I think I have 15,000 canvas bags. Whenever I go to a conference, I pick up at least three. When I get home I throw them into my coat closet, and I believe they start breeding shortly thereafter. Now I've somehow ended up with more totes than I know what to do with.
Well, more than I knew what to do with. I've recently been trying to be much more conscientious about my consumption patterns. I have lots of friends who bike, and others who are actively involved with environmental issues in Columbus. I used to be a bottled watter addict, but now I devotedly lug my aluminum Sigg water bottles with me wherever I go, and instead of driving to the bank or to my neighborhood convenience store, I ride my bicycle.
I also keep those formerly pesky canvas bags in the trunk of my car, and pull them out every time I go to the grocery store. Today I made my usual grocery run, Las Vegas County Library bag in tow, and puttered around my favorite Giant Eagle. The store has recently begun selling their own branded grocery bags, and I usually see a few people responsibly making use of them. Today I pulled my cart in line behind a young couple who were having their groceries packed into the tan bags. It was mildly satisfying to see two of us in line with reusable bags. Then a woman got in line behind me, and she had her own canvas bags as well. It was really heartening to see so many people paying attention, cutting down on waste, and being more responsible. I think Columbus on the whole is really moving towards being a much greener, more sustainable city, and it's becoming more apparent every day.
Where were you last Earth Day? Did you do your part and help gussy up Mother Earth? We hope so, but if you missed 2007 worry not, because Earth Day 2008 is right around the corner. Green Columbus is working with just about every area environmental group to make this the best Earth Day ever. The details are:
When: Saturday, April 26; worksites around town will start at 8:00 a.m., the celebration at Goodale Park runs from noon to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Worksites around Central Ohio in the morning, a celebration at Goodale Park in the afternoon.
Why: Mother Earth has been good to us and it is time to give back a little.
Who: Central Ohioans of all ages
Earth Day 2008: Now Get Busy! is brought to you by the same folks who put together last year’s Earth Day 2007: A Year in a Day. In 2007, we well surpassed our goal of soliciting one person-year of volunteer labor by enabling nearly 1,400 Central Ohioans to put in over 3,900 person-hours, almost two person-years, at 42 worksites throughout the area. This level of effort resulted in cleaner rivers, the planting of hundreds of trees, removal of non-native species from our parks, and all manner of community beautification. The morning work activities were followed by a city-wide celebration at Goodale Park that featured a free lunch for morning volunteers, booths for environmental organizations, live music, and speakers, including Mayor Michael B. Coleman.
Our plans for 2008 are even bigger. There will be 2,500 volunteer slots in the morning, and an even bigger afternoon celebration. Details about these will be coming soon, so stay tuned. We are also working with a number of other great organizations, including the Columbus Zoo, to fill a full week (yep, we’re calling it Earth Week) with great activities. Get Involved!
My friend Ashley, tagged me for this, so here's to you:
1. I’m an ecofeminist! Wikipedia defines Ecofemism as:
• Ecofeminists argue that a relationship exists between the oppression of women and the degradation of nature, and explore the intersectionality between sexism, the domination of nature, racism, speciesism, and other characteristics of social inequality. Some current work emphasizes that the capitalist and patriarchal system is based on triple domination of the "Southern people" (those people who live in the Third World, the majority of which are south of the First World), women, and nature.
I am not really an ecofeminist, but more a fan of the ethicist Arne Næss. Neass is responsible for Ecophosphy T, which developed into the Deep Ecology movement. However, Naess thought that everyone should develop his or her own philosophy, so that is what I did. After writing about a 50 page thesis on my rational thoughts of how humans should behave. Upon sharing my paper with philosophers all over the world it turns out my ethic is most similar to a philospher, Chris Cuomo, who is an Ecofeminist, at the University of Cincinnati.
2. I desperately want to be my own boss. I am going to start my own business that can most easily be described as an ecologically friendly Home Depot! I will write more about this in a future post, but it is in the works!
Maybe run for office once I am old and crusty?
