[It's been ages since I've written on my blog but I'm back for good]

As Christmas approaches the overwhelming amount of spending in malls, shops, and other places around Canada will start to increase. Consumerism and good marketing has lead us to believe that Christmas consists of a Christmas tree, decorations, and gifts under the tree. It sounds really beautiful but elements of it aren’t as pretty as we’d like to think…

Rich and Poor

There is a massive division between the rich and poor in our country. As Christmas and good advertising ramps up it only further divides these people further. Parents of poorer families want to provide the same level of ‘giving’ to their children as the other families around them. But if you are working a job that pays $6 – $10 / hr and you are barely affording to pay your rent, electricity and food it would be pretty impossible to provide that much more.

Gifts gifts gifts

One of the bigger issues that I struggle with on a regular basis is where the ’stuff’ that I buy comes from. Were the products manufactured in a safe, healthy, fair-waged environment? Or was is produced using sweatshop labour so that I could save $5 more? To me this principal in itself breaks the original concept of Christmas (from it’s Christian roots) about helping poor people that have nothing. In this case the gifts we are giving actually perpetuate some of this oppression.

Free yourself

This year my family and I are exchanging gifts that are all hand-made – nothing purchased. One thing that makes me feel exciting about this is that it fuels my ability to encourage creativity, newness, and give something that I put a lot of love and attention into. For someone that I really care about. The sky is the limit with the kinds of things that you could make!

Growing Movement

There is a growing movement of people who are really focussing on bringing back the power of the consumer by participating in events like Buy Nothing Day or Buy Nothing Christmas. People are becoming more and more passionate about the choices they have when it comes to buying things. Not to mention the fact that ultimately it’s a choice rather than an obligation as most advertisers would have you feel.

For me it’s also important not to be judgemental of others exchanging gifts as that ultimately is other peoples choice to make. But for me I want to have more control over the choices I’m making in my life – rather than being influenced by a corporation.

So get out there and start making some creative gifts!

“If we view society as a physical organism, there are clearly parts of this organism that are in dire neglect. For to leave one’s own, here and elsewhere, without shelter, without food, without love… is not very hygienic.

Without downplaying the seriousness of the H1N1 threat to many, we have to realize the disproportionate media coverage and financial investment thrown at fighting a potential pandemic, compared to that directed at the eradication of a flagrant problem which is killing thousands of people each day through hunger, insalubrity, violence, and so on. Not to mention the paranoia and fear which form the face of such coverage. Not very hygienic…” – Etat d’urgance

Every year an urban village was created in downtown area of Montreal to provide an eclectic space for homeless people of Montreal to receive support through food, free clothing, warm shelter, music, arts, and other programming.

My shift started at 7 AM in the morning on Sunday, November 29th – the last day of the festival – after 450 volunteers had managed to help pull off the entire shift by working around the clock to support the people at the village.

Throughout the entire week chefs came from various restaurants to prepare amazing food for the people living in the village. One mornings breakfast included salmon, oysters, eggs, croissants, and fruit. A feast for the kings and queens of the street.

To help out I carried most of the food being prepared by the chefs into the serving area, as well as refilling the coffee machines when they ran out. The entire experience was humbling – to realise that on a regular basis there are people on the street that don’t have the safe luxuries that I do. That most of the time don’t get to choose what they can and can’t eat. It was humbling to realise that after refilling the coffee machine 6-7 times we had essentially served probably over 600-700 people.

The chef that I worked with had an amazing story about having come from a war torn country. Seeing and experiencing threats of this magnitude changes a person I expect. For the last two years he has been contributing to this village through his amazing cooking abilities. He had gotten up at 2 AM in the morning to start preparing the trays of potatoes and sausages to be served. If that wasn’t impressive enough he had been cracking eggs to fill two gallon buckets for the meal.That’s serious dedication towards providing something as beautiful as food for people in need.

On a side note it was also really exciting to see ATSA’s mandate to lower their ecological footprint by recycling and composting all of the waste that was generated. Helping the people and helping the environment – that’s the kinda world that I want to live in.

