some way.  Advertising their product, or redesigning daily operations to be more financially viable- only you know your skillset, and you can definitely use it to enter the 'field' through a slightly different way, but it will work.  
• Construction?  Farmers, especially on small operations and especially permaculturists are usually always building something.  Learn about common buildings that are needed, it's a great avenue to become more involved.
• Media?  Obviously these kind of degrees are quite far away from what I've been specializing in.  But this is just meant to give general ideas or direction.  Perhaps it's possible to make green commercials or ones for specific farms.  Create a series of interviews with farmers and post them online.  Use your skill to enhance local farms.  
• Photography, Music, Art?  The creative eyes, how can we bring more culture to our farms?  campfires, music, potlucks?  Creative photography of farms or other sustainable operations, same with art.  You can use your skills in designing visually pleasing farm plans.  Ecotourism is becoming more of thing, research it, they will surely be interested in adding culture to their establishment.  
• Philosophy?  In what ways can you gain inspiration from the natural areas?  Perhaps writing a paper or a book on what it means to live close to nature.  What are your ideas? How can the ecology and social perspectives of farms be looked at in new ways? 
• Writer?  Specialize on natural systems.  Tell the stories of our farmers, what are their struggles, their doubts, their worries?  How does mainstream life support or not support farmers?
• Doctor, healthcare worker?  How does the treatment of our soils affect our food?  How does food affect our health?  In what way can treat the soil differently in order to get a different result in our bodies?  How do wild foods compare to processed or storebought foods or even fresh foods?  Do the types of proteins we consume make a difference?  Are vitamins enough, is there a better way to think about this whole system?  
• Anthropology? How do different countries view food and food systems? What are the differences between cultures and foods eaten and grown?  How does GMOs affect society at large?  
• Language? How do local languages affect the treatment of the land? What words do they use to describe features of the land, and what deeper meanings are also prescribed to these words?  Translation is be a valuable tool, and as languages dwindle, so does the ancient knowledge on natural systems that was intertwined in that language.  In what ways can farmers obtain greater access to the rest of the world, or to what way can the knowledge of that farmer get to the rest of the world.  Explore the relationship.  Travel, interview, find out.  
• Finance?  This skill can be used anywhere, most farms do most of their own financial work, but maybe you could bulk the work of several farms in a way that is affordable to them, yet is beneficial for you too.  Basically creating some kind of an easy system for for you to easily keep track of their finances.. while maybe for them gives them one less thing to worry about.  
• Teacher?  Permaculture teacher training, there are so many people out there who are interested in sustainable systems.  Also perhaps a training series in master gardening, it's really a growing field and people are gaining a lot of interest in growing their own food these days.
• Technician/Engineer?  There are so many people interested in green energy and ways to set up their farms using different ways.  How do you create oil from Hemp or Algae?  Are biodigesters the best way to go always and how?  What's the best way to use solar energy?  So many questions.  Get out there and talk to farmers about some of the technological issues, most likely they will be so happy to work with you! 

Did I miss anything? These are pretty shortlisted, but it's meant to just give ideas.  How can you get involved with your skillset?

If it's still not enough, if you really want to dive in and get your hands dirty, there are options.

Check out your farms which are local.  Sometimes they can be decent paying, just because sometimes not a lot of people are interested in doing that kind of work-- namely farming.

Don't just visit one, explore your options, visit them all!  Where do you feel most comfortable?

Look at volunteer opportunities as well as paid positions.

 Many volunteer opportunities have much more learning opportunities than paid positions.  And sometimes much cooler.

They are volunteer for a reason, because it has value apart from the money.

Skillsets, room and board often, community, fun...

Some allow families even to come and stay.

Explore the internet find organic farms, permaculture sites, revegetation/reforestation projects.


My favorite community remains Sadhana Forest -- with sites located in Haiti, Kenya and India.
For long term volunteers you don't pay, it's a gift economy.

So many ways to get involved

Follow your heart.

Don't give up.

Meet challenges with a smile


:):):)

100 ways to know you've made the right decision, or have been making a string of the right decisions.

So yesterday I had a lot of fun making the list of 100 things, I decided to make another one.

