- Reusable Bags
- Compact Fluorescents (CF) Bulbs
- Solar Power
- Green Works
- Wind Turbines
Friday, October 29, 2010
Share 'N' Voice: What am I answers
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Read 'N' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter and Final Review of Plenty - Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet
1. For my final section of Plenty, I read the months of December, January, and February; also included in this section was the Epilogue. This covered pages 193-264.
2. The main topics addressed in this section were eating locally during the winter months. And how they were inspiring to so many other people to try this for themselves. They also discussed the importance of getting proper nutrients in their diet.
3. The most significant things I learned about, or rather the most intersting, was that they spent nearly an entire chapter talking about Minnesota! James and Alisa compared eating locally in the Pacific Northwest easy to eating locally in lands of harsh winters, like Mahnomen, Minnesota. James and Alisa had gone to visit the White Earth Tribal and Community College there because they had an experiment going to eat locally for a year as well. Being it was so similar to their own experience, James and Alisa looked to Sunny, Steve, and Stephanie (the ones who started this project in Mahnomen), for advice and information. The local food experiment in Mahnomen allowed a 250 mile radius. The biggest pointer they took away from the experience, was that they people in Mahnomen began their journey in September versus James and Alisa who started in March. Since they began in fall, it allowed them to prepare all summer by collecting foods and canning and preserving them to last throughout the winter. From Minnesota they took away many lessons of how to actually live off the land. They believed that those in Minnesota truly make the impossible, possible. Also significant in this section, is that they learned that they actually enjoy their 100 Mile Diet. Making certain treks to find the unique food to add to their collection had been fun adventures and well worth it. I did not find any specific terms within this section that I needed to look up.
4. This section greatly affects society in the sense that IT IS POSSIBLE to successfully live by eating locally. James and Alisa did not starve, they acquired proper nutrients daily, and an enticing factor for most Americans, they lost weight (granted this was not a goal of theirs at all, it just happened). The final chapter was a bit of a reflection on their journey. As February neared its ending, they realized they still had an abudance of canned and frozen foods. Even though they had much anticipated the return of spring, they discovered that they could still survive the winter months. James and Alisa are an inspiration to society. They did not create this brand new diet or magically come up with the idea to eat locally, in fact this is something that had been done for centuries. So why in the last 50 years or so have we resorted to eating everything from the other side of the world? We need to go back to what are great-grandparents and before ate and how they did it. It is possible, now it just takes a more conscious decision to actually do it.
5. Basically, a brief overview of the book includes the idea to eat locally for a year within a 100 mile radius. This took place March-February in British Columbia. The book discusses the journey of James and Alisa as they discover what foods are grown locally, when they are in season, and how to retrieve them. It shows the ups and downs, and that sometimes the best things in life are not easy. They developed great relationships with local farmers and know exactly where their food is coming from and who raised it. They enjoyed the new creations they had discovered over the year. And Alisa finally learned to cook things that required actually cooking. Overall, they felt the year was a success. The ending shows that this is truly a lifestyle change. It is not just something they did for a year and quit, on day 366 they could eat whatever they wanted, and their choice for lunch: potatoes. It became part of who they were, they enjoyed eating locally. This book should inspire all to take the chance of eating locally.
6. The three most significant things I have learned are
8. I would definitely recommend this book to others. The great thing about my book is that granted I read it for educational purposes, I probably would have read it anyways. I was very interested in the storyline. Overall, this book was everything I expected it to be. It is very descriptive and really allows you to understand what you need to go through to eat locally.
2. The main topics addressed in this section were eating locally during the winter months. And how they were inspiring to so many other people to try this for themselves. They also discussed the importance of getting proper nutrients in their diet.
