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Simple Living Newsletter In this Issue
Current News Simple Living Season Four Starts this April! Beginning in April, Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska’s fourth season will be made available to PBS stations nationwide. The new season will consist of 13 half-hour episodes, offered for the first time in high definition. The episodes cover a wide array of topics, including: global warming, green remodeling, local food, connecting children with nature, farm and ranchland preservation and much more. Locations range from the small town of Mount Airy, NC to the Los Angeles home of Ed Begley Jr. to the Turner family ranch in Montana. Check your local PBS station listings for date and time. Simple Living Tips Keep the Green Spaces Clean Vermicompost Spring Style Fresh Air Roll Out the Barrel Calls to Action Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska is broadcast on public television stations reaching over half of the United States. If we're in your area, call your station to tell them you enjoy the show! If we're not broadcast in your market, call and request our series. Help us spread the word about the simple living lifestyle. Remember, nothing's too small to make a difference, and a call or email to your public television affiliate is a small gesture that can make a big difference to you and those who live in your area. To find your local PBS station, just type in your zip code on the “PBS Station Finder” on our homepage. Thanks for your support! Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. |
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An Exciting Roster of Programs to Launch SIMPLE LIVING’s Season #4 By Wanda Urbanska In a matter of days, the month of April will be here and Season #4 of SIMPLE LIVING will begin airing on public television stations around the nation. Over the course or our previous three seasons, we have covered a wide a range of topics and featured many fascinating guests. Still, one might think that after all this time production has become “old hat” for us. But the fact is that every season of SIMPLE LIVING has been just as exciting as the one before. This season, we have achieved many “firsts.” For the first time, our shows were shot and will be shown in High Definition, which adds delicious detail and depth to the footage and to our subjects. If we shot in a landfill, you can almost smell the waste emanating from the mound of debris; if we shot a person exercising, you can see the dots of perspiration on the forehead. Another first for us this season is that we have achieved the television gold standard of delivery of 13 programs for the first time ever – which is one quarter of a year in television time, which makes the show easier to place into the busy schedules of PBS programmers across the country. Add these new 13 programs to our backlog of 26 half-hours, and we’ve started to create quite an archive of shows. Season #4 found SIMPLE LIVING taking on another memorable first: our first green remodel. It has proved to be an exciting, challenging and exciting project. Though we had covered the popular subject of green building in seasons past, this time we took an actual home – which happens to be a mid-century brick rancher here in Mount Airy – and trained our cameras on it over the course of five months as it “went green.” This is, of course, the Simple Living Sunflower House. The material is so rich – so chock full of tips and advice for viewers – that we decided that it warranted two half-hour programs. Part I concentrated on the nuts and bolts issue of lowering the carbon footprint of the house with energy saving cornerstones like high-performance insulation, low-e windows with screens, ceiling fans and a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient HVAC system. Part II of the Sunflower House remodel involved indoor air quality and aesthetic issues, including the use of such materials as low VOC paints, reclaimed items, such as a mantel piece made of locally sourced, 100-plus-year-old reclaimed wormy chestnut. To complete the picture, we added Energy Star ® appliances made by Kitchenaid and Whirlpool to the kitchen and laundry area (along with such old “granola” standbys as a clothesline and compost pot for the countertop). This green remodel project has been a lot of fun, and has involved folks nearby and faraway, including Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor-in-chief of Natural Home magazine and green building visionary David Johnston. (Both brought their green vision to Mount Airy – and ultimately to our viewers – from Boulder, Colorado.) All of the segments spoke to us on different levels. The first show of season #4 – “Simple Living in the City” – came from an idea that surfaced at a brainstorming session of SIMPLE LIVING’s National Advisory Board meeting when we all met face to face at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat in Leavenworth, Washington in conjunction with the official launch of Simple Living America back in November 