Sustainability, Travel, Scrapbook Pages and My Podcast

I have been thinking about sustainability. It's scary to think that some human beings do not care about the planet. I also feel that some people who deny climate change in public, in private think the decline of a healthy environment for humankind is inevitable. I think they do not want public alarm and just want to make a profit and enjoy those benefits as long as possible. I know that is a cynical point of view but when you know they have been presented with the facts and otherwise seem reasonably intelligent what else can you believe. There are plenty of unscrupulous people around. On the other hand, I do see that many businesses and individuals believe a sustainable approach makes sense both for the world and for the bottom line. I hope they are the majority and end up winning. I was encouraged today when I read that public opinion is for sustainability and investing is committing to green technologies and not fossil fuels.
Sustainable creative approaches interest me. I just got a badge in an introductory class in biomimicry sustainable design and I think of studying this more. One of my concerns is the health of our local environments. I took a class for EcoDistricts certification but have had little time to study to take the exam. It's on my to-do list. I'm also considering attending another GreenBiz sponsored meeting. I learned a lot at the last one I attended.
Right now I'm planning a trip to San Diego and another to Great Britain and Ireland. Travel is stressful and exhausting many times but the thrill of learning and experiencing new things more than makes up for the inconveniences. I'm trusting myself to a good tour company in Europe to make the most of the brief time I can spend. One of these days I'll take a semester abroad and actually learn about a foreign land in depth while I study art. It is not easy to travel when you have some physical limitations but I'm always learning how to adapt and I allow time for recovery into my plans.
Of course, the experiences and photos should make for some exciting scrapbook pages as I recount the stories of my travel. I am also considering taking my podcast on the road and talking about my trip. It's a creative approach to my podcast, introducing travelogues.
Speaking of scrapbooking, I've used my travels to inspire some of my recent page design stories. Here's one from my recent visit to Arizona.

And another from my visit to Coit Tower in San Francisco.

Do visit A Creative Approach Podcast and listen to some fun episodes including this latest one with Elena Lai Etcheverry.

Why Mt. Etna is a natural phenomenon that inspires me

Photo Shutterstock.com

 Why Mt. Etna is a natural phenomenon that inspires me is a question I needed to answer for a class. A quiz in my biomimicry on-line course wanted to know what in nature inspired me and why. Mt. Etna at night is exquisite. Even when not erupting in a dramatic way, rivulets of lava can be seen running out of fissures and down the mountain in glowing red ribbons at night. The area of Taormina and Giardini Naxos is a beautiful tourist spot in Sicily and romantic and lovely in its own right; but, the views of Etna at night add to the wonder of this place. The fierce power and great beauty fill me with awe. I love Niagara Falls, the forest canopy in Ghana, the powerful surf of the California coast, and the breathtaking view of the Rockies as they spring into sight out of the foothills just a very short distance west of Calgary. All these inspire me. Mount Etna with lava flowing down its slopes at night is the most exhilarating. Perhaps it is because in an area of natural beauty with a magnificent shore and steep cliffs, as well as man-made wonders, like Roman ruins and a medieval city, the destructive volcanic power of Etna looms like the tension of romance and intense passion.

Learning Things: Grammar, Words, Crafts, Biomimicry

Do you use Grammarly or have you thought about a grammar checking program? I have used  Grammarly for about eighteen months and am delighted that it now works in applications like Blogger and Facebook without the need to copy and paste to check my writing. I like the weekly stats I get with the app. Grammarly lets you know your standard errors and compares your vocabulary to other users.
I love words. You may notice that I post Visual Thesaurus updates to the blog. I like that site because of the interesting stories about words, the pronunciation guide and the word maps that can help when Grammarly notes redundancy. It's especially useful when you need a carefully nuanced substitute.
I can follow up on my last blog post and report a successful paint night and an excellent white coat project. I never did finish my personal white coat project. My Wishblade failed, so I bought a new Cricut Explore Air 2, only to discover that it was challenging to use. My laptop solid state drive is full, and while I copied files to an external drive, I'm nervous about what files I can safely delete. Loading new stuff is impossible until then, So, when I have a chance I'll try to hook the machine up to my Mac and see what progress I can make in cutting my paper lace.
I do love crafting and am looking forward to today when I will spend the day in Dixon at It's All About the Scrapbook enjoying a class with friends. A chance to Cre8time. I think, May Flaum, the teacher, and a friend is a force behind my deep dive into crafts and art. My natural love of learning is a factor, too.

Speaking of learning new things, while at GreenBiz in February I was introduced to the field of biomimicry. It's very fascinating, looking to how nature solves problems and seeing if we can apply those solutions to our challenges in the design of structures, buildings, and processes. I'm taking a class right now from  Minneapolis College of Art and Design called Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology. 
It's a free on-line course which is an introduction to the master's program offered at the school.
As much as I love learning, I'm not sure I'm ready for yet another degree, though this is a field that is
very intriguing. The badge from the class is a sufficient goal for now. I think I will explore this subject more on the podcast. I'd love for you to join me at A Creative Approach Podcast and listen to all my exciting guests. (Links to an external site.)