rethink
No more shampoo
03/21/2010 20:34
Why don’t I use shampoo or conditioner? Well it’s pretty much about my health. There are so many chemicals in those bottles. Didn’t your Chemistry teacher ever tell you that if you can’t pronounce those words they probably aren’t too good for you? It’s true, in this case at least. Take a look for yourself http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html
Now I don’t just hop into the shower in the morning and not wet my hair or put anything in it at all. I used natural products to get my hair clean, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. That’s it. I like to think of the baking soda as my shampoo and the vinegar as my conditioner. If you choose to try the no poo way you have to understand that your hair will have to adjust to what you are doing. Don’t expect to have supermodel hair the first day you try it. It is sometimes tricky to figure out how much of each ingredient to use in your hair. But you’ll get the hang of it. And your hair will thank you.
Food, Inc.
09/02/2009 05:17
There was some frightening footage of the areas where animals are raised. The chicken houses are packed in with barely any room to move around, and floors covered in their own filth. They are not healthy, and are bred to be fat in a shorter amount of time. Footage of a factory had meat being passed through conveyor belts and put through machinery like any other manufactured product. This film was very enlightening, and I specifically was surprised to learn at the number of different products made of corn. There were some very sad and scary stories that were documented. One woman lost her young son to a disease borne out of an improperly made food product and cross-contamination. She has gone on a fight to pass a bill that will make food safer.
Everyone can make a difference. By choosing carefully what you buy, you can cast a vote for local, organic and sustainable food. These are like a survey, and makes a note to the manufacturers of what the people want. Shop at the local farmer's market. Read labels so you know what you are getting in your food, and find out where it is coming from. For more tips and information, visit Takepart.com. You can also sign a petition for the Child Nutrition Act, which helps bring nutrition into schools. As a high school student, I can attest that the normal school lunches are not very healthy. If there was nutritional, energizing food in cafeterias, who knows what effects it could have on the students and their performance in school? Know what you are eating and fight for change!
The Best Cereal to Buy
07/18/2009 12:21
No Time to Slack
07/07/2009 09:26
We’ve all had those days, months, or years (for some people) where all we do is sit around the house doing nothing. It’s nice to have a break after all the end of the year tests and obligations are over. It’s nice to just relax and take a load off. But after a week or two of using the TV, video games, and the computer for your entertainment and staying up late, you start to resemble a zombie. At least that’s how I looked, with huge bags under my eyes. I bet my parents have expected me to raise my arms and charge them, moaning and moving very slowly.
It is not time to be cooped up inside. That is what we have to deal with during the school year; we don’t need to do it now. Go out and have a morning coffee with a friend downtown, in the afternoon go to the beach or the pool, and in the evening stroll around at the Swampbats game or get crazy at one of the contra dances in Nelson. This is the time of year that we get to break. Don’t waste it! Make this summer one to remember. Then when people ask you what you did last summer on the first day of school you’ll be able to say you did something rather than saying, “I didn’t do anything. Summer sucked.” You have to make things happen.
BizKids
06/30/2009 09:19
I think it is awesome that teenagers are outwardly expressing an interest in how to save money and save the planet. The younger generation needs role models like the Biz Kid$ to get excited about the environment. That’s why I think this show is so great! The kids on the show were cool, fun and inspiring.
http://www.bizkids.com/default.aspx
Check out BizKid$ on Youtube too! http://www.youtube.com/user/BizKidsTV
Corn Pens & Buying NOTHING
05/25/2009 08:48
So I was listening to this Harry Potter podcast the other day (I know, I'm such a nerd!), and I heard this story about these two guys who are going to try to go two months (I think) without buying anything new. Obviously, there are a few exceptions, like they're allowed to buy food or other necessary/emergency items. But the basic idea is for them to go a little bit to an extreme in order for them to appreciate more what they do have. I thought this was a really cool way to learn to cut back on unnecessary items and be more eco-friendly, because we live in a consumer culture, and really, it isn't necessary for us to buy every new thing we see on t.v. This was a cool way to put things into perspective.
Charms!
05/17/2009 07:02
This charm consists of 3 main parts; the sheets of plastic, the background newspaper, and the pressed and dried flowers. Read each section carefully before trying them out.
This is made from the clear plastic of fast-food salad lids. I mean the lids on top of those take out salad boxes from Burger King or Wendy’s. I’m not exactly sure but I think that plastic soda bottles work too. Now get out two of those (unless you are making really small ones). One rule to remember is that a 1/2 inch diameter circle will shrink to about a 1/16 inch diameter circle after heating. So knowing this, cut out a size that you want in any shape. I suggest starting with a circle or rectangular shape practically the size of the lid. Cut out two that are exactly the same and put one in the toaster oven. You should definitely use the tray that sits on top of the oven rack (it should have come with the toaster oven). I covered it with tin foil just incase things get messy. Set the heat on toast and set it for about 5 minutes. BUT YOU NEED TO WATCH IT UNDERGO THE HEATING PROCESS!!!! Over heating it will cause the plastic to burn and get melty. After the first minute or so, the plastic will start to curl in on itself and it will look like you messed up, but don’t panic it’s supposed to do that. It will eventually become thicker, smaller, and flatter. You need to get it out of the oven immediately when it stops moving and it looks flat. After taking it out of the oven, it’s crucial that you remove it from the pan and flatten it while it’s still hot. I placed it on my counter top and pressed it with the bottom of a kettle. Be careful, it will be hot. If you couldn’t flatten it because it cooled too fast, you can warm it up in the toaster oven and try it again. Do the same with the other sheet of plastic.
This depends solely on you. All you do for this is cut out a size of newspaper a bit smaller than the plastic sheets you made, and color it. I suggest you clip a piece with lots of fine writing on it because it looks the best. Use highlighters to color on the newspapers since markers tend to be too dark and the letters on the paper will not show.
THE PRESSED FLOWERS
Pick out a few small flowers and some stems with small leaves on them. None of these should be bulky. The key to pressing flowers is drying them as quickly as possible to maintain the radiant colors. So just pressing them in a book will cause them to lose most of their color, that’s why we are going to use a microwave. Prepare two sheets of coffee filter paper and two heavy ceramic tiles. Put a sheet of filter paper on top of one tile. Orient the flowers and stems so that they are not touching each other on a sheet of filter paper and place the other on top. Put the other tile on top of the whole thing and microwave it for a minute. Then take it out immediately and remove the tiles. Separate the filter papers carefully, the flowers will stick to the papers so peel them off. Use toothpicks, tweezers, or whatever you need to fix your flowers so they are positioned the way you want. The flowers
Now that you have all the parts, you can put it all together. Just use a clear drying glue to glue the newspaper on one sheet of plastic, then glue the flowers in an artistic fashion. Finally, put glue on the edges of the flower side of the plastic and use the second sheet of plastic like a cover glass.
Green doesn't always mean go, go, go
04/09/2009 19:06
For some great tips on how to save and other green news, check out:
Consumers Power
The Daily Green
Power House
Energy Refuge
Inexpensive Organic Clothing
03/22/2009 19:29
Why is buying organic clothes better? Think of it this way: buying organic clothes is kind of like buying organic produce and food. Organic clothes are made without chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and defoliants. By buying these goods instead of the regular, average, chemically processed clothes we are supporting the earth to be used the right way- without killing it- and not hurting ourselves. The more people buy organic clothes (like the ones found at Target) the faster we can stop the production of non-organic products. As more and more people catch on, the price will go lower and lower because more companies will offer organic clothes to meet the demand!
