The New Paradigm

I've been doing some thinking about the Movement that is happening right now in America. I love it- that's my first thought. People are waking up. Thanks to the internet, people are being exposed to truths that would never make the mainstream media news. There is a shift happening, and its palpable. I myself woke up to a whole new level of consciousness in 2013- I started the year as someone who was hiding her head in the sand about the state of things. It was a facebook event that grabbed my attention- the March Against Monsanto. A friend had tried to tell me about Monsanto and GMOs a year prior, and I refused to listen. It was too big, too much, I couldn't handle it. I saw that event and thought- "Here this is again, this Monsanto. I need to know more." I did some research, and I was appalled. I went to the March Against Monsanto on May 25, and the die was cast. I could not return to my former life- my former life meaning eating processed foods for every meal, with no regard to where it came from or what was in it. And in looking at food, which is central to the life of every person, I started to learn more about everything to which I had turned a blind eye. I opened my eyes. I woke up.

Waking up is all good and well, but its nothing without action. I learned this in the course of my life; I am no spring chicken and have had ample opportunity to learn some good hard lessons, and 'faith without works is dead' is a big one for me. I started blogging about my journey, and I started a facebook page to help spread ideas and draw attention to necessary issues. I changed the way I ate, and started culling recipes into a cookbook of easy, healthy, non GMO vegetarian meals. I began to investigate the world of the Food Justice Movement. I started attending beekeeping mentoring with Honeylove, I signed up as a volunteer at Los Angeles Green Grounds, I went to another March Against Monsanto, and other protests. I started to meet more like minded people; we met and talked about our roles in the New Paradigm. I am working on a non-profit for teenage girls, to teach them to grow food and raise bees, to understand their value and empower them to act on their compassionate urge to help, to connect them back to what is important and teach them to take a stand and play a part in the Shift. It is a snowball effect: once it starts it gathers no moss but rolls along with its own momentum. For those who are waking up, who are starting to realize they play a part in this Movement, I say- Fuck yeah. Come on, we need you. But don't just wake up; dig in. Shake the hive. Make waves. get involved. Always look for the thing the presence of which would make a difference, and bring that. All the time. The revolution is 24/7.

What I have been thinking about, however, is the different stances one can take in said Movement. I have found myself in both the anti side of things- protesting, standing against injustices, and pro- the growing and building of the New Paradigm. We need both. We need the fighters. We need them and we need them in great numbers.  But I think, in spite of my fighting nature (and I do have that, very definitely I do) that its my job to grow, and to build, and to teach. To inspire. But first- I have to be inspiring, and that is what I am building now, what I am growing. I am learning the vernacular of the New Paradigm, and how to speak about it in ways that are effective. Often I find many people preaching, and doing a really great job of it. But they are also preaching to the choir, and that is not what I want to do. I want to reach those who don't know and need to know. I want to connect with people who could make a very big difference if their eyes were only open. The system does everything in its power to lull the masses into a state of complacency, and its doing a DAMN fine job of it. People are generally more fascinated by Miley Cyrus's tongue's antics than the fact that Obama is trying to fast track the Trans Pacific Partnership. That's exactly how they want it. But you know this- if you are reading this, chances are that you are one of the lucky ones with a clue about what's going on. And since you likely are one of those people, I have to ask- what are you doing about it?