3. I fantasize everyday about moving to the mountains. Do not care which ones, but I always feel at home in the mountains. I have lived in Aspen, been to the North Cascades, Sawatch Range, San Juan Mountains, Elk Mountains, Front Range, Gore Range, Mosquito Range, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Sierra Nevada Range, Tetons, Alps, the Dolomites and Hiked about 600 miles in the Appalachians. I am not sure if I will ever move out of Ohio? I have a lot going for me here: Family, Friends, 100 acres and a cabin in the Hocking Hills, 120-acre family farm just south of C-bus that has been in the fam since 1860 and connections out of the wahzoo, but would I be happier in an environment surrounded by people who share my passions, I don’t know.
4. I used to think that I was a superhero; I secretly still think I am. Up until I was in first grade, I wore a cape. I interchanged a black cape and a red cape, but always had a cape. My favorite song is by Guy Clark: The Cape
• Eight years old with flour sack cape Tied all around his neck He climbed up on the garage Figurin’ what the heck He screwed his courage up so tight The whole thing come unwound He got a runnin’ start and bless his heart He headed for the ground
Chorus
He’s one of those who knows that life Is just a leap of faith Spread your arms and hold you breath Always trust your cape
All grown up with a flour sack cape Tied all around his dream He’s full of piss and vinegar He’s bustin’ at the seams He licked his finger and checked the wind It’s gonna be do or die He wasn’t scared of nothin’, Boys He was pretty sure he could fly
Chorus
Old and grey with a flour sack cape Tied all around his head He’s still jumpin’ off the garage And will be till he’s dead All these years the people said He’s actin’ like a kid He did not know he could not fly So he did
Nowadays, it is more I think I have a higher since of empathy than just about anyone does, might be my power. In addition, I also am always pushing the boundaries of my physical limitations, whether through hiking, biking, climbing or diving I am always on a mission to go further, higher and deeper to test my own limits.
5. I don’t drink soda-pop ever. Sometimes I will drink carbonated water (often flavored carbonated water) and every once in a while I will drink tonic water (mostly just with gin.) I miss Italy where wine was cheaper than water and all the water was sparkling spring water. Bellissimo!
6. Everyone that knows me well thinks I should be a chef or in catering. This boy can cook! It doesn’t hurt that I did an undergraduate in Plant Biology. I can identify just about everything edible in the wild and can grow just about anything. I love cooking! Eating, for me, is the most sensual activity next to making love. However, Socrates thought of cooking as a form of flattery, a knack that only produces "a kind of gratification and pleasure" and no real good.
To Socrates, cookery fails to reflect a rational and ideal world but rather concerns itself with what may be considered tasty by a particular gourmand. The real good would be medicine. This is ingrained deep in my psyche. While I know this is antiquated and chefs like Jamie Oliver and Black Creek Bistro are making a difference in the world, I have a hard time arguing with Socrates.
7. I am a dreadful speller. Everything that I write has been spell checked. I also have appalling handwriting. I’m lucky that I was born in the computer age, pretty sure I would be in remedial classes and riding the short bus if I didn’t type everything. I scored 12.9th grade on everything on my CTBS test in second grade, except spelling where it was at a second grade level. That never changed.
8. I am terrible with girls.
• I am sentimental to the point of sappy. You would think that girls would like a sentimental gentleman, but they also like hard to get and alpha males. All fights I have had since middle school have pretty much been because I see a guy (pretending to be a alpha) mistreating (In my opinion) a gal, yet the gal sticks around. Evolution needs to hurry up, damn you geologic time. Gals, why don’t you realize that in the 21st century that us intelligent and sentimental boys are going to be better mates in almost every aspect. • I over think everything and I mean everything. • I am really persnickety and vain, not necessarily on a particular phenotype but more on intelligence, personality and interests. Now that I’ve stated that, I’m certainly not adverse to a healthy body and big beautiful eyes. I think there are only about 15 people in Columbus who I would go on a first date with. • I am weird (Did you read the rest of this post; I rest my case) • I am a metro-sexual and get hit on by boys much more than girls • Most of my idealized girls turn out to be lesbians? Not sure why but I have asked out about an equal amount of lesbians and straight gals. Maybe it is that I get lesbians confused with people who share my values
I am planning a hefty garden this year with a little help from my friends. I know it is February, but now is the time to start a garden! First, if you want asparagus (which other than smelly pee, who doesn’t love asparagus) in one growing season, the time to plant is now! Asparagus generally don’t come as seeds, they come as a crown. As long as you get that crown below the frost line, it will start getting roots out and taking in nutrients. Also, it is time to get the Ole’ Burpee Seed Catalog out and have some fun. I am looking to plant (so far)
Which exact verities am I going to get, there is still some time to ponder these important questions. I generally like things that you can’t find at the local farmer’s market or things that are native to Ohio. I haven't chosen any specific cultivars yet, but I still have some time. My wonderful sister-in-law, Emily found this gem. Oh, how I adore plants and their seemingly endless verities, I mean, Artichoke "Violetto de Romagna," Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale, Giant Red Celery, Purple Calabash Tomato, Sunburst Squash, and Zebra Hybrid Eggplant oh my! If only there was a way to grow more of them on a small plot; eureka! There just might be?
