Planeteers Unite!

Happy Earth Day!

As we've done in the past here are some tips for saving the planet from the AA Team to you:

• Plant your Christmas Tree! Abe and I checked on ours last week, and it's doing great. Survived the winter and everything! 

When we planted it last December (yes, we dug the hole with a spaghetti scooper).

Last week!

• Take all of the clothes you don't wear to your local Thrift Town! We hauled out a couple big bags full last week and it felt refreshing! And we're finally rid of the TV we never wanted.

• Clean up your view! We love our view, but there's too much trash along the banks. A little clean-up can go a long way.

• Bike, walk, or run where you need to go! Next best options: carpool, bus, metro!

• Eat less meat! We have arrived to the point where we don't buy meat anymore at the store. We still eat it when we eat out--and yes, Five Guys still rules as Champion of All Hamburgers--but we avoid contributing to the waste that goes along with killing, packing, shipping, and selling all of those Bessies, Wilburs, and Henriettas.

What I order at Old Ebbitt, the real King of Burgs.

 

• Be in it! The more we're outside, the better we feel. The better we feel, the better we are. The better we are, the more we'll do to help where we feel better.

• There is of course a whole lot more we can all do (turn off electronics when not in use, use reusable bags, take short showers (or use less bath water in Benjamin's case), recycle, hang your clothes to dry, use compost, etc. etc. etc. etc.)

We know we have a long way to go, and that there's a lot more that people do to help save the earth.  But we want to be among those who are not left with the blood of the earth on their hands at the last day. Care of the creation is something for which we will account.

What tips do you have for us and others? How can we all be better stewards and beautify and take care of Heavenly Father's enduring creation?

Tech Cleanse

We, the Marshall's, are going on a tech cleanse. For the month of February our only activities that will require the use of screens for include email, weather checking, journal writing, video chatting, photo/video organizing, and texting. This might sound like a fairly long list, but it does not include blogging, checking blogs, Facebooking, news reading, game playing, movie watching, etc. (Though we did update our "Out of the Mouth of Abe sidebar for your enjoyment).

During a priesthood meeting on Sunday I felt inspired to do this, though it did not have anything directly related to the content of the talks. And while I did receive clear revelation on the matter, this is a topic that Ariel has never needed revelation on. She was thrilled when I shared the plan with her. Here are a few reasons that came directly to mind for this cleanse:

•  Where we spend our time will determine who we become. In order to develop personally, professionally, and spiritually I feel I need to spend more of my time on things that will be valuable to me, my family, and those around me. Examples include reading, visiting families, having people over, playing music, spending time outdoors and in museums, etc. 
• Time is critical. I can't imagine the world has ever had more choices, more leisure time, and more opportunity to fritter away that precious time. 
• I've been feeling a fair amount of stress lately because of my calling and work obligations. I'm certain that the better I use my time the better I will feel. 
• I include the following quotes not as primary reasons for this experiment, but to remind us of the dangers of movies and the Internet. Ironically, that subject merits a post in and of itself. 
• "It hardly needs to be said that much of what passes for entertainment today is coarse, degrading, violent, mind-numbing, and time wasting. Ironically, it sometimes takes hard work to find wholesome leisure." -Elder Christofferson
•  "...wide-ranging media sources, electronic tools and gadgets—all helpful if used properly—can become hurtful diversions or heartless chambers of isolation." -President Uchtdorf
• "If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes." -Elder Bednar

I do recognize that many of the things from which we are abstaining for the month are "helpful if used properly" and that there are great opportunities to spread truth through social media. We are not doing this to appear self-righteous and we do not find any of our banned activities inherently bad. This fast will, I think, show our attachment to these electronic tools, assist us in detaching, and bring us back to the wired world with more discipline and a clearer view of things as they really are. 

Onward.

Go Grantwell!

So I never really had a chance to blog about Grantwell while immersed in it last year. It was the most meaningful experience I had in the program, with the most lasting impact on me and the community. I wrote an op-ed for the Mormon Times on Grantwell in January and it finally ran a few weeks ago. I actually didn't catch it until last week. I have a snippet of it below, with a link to the full article, as well as a movie we produced last year. With grant money to use, a publication in an academic journal, and more projects lined up, I'm sure Grantwell is having a great new year!

"Two years ago I visited the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University while wrestling over the difficult decision of where to attend graduate school.

While in the Tanner Building that day I spoke with Aaron Miller. In that short interview, Aaron told me about a program called Grantwell that would change my life forever. That day I caught a glimpse of the skills, experience, connections and opportunities to serve society that Grantwell could provide. As the current executive director of Grantwell, I can attest to all of the above.

Grantwell works for foundations and other large donors, offering grantmaking recommendations and assisting in strategic planning. Grantwell also provides opportunities to network with philanthropists, community leaders and other professional contacts. Ultimately, it prepares students for future work and service in the nonprofit sector." Read the full article here.

Why I Love Our Government

This morning, in my role at work as the FedExperience Program Coordinator, I spoke with eight agency representatives, all of whom are committed to improvement in their recruiting and retaining of experienced workers in order to further their agency's missions and make life better for all of us.

And tonight, at the Service to America Awards Gala that the Partnership for Public Service throws every year, I felt inspired, excited, and grateful. So much so that I wrote this blog post on the metro while riding home. The government as an institution is essential. I'm grateful for the security, leadership, regulation, and law that it offers. I recognize and try to remember that we depend on our government for clean water, for smooth roads, for scientific and medicinal discoveries, assistance to the poor here and across the world, safety, and countless other goods and services. But why I love public service particularly is because it is just that: service. It is service to fellowman.
Tonight the Partnership celebrated nine deserving individuals who have worn out their lives and careers in service to us. I was lucky enough to get to know and interact a great deal with Pius Bannas, the winner of the Federal Employee of the Year Award. This man spent (and spends) literally day and night providing Haitian children with the chance to finally embrace their adoptive parents in the United States, and he expedited the process for 1,100 to do just that immediately following the earthquake. I took a tour of the White House yesterday, and while getting a wave from Michelle Obama was very cool (it did happen, by the way), walking and learning from Pius marked me for good.



He, along with many other civil servants do the work they do because they care. It sounds cliche, but they really do care about people, about society, about our earth (here, here, and here), about human rights, about safety, and about our future.

I love my job, and am committed to public service. It is an honor to be part of a first-class nonprofit that revitalizes the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by changing the way government works.

Let's hear it for public service.

2010 Federal Employee of the Year from Partnership for Public Service on Vimeo.