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The Revolving Museum has done it again: they see a need and fill it! I was amazed at how few art classes for adults seemed to be available in the area, and now I see that there will be several classes offered by the Museum in September. They will have drawing, beading and sculpture taught by highly-qualified Massachusetts artists; see the brochure for class descriptions and fees. In addition, they will be offering an interesting course entitled “Everything You Wanted to Know About the Creative Economy but Were Afraid to Ask”. Taught by UML Professor Bob Forrant this looks to be a provocative analysis of the current economic situation in the region with an emphasis on how creative individuals contribute. This should be of great interest to all stakeholders in the Valley. Bob Forrant doesn’t sugarcoat things either, so expect some stimulating discussion and bold ideas.

I was in Trader’s Joe’s in Nashua today when I noticed a collection of reusable grocery bags for sale. The brightly colored red bags with a black-and-white store motif caught my attention immediately, and then I realized they were made in Lowell! The tag, printed on recycled paper, noted that not only were the bags “distributed and sold exclusively for Trader Joe’s, Monrovia, CA,” but they were made of “heavy duty 100% cotton” with reinforced stress points. At a cost of $2.99 each, I decided to buy one even though I had my own collection of reusable grocery bags with me. At the checkout, I mentioned to the cashier that I couldn’t resist buying a bag made in Lowell, and he told me I was the second customer this week to comment on them. He also pointed out that he had seen a five-fold increase in the number of customers bringing their own bags to the store in the last year, a fact he attributed, in part, to TJ’s efforts to provide incentives for East Coast customers to bring their own bags—something they’ve been doing in California, where the company is based, for years. (When you use your own bag, you enter a drawing to win $25 in TJ products.) My otherwise uneventful trip to the grocery ended on an upbeat note: more folks getting away from using environmentally unfriendly plastic bags and quality workmanship being made in my home city. Now if we could just get them to open a store downtown…

“What is it you plan on doing with your one wild and precious life?” is a line from a Mary Oliver poem that circled my head this morning when I woke early and couldn’t get back to sleep. My prayer is to spend my life with people I love, contributing something meaningful. As a recent convert to Oliver, a prolific, best-selling poet whose words resonate with simple beauty, I can’t wait to get her latest book Thirst Red Bird. For today, here is a poem fromThirst shared by Pastor Cindy Worthington-Berry, who herself always seems to be a light in my day:

“When I Am Among Trees” by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, “Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say, “and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”

Well, now you can find out. As the parent of a too-soon-to-be driver, I was thrilled to read in yesterday’s Boston Globe about a new program “Steer Straight” that provides parents with a way to monitor their teen drivers. Created by two moms, it is modeled after commercial-driver programs that use bumper stickers asking “How is my driving?” and a call-in number to report inappropriate commercial drivers. Since car accidents are the leading cause of death in young people, the notion of checking up on your teen’s driving habits with a similar program makes sense. The bumper stickers for Steer Straight read “How is my teen driving?” along with a phone number and vehicle-identification number a caller uses to report the driver. The call is taped, and the information relayed to the teen’s parents via a call-in center. The program, which costs $99 a year, provides parents with two bumper stickers and access to the call-in results. For inexperienced drivers, it’s an incentive to take care on the road, and for worried parents, some peace of mind. Months ago, I wrote a post about the crackdown on young drivers and specifically a friend’s teen who received harsh punishment for going eight miles over the speed limit on city streets (a 90-day license suspension, two classes, a $500 reinstatement fee, and other fines). The Steer Straight program, although not necessarily punitive (depending of course on the reaction of the parents), is a small price to pay for safer driving. Now wouldn’t it be great if we could get a break on the excessive under-25 insurance rates too?

Our new superintendent of schools, Dr. Chris Scott, was on UML Sunrise last Thursday. I missed it, but thanks to their prompt podcasting, I was able to hear it this morning. Host Bob Ellis, alluding to lack of funding, negative media and fractious school committee, asked the obvious question: “Why would you want this job?” Dr. Scott defended the school committee who give up personal and family time to do the job, saying it is easy to complain and criticize when you maybe don’t have all the facts that go into a decision. She praised the delegation for the work they do in getting money for the schools, while conceding that across the board education could be given more financial support by the State. She added that Lowell is the “coolest urban center in the Commonwealth” and that our school system has had twenty years of great leadership and has gained a reputation for being on the “cutting edge of best practices.” For Dr. Scott, coming to Lowell was like winning the “professional lottery.”

My take: she has enthusiasm, good ideas and the practical know-how to get things done. She understands where the system is and where it needs to be. She’s looking beyond the department into the community to make connections and form partnerships. This is all good. For the first time in a long time, I’m feeling hopeful about our community and our schools.