Enter bio-intensive gardening! Bio-intensive gardening is basically the idea to get plants to work for you, which, I’m lazy, so that sounds good to me. Granted, there is a lot of prep work, but once you get these babies in the ground, watch out! My best recommendation is to:
1. Double dig your garden with a bit of compost or manure. 2. Plant in clumps spaced about the distance you think your roots will spread. This may take a few years to get just right. 3. Mulch that bad boy so you don’t have to water it everyday.
There is much more but as with most things, practice makes perfect. Soon you will know why that caterpillar is on your tomato plant and why that squash is loosing its leaves. Gardening is more about creativity than anything else, so have fun!
A good friend of mine informed me that Stephen Beard of North Market Produce is calling it quits or retiring; but don't fret Columbus foodies. Opening in that space will be Local Matters. For those of you who don't know about Local Matters they:
Are a charitable, educational and networking organization whose goal is to ensure that all members of our community have access to affordable, nutritious, fresh and local foods.
are helping to create a vibrant, sustainable and regional food system. In the process, we strive for positive environmental, social and economic change in the community of Columbus, Ohio and surrounding areas.
Rumor has it this stand will be chock full of veggies and goodness from various local farms and maybe even a place to pick up winter CSA's. Good news, cant wait to see them.
Did anyone see this. I've been reading about it for a while and it seems really cool. Does anyone remember the AEP smart house that was torn down for the parking garage. Does anyone know if OSU competed (and if so which professor was involved?) http://www.solardecathlon.org/ from the NY Times
The point of the event is to illustrate that “solar” no longer means “hippy hangout,” “ugly box” or “Spartan shack.” The homes are gorgeous on the inside, and, usually, on the outside. (Rules limit the house to 800 square feet, not counting porches, patios, and gardens; that, and the necessity to get them to Washington on trucks, dictated a certain boxiness to some of the floor plans.) There was nothing Spartan about these homes. In fact, the name Decathlon is a reference to the ten categories that these homes can rack up points in the contest: architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort zone, appliances, hot water, lighting, energy balance (bonus points if you generate more power than you use), and “getting around.”
The developer of Jeffrey Place has secured a state grant to install rooftop solar panels on the next cluster of condominiums at the project.
The Ohio Department of Development granted Joe Recchie of National Community Builders $438,372 to install the panels at the North Block condos, a 75-unit section of the 41.5-acre Jeffrey Place development. National Community is attempting to turn the former Jeffrey Mining and Manufacturing site into an urban neighborhood.
The North Block condos will be at the northwestern corner of the development. The buildings were designed by Columbus architect George Acock.
Recchie said he will be seeking the highest designation of LEED certification for the project. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation is awarded to development projects by the U.S. Green Building Council. It identifies those projects that have embraced environmentally friendly principles.
LEED certification has become a badge of honor and a marketing tool for some cities and developers.
"A lot of these ideas are things we were already doing," Recchie said. "It had more a sense of convergence. We worked hard to develop best practices for Jeffrey Place."
The panels will cost more than $1 million, Recchie said, and will provide electricity for all of the condos. He said the panels will generate 121 kilowatts, which will flow into American Electric Power’s power grid and could allow some North Block residents to sell power back to the utility.
AEP customers have a hand in paying for the panels. The money for the Development Department’s Advanced Energy Program has roots in electricity deregulation.
In 1999, the Development Department asked regulators to create a revolving loan fund to encourage renewable energy activities. Customers of AEP, Dayton Power & Light Co., Duke Energy Corp. and FirstEnergy Corp. were assessed a 9-cent monthly fee to create the fund.
