Exciting news, friends! I’ve been asked to be on Martha Stewart Living Radio’s “Morning Living” program! I’ll be on for a live interview April 13th at 7:00 a.m..

Spring in the mountains of western N.C. is a fickle muse. One day it’s warm and sunny, the next wet, rainy, and dreary. Other days it’s sunny and crazy windy, making outdoor tasks a real chore.

My “Small Measures with Ashley” post is up over at Design Sponge. This week, in recognition of World Water Day (which occurred this past Monday, March 22nd), I discuss water conservation, preservation, and overall stewardship. There are several links to documentary films in the post. I highly encourage you to check them out. “Acid Test” can be viewed in its entirety, as can “The Story of Bottled Water“, which “Flow” can be picked up at your local video store or added to your home delivery queue.

I have always been tremendously inspired by folks who give of themselves simply out of a sense of obligation towards the good of their fellow humans. If those folks also happen to be rich and famous and in a position to otherwise live their lives large and grand and wholly ignorant of the plight of those around them, let alone the state of their planet, I commend them even more. I cannot speak highly enough of the advocacy that Coldplay does for Fair Trade, or Radiohead does for Greenpeace and other environmental organizations, or Brad Pitt does for affordable, sustainable housing.

Because food, and nutrition are so important to me personally (for those of you that don’t know, I have a bachelor’s degree in Holistic Nutrition, as well as a second bachelor’s in Sociology; my thesis specifically addressed child nutrition and socioeconomic status), individuals that campaign tirelessly, when it is certainly not required of them, for the health and welfare of those they share this planet with fill my heart with gratitude and my mouth with infinite praise. Jamie Oliver is one such individual.

Already on a trajectory for wild fame and success, Oliver’s empathic leanings caused him to reassess his position and clout mid-career. Becoming aware of the unique position he held for captivating people’s attention, he embarked on a number of causes to lift people out of paths of poverty and diets destined for death. In 2005, he created a British program entitled “Feed Me Better” that worked towards moving schoolchildren in his native country away from unhealthy diets and towards healthier foods and dietary habits. He gained the support of the British government and his cause was chronicled in the t.v. show “Jamie’s School Dinners.” From there, he began an effort to teach the townsfolk of Rotherham, South Yorkshire how to incorporate fresh foods into their diets and cook easy, delicious, healthy meals. This project was captured in the series “Jamie’s Ministry of Food.” And if that weren’t enough, Oliver would go on to campaign on behalf of sustainable animal husbandry, providing revealing exposes of the practices of industrialized British poultry and pork production in “Jamie’s Fowl Dinners” and “Jamie Saves Our Bacon.”

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