I have seen people leave the Monsanto March, or the TPP Rally, and go get Jack in the Box. I love that they showed up, that they cared, that they committed half their day to standing against the Fat Cats- but then its all dismantled by a decision. They leave and go support the very evil that they marched against. We must all, all of us who care and seek to make a difference, stop supporting corporations. Just don't do it. Shop at local businesses. Do your best to buy from local farmers- not every city has a farmer's market, but there are natural health food stores and co-ops. Try to buy organic from your market, and if its not the season for a certain produce item, then just don't buy it- it means that its been shipped across the world and picked before its ripened.  Buy your clothes second hand whenever possible- I make exceptions for undies and socks. I buy my technology second hand- I don't need the newest iphone when it hits the market- who really *needs* the latest iphone the second it comes out? Try to not use single use items whenever possible- carry a re-usable water bottle, and re-usable coffee cups if you're a coffee freak. Refill gallon size containers with water at the Water Vending machine in front of your grocery store- its 30 cents a gallon and you can fill up your re-usable water bottle daily.  Re-usable bags for groceries- but NOT JUST GROCERIES. Keep one of those kinds that fold up tiny for any time you shop- the pharmacy, the second hand store, anywhere. Keep flatware in your car for when you eat anywhere that you might need plastic forks or spoons. Never EVER eat fast food.  Bike or walk or use public transportation, or, if you can, get a hybrid or electric car. Look into alternative energy sources if you own your home. (In LA, they will install solar panels for you for free. Look into it!) Eat less, or no, meat. Do anything in your power to be sustainable by looking at your life and really understanding what is necessary and what has been marketed to you based on its convenience. 

 Convenience is killing this planet. People generally shirk commitment and embrace convenience. It needs to be the other way around. That's the start of the real revolution. . Eat food that causes chronic illnesses? Sure, if you make it so we don't have to get out of our car. Give all of our personal information to anyone asking for it? Sure, as long as we have access to apps, social media, and products delivered to our door. Destroy the ocean's delicate ecosystem with excessive non-biodegradable plastic? Sure, as long as we can have a bottle of water with us at all times. Hey- I'm guilty, too. We live in the modern age, and we have learned to hand over our rights so long as we are too distracted to be bothered by it. The process of waking up requires that we all pay attention to how spellbound we are by convenience, and how we go out of our way to avoid commitment...even a commitment to eschew convenience for the sake of living more rightly and true and in accord with the needs of our own body, mind, and world.

Those are just some ways EVERYONE can make a difference. To go a little more radical- start growing your own food. Raise bees- get in touch with a beekeeping association in your area and they will show you how. Raise chickens. Talk about it. Start a blog. Start a facebook page. Have meetings to discuss what your neighborhood can do to reduce its total carbon footprint. There are ways, and there is something each one of us can do. Maybe you're a fighter- then by all means, FIGHT! Show up at rallies, stand for something. Maybe you are more likely to want to build the New Paradigm- look into groups that are already doing it- you don't have to re-invent the wheel, the groups are out there, and they need you. THE MOVEMENT NEEDS YOU. I hope you really are getting that. I don't mean the you that lives next door or sitting beside you- I mean YOU.

Do whatever you can, with whatever you have!

I only have so much time to spare to do anything- like most people, I am raising a family and working. Unlike some people, I am doing this on my own with no assistance. And even so, I find the time to be involved, so there really is no excuse. Still, it has been important for me to get clear on what I am committed to showing up for. It does no good to get burned out or overwhelmed. There are lots of marches and rallies these days, and I feel like I've missed out when I don't or can't go, but my heart tells me to go explore the growing process. And in so doing, I meet the most amazing people who are interested in creating a better world, and I learn new ways to make a difference. We talk about forming alliances, fortifying the Movement, teaching others, reaching out.  Whether you are a fighter, a lover, a visionary or an anti-establishmentarian, I implore you to take who you are and make waves. Start with the small things you can do, right now, in your life, and see where that takes you. Occupy yourself!


XOXO,

Ashley Dane
Shake the Hive

Watching Teenage Girls Fall in Love with Bees

Last Sunday, I took my 17 year old daughter and her friend out to the Honeylove bee Sanctuary to meet the bees up close and personal. It was, for me, the beginning of Shake the Hive Collective- which is the non-profit for teenage girls that I aim to start in 2014. It is geared to bridge the impulse of compassion into action- I see my kids and all their friends have that impulse naturally- they just don't know how to turn that impulse into action; they haven't been empowered to. STH Collective will have a headquarters where we will run a micro-farm, with bees and chickens. We will work with local non-profits and help them with hands on participation. We will have workshops and classes in food growing, beekeeping, sustainability and permaculture for the kids, their friends and family. And the kids will blog and have a facebook page devoted to their activities, so they can help instill the interest in permaculture and sustainability in their peers.