2006. At that memorable meeting, Bay Area resident Stan King came up with the idea. (Since we’ve given so much attention to the simple life in small town America, Stan wanted to be sure that viewers understood how you can achieve the same in major metropolitan areas – and what advantages the big city offers.) Much of the footage for this one was shot in Chicago, with additional material coming from Los Angeles, San Diego and St. Louis. Another important show this season, “What You Can Do About Global Warming,” features climate change activist Bill McKibben, World Watch Institute’s Christopher Flavin and Coop America’s Alisa Gravitz. Other shows focus on an array of topics around simplicity, including cultivating the artist within; the new small farm movement in America and farmers’ markets; and local food. We were invited into Ed Begley Jr.’s home where we interviewed the celebrated actor/activist and his lovely wife Rachelle Carson (sounds like Rachel Carson!) We also shot a show on the importance of parks and green spaces in our nation, featuring Greensboro, NC’s new Center City Park, and paid homage to the wisdom of elders and the importance of a good night’s sleep. Part of that show actually found me in a sheep pasture in my pajamas, proving once again that SIMPLE LIVING has a knack for tackling serious subjects in a light-hearted way. Another favorite show of mine focused on “Connecting our Children – and Ourselves – with Nature,” and features Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder in his backyard in San Diego, venerated nature educator Joseph Cornell and the great Thomas Berry. In other programs, we featured such notables as Cheryl Long, editor-in-chief of the venerable Mother Earth News on organic gardening, and green building visionary Bill McDonough who is working with Van Shields to create the future Kanawha Community in Rock Hill, South Carolina -- a first-in-the-nation eco-conscious community centered on a teaching environmental museum. Our final episode of Season #4 addresses the vital importance of farm and ranchland preservation. This one was shot in Montgomery County, Maryland, Bozeman, Montana, and Chatham County, North Carolina, areas that are all experiencing unprecedented development pressure. The footage of these beautiful open spaces is spectacular, and underscores the need to preserve the land and the people it sustains. As before, when I watch these programs broadcast on television, I am inspired by these people and the change they are generating around the nation. Their work reaffirms my belief that “nothing’s too small to make a difference,” and that each of us makes a difference with every choice we make every day. 
By Kathy Treanor Simple Living Advisory Board / Piedmont Land Conservancy, Founder & Senior Advisor Wanda, Frank, their 10-year-old son Henry, Meredith and I spent Valentine's Day with two Beaus. Beau Turner and his son Beau Jr. met us at their Flying D ranch in Bozeman, Montana. We were shooting Simple Living TV's thirteenth show for Season #4 on ranch and farmland protection. Beau, Ted's youngest son, manages The Turner Foundation's 1.8 million acres in the U.S. This was a once in a lifetime thrill. From the challenge of cancelled flights, re-bookings, lost luggage and dicey weather conditions, perfection fell into place as we drove up the snow covered gravel driveway to the Turners' log ranch house. Early morning sunshine was warming a blue Montana sky, and buffalo (really bison) trotted out of our way as we pulled up to the lodge. The Turners' lodge was created with recycled timbers and lumber from cabins and barns that were removed when the Turners bought this 116,000acre ranch. Beau met us at the door and graciously shared his home and hospitality with us. His enthusiasm for "people and land" was contagious. Handsome and charismatic, he comfortably shared stories both on and off camera about caring for the ranch and why land stewardship is critical for our future. His passion for wildlife restoration as part of maintaining healthy environmental and people communities was as obvious as his enjoyment of hunting and fishing. I was reminded that our ancestors survived because they were skillful hunters and farmers. Beau also talked about the challenges of trying to support open spaces and generate economic returns without damaging the environment. The family is doing this with the nation's largest buffalo herd, supplying Ted's Montana Grills with buffalo meat - which is delicious - and other healthy menu choices. Viewers will enjoy hearing Beau and Wanda's conversations skillfully captured by cameraman Evan McIntosh with logs crackling in the fireplace behind them. As the founder of a North Carolina land trust, I was pleased that the largest landowner in our nation was interested in permanently protecting land. The Flying D's future development forever has been limited by an easement donated to The Nature Conservancy. There may be some differing public opinions about this family's land activities, but I am personally pleased Beau and his family are focusing