The fund currently contains $23.2 million.
In 2003, the General Assembly allowed the department to begin using 10 percent of the previous year’s receipts for grants, said Sherry Hubbard, acting office chief for the Development Department’s energy office. The grant for the North Block condos at Jeffrey Place is one of the largest ever issued.
"The grant program has been evolving over time," Hubbard said. "It began by grants to single homeowners. In 2005, we decided that there was a big part of the market that would help move solar forward. That was new construction."
All but nine of the North Block condos will be prefabricated by UniBilt Homes. In addition to the solar panels, they’ll feature geothermal heating and cooling, tankless water heaters, irrigation through storm-water runoff, vegetation on carport roofs and recycled concrete, 90,000 tons of it, taken from the site.
The project will include town house and loft-style condos. The two-bedroom town houses are 1,380 square feet and will start at $248,000. The 730-square-foot lofts will begin at $156,000.
Recchie said the grant money, which amounts to $6,642 per prefab unit, will be passed along to the buyers. The cost per square foot of the town houses, $178, is far lower than the average Downtown condo cost of $237 per square foot.
IT firm moves, secures loan
A company that creates logistics software for midsize companies has moved to Lewis Center and plans to use a state loan to expand.
Pacejet Logistics makes Web-based logistics software that helps manufacturers manage their shipping operations without paying license fees. The company recently moved from Dublin to Lewis Center and plans to use an $805,000 Innovation Ohio Fund loan to expand its employment base.
Ron Lee, Pacejet’s vice president of business development, said the company wants to double in size during the next few years.
Pacejet traces its roots to the heyday of the dot-com boom of the 1990s. It’s a spinoff of the former Frontstep, which provided enterprise resource planning software. Frontstep used to be called Symix Solutions, the public company that ran into financial difficulty in 2000.
Two years after changing its name, Frontstep was acquired by a company in Georgia called Mapics Inc., which later was acquired by Infor Global Solutions.
"We’re going to hire new developers and support people and services people," Lee said. "It’s about servicing customers and building out the software application."
Mike Pramik covers development for The Dispatch. Contact him at mpramik@dispatch.com or by fax at 614-461-5107.
Landfill pitched as fuel source Battelle unit thinks trash could power jets Monday, August 27, 2007 3:23 AM By Barbara Carmen
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH To those who oversee the Franklin County landfill, the latest proposal sounded like a flight of fancy: Turn garbage into jet fuel.
But a Battelle engineer said the components of the technology already work. All scientists need is a big-enough test site -- say 10 acres at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio's landfill -- and a supply of trash. They then will stitch together cutting-edge technology to make diesel and jet fuel.
If they get a $30 million federal government grant.
Two weeks ago, SWACO's board of trustees sent a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Energy. If the team wins the grant, trustees will more closely study the deal before signing on as a partner.
"It has to work for us. That will be determined downstream," said Mike Long, SWACO's executive director.
But Long sees the possibilities if the jet-fuel plant gets built and works: a reliable, environmentally friendly way of keeping the landfill from filling up fast and a supply of plentiful, less-expensive fuel to strengthen central Ohio's position as a transportation hub.
Leading the project is Velocys, a for-profit subsidiary of Battelle in Plain City. While at Battelle, Velocys CEO Wayne Simmons led the development of much of the technology that would make it efficient to turn garbage into fuel.
Also signing on is Taylor Biomass Energy, which has developed methods to better sort recyclables from raw garbage and produce the gases needed to make the fuel.
Long's board was cautious about committing SWACO to a first-of-its-kind demonstration plant.
"The landscape is littered with projects that have failed," Board Vice Chairman Bradley N. Frick said.
Velocys, however, has twice received Ohio Third Frontier awards for developing technology that shows promise.
Trustees questioned Long about his plan to lease Velocys 10 acres for 30 years for $10 per year. The land is worth $200,000, and the deal would mean a total of $300 in rent payments.
"The project, if it reduces the waste stream, would be one of the most cost-effective SWACO has done," in helping divert trash from the landfill, Long said.
The team should know by the end of the year whether it got the grant.
"I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," Trustee Colleen H. Briscoe said before the vote. "This could be a really exciting project."
A business strategist on the team that put together the bid told trustees it's a good deal for SWACO.
