Compost Maven

The powerful, eloquent, and spot-on Urvashi Vaid leading us in the important task of defeating the right wing, culturally and politically.

Thanks, Urv!

-the compost maven
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Hi folks!

Long time no post!  Autumn is the perfect time for blogging, playing indoor games, and of course, listening to Elgar. When I was a kid my grandmother got some newspaper, god knows what, the Addison Independent??, which had that puzzle where you compare a picture printed twice, side by side, and figure out the ten subtle (and okay, not so subtle) things that were different.  God I loved that game!  God I was good at it!  So now that we’re all grown up we can play a grown up version of that game.  Here it is: Listen to these two versions of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, 1st movement, and tell me what you hear that’s different.  Then I’ll tell you my answer in my next post.

Here’s the lady who played my first listening of this piece (thanks to Anya Schwartz), Jacqueline Du Pré, conducted by her @#$% ex-husband Daniel Barenboim:

And here’s YO. That’s my little name for him. Also conducted by D.B.:

Enjoy!

-the compost maven

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Hi folks,

What a short, strange trip it’s been!  The store is starting to take shape and so we’re planning a grand opening for Saturday, April 25.  Please join us if you’re in the area.  If the weather’s dry it’ll be a little sidewalk fair with local vendors, artists, and community organizations out in front of the store.

I hope this announcement explains why I haven’t been blogging much lately!!

Stay tuned!

-compost maven

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Our very own Sherry Corbin and Beth Robinson at the very emotional and incredible moment when the Vermont legislature changed his/herstory, creating a more just world.

It’s a happy day in Vermont.

Weehooo!
Compost Maven

(Painting of the new front entrance by Liza Cowan of Pine Street Art Works)

STOP THE PRESSES: Waste Free Living is getting REAL!

Starting April 1 we’ll have a website AND a real live storefront.  We’re thrilled to find a wonderful home nestled in with Pine Street Art Works and AO! Glass where we can offer everything that’s on the website and more.

Come visit and get all your compostable, fabulous, and earth-friendly goods at:

Tuesday through Sunday, 10 - 5:30

404 Pine Street
Burlington, Vermont
Between Fresh Market and Speeder & Earl’s Coffee Shop
(We share a front entrance and roof with Pine Street Art Works and AO! Glass)

Here’s what you’ll find:
Featuring products for home, yoga, garden, office, and eco-events!

• Babies, Kids & Mamas
• Bed & Bath
• Books
• Composting
• Conservation
• Eco Clothing
• Event Essentials
• Farm Products & Wild Crafts
• Food Preservation
• Green On the Go (bottles, bags, journals & more!)
• Home Furnishings & Improvement
• Kitchen & Table
• Office
• Organic Yard & Garden
• Pets
• Yoga Practice

Stop by in person or visit Waste Free Living online:
http://www.wastefreelivingstore.com/servlet/StoreFront

Our passion:
Good ideas and good goods for personal, societal, and planetary well being

I hope to see you there!

Holly Rae Taylor, Compost Maven

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hand-picked goods for living naturally
because nature knows no waste

Hey folks,

Ever wonder when your next brain twister will sneak up on you and seize some of your synapses?  Well, iTellYouWhat, it happened to me today with this awesome, yet oddly iRonic, iPhone app.  It helps you locate local food wherever you are.  Here’s the thing.  Web 2.0 is the best thing since locally sliced bread.  Why?  Because it’s we humans humanizing a potentially isolating and dehumanizing thing like the internet and computers–it’s connecting!  This iPhone Locavore app is just one more way we are using this technology to connect with each other in ways that are very modern but very human.  (read more about the Locavore app here)

So what’s fresh in your neck of the woods?  Are there any locavore’s out there?  Actually, in Vermont we call it, localvore, with that second ell that seems to make so much more sense, but don’t ask me, I’m biased.

Here’s the iEvidence of how hard it is to be a locavore in Vermont.

Are YOU loca?

Here’s fun!
-compost maven

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Hey folks,

I was at the marriage equality hearings in Montpelier the other night, obviously on the side of freedom to marry!  (I was like, look at me, do I really need to wear a big yellow button to let people know I’m a big dyke??)  Anyway, some of the most powerful testimonies of the evening were from twelve year olds. It’s such a wake up call when young people speak the naked truth of things. All the adults are like, god that kid has some mad composure. The power of non-adult testimony is in its non-agenda: It’s easy and powerful to hear someone’s truth when there’s no horseshit.  Here are three inspiring testimonies from non-adult smart people.

I hope it digs!
-the compost maven

1. Severn Cullis-Suzuki, now in her late 20s, started the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO) when she was only 9-years-old. ECO was a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. In 1992 they raised their own money and attended the UN’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. keep reading…

2. This video has a powerful and empowering twist half way through…

3. This is my fabulous friend James Neiley speaking very eloquently at the Vermont Statehouse yesterday in an effort to sway legislators to vote for a same sex marriage bill. If the bill passes same sex couples could start tying the knot Sept 1 just like every other dang fool love sick couple in the land. And by the way, James is a mad talented fashion designer who sketches some wicked dresses.

If you’re like me, you’re chomping at the bit to dust off your bike and get back on the road or trail.  Here’s a little something that showed up in my inbox this morning:

7 Easy Ways to Become a Faster Cyclist

Ciao!

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Blogging from "the wilderness"!

Hi folks!

Hey, welcome to the new home of Compost Maven’s Musings!  I moved over here from my old blogger blog because the login to that account “about had the radish”.  “About had the radish” is Vermonter-speak for, it ceased to function.  Needless to say, it was rather frustrating and I missed you!  But that was then, this is now, and here we are.

I’ve been doing some blogging over at www.WasteFreeLiving.com, mind you, and will continue to do so, but this’ll be a more personal take on things.

This blog is going to be about composting, sure, but it’ll go way beyond that.  Let’s just take it one day at a time and see how it all unfurls, shall we?  Over on blogger I was blogging about triathlons, my girlfriend Alison Bechdel riding a bicycle without a helmet, my birkenstock composting project, my stained glass, my new business ventures, the great Gretchen Phillips, etc etc.  So I guess that’s the type of thing you can expect here.  Maybe with a bit more on my business activities and composting news elsewhere on the planet besides my own backyard.  And hey, I’m open to topic suggestions so feel free to suggest away!

And I’d like to say, don’t forget to hit the old RSS feed button so you’ll come on back early and often, but I don’t know how to add the darn button.  Can anyone out there in the blogosphere lend a hand?

Yours in dirt love,

Holly Rae Taylor, the Compost Maven, musing again.

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