Being part of the pack-down crew at Peats Ridge music festival has a lot more work involved then one would imagine. A lot more than I had imagined.

The idea behind this New Years festival is to be sustainable while providing art, music, and workshops. As they’re website states, “a major part of the Peats Ridge experience is finding out how to live more sustainably, and therefore reduce our impact on the beautiful Glenworth Valley, and the planet as a whole.”

One way in which this is achieved is by composting all the food waste – minus meat – in massive built up compost bins created by yours truly. During the day we separated the paper material like cups, plates, and cutlery from the food waste that were all deposited into the compost bins. The paper material is then shredded (including waste boxes laying around the festival) and is used as a brown layer between the compost. It’s a great way to ensure that a mix of green and browns is evenly distributed to the compost. It’s also an amazing way to divert such a large quantity of food waste that is left around after 5000 people eat at a festival. Go team compost!

Calgary Folk Festival takes the approach of providing plastic plates that require a $5 deposit for use. Each vendor is required to use the plates which are obtained at a kiosk. Ironically, each year youth end up making a killing by walking around the beer gardens offering to “remove” plates from the drunken patrons. Combining both options seems like a more optimal and sustainable approach as you are not creating more demand for paper products. Thus further reducing teh festivals ecological imprint.

“Can you guys come over to the festival vendors bin to help out?” – why not I thought. When we arrived at this massive garbage bin provided for the food vendors it was filled with food. Around the base of the bin there was mounds and mounds of corn. Apparently, a vendor was not as successful as they had figured they would be to hungry festival goers. Instead they determined it was more economical to throw away the corn, 5 KG of pinto beans, a box of ginger, boxes of uncooked Turkish bread, and 4 x 20 KG bags of potatoes.

Did they expect that vendors at the festival would act in such disconnected fashion to the festival? I sat there stunned. Then Chris, my old friend from a permaculture school, and I proceeded to place the corn into milk crates and give it out to the workers around the festival. Liberate the corn one cob at a time!

It’s a difficult balance for a festival to really maintain a balance between being sustainable and also attracting big numbers – cause after all they are a business and want to make money. So how to strike a balance between being sustainable, ethical, educate, and still hip.

There were a few ideas floating around our campsite (sorry if I didn’t give you the props properly – let me know and I’ll change the article)

• Handing out pamphlets to festival attendees about steps to be sustainable
• Let people know what will be supplied – like fresh water, food, … to cut down on bottles of water being purchased
• Seasonal food - Only allow vendors to sell and bring in seasonal fruit / hook them up with growers in the area that could potentially supply them with food.
• Ethics of the matter - Ensuring that Fair-trade coffee & tea is being supplied to festival goers would help the social justice side of their sustainability mandate. Controlling the type of coffee / tea being supplied to festival goers would make their festival
• Educate the masses - There was a permaculture tent that put on workshops about various issues. But I struggled sometimes as people wanted real ideas – wanted to brainstorm together – and I felt the workshop hosts were poorly judging the groups. So providing workshops on sharing ideas – let the people educate the people.

And I admit that creating, maintaining, and running a festival of this size must be daunting. But a part of me feels as though rather than increasing their level of sustainability this year it was the same – if not appearing less. Perhaps that was just the vibe of the festival peeps attending.

I believe that festivals like this have a shining opportunity to educate businesses and attendies on concepts around sustainability. Someone mentioned handing out a pamplet to attendies that come to educate them about not polluting waterways, taking their rubbish, and tips and facts about other things they waste.

So where the heck are you these days bro?

Since I headed off to NT and travelled for what seemed like a short period (3 months isn’t short) exploring my heart, mind, and soul. It all started with an innocent trip to the Blue Mountains to meet a friend – someone I was totally drawn to – who was throwing a doof party up there (exactly on my birthday).

3 months ago .. no wait 4 months now …

It’s amazing for me to look back on that trip as this tipping point for me. As this movement in my heart and soul to something new and different.

