What’s this and who’s writing it?
I’m Alison Wiley, here in Portland, Oregon. Diamond-Cut Life is about chiseling our consumption down to the core of happiness. What do we really need to consume and do in order to have both happiness and integrity in the face of global warming?
I love my full-time day job: promoting transportation options (carpooling, bicycling, walking, public transit). I recently led the Governor’s Commuter Challenge to a successful completion – we reduced state employees’ carbon footprint by 593,000 pounds, exceeding our goal by 19%. Very fun!
I think joy comes from honest work, relationships, connection to nature, sharing resources and using our bodies instead of machines whenever possible. Given that global warming is the problem of our time, my focus is on living in solutions rather than complaining about the problem. Please comment on my posts so that we are all putting our heads together.
I’ve done projects for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, and I won the Program of the Year award for a car-trip-reduction program I led and expanded in 2007.
I have a B.S. in Sociology from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from California State University, Fullerton. My wonderful husband Thor Hinckley heads the nation’s leading renewable energy program at Portland General Electric.
Hi Alison,
My wife Kim and I also thoroughly enjoyed the Crater Lake Trip. I do hope that you can pass along your contact information - it would be great to stay in touch about the Bicycle related transportation we discussed. Take good care, and say hello to Thor for us.
Brian and Kim Davies
Hi Alison,
Here’s a juicy little graphic that was posted on our bulletin board
http://learningfundamentals.com.au/resources/combating-global-warming-mind-map/
- Dave
Alison,
Hi, I came across you blog while searching Grist. I am a journalism student at Ohio University beginning a project to study the advantages and disadvantages of online environmental reporting. Would you have time or be interested by helping with an interview?
Thanks, Joe Lowe
The new site looks great! Nice job.
alison
i used to live in corvallis and eugene, time when Mt St Helens blew. graduate work at OSU. Now in Taiwan, Japan, Alaska. From Boston 1949.
did i ever tell you about polar cities? it’s my take on the glo war future, but with a positive happy ending maybe in 3500……but yes, we are in big trouble now, and we need NEW thinking and I love your idea of getting rid of all our so called entitlements to travel, consumption etc….we don;’t need half those things, most of them we dont need…..sigh
danny, homeless, retirement fund less, own nothing, no car, coasting to the finish line…. and working on polar cities, aka LOVELOCK RETREATS ideas…
northwardho.blogspot.com
what do you think of polar cities idea? just to get people THINKING!
Dear Alison,
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web: http://www.PosiPeople.com
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Please contact me at the above email so we can discuss propelling your cause to the next level.
Thank you
Melissa
melissa@thethirstymoose.com
http://www.thethirstymoose.com
Hi Allison,
Great site, I got to it via GetRichSlowly, have a look at my new site (http://www.scordo.com/blog/blog) and let me know what you think! I focus on frugal living, how to, and leading a practical life!
Cheers,
Vince Scordo
Hi, Allison,
You played trumpet as I recall.
I, alas, was a lowly clarinet player who was not really interested in music but electronics. Class of ‘77.
Send me an Email sometime. I am alive and well in Cave Creek, Arizona.
Jeff
Awesome website. And I see you made the Reddit front page. Keep up the great work.
You’re correct in noting that Adams is getting a raw deal. It appears he is being railroaded. I thought Portland might be above that sort of thing. =(
From a fellow Portlander!
Hello Alilson Wiley,
Your comment about gas price is very interesting. I would like to know the exact reference you made about David Kavanaugh that «VMT (vehicle miles traveled) has five times more to do with whether people are fully employed, than it does with the price of gas».
Thank you very lmuch.
Meric beaucoup.
Robert, from Montréal, Québec.
Hi Robert,
Here is where it was reported in the Portland Tribune: http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121745437044578500
Hi Alison - Cathy sent me the link to your website, so I thought I’d drop you a note. After nearly a year of being unemployed, I’m now in my second week at my new “dream job” working as a planning coordinator for the Oregon Zoo. Not only do I get to bike to work, but I get to work with an organization that does environmental education and is concerned with helping to preserve endangered species. Briefly, to begin with I am involved with the building of the new Animal Hospital with (hopefully) an as yet undetermined LEED certification and helping the Zoo to establish a new plan district using environmentally sustainable standards. I hope to do this in such a way that this “Eco District” can be a transferable model for others trying to incorporate the same principles in any future development. That’s enough for now - it would be good to spend some time really catching up with one another.
Cheers, Doug S.
Hi Alison, your site looks great! You were my best reader at frankwork, my discontinued blog, but I wanted to let you know about my latest project — The Solar Job Guide (www.solarjobguide.com) . . . send me your email and I’ll send you a link for a free copy. (And of course would love a plug if you deem it worthwhile!) I hope you’re well and appreciate your thoughtful and humanistic posts!