My name is Michelle Lasley and I am a wife, mother, and native Michigander living in the Pacific Northwest. I finished my B.A. in Social Science & Sustainable Urban Development from Portland State University the Summer of 2008. Since I can remember, I have been interested in both education and the environment. Years ago, I articulated my goal of educating people on the importance of a sustainable society. This space is for my views on all aspects of society.
Being a systems thinker, I like to write about things in terms of society at large. I also write about all things green in my Green Guide, relationships, and family.
It’s been nearly 10 years since graduation, where are we now?
I spent several years at a local non-profit. This, coupled with other non-profit experiences, broke cracks open to the non-profit model. That is, I question the general effectiveness of the non-profit model as a tool for changing our society.
Additionally, as I peel away the layers of the “Triple Bottom Line”, I see, clearly, that we need to pay attention to the equity, or people, piece. If you accept that the least of us reflects how we are in a society, I believe we need to turn our attention, specifically, towards marginalized women. I believe that if we accept they are our “canary in the coal mine”, then if we uplift and empower women first, then our society will take a tidal wave leap forward, for the betterment of all man.
How long have you been interested in green things?
All my life. It began when my Aunt Betsy bought us kids 50 Ways You Can Save the Earth. This percolated through my junior high days where a friend and I set up a recycling center that sustained past our years there. It coalesced in my twenties while reading Diet for a Small Planet and Ecotopia. It was then, on the heals of Culture of Fear and Affluenza that I was finally able to articulate my goal.
My goal is to educate people on the importance of a sustainable society. We need a “stable state” to pass onto our children to the do better and are better than we are. Sustainability, as defined by the “triple bottom line”, equalizes people (equity), place (environment), and profit (economics). Once these things are in equilibrium, we will, theoretically, have achieved sustainability.
What makes me qualified to talk about green things?
- 2018, Author, The Celestial Planner
- 2009, Co-author, The Tolman Guide to Green Living in the Greater Asheville Area
- 2008, B.A. Social Science & Sustainable Urban Development, Portland State University
- 2008, Co-author, The Tolman Guide to Green Living in Portland
- 1978-present, Student and Observer of Life
Where is this green guide?
The separated guide is now merged with this blog under the category “Green Guide.” I worked on two projects (above) that annotated green tips. It was science heavy, so I distill the info in a readable manner. Additionally, my interests stretch only so far, so I wanted to design a space where people could ask questions that matter to them. I will find answers to your questions about going green at home. Going green is a trendy thing these days, and a lot of the solutions on going green can be confusing. This is a solution to those pesky conundrums.
Who’s Micky?
You may have noticed that one of my (original, and now defunct) domains was mickysgreenguide.com. Micky is me. When my mother remarried in 1987, she and my stepfather thought creating nicknames for us kids would be a way to help feel more like a family. My name, Michelle, became the nickname “Micky”, for the baseball legend, Micky Mantel. There is no connection between his baseball skills and mine.