It's interesting to me, that the more learned, the more you realize you actually don't really understand it.  I mean, there is an understanding, but really diving into one field, it's as if knowledge is a tree, and every time you think you've zoned in on a specific aspect of that tree- perhaps one branch, it's as if that branch becomes another tree, and every time you further specify your search, you notice dozens of little branches actually coming out of that branch, and each smaller branch containing just as many smaller branches connecting to it.  Life is really amazing that way, everything is so connected that trying to only learn one thing, is either very disconnected from the entire picture, or learning one thing means actually learning many many things.

I'm learning the art of making decisions.  So I decided that this would be a nice topic to try and go for a list of 100 in.  looking at it now, I'm going to pretend I know 100 ways to know if you've made the right decision, but we will soon find out if I can off the top of my head, list some!

1.  You feel at peace.
2. Maybe no one else agrees with what you've decided, but your inner determination is so strong that no other voice but your own matters.
3.  You feel free.
4.  You feel excited and ready to start every day.
5.  Even with the thoughts of all of the worst possible outcomes of that decision, your heart is happy and singing regardless.
6.  Your brain may still be in a bit of turmoil, but despite it's attempts to sabotage your happiness, you cannot stop yourself from making this decision.
7.  There is no doubt in your heart, that this choice was 100% in line with your most innermost values.
8.  People may not agree with what you've decided, but some of them really can't help but notice the sparkle in your eye!
9.  Suddenly the choices of others don't really bog you down, or phase you even, because you feel so content with where you are, and the choices that you are making.
10.  Getting out of bed every day, is as enjoyable as a date with your best friend.
11.  Even if the body may be experiencing some health challenges, your mind is clear.
12.  Even if the body is experiencing some pain, the mind doesn't attach suffering to it.
13.  Not only can you see the benefits for yourself directly, but you see the positive effects of this decision actually also benefiting others - either directly or indirectly.
14.  Whether you are aware of it or not, you've become an inspiration to others.
15. Even the seemingly most daunting task, doesn't seem so serious.
16. All the negative remarks you may still be getting from others, hardly phase you.
17. Previous addictive behaviors you may have had, have either vanished or have significantly reduced.
18.  That inner yearning for appreciation from others isn't quite there anymore.
19.  You can feel the compassion for yourself, ever expanding.
20.  Your happiness feels one with others happiness.
21.  There is a bubbly bursting feeling inside of your gut.
22.  An excitement for life is full, and everything has become interesting!
23. Your ability to focus your attention has increased!
24.  Despite some fears, you don't allow them to get in the way of what you really want.
25.  Any worry over money is gone.
26.  Any worry about how you are spending your time, is less or absent.
27.  The smallest things, become fascinating and life changing for you.
28.  Your skin has taken on a bit of a glow
29.  You find yourself craving fresh fruits and veggies.
30.  Somehow time seems to be expanding.
31.  Insight starts to come in a different kind of way, which you could never have expected.
32. Synchronicities seem to be in full bloom
33.  Laughter happens more often than not.
34.  You find yourself surrounded mostly by people who are joyful to be around.
35.  People who you typically didn't associate with or who weren't really your type, suddenly you are able to find so much in common with them!
36.  Every moment of your day, seems to be in line with your higher most values.
37.  The thought of your family, brings a smile to your face.
38.  Sometimes you are so much in the present moment and enjoying, mealtimes are no longer the central feature of your day, you even find yourself forgetting that a meal time had come and gone!  Yet, no hunger pangs!
39.  The quality of the air that fills your lungs, brings you joy.
40.  You feel complete.
41.  Instead of seeking so much advice, you start noticing people seeking you for advice.
42.  It's joyful to tell your story.
43.  It's inspiring to tell your story.
44.  Your story connects to the hearts of everyone who listens to it.
45.  You feel great appreciation for your journey.
46.  You feel great appreciation for each and every person in your life.
47.  You see the truth in any words spoken.
48.  The need to impress is gone.
49.  The need to show off any material wealth is no longer needed.
50.  You feel comfortable being you.
51.  There is absolutely no other place that you would rather be.
52.  There is absolutely no other feeling, that you would rather be feeling!
53.  There is absolutely no other journey that you would have rather taken.
54.  There is absolutely no person in your life that you wish would disappear.
55.  The blessings in all of life, are clear.
56.  All of your challenges, seem more like opportunities.
57.  Learning hasn't ever been so fun.
58.  You feel strong about asking for what you want.
59.  You feel strongly about not taking things at face value.
60.  It's easy to disconnect what others say and what they actually mean.
61.  You feel strong to try things you have never tried before.
62.  Suddenly your ego, has taken a bit of a backseat.
63.  Accomplishments are no longer the goal.
64.  Connection ignites the motivation
65.  Energy is abounding
66.  Doubts come, but the joy overrides it.
67.  Less overeating
68.  Less sleep is needed
69.  The mind is quieter
70. Meditation is easier.
71. New ideas are in flow.
72. Creativity abounds.
73. You no longer feel the need to defend yourself.
74. You no longer feel the need to judge yourself.
75. You no longer feel the need to convince anyone.
76.  Trust flows.
77.  The heart feels open and receptive.
78.  The mind is optimistic and curious
79.  Negative reactions are less.
80.  Because of the choice, suddenly it feels there are so many doors opening up to you!
81.  Things you once easily overlooked, become almost impossible to overlook now.
82.  Time is no longer rushed
83.  It seems even if you aren't physically smiling, it always feels like your smiling.
84.  External temperatures effect you a little less.
85. The world seems to have really developed a keen sense of humor
86.  It's difficult for  you to deny anyone or anything your love
87.  you recognize everything in your life as a gift
88.  You find that there is hardly anything to complain about.
89.  The past isn't even a part of your thinking anymore.
90.  The future is only bright
91.  It's easy to express yourself.
92.  You feel calm.
93.  Your ability to learn and acquire new skills has doubled
94.  There is an inner glow of confidence
95.  There is an excitement to share your heart with others.
96.  There is a deep sense of belonging.
97.  Everything is good the way it is!
98.  Friends seem to be there, wherever you are!
99.  There seems to be less negative reaction on a cellular level to your surroundings, less sunburns, allergies, mosquito bites.
100.  You would be willing to go through the decision making process all over again, because of the bliss you are currently living!