It was lucky that the torrential rainfall held off as long as it did on the last day of the Lowell Folk Festival, letting loose around 4:00 pm and sending everyone running for shelter. We consoled ourselves with sushi at The Blue Taleh and then headed home. The downside was that I missed getting my bag of mulch from the festival recycling center located across from Lowell High. (Since I don’t want to carry mulch around all day, I usually pick up a bag while heading back to the parking garage). I was reminded of that today when someone forwarded information on WasteCap, a public-private, non-profit initiative formed to help Massachusetts businesses find cost effective ways to recycle and reduce waste. WasteCap touts the festival as “the premier example of a major entertainment event with waste reduction, composting and recycling programs.” In case you don’t know the extent of the recycling and trash management that goes on at the Lowell Folk Festival, here is what WasteCap says about it:

What is remarkable about the LFF recycling program is the plan that starts with eliminating waste before it is generated. Most beverages were delivered in reuseable crates; bottles and cans are recycled and food related waste is composted. All food vendors or sponsors agree to use compostable service ware, including the utensils and waxed paper cups. The trash receptacles in the area of the food service areas are collected for composting. Throughout the Festival area, trash barrels are paired with recycle containers for bottles and cans. Volunteers collect the recyclables including corrugate and large containers for sorting and recycling. The compostable waste is sorted by volunteers to remove the extraneous non recyclable materials that may have been thrown in the trash. Each year the Recycling Center hands out bags of the previous year’s compost and the bags of compost always run out. Potted plants at the Recycling Center were planted in last year’s compost by the Community Greenhouse which also uses the LFF compost.

Just another reason to love the Lowell Folk Festival!

Lately, it seems as though we’re living in a tropical rain forest, with the only (literally) bright spot being that the potted plants didn’t die while I was on vacation - if anything they are too wet - and the lawn isn’t brown. I have to say this is unusual for August! I just read a New York Times op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman who has been observing the effects of climate change on the Greenland ice sheet. Greenlanders report that they can no longer dogsled in winter to a certain island off the coast, that it rained in December (unprecedented in a town above the Arctic Circle), that the reindeer did not show up as usual in August. According to Friedman, we will all soon be learning to “speak climate,” using phrases such as “I’ve never seen that before” or “Just a few years ago.”

In the middle of our vacation week, we drove over to visit my sister at her cottage on a small lake. There had been some sun that afternoon, and we were sitting on the deck chatting, when the darkening sky and rumbles of thunder sent us indoors. It then proceeded to rain heavily for several hours. Boats filled with water and docks began to float. Soon there was a brown river cascading down the mountain and boiling past the cottage and into the lake, carrying sand, rocks and branches into the water. One of our group ventured out in the rain and came back to report that the road was gone. “What do you mean, ‘the road is gone?’ we asked, not quite able to take it in. But, yes, the road was gone, in its place was a waterfall pummeling through a 20-foot gap exposing the useless culvert. So, now our car is stranded at the end of a dirt road. I’ve never seen that before!

My daughter showed me this video and I actually laughed out loud. (That’s something these days when I haven’t felt much like laughing.) The short piece is enjoyable even if you don’t happen to be a cat lover, so stick with it a minute because it gets better. Also, it makes a poignant point about life and what even a tiny, simple creature is capable of when she puts her mind to it—in this case, getting a drink of water.

Margaret wrote a post a few weeks ago about making the effort to bring your own bags to the grocery store. Today, my brother emailed me this link for more disturbing information about the damage plastic bags inflict on our environment. I am getting better at remembering to bring my own bags, and I’ve gathered quite a collection of them now. Returning them to the car after unloading appears to be the biggest challenge at this point. Other than trying to increase awareness, it seems the best way to get more people involved is to model what I saw in Ireland: have stores charge a decent fee per bag or as some stores are already doing here, give five cents off for each bag you bring yourself. Keep in mind, bringing your own bags comes in handy for other types of stores as well.

In 2003 when I first ran for school committee, the local paper spent the previous year publishing quasi-news stories and editorials centered around two basic themes: the school committee is failing the community because of the teachers’ raises and we should change to an appointed board. Sound familiar? At that time, as an outspoken member of the Citywide Parent Council, I was confused by the vehemence against the board and disappointed by the lack of balanced reporting of the challenges facing our schools. I was also uncomfortable by the silence of the committee, and so began my own journey of letters to the editor, running for office, and eventually this blog. (As we have all seen, taking on an entity that buys ink by the barrel is not without consequences.)

Meanwhile, the drum roll for an appointed school committee continues: Fewer people are running, the leaders are not held accountable, people are not voting, voters are not paying attention etc. Aside from the fact that an appointed committee will not do one thing to improve these concerns—particularly voter apathy and sophistication, which is another reason why excellent schools are an absolute necessity—I cannot get beyond the simple question of who will do the appointing and how will it ensure accountability? Instead, I fear we will end up with an appointed board of connected politicos with agendas that will not be held up to public scrutiny.

There is an area, however, in which the paper and I agree: the lack of people running and voting is alarming. In a post last week, I mentioned how less people are running for school committee, which is true of most elected seats these days.  In www.richardhowe.com Marie wrote about this fall’s state elections, “Senators Panagiotakos and Tucker, Representatives Golden, Nangle, Garry, Miceli, Finegold and Tucker have no primary or Republican opposition.” (my bold) Yes, our democracy is in crisis, but appointed boards are not the answer. In the end, we get the government we deserve, and that means fighting to keep democracy alive rather than hastening its demise.