Zoe and Kaila at the Honeylove Bee Sanctuary

 So, now you can see why this was the start of Shake the Hive Collective- I have been doing a lot of work with my own blog, with the Shake the Hive facebook page, and meeting people in the non-profit world through volunteering, but to bring teenagers out to meet the bees for the first time...my own daughter at that- this was where the rubber finally met the road.

Watching Teenage Girls Fall in Love with Bees

My daughter has been violently afraid of bees her entire life. I give her big props for confronting her fears- and no one was more surprised than me when she said she would like to go. Driving out to Moorpark- which is farm country, about 30 miles from our house- she was nervous. Putting on her bee suit, she kept asking Ceebs from Honeylove if there was any way for a bee to sting her and making sure there were no gaps in her bees suit. Her perception of bees consisted of one main thing- they sting, and that hurts. 

Its kind of like wearing space suits...

After we donned our bee suits (Zoe said she felt like Walter White) we walked up the hill to the hives. She grabbed my arm.  The wonderfully warm Kirk and Rob McFarland (of the husband and wife team Rob and Chelsea McFarland, who started Honeylove) were busy working on cleaning out the hives. There were a handful of others, and as Zoe and Kaila walked up, they saw no one running or screaming from the bees, no one being stung, everyone calm and interested, and the fact that Kirk was holding up trays of honeycomb crawling with hundreds of bees barehanded immediately changed her perception about the intention of bees- they are NOT out to get us. 

Kirk is pointing out the different variations of bees in the hive

Watching my 17 year old child discover the bees was the first time in many years I saw her childlike innocence. She was having a new experience, and soaking it up like a sponge. Before too long, she was handling honeycombs crawling with bees (with gloves on), helping scrape the old beeswax off frames from dead trays of honeycomb, putting her face as close as she could into the hive boxes to see the bees busy with the broods and storage cells, and the die was cast. She was a lily. (If you don't know that quote, then you watch the clip below from the classic movie You Can't take It With You by Frank Capra).  She and her friend Kaila fell in love with the bees.

Its not hard to do, fall in love with the bees- you either get it or you don't. To be able to see their devotion to the task at hand, and to the hive and the queen is a humbling thing, and a reminder that this is a quality that is often missing in human affairs. It is the thing that is missing the presence of which would make a BIG difference. And THAT is exactly what Shake the Hive Collective will continue to ask the teenage participants- when we are growing food, when we work with bees, with chickens, with wolves (at Wolf Connection in Acton)- with any charitable endeavor- What is missing in life that you could bring, that is needed, that you can learn from the bees, the wolves, the act of growing things? It is empowering to interact with the graceful deliberation of the natural world, and to learn to live in accord with it. It is the thing that is missing that will make a difference to disenfranchised teens being raised by single moms. 

Zoe scraping the old beeswax off the frames

Then my daughter did what I hoped she would- she posted this on Facebook-  

"Today I volunteered my morning to helping the bees. Not only did I get over one of my biggest fears, but I got to observe them up close & personal. They are truly miraculous little beings, all they care about is their colony and their Queen (she lives up to 7 years while the average bee lives up to 4 weeks!). They do not care to harm us, which is something I learned first hand today. There was a man holding the honey combs with NO gloves on and he was fine! STOP killing bees, they're here to protect and serve, without them we wouldn't exist. If they go endangered we lose 80% of the organic crops we consume due to their inability to properly pollinate. Make peace with the bees! If I did it, you can too!"

She had a bunch of kids respond to this post who want to go to the next mentoring day at the Honeylove Bee Sanctuary, and that is exactly how Shake the Hive Collective aims to educate teens; by having the teens bring the information to their peer groups, get them interested, involved, educated. STH Collective will have workshops for the participants, and for their friends to attend, and for- and this is very important- their mothers. Then those kids will post on social media about their experiences, and so on. We need to reach this demographic, but they aren't going to listen to old people. They have the power to reach each other through social media; one kid can impact thousands. This is the pond where the ripple is endless.

