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1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 13 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

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Graceonline Lensography

 

My passion, my mission is to make sure my grandbabies, and theirs, get to run wild in fields of tall grass, get to lie down and make snow angels under a crisp blue sky, and get to stand in awe at the wide, wide ocean stretching far and tall above their little heads. That's what most of these lenses are about. Hope you feel inspired!

Image copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

The Village of Ordinary 

READ MY BLOG

When you need a rest from a hurly-burly world, grab a soothing cuppa and spend a few minutes in the Village, where folks are comfortable in their skin and in their famiilies.

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If you can read only one lens ... 

LET IT BE THIS ONE

MAKING THE DREAM REAL 

One way or another, every aspect of Ordinary exists or has existed somewhere in the world. Many people are working to create a more harmonious environment. These lenses show us how to begin.

Making peace in my life, ten minutes a pop 

... is simple--taking time out to let go of everything and focus only on the breath going in and out my body, because peace--all peace everywhere--begins with me, right here, right now.

Is this you? Drop the bag! 

Got lawn? Mow and grow with grasscycling, the easy way to feed your lawn, lower your irrigation bills, and cut your mowing time by a third. This lens shows you how and recommends a few good books and tools to help in the process.

Greening the desert 

WATCH THIS AND BE AMAZED

You can solve all the world's problems with a garden.

Geoff Lawton



One of my next lenses, currently in production, is on greening the desert and includes this amazing video. Got a patch of hardscrabble? Turn it into a fruitful garden.

Greening the Desert

They laughed and said it couldn't be done...

Runtime: 5:20
91033 views
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In the works 

ECO-VILLAGE LENSES I'M RESEARCHING AND BUILDING NOW

Cohousing - An in-depth look at the cohousing movement across the United States and around the world

Findhorn EcoVillage - One of the oldest, famous for its workshops on living well in community and in the world

Image: Autumn
Courtesy The Commons on the Alameda

Plan B 2.0 

FOR ALL THE WORLD'S CHILDREN

To build a better future for all the world's children, we have to rethink our economy. These lenses tell us why, show us what needs to be done, and provide steps each one of us can take--small and big--to assure it happens. It's up to us. Get busy!

Get the book 

It just may be the most important book you'll ever read

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)

While our polar ice caps melt, oil supplies dwindle and, increasingly, we take food from the mouths of babes to fuel our cars, it's easy to think it might be too late already. Lester Brown says there's still time, if we act now, and he lays out the plan. It's going to take all of us. Find out how to work the plan. Get the book.

Plan B 2.0 lenses in the works 

WHAT I'M RESEARCHING AND BUILDING NOW

The Vision
The road map--Where we're headed if we stay on Plan A map
The road map--You are here - Completed
Lester R. Brown
- Completed

Consumers rule! 

VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS

We buy stuff. My family does. Most of you do. These lenses show us how to make sustainable--conscious choices in our everyday lives. Shop Green, is a work in progress. Why buy organic cotton and That's Bamboo are updated regularly. More to come.

Books almost always at my fingertips 

These are the books I return to again and again and again for inspiration, courage, and a reminder to keep doing my part.

The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering: A Story for Anyone Who Thinks She Can't Save the World

Written for the author's granddaughter, this book has spawned a wave of people standing silently for peace all over the world

Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $10.95

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness

In her gentle, unwavering and immensely powerful voice, Walker shows that we are indeed the ones we have been waiting for. Accept the call.

Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $23.95

Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World

Next to Ancient Futures, this is the most inspiring book I've ever read. These folks are turning a desert back into jungle and making peace while surrounded by war

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $16.95

Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh

I've given this book to dozens of people because for thousands of years the Ladakhi lived in total harmony with one another and with their environment and had plenty of time left over to party

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 09/06/2008)
List Price: $16.95

You have the power to make a difference 

WE ALL HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Black Balloons - Greenhouse Gas

Victorian Government campaign created by George Patterson Y&R Melbourne strongly demonstrates the result of energy use in the home and greenhouse gas emissions using a black balloon as a tangible and easy to understand unit of measurement. 1 black balloon = 50 grams of greenhouse gas. 20 black ballons = 1kg of greenhouse gas 200,000 black balloons = 1 tonne of greenhouse gas. The problem becomes very clear.

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Words of encouragement 

Suggestions too

If you have some, this is the place to put 'em.

jacquelinestone

This is a wondrful, and timely, lens. 5*, Fav, bookmarked,lensrolled.
I kept taking canvas shopping bags to WalMart. Now, they've started selling them!
I live in the desert and have quite a lush garden. The birds and bugs love it! We can do this.

Posted July 20, 2008

Susan52

So happy to have found your lensography, which I'm lensrolling to mine. I enjoy your lenses!

Posted June 22, 2008

KimGiancaterino

Blessed by a Squid Angel today! I always enjoy your lenses.