3. The most significant things I learned about, or rather the most intersting, was that they spent nearly an entire chapter talking about Minnesota! James and Alisa compared eating locally in the Pacific Northwest easy to eating locally in lands of harsh winters, like Mahnomen, Minnesota. James and Alisa had gone to visit the White Earth Tribal and Community College there because they had an experiment going to eat locally for a year as well. Being it was so similar to their own experience, James and Alisa looked to Sunny, Steve, and Stephanie (the ones who started this project in Mahnomen), for advice and information. The local food experiment in Mahnomen allowed a 250 mile radius. The biggest pointer they took away from the experience, was that they people in Mahnomen began their journey in September versus James and Alisa who started in March. Since they began in fall, it allowed them to prepare all summer by collecting foods and canning and preserving them to last throughout the winter. From Minnesota they took away many lessons of how to actually live off the land. They believed that those in Minnesota truly make the impossible, possible. Also significant in this section, is that they learned that they actually enjoy their 100 Mile Diet. Making certain treks to find the unique food to add to their collection had been fun adventures and well worth it. I did not find any specific terms within this section that I needed to look up.
4. This section greatly affects society in the sense that IT IS POSSIBLE to successfully live by eating locally. James and Alisa did not starve, they acquired proper nutrients daily, and an enticing factor for most Americans, they lost weight (granted this was not a goal of theirs at all, it just happened). The final chapter was a bit of a reflection on their journey. As February neared its ending, they realized they still had an abudance of canned and frozen foods. Even though they had much anticipated the return of spring, they discovered that they could still survive the winter months. James and Alisa are an inspiration to society. They did not create this brand new diet or magically come up with the idea to eat locally, in fact this is something that had been done for centuries. So why in the last 50 years or so have we resorted to eating everything from the other side of the world? We need to go back to what are great-grandparents and before ate and how they did it. It is possible, now it just takes a more conscious decision to actually do it.
5. Basically, a brief overview of the book includes the idea to eat locally for a year within a 100 mile radius. This took place March-February in British Columbia. The book discusses the journey of James and Alisa as they discover what foods are grown locally, when they are in season, and how to retrieve them. It shows the ups and downs, and that sometimes the best things in life are not easy. They developed great relationships with local farmers and know exactly where their food is coming from and who raised it. They enjoyed the new creations they had discovered over the year. And Alisa finally learned to cook things that required actually cooking. Overall, they felt the year was a success. The ending shows that this is truly a lifestyle change. It is not just something they did for a year and quit, on day 366 they could eat whatever they wanted, and their choice for lunch: potatoes. It became part of who they were, they enjoyed eating locally. This book should inspire all to take the chance of eating locally.
6. The three most significant things I have learned are
- It is possible. The section talking about Mahnomen, Minnesota really hit home for me. Even through reading this, I was like well it works for them but there is no way it would work in MN. To my surprise, it can be done, and people are doing it.
- You feel better when you know where your food is coming from. This incorporates both mentally and physically. James and Alisa had more energy and truly felt that they got more enjoyment out of life from this experience. And mentally felt better because they knew where there food was coming from, how it was raised, and that they were helping their local economy. All while reducing their ecological footprint on the Earth.
- Try, try again. Be persistent with what you want. They spent lots of time looking for different fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. Sometimes things did not always work out in their favor, but eventually something better would come along. Do not let obstacles get in your way, learn to overcome them and move on. Understanding how to work through a problem and discovering a successful solution shows you much more about yourself than if it had just been "easy" the first time around.
8. I would definitely recommend this book to others. The great thing about my book is that granted I read it for educational purposes, I probably would have read it anyways. I was very interested in the storyline. Overall, this book was everything I expected it to be. It is very descriptive and really allows you to understand what you need to go through to eat locally.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group
The item I chose to research was my foundation, MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation. I have probably been purchasing variations of this foundations for 6 years. According to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetic safety database my product scored a 6 out of 10 on the hazard scale. Therefore it is a moderate hazard. The active ingredient in this product is Octinoxate. This product is linked to causing cancer, developmental/reproductive hazards, or allergies. It is scary to think that something that I have putting on may face for years could cause so many different things. It definitely makes me think twice before using it. But to be perfectly honest, I pay a lot for my make up and do not intend to throw it away. It is scary what they can get away with into cosmetics though. Because these items are approved and are supposedly safe, but obviously not if one of the side effects of using it are cancer. I do not think I will ever understand how that works.