My kid Zoe, holding a honeycomb crawling with her new friends

And what does it do for the self esteem of the kids who are having these experiences, like working with the bees, and posting about it? In that world, where teenage girls are devastated when their new sexy profile picture doesn't get more likes than someone they consider a rival, where it is highly competitive, often cruel, diminishes any real sense of value and chips away at a falsely derived self esteem- it allows for a new sense of self to emerge, a new identity. Other kids respond differently, they respect these activities and the teens who are actively doing them. These teens are getting respect instead of objectification. Teens respond to the way people perceive them as if they are that- so they carefully monitor what people think of them, and it ends up a terrible mess. I have seen teenage girls police their own image on social media, and study the profiles of other girls, critiquing and taking notes, approving or not. I've listened as they've done it, and there is no value in that world. It is all surface, and without an intervention, this is what they will take into the world. The world doesn't need more superficiality, especially when these kids have the capacity for so much more. These are the future stewards of the planet, and future parents of future stewards. To connect them to their own compassion, and to empower them to respond to the world from that place, is the dream of Shake the Hive. Its what I have been doing for most of 2013- empowering myself, recognizing my urge towards compassion and acting on it. Not allowing myself to talk myself out of it, staying on track, and trusting myself to do this work. I have to do it, if I am going to encourage others to- and not just the teens- but the Moms, who are usually in survival mode constantly, frantic with worry about their kids and in a constant state of feeling like they can't do it all, that in some way they are failing their children no matter how hard they try. I AM that mom, I understand this better than anyone. Shake the Hive wants to support those Moms along with their kids, like a beehive filled with female bees who all support the hive, who are devoted to the well being of the hive above all else, STH Collective will have a safe space for their compassionate instincts to unfold and grow strong. Join us at our facebook page- please like us, then hover over the liked button and click "show in notifications" so you will see our posts all the time!

Ashley Dane, Founder of Shake the hive and proud mom of Zoe!

Occupy yourself!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane

Shake the Hive

Micro-Farming,Chickens, and Urban Beekeeping, Oh My!

I keep delving deeper into permaculture communities in Los Angeles, and they are very welcoming to anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of that world. Its almost to be expected that these people are kind hearted and loving- who else but loving, compassionate people would give up the conveniences that come from our overly processed, pre-packaged, convenience crazed culture in order to compost, grow food in micro-farms in their back yards (or front!), keep bees, raise chickens, and endeavor to live by sustainable practices in terms of upcycling, recycling, and uncycling- which is not using things that would eventually need to be recycled (for example- using a re-usable bottle rather than purchasing single use water bottles). I am thoroughly smitten with people who care.

Ashley Dane, aka Shake the Hive, at GardenerD headquarters

Micro-Farming, Chickens, and Urban Beekeeping, oh my!

I got to see yet another example of that this weekend at the home of Christy, who is a Master Gardener and owner of  GardenerD (that's like garden-nerd, for weeks I was called it Gardener- Dee)- she has a really informative and cool website with tips and information, newsletters, blogs, and all kinds of cool gardening stuff- CLICK HERE TO GO TO GARDENERD. Christy had a gathering at her house, which she called the Holiday Trifecta party- the trifecta being urban farming, beekeeping, and chicken rearing. I was eager just to go be around people for whom this was a lifestyle- it just feels clean. It feels like the usual agendas you encounter in LA are completely insignificant- because, in truth, they are. There is depth and concern and authenticity in these people, and its palpable. And a good looking bunch of people, too! Holy moly. There is a lot to be said for clean living!

Chickens can easily be kept in small spaces!

One of Christy's chickens was in the process of laying her first egg, and was having some anxiety for most of the party. Then suddenly she was quiet, and a few minutes later, there was the egg. I gotta say, I've never been at a party where everyone was cheering about the laying of an egg before- it was a little surreal!  I've been asking a lot of questions about chickens lately- I fully intend for them to be a part of the Shake the Hive Urban Farm, when the time comes. When my friend Dawn won a raffle, she selected a Chickens For Dummies book, which she promptly gave to me. One of these days!