My husband talks about, whatever you are seeking for yourself, freely give it to others.

I do feel I have made a lot of right decisions in my life, and now that I am at another cross roads, it's helpful to look at all sides of the situation.  These lists according to my husband help open doors to your heart that maybe haven't fully been explored in seeking the answers to life's questions.

May you be happy, may you make awesome decisions!

All the best. :)

My list of 100 sustainable life options for the year or years to come

So, I am still feeling this tension between going back to school and not going back to school.  My husband gave me a good idea about writing a list of 100 possible things you could do in the next five years:

1- Go back to school in Utah - spend time with family, friends and pets.  Time in Nature, learning about soil science and agroecology.  Will be able to use that knowledge wherever I go.

2- Go back to school somewhere else - for example canada- learn water and land management be able to do city planning work.. or other land development work.  Relatively inexpensive and a one year program.  Or study green technology - green walls and roofs http://agreenroof.com/walls/.  Study sustainability management - the art of helping companies become more green and sustainable.

3- Study live food nutrition.  http://www.treeoflife.nu/

4- Work on a vegan farm     http://www.goveganic.net/article94.html

5- Get a job in a green company - rainforest alliance, greenpeace, etc.

6- Work again for an environmental consulting company, save up for more expensive programs - for example .. like the 2 month long multicourse for permaculture in Australia.
http://www.permaculturenews.org/courses.php

7- Start a vegan cafe

8- Continue on and promote the current vegan catering

9-Spend a few years at Sadhana Forest - really get involved.
http://sadhanaforest.org/wp/volunteers/

10- Spend some months or more at Gorukana - write a book about the indigenous people and draw
up a list of all of their plant species and what they use them all for.
http://gorukana.org/

11- Continue working more proactively with my husbands foundation.  Dedicate myself to helping it become more sustainable. (which basically it really wouldn't be much to do, but maybe things like - order pen and notepads from sustainable contributors, make sure when he travels - he travels by train... etc.)

12- yoga teacher training

13- raw chef training
http://www.radiantlyalive.com/rawfood-training.php

14- Stay in Pune and take a bunch of classes - botany, land remediation, hindi, music classes, dance
    -year long ecological course - with ecological society of Pune

15-Start painting full time for sustainable causes - currently I am working on a painting of horse, once finished it will be sold and all proceeds will go to a horse ranch in New York which saves horses about to be slaughtered or who are badly abused.  They also save other animals like, cats, dogs, goats, sheep, etc.

