What Inspires Melanie Butler day 49 OWS

I met Melanie in Zuccotti Park day 49 of the Occupy Wall Street movement. She spoke to a group gathered with the amazing Eve Ensler to hear women's stories of why they had come to Occupy Wall Street. Melanie shared her excitement about the new women's safe space tent she had gone to check out and donate supplies to. It was the first day of the tent, a welcomed protected space as it was a cold and windy night.

What inspires Melanie Butler? Her female mentors @CodePink.org a women's peace organization and the activist community in NYC.

To watch and hear her speak these words "I'm just so full of hope." Well all I can say is Inspirational!

What's Your Inspiration?

 

what inspires Don the Shoe Dude?

I walked past Don at 47th @ 6th avenue where he sets up to shine shoes. Scrunching up his nose at all the sneakers passing by, he lights up when he gets the chance to polish some pretty spiffy shoes. I loved his passion for life and gorgeous spirit.

What Inspires Don? "To smile and see the world from a different point of view."

His philosophy? "We need bridges to shorten that gap between races, religions, political views, people will find any slight reason to oppose you….for a few minutes of the day forget all that." I showed him my sneakers apologizing for the lack of need for polish, saying I'd return, his answer "We all got to pitch in and help somehow."

 

Occupy Wall Street Day 25

NYCSubwayGirl visits Zuccotti Park encampment of Occupy Wall Street protesters. Joined by musician activist Joy Askew. 

My take away: Hope, inspiring to take action and making a difference...

If you'd like more insight from within Zuccotti Park, here's some interesting posts by Eve Ensler and Amy Goodman's Democracy Now whom I believe are the true pioneers of our time.

Also one of my fav sites is Place Matters.  They have made Zuccotti Park the place of the month.

pups E-Waste trip

On September I7, 2011 I walked to an LES Ecology Center e-waste event in front of Tekserve. With my pups in tow, we brought a box of old cell phones, cameras, a fax machine, transformers and cables to be properly disposed of. It was a true NY moment.

When we arrived I met Development Director, Caroline Kruse who shared with me just how easy it is to recycle electronic waste.

It might take a little of your time, but recycling e-waste is so important. It feels good to know there's something you can do to reduce the massive amount of toxic waste we produce and discard without much thought. The Lower East Side Ecology Center leads the way.

Vo Era

Musician Vo Era walked by me while I was performing at Grand Central Station, I asked if he wanted to jam and he opened his case took out a sweet Ibanez and began riffing on one of my songs. On his way to catch a train, we only had a chance to chat for a brief moment, but I did film him a bit. I checked out his website and loved this comment: "Do I choose to do this or do I have to do this, but this you go the extra mile because it's so more rewarding."

What Inspires Vo? "Life."

what Inspires Billy, Nigel and Marvin?

Musicians Billy Maluw and Nigel Schat with friend Marvin visiting from Amsterdam, Netherlands, arrived inside the SI ferry terminal with instruments on their shoulders. I asked if they wanted to jam. Of course they said yes. They joined in and we had a great time.

What's their Inspiration? "Performing in New York City"
Billy: "love," Marvin: "go with the moment," and Nigel: "expressions of my emotions through music."

check out the clip I made of them jamming

Myah subway poet Union Square

 

I met Myah one afternoon in the Union Square subway station, we chatted about how God and poetry inspire her.  She's also a basketball player, the combination of poetry and sports really inspired me. I asked if she would recite a poem and she took the mic and haltingly recited her poem "Misunderstood."  Make no mistake she truly owned that moment.  These are the beautiful things that happen underground that I love to share.

NY Marriage Equality "make it happen"

NYCSubwayGirl chats with Matthew Hamilton during the 2nd annual Hudson, NY Pride. His homemade t-shirt says it all, "I might be straight but I'm not narrow."

His passionate plea to "make it happen" while describing how his mother and her partner of 21 years aren't able to marry. "Brittany Spears can be married in 36 hours, but not my mom."

Roberto A. Sanchez talks about Sustainability

I met Roberto Sanchez and his wife Mary Jo who were traveling through LIRR station while I was singing. Inspired to listen to my song Jungle, they stopped and we had a chance to chat. A LEED certified Architect, he gave me a passionate and spontaneous conversation about the environment and his definition of Sustainability.

"Sustainability is the art and science of giving information to matter." Using rain water more efficiently, storing it in cisterns, using it to flush toilets, for golf courses and irrigation. Solar using sun rays to produce electricity and to heat water. 

"A way to be kind to Mother Nature."

 and here's Part 2:

LEED certified Architect Roberto Sanchez gave me a passionate and spontaneous conversation about the environment. The Fukushima Nuclear plants 2 months later are still burning since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011

read the latest news from International atomic energy agency

His wife Mary Jo listened intently to her husband rattle off the top of his head the things he is helping to work on to make our world a more sustainable planet:

Waste to energy, garbage to electricity, something he is doing in Costa Rica. Many Florida plants produce 600 kwh's per ton of garbage conversion.

"Land fills are a crime... an ecological crime, flushing toilets with potable water is a crime." "There are so many alternatives that are incredible."

Thank you Roberto.

 check out Roberto's What's Your Inspiration clip on this site

Update

on 2011-06-27 19:19 by NYC Subway Girl

from Robert Sanchez:

HELLO CATHY !

I got it, it is great! I love it. You capture the moment.

Have sent it to a few good friends that understand and are aware of "respect and love to Mother Earth" Yes.

I am now working on a project in Chile: A Secondary Road that collects torrential rain water from the shoulder:

I explain: The shoulder is made from shredded rubber made from discarded auto tires (pollutants) . The water filters through into a perforate pipe below and collected at the valleys of the terrain. 

Tanks below grade make it available for irrigation of large vegetable fields,  also it is filtered and purified for  potable water of 3 small villages the road passes by.

Cost of the water: 0

Fiber optic cable under the rubber ( actually a soup of shredder rubber+ glue = paving surface) is energized buy small solar panels during the day, at night a sensor discharges the electricity an illuminates the edge of the road for SAFETY.

Cost of electricity : 0

What Inspires Diana and Rubin?

LIRR was full of gutsy, honest and passionate commuters today willing to share their raw talent with LIRR station. Never having met before, Diana and Rubin arrived at the same time and with the same thing in common, love of music. And the support of yours truly to give them control of my mic and guitar. Why not? This is what I love about performing in public spaces.

What's their inspiration? Soul and music.

 

what inspires Tim Hall?

What Inspires Tim Hall? Nature and the view of the Hudson from his apartment.

I can't argue with that, small world Tim and I were neighbors in Washington Heights some years ago. I love that on any given day performing in the subway someone that I might know passes by. I'm glad Tim stopped to chat.

In Manhattan we are surrounded by water, It isn't called Manhattan Island for nothing. I am so glad that after all these years the shores of this amazing island are being enjoyed for their beauty and calm in a constantly stirred up Urban sea.

 

What inspires Fidel?

I met Fidel while performing at 42nd street @ 6th avenue. Fidel an actor/writer and producer, also works in NYC inspiring kids at Oasis Summer Camp. Hearing Fidel's passion about nurturing "the intangible" and what inspires him, supporting "what you believe in that no one sees," makes me so happy I asked him to share his thoughts.

 

Spontaneous moments that fill me up

Aubrey Lynch stopped by LIRR station while I was performing. In this clip he describes what he's up to now. Another spontaneous interruption provided us with a touching moment. This month Aubrey is my guest blogger 

Check out Aubrey's What's Your Inspiration? clip. See how he has taken a career of dancing, choreography, and producing to now mentoring and using dance art to heal people.