I honestly am not too fond of this site. I didn't find it to be well organized. It was also confusing. It was not very clear of where to go next or what to do within the site. I just starting clicking on random things to try to figure out what kind of information was available. Also I wonder how valid the information is, because in the lower section it says "one or more animals." Perhaps this was only for my product, but still, they are saying that if 100 mice were given this foundation and 1 developed cancer, then it must be linked to cancer? I don't know about that, I would be interested in seeing more of there research and findings.
I honestly am not too fond of this site. I didn't find it to be well organized. It was also confusing. It was not very clear of where to go next or what to do within the site. I just starting clicking on random things to try to figure out what kind of information was available. Also I wonder how valid the information is, because in the lower section it says "one or more animals." Perhaps this was only for my product, but still, they are saying that if 100 mice were given this foundation and 1 developed cancer, then it must be linked to cancer? I don't know about that, I would be interested in seeing more of there research and findings.
Share 'N' Voice: What am I?
So for this Share 'N' Voice I thought it would be fun to play a game. The object is to discover what environmentally friendly item I am talking about. There are 5 items. Take a guess at one or two. Good luck to everyone :) I will post the answers in one week.
- You can purchase me at most stores. I can carry items from the store to your home. I am usually able to fold up into a small size for compact storage and the ability to take me anywhere. What am I?
- I can light up a room just as well as my traditional friend. I only use a fraction of the amount of electricity. Some of us even get an Energy Star Label. What am I?
- I am not available for use at all times. I am a renewable energy source. I convert light emitted from the star at the center of the solar system into electricity. What am I?
- I am 95%-99% derived from mother nature. I display the "Design for the Environment Logo". Clorox is my maker. What am I?
- I am very tall. I am a rotary device that extracts energy. The movement of air allows me to do my job. What am I?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Read 'n' Seed 4: Third Quarter of Plenty - Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet
1. For this portion I read pages 129 - 192, which were the months of September, October, and November.
2. For the first time I was not that impressed with this section of the book, at least the first chapter. During the month of September, pretty much all they talked about was how there was an accident in the Cheakamus River. A Railway train rain off the tracks straight into the river dumping sodium hydroxide solution. This killed all the fish in the river system, which affected James and Alissa because they planned on eating those fish all winter. This section they mainly addressed history and other food crises that occurred. The next month, October, turned out to not be a bright one. James and Alissa were facing some major relationship issues. They have been together for 13 years, and the 100 Mile Diet was really pushing them to their limits with each other. No conclusion yet how their relationship will play out, so I will keep you posted. In November they started to learn what a hit they were becoming. People in France and Norway wanted their secrets, recipes, and wanted to hear them speak. Their blog was booming. And finally, they got flour. November had started another potato month with summer goodies fading away. The wheat they had gotten previously but weren't eating a lot of due to mouse poo had been infested with bugs so it was definitely a no go. It was heaven when they got flour.
3. In my chapter of a history lesson, I stumbled upon the word paleoecology. Paleoecology is the study of fossils and subfossils to determine past ecosystems. It actually sounds really interesting to me. Another new word I found was shuck. Simply put, a shuck is the husk of an ear of corn. I had never heard this term before though. Some significant things I learned about in this section include that they have been at this for 9 months and are actually doing it. One point that they make is that they had no idea some things were grown locally. I think this is the case with most people. They have no idea what their local environment actually has to offer. This is something all people should start to pay attention to.
