Today is the beginning of a new Wednesday feature here at John Kerry is My Hero.  Any stories or anecdotes or essays that you care to share about how John Kerry has affected your life will be published in the next Wednesday installment of Tales From the Kerryverse.  Whether it’s an account of a personal meeting or discussion you had with the Senator, what the campaign and his vision for America have meant to you, any story, large or small, funny or serious, as long as it’s positive, will be posted here (Kerry-related personal photos welcome, too!)  Leave your story as a comment on any post here, let me know it’s intended for Tales From the Kerryverse and how you want to be credited and then watch for it the very next Wednesday!

One of my favorite aspects of having learned more about John Kerry and his life and career is the enormous variety of people who have been inspired by him.  I would love to see stories from and about your families, friends, and kids and their adventures in the Kerryverse, too.  

For our first compilation, we have two wonderful stories.

Diane tells us about a chance meeting with the Senator:

I feel like I’ve told this story a million times, but it’s my favorite one.

Years ago - I’d say it must have been in about the late ’80’s - my family and I were strolling around Beacon Hill on a beautiful fall Sunday. We were walking down Beacon Street right near the Bull & Finch Pub, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a tall man passing who seemed familiar. I did a double take as I realized it was Senator Kerry. At the same time he looked around and smiled at me and said hi. I said hi and smiled back, and that was it. He came across as a little shy, but very friendly.

That tiny incident had a disproportionate effect on me. It taught me that all the garbage I’d read about him in the Globe and Herald was - well - garbage. It taught me not to believe everything I read in the papers. I knew that the kind of person I wanted representing me in the Senate was a man who would walk around and take the time to notice and interact with people on the street, one on one. The meetings I’ve had with him since have only reinforced that initial impression.

and Jessica has sent us this beautiful account of how work on the 2004 campaign and JK and THK’s environmental philosophy had a very tangible effect on her life:

The Little House by Jessica Szabo

The little house 26 miles outside of Pittsburgh was built as the garage to a row house, became a one bedroom home that housed my mother, her sister, and her parents, and years later, my parents and me. The house has been rented out, used for storage, and left empty for fifteen years. Anyone else probably would have torn it down, but that  tiny house and the row house in front of  it contain all of my earliest memories, from first prayers to scraped knees to learning to read. I received my first lesson in energy conservation on the porch of the row house. “Get in here and close that door,” my grandparents would tell me. “You’re letting all the heat out.” 

They didn’t know about global warming back then, but they did know neither my parents nor my grandparents could afford larger utility bills simply because I wanted to talk to someone in the kitchen without taking my eye off the lightening bugs glinting in the grass.

A variety of circumstances would take me away from the little house for many years, but I’ve always dreamed of moving back home to the Pittsburgh area. By age thirty,  I had decided to save up for an apartment in the city, but when my grandfather passed away in 2005, I began the process of buying and remodeling the little house. I had learned a little about environmental issues from following current events and reading assigned texts in college and graduate school, but as a student I had a tendency to examine issues or analyze situations on an academic level, then stop. I was never determined to put knowledge  into action beyond gaining academic credit until I learned about and eventually volunteered for the 2004 Kerry campaign. Inspired by Senator Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, I began freelance writing news articles on various health and environmental topics, volunteered for Senate candidates in 2006, made some changes in my purchasing habits and daily routine, and started exploring the possibility of a career change from writing to social services, law, or politics. Green remodeling the little house  isn’t the first time I’ve taken something I became aware of during the campaign and put myself to work on it, but it is the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken.

I began by determining what could be saved. I had to move in with my parents after college, and the only steady work I have been able to find are two part-time positions doing office work and cleaning. I could never afford to tear everything apart and re-build it all, even with my parents buying me some of the materials as holiday gifts. I also want to keep waste and pollution to a minimum. I refused suggestions  to change the shape or size of any of the rooms, or to replace the metal cabinets with an entirely new kitchen, when all they need is paint and a new countertop.

I saved most of my income for several months, and hired a contractor to open the walls and replace the wiring, adding strict instructions that anything that could be recycled or donated must be recycled or donated. The first addition to the house was a new energy efficient furnace.

On April 19, 2006 I completed the purchase of the little house and my family decided to replace the roof shingles as my Christmas gift that year. I told them it was  a green remodeling project, to have the contractors save whatever they could and use environmentally friendly materials for the tiles. I didn’t know there were green  building supply stores with web sites I could visit to choose the materials myself, and with three or four people passing messages back and forth between two states, I wound up with the wood underneath the shingles saved, but topped with fiberglass tiles instead of the ones made from recycled material I would have chosen.

My next project was replacing the loose, cracked windows. I purchased sliding Energy Star  windows with screens to allow for natural cooling and ventilation. I only wish This Moment On Earth had been released a couple months earlier.  I had made the mistake of researching only  energy efficiency, waste reduction, and conservation in home remodeling. I was unaware of the toxins in vinyl until I read the book, and thought I would be keeping the house healthy simply by using non-toxic cleaning products once I moved in.  I called the contractor to have the vinyl window frames returned and replaced with wooden frames, but they were already installed.

Angry with myself for not finding the right roof tiles in time, and for my mistake on the windows, I propped This Moment On Earth open next to my computer and studied the web pages in the resource section. I then re-wrote my green remodeling plan, listing the steps I will take for each project. It may be too late for the windows frames, but I will order copper pipes instead of PVC pipes for the plumbing, and a water saving toilet, a tankless water heater, and a low flow showerhead to complete the bathroom. Buying my sink and shower stall (with a glass door instead of a vinyl curtain) from a store in Pittsburgh that offers reclaimed fixtures will save money, prevent the items from winding up in the landfill, and use less gas to transport than having them shipped from outside my area.

After the plumbing, cotton insulation made from recycled denim will be installed, followed by  walls made of emission-free wheat straw board. Energy Star certified light fixtures and compact fluorescent bulbs are available at several local stores. The new inside and outside steps will be built with reclaimed wood. Finally, offsets will be purchased for the trips taken by any materials that need to be shipped from outside the Pittsburgh area.

A central theme in This Moment On Earth is that caring for the planet we live on does not belong to any one subcategory of people. I wish I could hand a copy to the people who made wisecracks about smoking marijuana, etc. when I mentioned looking for green flooring, paint, furniture, or household items. Like the book, I hope my little house helps dispel the stereotype of those who strive for environmental health as fringe elitists who want to live outside the American mainstream. I found linoleum made from natural, renewable materials that resembles the marble floors I’ve always admired but could never afford and countertops made from recycled paper that look like granite. Recycled carpet, VOC free paint, and energy efficient appliances are available in the same styles and colors found in most homes, and although I’ve only found one store that offers full lines of furniture made from recycled plastic and sustainably harvested wood, it has an extensive collection of  traditional pieces. I even found organic cotton versions of the bedding and linens I fell in love with during a recent hotel stay, and the blue glass dishes I want in recycled glass.

Greening a home is a bit  expensive, but I will just have to work a little harder and save a little longer. It’s the least I can do for the little house, my community, my country, and the planet. When I first joined the Kerry 2004 campaign, I knew I would be knocking on a lot of doors.  I had no idea signing up as a Kerry supporter would lead me on a journey that will include two doors of my own, both leading into my home.