As of March, I finally got in contact with my biological mother – Cathy – which has been an amazingly raw, true, reconnecting, and amazing experience. She’s a pretty special person to me and as we talk more and more I feel that I am reconnecting with a part of my life that was lost – Quint Lee Jahraus. It’s tough to explain the experience of being adopted and not knowing your biological mother – where you come from – who you were a product of – but now all these things are coming together for me. Deep inside.

Then when I was least expecting my life to stay as it was I was graced on Critical Mass night in Melbourne with the beauty of one red headed womyn named Dan. She was told that I would be on the mass by my old room mate Greta. Dan ended up staying at my house that night and hung out at the Free Big Breakfast that Sunday. Somewhere deep I knew there was a strong connection between Dan and I – I was falling for her and couldn’t stop thinking about her after she left.

One conversation led to another. One connection lead to something deeper and I found myself heading to a doof party Dan was throwing in the Blue Mountains for my birthday (no no not held for my birthday but on the same night as).

Turning 31 has crossed this new phase in my life – more spiritual, more intense, more beautiful, and heaps more learning. Finding something old and deeper. Something rooted.

Within days Dan and I were talking about heading up to the Dreaming Festival and then beyond. A bag, two thumbs, and plenty of hitch hiking stories led us up the east coast to Woodford (near Brisbane) for my second dose of The Dreaming Festival. My heart was falling fast for the connection that I feel deeply for Danielle. Something I haven’t felt in a long time.

The stories along the road seemed to all focus on community, finding love, sharing experiences, and appreciating what you have. Figuring out what you need in life. Listening to your heart rather than what we expect should happen.

Dan and I travelled all over northern Australia making our way up the east coastline, across to NT, into Alice Springs, Uluru, and then down the centre back to the Blue Mountains. Each moment seemed to create more amazing experiences for us along the way. My heart seemed to grow more and more at each stop, turn, and move for her. For my spirit. Dan and I taking every opportunity to really listen to the path we were being led on… path? – more like a massive journey!

Before I knew it I was back in Melbourne to new things, but something was missing for me. New people in my old house – and yet I felt something was different. My heart had growth, was more raw, things were different and new, and I had left my heart in the Blue Mountains.

So now where are you?

As I have always done – followed my heart back to the Blue Mountains where I officially moved to on Tuesday. Found my heart again – found Dan again. She is a really special, beautiful, and amazingly artistic lady. We have this true connection and understanding that makes me feel stronger, supported, and loved. Following my heart up here to see Dan and now living with her has put everything in perspective for me – true – raw – loving – special.

I’m really in love with this crazy zanny Australian womyn who brings some really awesome things into my life. Sometimes I feel as though when she looks at me – she looks deeper than just Shane on the outside. But more like Jahraus (where I came from) on the inside.

It’s great being back up here – near the trees, having space to think, and taking odd journey’s through the mountain-side by bike, foot, or spirit. It’s great to be living with Dan and sharing her and this space up here in the mountains.

The people here in Springwood are pretty special and magical. All on their own journeys and yet totally open to share and grow together and separate. I’ve moved to The House of Intense Discussion. Ah just what I needed.

The Otesha Project (Australia) are setting up another two bicycle tours this year to ride around regional areas of Australia. Each group consists of about 15 – 20 participants and gather together performing a comical theatrical performance and workshops that help youth feel empowered to make small changes that will have massive impacts in the world! We target youth from year 7+ and engage them around environmental and social justice issues – moving them towards considering more sustainable consumption patterns.

Now I need your help! We are trying to fundraise money so that we can pay for the entire program and I’ll be riding along too (since I’ve been volunteering most of my time and getting paid very little I thought it was appropriate to ask people for some help). If you have a few bucks lying around and think you could donate it only takes a second. Every gold coin or bill helps us reach our goal that much more.

Plus it would mean that we would have enough funding to provide liability insurance while on the road, follow-up with youth after the trip, and support members while riding on the tour.

If you would like to help us check out our donation page here.

Thanks for your support it means SOOO much!

Peace and bike grease,

Shane