4. I do not think it could be any more obvious how awesome what they are doing really is. They are living off the earth how it is intended to be. No processed foods, no shipping and transporting of goods, simply living on whatever nature provides for them at that given part of the year. I wish we could all take this and make a small step towards implementing this into our own lifestyles. As I pointed out in the beginning of the post, people all over the world were hearing about this 100 Mile Diet and were curious about it. Thus they wanted to learn more and try to be apart of it. Hopefully we can create a snowball effect with this. Someone tries it in a different area, and then they encourage someone else to, and they encourage another to, and so on. This is a way that we can have a real beneficial impact to our environment. I can only hope others catch on to this the advantages for themselves and the Earth.
2. For the first time I was not that impressed with this section of the book, at least the first chapter. During the month of September, pretty much all they talked about was how there was an accident in the Cheakamus River. A Railway train rain off the tracks straight into the river dumping sodium hydroxide solution. This killed all the fish in the river system, which affected James and Alissa because they planned on eating those fish all winter. This section they mainly addressed history and other food crises that occurred. The next month, October, turned out to not be a bright one. James and Alissa were facing some major relationship issues. They have been together for 13 years, and the 100 Mile Diet was really pushing them to their limits with each other. No conclusion yet how their relationship will play out, so I will keep you posted. In November they started to learn what a hit they were becoming. People in France and Norway wanted their secrets, recipes, and wanted to hear them speak. Their blog was booming. And finally, they got flour. November had started another potato month with summer goodies fading away. The wheat they had gotten previously but weren't eating a lot of due to mouse poo had been infested with bugs so it was definitely a no go. It was heaven when they got flour.
3. In my chapter of a history lesson, I stumbled upon the word paleoecology. Paleoecology is the study of fossils and subfossils to determine past ecosystems. It actually sounds really interesting to me. Another new word I found was shuck. Simply put, a shuck is the husk of an ear of corn. I had never heard this term before though. Some significant things I learned about in this section include that they have been at this for 9 months and are actually doing it. One point that they make is that they had no idea some things were grown locally. I think this is the case with most people. They have no idea what their local environment actually has to offer. This is something all people should start to pay attention to.
4. I do not think it could be any more obvious how awesome what they are doing really is. They are living off the earth how it is intended to be. No processed foods, no shipping and transporting of goods, simply living on whatever nature provides for them at that given part of the year. I wish we could all take this and make a small step towards implementing this into our own lifestyles. As I pointed out in the beginning of the post, people all over the world were hearing about this 100 Mile Diet and were curious about it. Thus they wanted to learn more and try to be apart of it. Hopefully we can create a snowball effect with this. Someone tries it in a different area, and then they encourage someone else to, and they encourage another to, and so on. This is a way that we can have a real beneficial impact to our environment. I can only hope others catch on to this the advantages for themselves and the Earth.
Monday, October 18, 2010
New Header
Today we created New Headers using Picnik. It was a fun and creative way to edit pictures. It was really easy to use. You can do a lot of different things to your pictures including adding borders, stickers, and changing the border. If you have never used it before, I encourage you to check it out.
Share and Voice: Erin Brockovich
So I went searching for some environment related movies to share about, and one of my favorite movies popped up: Erin Brockovich. Granted this movie is a few years old now, it is still amazing. For those of you that have never seen it, it is basically about a woman who works her way up in a law firm and uncovered that a water system had been poisoning its residents for over thirty years. Through courage and determination Erin was able to help these residents in ways no one ever dreamed possible.
I never even thought about this movie in an environmental way, but it definitely relates to the environment. Erin Brockovich is a real woman in the United States. She didn't have a law degree or anything fancy, she was just a normal person that saw an environmental issue and decided to take action. This is something any one of us can do. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly encourage it. Please feel free to ask me any questions about it as well, I have seen it many times. Let me know what you all think.
I never even thought about this movie in an environmental way, but it definitely relates to the environment. Erin Brockovich is a real woman in the United States. She didn't have a law degree or anything fancy, she was just a normal person that saw an environmental issue and decided to take action. This is something any one of us can do. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly encourage it. Please feel free to ask me any questions about it as well, I have seen it many times. Let me know what you all think.
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