16. Get Hula Hoop teacher trained.  http://www.hoopnotica.com/teacher-training

17.  Dedicate myself full time to only using sustainable energy, bicycling everywhere, grow as much food in my apartment as possible, no electric appliances and no gas.  Find natural alternatives to food preparation, lights, cooling and heating systems - DIY stuff.

18.  Make seed bombs full time.  Spend all of my time throwing them around town :)
 Or get seeds from Vandana Siva and other organic farms, plant them in otherwise throw-awayables and give them away to people so they can start their porch gardens.

19.  Make a fermenting business - fermented fruit and vegetable drinks for probiotics and health.

20.  Start playing piano again, hold concerts for supporting ecological causes.

21. Continue to network with all of the vegans, raw foodists, permaculturists, organic food producers, sustainable communities, eco-resorts, eco-businesses.  Keep blogging about their work, form stronger networks and pathways between their work.

22. Work on my mindfulness.  Enjoying every moment.  Chewing every bite atleast 30x.  Practicing gratitude everyday.  Working on Inner peace, no matter my outside choices.

23.  Dedicate to learning something new everyday.  Researching where our 'stuff' comes from, how it is made and what the most sustainable options are in terms of, watches, computers, etc.

24.  Take some classes on sustainable technologies, water filtration systems, alternative energy - for example - sustainable dance floors (floors harvesting energy from people!) http://www.sustainabledanceclub.com/news/energy_floors_at_ecomobiel_2012_in_ahoy

25.  My friend is an art teacher who makes art with the kids out of otherwise throw-awayables - pencil shavings, small pieces of paper.. etc.  They also collect used film from movie theatres and create cool things, like lamp shades out of them!

26.  Work/volunteer in an orphanage

27.   work/volunteer at an animal shelter

28.  Study wholistic animal care/ animal nutrition.  Many of our beloved pets are fed sick animals from slaughter houses, and roadkill.  Many of our beloved pets develop all sorts of strange diseases over time due to this unhealthy food.  Is there a better way to care for them?  Can our animals be fed a more wholistic diet?

29.  Another friend here in Pune works in collecting other peoples unwanted stuff, and sells it at huge 'garage-like-sales'  Not only does she re-sell, but she re-creates them into beautiful works of art.  She has a workshop where she cuts glass bottles in half, paints them and puts lights inside of them!  A great decoration for any modern/metro type household or would be fabulous in any cafe, restaurant, bar or club!

30.  Create a recycling center in India.  There are hardly any here.

31.  Travel the world and find communities like Gorukana who have only recently blended with modern society.  How can we learn from them?  Can we show genuine interest in their lifestyles so they can see that their way of life is amazing as well!  How can we work among the indigenous people's so we can get the best of both worlds - westernization and our roots!

32.  Eco fashion - http://www.ecofashionworld.com/Browse-By-Eco-Criteria.html
some the issues with the system we have today: http://www.sponsume.com/project/cotton-film-dirty-white-gold


- I met someone in Delhi who uses natural/plant dyes for all of her organic cotton clothes!  Beautiful stuff and actually affordable!http://www.creativebee.in/news-events.html
Here is another link in the same line:
 http://www.tradeindia.com/manufacturers/indianmanufacturers/natural-dye-sarees.html

33. Exploring energy healing more.  I have my Reiki level II, I use it just about every day.  For everything from minor aches and pains to any emotional or other issue.  I've used it in a few situations and surprisingly I've gotten pretty good results!  Every time I don't take western medicine I support a world which doesn't test animals in a cruel way for all of our medicinal needs.  I support a world where we aren't giving our health into the hands of anybody but ourselves.  I'm not saying there aren't situations in which we need outside support, but just saying, there may be a better way.

34.  Studying holistic teeth care.  Currently finding practitioners who understand the teeth on a much deeper level, than just giving quick fixes or pulling out the problem (root canals) is difficult.  I do believe that teeth are meant to be healthy, and I do believe our diet influences them.

35. Converting my car to work on vegetable oil.  Start a small business in helping other cars convert.

36.  Learn clay pottery.  Many people in the world still use clay pots, they are great for oil-free cooking!  And much healthier than Teflon.