"If the technology does what it's supposed to do ... we would double or triple the life of your landfill," said Steve Cohen, managing director of Centennial Associates and a retired Battelle vice president of technology commercialization.
"Could you mine the existing trash?" asked Jacqueline E. LaMuth, president of the board of trustees.
Yes, but first the demonstration plant must show that it works.
The plant would separate recyclables from trash, which then would be ground up and converted into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This already works. The chemicals would be turned into fuel using Velocys' technology.
"This whole field is like exploring the ocean floor," LaMuth said. "It's hard to get at, not much is known about it, and it's extremely important."
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES SAY WIND POWER WOULD BENEFIT OHIO ECONOMY
Lawmakers could spur job creation and generate revenue for rural areas by requiring utilities to produce 20% of Ohio's electricity from wind power, environmental, labor, and business groups said Thursday.
Such a renewable energy portfolio standard would increase Ohio's gross state product by an estimated $8.2 billion and create about 3,100 full time jobs by 2020, Environment Ohio's Amy Gomberg said during a teleconference to promote the group's latest report on wind power.
"Twenty-five other states across the country have passed requirements for renewable energy that has put them in a position to capitalize on this emerging, job intensive industry, while right now Ohio is sitting on the sidelines," she said.
With coal-fired power plants generating about 87% of the state's electricity, Ohio "is in an increasingly vulnerable position," she said, pointing to potential federal limits on carbon emissions.
Ohio Coal Association President Mike Carey objects to a renewable energy standard and says an advanced energy standard that includes clean coal technology is "worth debating."
He instead touted green energy options that utilities have recently made available to consumers to allow them to voluntarily purchase electricity generated from renewable resources. "If a consumer wants to pay more, then let them pay more."
Mr. Carey questions the economic benefit of a renewable energy portfolio, saying any mandate on utilities would result in increased prices for consumers.
"And any time electricity rates go up, it costs jobs," he said. "I'm glad to see (wind power) is going to create some 3,000 jobs, because large electricity increases will cost that number and more in jobs that will be lost."
Report co-author, Travis Madsen of the Frontier Group, said the economic model takes into account job loss, which would occur minimally in various sectors of the economy. "We find that renewable energy produces a net job benefit."
Ohio's manufacturing, construction, and banking and finance sectors would benefit the most from implementing a renewable energy portfolio, he said.
Ms. Gomberg said Ohio currently sends about $1 billion a year out of state to import the coal and other fuel necessary to meet the state's electricity needs.
"The Buckeye state is well positioned - second only to California - in our ability to manufacture renewable energy technologies for wind turbines and this could really make us the Silicon Valley of the renewable energy industry," she said.
Dave Champagne, manager of wind energy for the Minster Machine Company, said implementing a renewable portfolio standard would create "a favorable business environment" for manufacturers of green energy components.
"A renewable energy standard would be good for our company because this policy would create demand for wind energy products," he said. "Continuation of Ohio's strong manufacturing base into the future, as well as making a positive impact on the environment, make the right (renewable portfolio standard) important to all Ohio manufacturers."
Ohio AFL-CIO Chief of Staff Tim Burga called on lawmakers to include a renewable energy portfolio as part of forthcoming legislation designed to address electricity deregulation.
"We believe this to be a great opportunity to put politics aside, not only address the issue of electric restructuring and deregulation, but to adopt an integrated energy plan, which includes moving forward significantly in the renewable energy source field," he said.
Ohio Consumers' Council spokesman Ryan Lippe said diversifying the state's electricity generation would prove beneficial to consumers in the long run.
"With stronger and better environmental regulations all but certain at this point, and with fossil fuels going up in price, renewable energy and efficiency programs are becoming more and more attractive to ratepayers," he said.
According to the Environment Ohio report, boosting the state's wind energy power production to 20% by 2020 would generate about $1.5 billion in property taxes and provide rural landowners with about $200 million in lease payments to site wind farms. Moreover, it would prevent the release of: 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; 470,000 tons of sulfur dioxide; 120,000 tons of nitrogen oxides; and 4,000 pounds of mercury.