Posted March 29, 2008

KadabaCo

Great stuff here too. I respect your passion and your mission, they're the same as mine, and many others I'm sure.

Posted March 05, 2008

jasmineann

Lovely lensography and wonderful lenses in here! Adding to my faves and lensrolling :)

Posted February 15, 2008

 
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Build your own lens 

CAUTION! SQUIDOO IS ADDICTIVE!

Got something to share with the world? Build your own lens! If you are building a lens about an ecovillage or other sustainable practices, upon publication, please consider joining the Building Ordinary group.

Sign up now. You or your charity will earn $5 on your first lens payout if you sign up using this referral. So will I. It's one of the ways Squidoo rewards us all for helping each other find our way to the land of Squid.

Image: Squidoo button

All Graceonline 

I made this list for Caseyfern's Plexography group, (Thanks for the invitation, Casey!), and you can vote for your favorite lenses here, too.

#1

Village of Ordinary

What if ... every child grew up feeling wanted, loved and completely supported by family and community? What if ... we could all do work that gave us...1 point

#2

Earthaven Ecovillage

Earthaven is an aspiring ecovillage in a mountain forest setting near Asheville, North Carolina. We are dedicated to caring for people and the Earth b...1 point

#3

Building Ordinary Headquarters

Building Ordinary This group is about ways all of us can make the Village of Ordinary--a fictional place where people live together in harmony with ea...1 point

#4

Crystal Waters Permaculture Village

Located an hour and a half north of Brisbane, Australia, Crystal Waters is a planned eco-village. It's a place where everyone, from kids to grannies a...0 points

#5

Building Ordinary--Sustainable Community

They're known as eco-villages, cohousing or intentional communities, and this lens explores several of them and answers these questions: What is cohou...0 points

#6

Plan B 2.0: What's it all about?

Plan A, business-as-usual, has the world on an environmental path that is leading toward economic decline and eventual collapse. If our goal is to sus...0 points

#7

Plan B 2.0 - Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble Headquarters

Plan B 2.0 - Rescuing a planet under stress and a civilization in trouble Lester Brown wrote the book. World-renowned environmentalist and expert in t...0 points

#8

Join the Plan B Team

Word of mouth made Plan B BIG. People bought extra copies to give their friends. They sent them to their mayors and congressional leaders, sent them t...0 points

#9

Shop Green

These days, it's easy being green. We've tons of choices, from the food we eat to the homes we build and furnish to the vehicles we drive and the fuel...0 points

#10

Why buy organic Cotton?

Cotton - You love the feel of it against your skin. The scent of it, fresh from the dryer, the rich plush of thick Turkish towels in the bath. And who...0 points

#11

That's Bamboo? Wow!

Bamboo is the eco-wonder of the world. It pumps oxygen into the air faster than trees, feeds the hungry, clothes the body, soothes the ear, carries wa...0 points

#12

Graceonline Lensography

My passion, my mission is to make sure my grandbabies, and theirs, get to run wild in fields of tall grass, get to lie down and make snow angels under...0 points

#13

Lester R. Brown

From tomato farmer to one of the world's most influential thinkers (Washington Post) and the guru of the environmental movement, (The Telegraph of Cal...0 points

#14

Ten minute breathing meditation

This is a wonderful exercise for calming the body and mind. You can do it sitting, standing, or lying down. Trouble sleeping? This will help.0 points

#15

Plan B 2.0 Road map: You are here

Road maps get us where we're going--if we know our starting point and our destination. This lens helps each of us find our starting point on Lester Br...0 points

Gracey tidbits 

Little bites about me, my loves, dreams and wishes
Green Roofs: An Introduction with Pretty Pictures | EcoGeek | Roof, Green, Roofs, Written, August
One of my dreams is to live in a home with a verdant roof teeming with growing plants. Look! In some places, you can jog on your apartment-building roof!
zzilch
One of my goals is to assure that every dollar I spend helps to make the world a better place. This blog showcases beautiful fair-trade, eco-friendly items and zeroes in on the most fun ways to DYI and recycle everyday flotsam into something beautiful. Enjoy!
Life Balanced
After an insightful trip to Thailand, Tina, a world traveler, wanted to keep the bliss and a commitment to "be a better me." This blog chronicles her path. Her writing is gentle, concise and leaves me feeling peace from the inside out. I hope to start my day every day with her words going forward.
Green-Unlimited
Green Unlimited is a favorite resource for keeping track of what's hot and green. Take the biodegradable urn for burial at sea, or find out why 2008 has been named The Year of the Frog, and by whom.

Catch me on Twitter 

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Graceonline

About Graceonline

I work for a lively, entrepreneurial green biz by day and research and write the Village of Ordinary and its companion blog, Realizing Ordinary
in spare minutes, too spare. Blog posts and lens updates are irregular,
but always committed with passion and love. Image copyright 2006,
Valerie C. Bauman. All rights reserved.

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