37.  Travel to South America, stay at a friend's organic farm, learn to save seeds and all else that happens there  http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/guaycuyacu/

38.  Experiment with making homemade soaps, lotions, mixtures or just plain recipes for skincare, shampoo, and other cosmetics.
       - I've already been experimenting with different natural powders for teeth and other products that are organic and traditional, which I've purchased here in India.  Flax seeds - ground mixed with water actually makes a pretty decent soap.  It would be pretty cool to learn more about natural stuff.

39.  Make more of my own household cleaners - to be honest, I rarely buy any kind of household cleaners and if I do, I try to get the most natural cleaner there is.  Mostly I've started cleaning everything with water.  In India, dust settles very quickly all over.  So it's common for the floors to be mopped once a day.  They generally use cleaners, but I've stopped using cleaner, because mostly it's just to get the dust out.  I've also started making my own dish soap - for handwashing.  Basically flax seeds (ground), vinegar and baking soda.  Works as far as I'm concerned :)

40. Collecting as many seeds and plants as I can - just from vegetables bought from the store, allow some to go bad so I can collect their seeds, and start my own container nursery on my balcony!  I could also collect any containers that would otherwise be thrown to plant in :)

41.  Start vermicomposting.  Both in my apartment and maybe I could volunteer at the place down the road which composts all of our food waste with worms :)

42.  Really start promoting my permaculture design business, be serious about it and take on offers - either voluntarily or having costs covered for stay and what not.

43.  Spend more time outside.  So much happens on the streets of India!  Feed animals, bring the really sick ones to shelters, sit with the homeless, sort trash - separate bags from food - some statistic I read was something like an average cow in India, when it dies, 27 plastic bags are found inside of it's belly.

44. Get a translator, and start speaking to the homeless, asking them their stories and how they ended up there, what they used to do and what's the stories of the families, backgrounds, what their skills are.   Maybe even write a book about it.  Similar maybe to the "Help"

45.  Or, even more similar to movie, "the Help", speak to the actual maids and other workers here in India, find out their stories and how they perceive their lives and life in general, how they compare themselves to it all.

46.  run a marathon

47.  Learn to scuba dive.

48.  Visit all of the farms and organizations on my list of permaculture related stuff in India.

49.  Go to Bangalore and learn from my friend the art of container gardening.

50.  Go to Thailand and apprentice at a permaculture farm, they have permaculture teacher training programs in the summer as well, along with apprenticeships to learn natural building. http://www.panyaproject.org/

51.  learn the ins and outs of natural building!

52.  Learn Botany!

53.  Learn wild foods, indigenous foods/ native species of India and what people used to mostly eat from the wild, in all different parts of India.

53.  Learn wild foods from around the globe, what indigenous people eat, and how they eat it :)

54.  Collect seeds of wild foods both for regions and globally. Rehabilitate unused and bare soils by mulching and planting these wild foods!  Allowing for nature to grow as it does, while we can also make use of it!

55.  Create community gardens in my area and offer to other communities as well!  Have residents get together and ask them if they'd be interested in having gardens and signing petitions to get gardens in these communities.

56.  Work together with the government to create more green spaces, especially for kids.  Kids in India tend to have to play on the roads, due to a lack of place to play.  - Maybe if unused batches of lands could be cleaned up into nice parks?

57.  Have a gathering of people bring any old coats, blankets or clothes that are no longer used.  Take a day and give the material out to the homeless.

58.  Open up the apartment to hold regular clothing swaps, everyone brings clothes which are nice, but they would be willing to give away for something 'new'.  So they come and bring their clothes and other stuff, and take a look at everything else to see if they'd want anything else.  No costs.

59.  Find out all the hidden skills of friends, maybe one friend likes to cook, another likes to sew, another is great at poetry.  Every week, a friend can teach and show everyone else their skill.