Urban beehiving at GardenerD

Christy's beehive was off to the back of the yard, bees busy as, well, bees- you could see the industriousness but they were not interested in anyone. That's something people should know about beehives- they do not bother people, they have a lot to get done in a day. They won't seek you out to sting you. Having a beehive does not mean you, your family, or your neighbors are going to be attacked by a swarm of bees.

The urban farm at the GardenerD headquarters. Thriving!!

And of course, Christy has an amazing garden of food! Behind her micro-farm is her compost bin. She has a lot of good tips for composting in her book Gardening for Geeks. There are ways to maximize the nutrients of compost- which is important. The plants which one grows to eat need to get their nutrients from somewhere, and dirt is only dirt unless it has nutrients- only then is it soil. Soil composition is really an interesting science, and is often neglected by neophyte gardeners. And new composters as well don't realize that simply throwing their old food in their gardens isn't providing it with what they need.

Composting is cool

The husband and wife team Rob and Chelsea McFarland, who founded Honeylove were also there. I really love what they have done to educate people about bees and to help people become beekeepers. (In fact, I took my 17 year old daughter and her friend out to meet the bees the next day, which was AMAZING)They recently acquired some chickens, and now belong to the growing numbers of people who have an urban farm, chickens, and beehives in their backyard. It goes to show you that its do-able, its being done, and it allows for a new sort of liberty that we as a consumer culture have lost along the way. Its not going off the grid, but its taking measures to live in ways that are in alignment with the wellbeing of our planet. The more we do it, the less we tax the planet, the less we participate in consumer madness, we are healthier (and therefore 70% less likely to end up with chronic diseases- which puts you in the relentless grip of the Big Pharma) and we are happier, (there is nothing quite like a fresh egg from your own backyard, scrambled with basil and tomatoes you grew) because you can't be miserable, shallow and materialistic AND grow your own food- you simply can't.

Rob and Chelsea McFarland, founders of Honeylove

If you want to know more about Honeylove, CLICK HERE. If you are in the LA area, they have beekeeping mentoring workshops the third Sunday of every month.

If you want to check out the GardenerD website, CLICK HERE

Occupy yourself!!!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane
Shake the Hive

The Urban Permaculture Movement is NEXT LEVEL

There are a lot of movements going on in the world.

Protests, marches, and rallies, groups like Anonymous fighting the good fight on terrain where no blood is shed and justice is served in a different way, more people looking into ways to live sustainably. I am reading more and more about people who go off the grid and homestead- in a new sort of way. Not as in squatting on some land and claiming it- homesteading today means being as self sufficient as possible, and using recycled or reclaimed materials as much as possible. Creating alternative energy sources. Micro and urban farming, beekeeping, and alternative irrigation systems like aquaponics being employed.

Its an exciting time. There is probably only 1 person per 10,000 who is taking on the mantle of living more harmoniously with the planet, and choosing not to exist solely as a consumer of products, food, energy and resources. But for those people, its an exalted state of being and living.

Like these guys-The Urban Farming guys- I love them. Here is their mission-

You can find them by clicking HERE.  There is some great information there about permaculture and sustainability.

You've heard about aquaponics but don't really know what it is? This is a pretty comprehensive diagram. It is a way to raise both edible plants AND fish, both of which sustain the other.  To learn more about aquaponics, click HERE.

There are all kinds of great housing ideas for living off the grid- some are surprisingly attractive, while some are rustic and cute and practical. But suffice it to say, there is something for every taste.

 

Even right here in Los Angeles, there are people living in your neighborhoods who are operating micro-farms, right under everyone's noses.  The Dervaes family operates a micro farm near downtown that grows 6 tons of food in a year's time. They have chickens for eggs, and goats for milk and cheese, they can and preserve what would otherwise go bad, they sell to local restaurants, their home is powered by solar and their cars are diesel, and they make the bio-fuel for it. I freaking love this whole operation- these people really inspire me to create a scenario like this for the Shake the Hive non-profit for teens. It would keep overhead low, and maybe even draw in its own funds. Click HERE to find out more about the Dervaes Family, and what they call (and rightly so) The Path To Freedom.