WILL SHILLING PHOTO During my initial visit to Black Creek Bistro, I spied a guy toting a woven basket of unwrapped farm-fresh produce back to the kitchen—a glowing, positive sign. Through repeated meals here, I've come to find that the veggie bearer was Kent Peters, the bistro's proprietor and owner of the farm that grew said produce.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Black Creek Bistro is a DIY-manifesto kind of place, but in a good way. As lengthily explained on its menu, the restaurant is fighting the good fight of sustainability. So it supplies all it can from its own farmland and otherwise goes as local as possible.
Black Creek's "green" commitment extends to reclaiming cooking oils for its vegetable-fat-powered farm trucks and composting food scraps. This emphasis on community seems truly genuine—even the eclectic art for sale on the bistro's walls (no finder's fees) comes from the nearby Chop Chop Gallery.
As a result, the go-your-own-way mood of Black Creek seems more Yellow Springs or Napa Valley than urban East Side Columbus (it sits on Parsons Avenue, recycling the Elemental site).
Blond wood, black tables, simple white walls and tablecloths blend with that aforementioned punchy art to lend a casual but stylish, modern vibe—and a super-friendly waitstaff is another plus. In short, this is the kind of heart-in-its-right-place establishment you want to support.
Fortunately, Black Creek's rapidly changing, always-seasonal menu mostly holds up its end of the bargain. And when a few dishes don't perfectly succeed, they're near misses erring on the sides of freshness and panache.
Soup-wise, a terrific gazpacho ($5) was elegant in its simplicity. Presented in a contrasting half-and-half style, spicy-hot tomato puree played yin to melony-sweet cucumber's cool yang. On another day, toasted orzo soup was more fresh veggies than pasta; it was nice enough, if over-salted.
A successful Trio of Hummus appetizer ($6) was able to reawaken the appeal of this now-ubiquitous bean dip. Resembling scoops of bright sorbets, the flavors were: beet, with a fine earthy sweetness; creamsicle-colored carrot; and basic hummus given a surprising and welcome burst of horseradish.
From the small plates, a grayish roll of pickly Hawaiian spearfish ($13) was OK but maybe better in conception than execution, with its mandarin orange segments and dry chow mein noodles.
An artfully presented Asian Marinated Tofu ($11) was quite nice—three unlarge wedges were given a crispy pan-fry on one side and coated in a winning (if expected) soy/sesame mix; they sat next to a fresh Napa cabbage slaw.
Black Creek Bistro
53 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East
614-246-9662
Web: blackcreekbistro.com One entrŽe special I wish would make its boldly delicious way onto the permanent list is a thick, lean, juicy pork loin ($18) with a chipotle-based rub and Dijon mustard wine sauce. The bacony, smoky pork was able to hold its own against potent coffee and chocolate notes nicely vying with mustardy tones. Somehow it all worked, ably mediated by simple crisp green beans with buttery herbs plus a neat garnish of house pickles and radishes.
A perfectly medium rare, tender and char-crusted Steak Duo of prime top sirloin ($24) alas arrived too cool to melt its solid toppings of red wine butter scoops—even though sides of refreshing zucchini sticks and caramelized onion al dente risotto were plenty warm.
And on another evening, both a chicken entrŽe (with a lovely piquant green salsa, $17) and a fish special (blackened fresh lane snapper, $18) came out with attractively crispy textures and zingy good flavors, but seemed to achieve them at the cost of a little interior moisture. So kitchen timing and consistency could be tightened up a bit. But it's by no means a deal-breaker.
Not with these racy flavors, wonderful wine prices (state minimum plus a $7 corkage fee), swingin' salads (try the garlicky Caesar, beet-rich Bistro or multidimensional Smoked Duck) and housemade desserts.
Speaking of which, a misnamed goat cheese custard—it was basically cheesecake—was great with its creamy texture, lemony essence, beautiful presentation and witty play on cheese and crackers (an aromatic pink peppercorn shortbread plank leaning against a cheesecake cylinder).
I also wanted to try a highly recommended Sweet Corn Crme Brulee, but it was sold out on a busy Saturday night. Being a (cheap wine) glass-half-full type, this only gave me one more reason to get back to Black Creek Bistro. See you there.
I think I have 15,000 canvas bags. Whenever I go to a conference, I pick up at least three. When I get home I throw them into my coat closet, and I believe they start breeding shortly thereafter. Now I've somehow ended up with more totes than I know what to do with.