60.  Do nothing!

61.  Learn to surf.

62.  Move to Auroville, help out with SHARAN http://sharan-india.org/

63.  Learn more about no till farming techniques  http://solitudefarm.blogspot.in/

64.  Go on a huge hiking trek in the Himalayas!  Maybe meet some yogis!

65.  Visit Bhutan, learn the ways of the happiest place on earth.

66. Volunteer at an elephant nature park in Thailand, http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

67.  Volunteer at a vegan community in Hawaii or New Zealand:
http://gentleworld.org/about/community/
The description of the place in New Zealand from the website: 
454 acres of magnificent New Zealand countryside that we call Shangri-La; a private valley, with two pristine rivers. Here we accept volunteers each summer season (from November-May) to help lift Shangri-La up to its name, which includes the planting and maintenance of hundreds of fruit trees, lots of flower gardens and several veganic vegetable gardens.

68.  Study oceanography, learn about the huge pile of trash we have in our ocean.. I think actually it's multiple piles of trash.. :/  Can we turn this into an island or something?  Put an airport on it?  Plant some trees?  What can be donee??  
http://www.squidoo.com/garbage-patch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster
- check out the ted talk on this one!! amazing, yet very sad.

69.  My previous option, inspired this option.  Choose no plastic!  Can it be done, can I live a plasticless life?  I could email all of the companies from which I like to buy products and ask them whether they will take my plastic product back and reuse it once i have finished their product or if they can send it to me refilled with their product.  Maybe I could start petitions, have them go viral about getting companies to switch out of using plastic.  Can we get over our plastic addiction!  Help!
 http://www.squidoo.com/garbage-patch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster
- I pasted the same link from above.. because, yes, it's that good, check it out!

70.  After watching that ted X talk about the state of our oceans and the trash island two times as big as Texas.  I could easily spend the next five years of my life filtering plastic from our oceans.  Hey, maybe we could use plastic as some insulation in our buildings?  Possible?   Maybe I can start a plastic building proposal, and maybe this is our solution for mountain top removals (since currently we are cutting open many mountains for all of their metals and what not for building everything) ?  Maybe we can start making our computers and cell phones from used plastics?  What else.. cupboards, tables, chairs.. hey!  Used plastic could be the new oak.. if we start using trash at at least the same rate as we use pristine ecosystems.. We might be able to rid ourselves of this pollution problem?? Hey maybe we will even save a few forests!

71.  Get into the 'business' (more like NGO) of stopping illegal animal trade.  Teach people alternative ways to make money, in fact ways to make money sustainably and in a much more grandios way then their previous disrupting lifestyle of illegal trade of wild animals.  And of course rescue all the wild animals and help them back to their natural habitats.  I could even be a watchmen for these areas, and make sure no one tries to steal them!  lol.

72.  Travel to China and other countries which eat dog and cat.  Give workshops on raw and vegan food with all of its health benefits.  Charm them into loving our animal friends :)  We could also sneak some really adorable baby cat and dog videos in there, all of the really sappy ones, that show that actually these little creatures are not much different from us.

73.  Organize prayer meetings everyday, to send positive wishes to all of the baby animals in the world.  Send positive wishes to earth and the all the people of earth. (as well as the plants, the bugs, the soil, the water and everything else that makes up this world)  The power of prayer!

74.  I can't believe I made it to 74.  At 34, I thought that I was done for .. meaning I wasn't sure if I'd be able to think of anymore.. haha.  kk. let's see.
I could experiment with eco-friendly paints. I could use vegetable and fruit colors.  I could sell them and maybe even hold art classes, using all of these natural vegan materials.

75.  Find out people creating sustainable packaging, start marketing these packaging to big companies as well as small ones, YAY no more plastic!

76.  Or, for all of our plastics, create a culture of washing things out and sending them back to the company to force them to re-use.

77.  Do something nice for someone else everyday, that normally probably wouldn't have happened.

78.  I could make a list like this everyday.  haha.

79.  Learn to knit

80.  Even better learn to use the hair from my llamas ( I know I am a vegan, but my home in Utah is completely an unvegan home - my mom, dad and other relatives.  No matter what I know they will keep their farm, and the hair from the llamas, they will continue to have anyway.  So might as well make use of it right? )  and learn how to make yarn from it :)

81.  Experiment with alternative refrigerator systems, meaning no electricity.

82.  Start city foraging - find out myself, about plants that grow in abundance in the city, make my own names for them, if I can't find them in a reference guide.  Ask locals about them.