There are also even more modest micro farming efforts are underway all over the city. I recently met a woman, Kirsten, through a mutual friend, who insisted I come meet her and see her house. It was just an unassuming Spanish style home in the Valley, but its also a little urban farm. Kirsten had a couple of beehives tucked away in her yard. She said was still learning how to work the hives, and her second hive had angry bees. she was pretty offhand about it- some people get sort of obsessive, but she was casual. It was part of her life, and it had woven its way into the ebb and flow of a normal life in the city.

One of Kirsten's two beehives

She then took us out back to see her chicken coop. Well, I asked. She isn't a show off-y person- for her it was like someone saying- "Hey, can I see your washing machine?" This is just her life, her normal life, and if its exceptional, its seems to be lost on her.  She said she didn't really want chickens- a friend of hers had said- "lets go rescue those chickens at the pound," to which she said- "I don't really want chickens, but okay."  I really liked Kirsten- such a laid back person. She just flowed into being someone with a chicken coop, and now she has fresh eggs every day. She says the eggs are all kinds of different colors. She lets her chickens roam around the yard all day, and when they are ready, they go back to their coop on their own.

Chickens!

When we visited, her micro- farm was in between seasons. She had just planted seeds for her fall crop, so there isn't much to see here except for dirt. However, you can get a sense as to how she used the available space to create an urban farm, right next to her driveway.

Kirsten's micro-farm, just seeded for the fall season

You wouldn't expect that- but how cool is it? To have honey and eggs and produce- she also had fruit trees. Its a dream of mine to be able to eat so local that its from my back yard.

And finally, here is how one single mom built her own shipping container house on a shoe string. its pretty cute, and it isn't like she is going without anything. Its super cute, and it allows them to live partially our of doors. I recognize that one can't do this in most places in the US- but there are ways around the weather.

Next year, when I start fundraising for Shake the Hive, these are all things we want to explore. Permaculture, sustainability, farming, beekeeping, raising chickens and aquaponics. Building shipping container homes, composting, and building solar power panels that work. The teens who are part of the non profit will learn how to do these things (As will I; as will the community during workshops hosted by Shake the Hive) and will blog about it on the websites they will build, which they will post on the facebook pages they will manage. They will create their logos for their own organization, they will create a presence and build a community of their peers. They will do video blogs as well, short documentaries- they will create a t shirt or shopping bag with their own logo to fundraise for their own endeavors. They will learn how to change the world and to inspire others to join them.

OCCUPY YOURSELF!

In all the many movements taking place, I find the revolution that starts with our own personal consumer and lifestyle choices to be the single most relevant thing one person can do. Because we ALL can do this. By doing so, we take money away from those who seek to compromise our health for their profit. We make a stand that there are more of us than them. We become responsible stewards for the planet and for the future. We show our kids the art of living gracefully. Maybe we can't all go live in a shipping container and raise chickens- but there are so many things to do at so many different levels- I have seen small tiny urban farms on fire escapes, for cryin' out loud! It can be done. In NYC they keep bees on rooftops. Chickens too.  We can buy local- not just food, but to support shops and artisans in our neighborhoods and boycott major chain stores. We can find groups in our communities that are striving to make a difference locally.  As consumers, we are occupied by branding, by products, by convenience, by our craving for food (many of which are manufactured for the sole purpose of creating cravings), by our desire for things.  Shake the Hive proposes the Occupy Yourself movement- which is when you re-evaluate all these things, modify your choices, and change your lifestyle in ways that suit your well being, core values, and the sustainability of the planet.

Shake the Hive's Ashley Dane, showing off a mobile solar panel at the Green Festival

 

Shake the Hive!

xoxo,

Ashley Dane