on conservation - returning buffalo to the prairie, hunting and wildlife restoration, and not covering this land with more buildings. They hire good, local people to care for the land, have a reputation for paying employees well and support the local tax base. The awesome beauty and solitude of these snow-covered mountains remains etched in my memory. I keep checking my memory to make sure we really made this trip. When I suggested Wanda interview Beau Turner for her land protection program, I hoped someone we knew had a good connection to make this happen. Well, that didn't work! So I wrote a letter to The Turner Foundation, edited by my 14-year-old grandson Alex, asking for an interview. Wanda received a quick yes! My interview idea came from reading Dan O'Brien's Buffalo For The Broken Heart book and visiting one of Ted's Montana Grills. Dan's autobiographical book tells the poignant story of becoming a buffalo rancher in South Dakota. He is an endangered species biologist who runs Wild Idea Buffalo Company with his life partner Jill. Beau invited Dan and Jill to join us at the Flying D. Dan eloquently talked with Wanda about the natural balance that has evolved between buffalo and the prairie grasses, flowers, birds and other creatures which keeps the land healthy, supports a viable economy and helps prevent disasters like the 1930s Dust Bowl. His company works with two Native American Indian reservations close to his buffalo ranch thus bringing a boost to their economy and returning a lost dignity to their lives. Buffalo has less fat than skinless chicken. His company markets on their website. Wanda, Frank, and the crew worked long, hard hours. But, lest you think this is all work, we had snowball fights, got our four-wheel drive vehicle stuck in the snow and had to be pulled out by the ranch manager, were awed by massive buffalo walking past us and serenaded by a chorus of coyotes. Beau, his son and Henry Levering went sledding. Beau's five- year-old son shook hands with all of us when we arrived and hugged us as we left -- capturing all our hearts. As a grandmother, I am encouraged to see next generations appreciating and enjoying nature. I choose to believe this means our future, knowledgeable leaders will understand we are partners within the balance of nature, and will make wise decisions for people and the earth.
Meredith’s Musings - Notes from the Field 
By Meredith Lloyd When I first meet someone, and we are able to go beyond the standard 30-second introduction, I am usually asked about my job. Whether time allows me to describe it briefly or in great detail, the typical response can go something like “Wow, that’s incredible! What a great job!” They’re right. It is a great job. After six months at Simple Living I am still amazed by all of the wonderful things I get to see and do. However, it is when the conversation continues beyond matters of employment that the fact is revealed that causes jaw-dropping, wide-eyed astonishment. It happens when I utter the words “I have three children.” I might as well say “I run a duckbill platypus farm” or “In my spare time, I like to eat fire.” I do not find it all that unusual to have three children (ages seven, five and two) and a full-time job. Although it can be difficult at times to strike a balance between work and family, I have a great secret weapon: a husband working on his Ph.D. at home. I have also learned to really make the most of my time with my children, and Simple Living’s upcoming episode on connecting children with nature has inspired me to spend that time outside. The show not only takes a serious look at how disconnected from nature our children have become, but it also provides tips and suggestions on how we can help them reconnect. It really resonates with me, as both a parent, and a nature lover. “Teachable moments” occur many times throughout a day with children, but they are far more likely to happen outdoors. On many evenings, and almost every weekend, you will find our family either out in our own yard, or walking our local greenway, which follows the Ararat River. In this season, there are so many new things to discover. I thoroughly enjoy watching my two-year-old for the first time really articulate what she observes. She points to a fat and full cluster of Bradford pear blossoms and repeats what her older brother and sister have told her about trees “First the flowers, then the leaves.” My older two eagerly check the creeks that feed the river every chance they get. They know the tadpoles are coming soon. On warm evenings, my husband will take the guitar out into the yard and serenade our three while they dance themselves silly -- squealing, giggling, and often falling. I highly recommend this activity to other parents, not only because it’s fun, but because the children sleep so much better after getting rid of the day’s “wiggles.” This spring, get your family outside more and be sure to tune in weekly for Simple Living Season Four. Both are opportunities not to be missed.
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