83.  Go on walks in the parks, bring my botany book, further refine my indian plant identification skills.

84.  Learn to make bags and jewelry out of trash.

85.  Start collecting unique small trinkets of throw-awayables.  I could maybe make little puja trays with using them, or I could get creative and make ganesh statues :) or bird baths and bird homes.

87.  Start teaching in schools, I could start an eco club at a local highschool, we could collect trash and then make huge beautiful statues out of them.  Or even better, I wrote about this on one of my older blogs but make a green house from bottles!  When I visited the Nilgiris - Earth Trust, they worked with kids and the kids actually did this project.  Their green house was so cool!

88.  This might be more meaningful in the states, where families are a little more separated then they are in India.  But bring kids in to retirement homes.  Let them interact with the elderly - play games and maybe they could do interviews and what not.

89.  Offer a catering service of healthy organic vegan maybe even raw food to hospitals and prisons.  Maybe it could even be an NGO.  Why are we feeding our patients basically airplane food?
I was actually also even considering introducing health foods to my grandmothers retirement center.  Since they have started living there, it seems they have been experiencing more health problems as soon as they moved in.  Basically the diet is pretty laden with dairy and meats.  Like a lot of America.  When I go home, I would like to offer to prepare food for my grandparents on a regular basis.  It's her wish only, I won't force her to eat my food, lol.  But it might be an interesting thing to watch to see if my grandparents experience any improvement in their health?  Might be interesting.

90.  Live everyday to the fullest, get up early, eat light, exercise more than not, never miss an opportunity for that particular moment.  Smile to the biggest, laugh the deepest, love the fullest.  :)

91.  Almost there! Lol. I could start playing more sports, involve all of the kiddos on the streets.

92. Collect all of my leafy green scraps in a separate container, and take that container out every day to feed the cows.  (which are found all over in India)

93.  Continue to experiment in the kitchen with raw cuisine.  Visit villages and find out if they grow different stuff in their garden from what they sell at the market.  Find as much local/ non gmo produce as possible. Contine to experiment with making raw indian food.
- I made an awesome raw saag paneer recipe today!  haha which is entirely misleading because I didn't use saag nor paneer.  I used amaranth leaves and cashew cheese.  If you are interested in the recipe give me an email, I'd be happy to send it out

94.  Learn how to make coconut chutney from scratch, I love coconut.  They say that eating seeds is karmically not the best, so what is better is to regularly plant trees to make up for it.  Check out David Wolfe - The Sunfood Diet successsystem. Awesome book

95.  My husband teaches a "thank you" meditation.  I could do a "thank you" meditation every day.  Basically it is just saying thank you, over and over again in your mind, for the duration of the meditation.  I can't remember which society it is,but they say if you say thank you 1 million times, your life is changed forever.  It's a nice teaching  :)

96.  I can be grateful for all the ways in which I do live sustainably, and all the ways in which I do help others throughout my day, and all the ways in which I already contribute to society at large.

97.  I can learn the Indian Dandiya dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgnvtymB28

98.  I could take a weekly fasting day.  Yesterday I fasted, and I found even though I was kinda headachey yesterday, all of today I have felt much lighter as a result, and I found I have been much more aware of the food I have been eating as well as the quantity.  Food in our today's society has become so much of a gobble-it-down culture we really have no idea the work that goes into our food and not to mention the ingredients, many of them pretty toxic to our systems, esp in the quantities that we typically eat.  So I think I could definitely incorporate fasting into my life, if not on a weekly basis a monthly one.  And of course, I can't leave out the impact that regular fasting could have on our world. Everything adds up, and the less we demand from the planet, the better for everyone.

99.  My husband just walked in, and said I could be a meditation teacher. Lol.  I guess I could, what does it take, I guess I would first have to learn to meditate more wholeheartedly.  I have a tendency to get distracted a lot.

100. I finally made it!! this list probably took a good 4 hours.  Which is kind of embarrassing.  But no worries, there were a few breaks in between.  My last one is.. a commitment to having fun, to not taking life too seriously, even with all of my crazy environmentalism shoopla.  I can everyday, remember to be with people I enjoy, relax when needed, laugh at myself, and just have a good time.

Hmm, so I think my husband is right about making a list of 100 answers to a question in your head.  Even if at the end of it, you still feel a little unclear, suddenly the world just doesn't look so black and white anymore... which makes the decision more peaceful.