Did you know that Iceland kills any polar bear that manages to make it onto the island?
Check out this article: http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=357093
Some excerpts from it:
The task force’s conclusion was to kill all polar bears spotted in Iceland for three reasons: they are dangerous, they are not at risk of extinction and it is too costly to save them, as Hjalti Gudmundsson from the Environment Agency of Iceland, who was a member of the task force, explained on RÚV’s news magazine Kastljós last night.
The slain polar bear was such a young animal that police fear another bear, an adult, might be on the loose in the area. The Coast Guard will start searching the country's northeastern coastline from air today as soon as there is sufficient daylight. People in the region are asked to be careful.
So, I made a variation of the cover of Iceland's tourist brochure to illustrate the wonderful love for nature the country has.
Here it is (Click to view larger):
Friday, January 29, 2010
Iceland: Not Pure, Not Natural, Totally Spoiled
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Plastic Project
For all of you that have been following my posts about eliminating plastic from your lives: I have created a blog just for this issue!
I have reposted all of my previous posts about the issue there and will be updating it regularly!
http://theplasticproject.blogspot.com/
Eliminating Plastics: The Cleaning Edition
Things covered in this issue: Dishwasher Detergent, Dish Soap, Sponges, Laundry Detergent, Laundry Softener
Dishwasher Detergent:
Many of you have probably never even thought about what you use for detergent in your dishwasher. Most dishwashers themselves are made of plastic, but there are some stainless steel varieties. If you want to continue using your dishwasher regardless of what it’s made out of, using a more natural alternative to store bought dish soap is a great idea. Not only does this home made dishwasher soap save you a lot of money, but it is also not in a plastic bottle.
The recipe:
1 large glass jar (for storage)
1 ½ cups--20 Mule Team Borax (found in the laundry section at most stores)
1 ½ cups—Baking Soda
1 cup—Table Salt
(Mix all together and use ¼ cup per dishwasher load)
Video on how to make.
Dish Soap:
Perhaps you do your dishes by hand. The dish soap that is typically found at stores not only comes in plastic but has all sorts of artificial colors and scents added to it. It’s quite simple to make your own dish soap. First you will need a jar/container of some sort to store the soap in (I have put some links below for stainless steal containers that will not break if you drop them into the sink/hit them with a pan, etc). Below the links is a recipe for making soap
Stainless steel soap dispensers:
Several Dish Soap Recipes Found Here.
Dish Sponges:
Many people use dish sponges to wash their dishes (or wipe them off before putting them in the dishwasher). Most of these sponges are made of plastic. There are many alternatives to these potentially harmful sponges. This is not to mention the fact that since most sponges are made of plastic they don’t decompose well (or at all) Dish rags are always a choice. They are relatively easy to make yourself (from old towels you cut to rag size, or by crocheting them). They can also be purchased online. Several companies also have natural sponges available for washing dishes. I have included links to both these sponges and home made dish rags.
Non-Plastic Sponges:
Home Made Dish Rags:
Laundry Detergent:
Just like dishwasher soap and dish soap, laundry detergent comes in a plastic container and often complete with artificial colors, scents, and additives. Making your own is a cost effective alternative that gets you away from plastic. This recipe also works for HE front load washers. It is low suds which is what the “specially made” detergents for these washers are.
- What you need: 1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax (The same you used for dishwasher detergent)
- 1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Ivory® Bar Soap (**note** you can use cheaper soap, I actually had this on hand already. Use whatever tickles your fancy – Other brands of commonly used bar soaps include Pure & Natural®, Fels-Naptha® and/or ZOTE®. Both ZOTE® and Fels-Naptha® are made for and sold as “laundry bar soap.”)
Here’s How
Be sure to store it in a glass jar!
Fabric Softener
The best alternative I have found to store-bought laundry detergent is vinegar. Whenever I tell people this I get a similar response, something to the effect of “Eww, don’t your clothes smell?” or “You end up smelling like an Easter egg though don’t you?” The answer to both of these objections/questions is no. I add approximately a cup of white vinegar to each load I wash (add with detergent, I pour right onto the clothes) and they leave the dryer (or drying rack) with no static and soft as can be.
Store/buy your vinegar in a glass jar.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Eliminating Plastics: The Baby Edition
Things covered in this issue: diapers, baby bottles, pacifiers
I’m assuming that if you are reading this blog you know that plastic isn’t a healthy thing to have in your life. As you have seen from the last three posts it is everywhere, and hard to avoid while living in the current society. Slowly poisoning yourself from these contaminants is one thing, but harming your children is quite another matter. In this issue I will delve into the world of babies and try to provide alternatives to the plastic “necessities” all new parents are marketing from long before conception.
Diapers:
Disposable diapers are a bad idea. I said it, and I’m sure that you have heard it before. They take AT LEAST 100 years to decompose in a landfill. As a rule I try to avoid using anything that would take 100 years to decompose (things of this nature tend to be full of many a thing that is unnatural). The first disposable diaper was created around 1950 which means that all disposable diapers ever created are still in existence (this holds true for most plastic products). You don’t care about the environment? Well that’s just too bad and I don’t know why you are reading my blog in the first place, but let’s assume you care for your child.
Here’s a link to a WebMD article that talks about disposable diapers being linked to increased asthma rates: Link
An Associated Content article about chemicals in disposable diapers: Link
So, you are convinced. You will use cloth diapers. Now where on earth do you buy them? Here are a few places. Try to avoid diapers with Velcro as that is also a type of plastic (snaps or pins are ideal). It was hard for me to find many snap diapers that used medal snaps however, but plastic snaps are a much better choice when compared to disposable diapers.
Mother-Ease USA
Mother-Ease Europe
Choosey Diapers
Green Mountain Diapers
More Cloth Diapers
Make your own cloth diapers!
Baby Bottles:
It’s almost understandable when you think of the development of the plastic baby bottle. No newly initiated mother or father wants to deal with a dropped and shattered glass bottle in the middle of the night. I’d say, however, that they’d rather deal with that than a sick child. The chemicals that are in all plastics are also in baby bottles. The nipples of bottles are also made of latex which can cause allergic reaction, but they CAN be found made out of silicone or rubber, which is what I have tried to track down. So here are some alternatives to the plastic variety. If there are any parents reading this that have comments/suggestions let me know!
Natural Rubber Bottle Nipples:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3 (Google Shopping Search Result)
Glass bottles with silicone nipples
Glass bottles with silicone nipples and thermal hugger
A few kinds of glass baby bottles (and free shipping)
Handmade crochet baby bottle covers:
Link 1
Link 2
Make your own baby bottle cover (crochet)
Pacifiers:
Since we’ve established that giving your baby something made of plastic to suck on is a bad idea, I have provided links below to natural alternatives to the latex pacifier. In even silicone pacifiers the part that touches your baby’s face is plastic, this is why I have stayed with rubber pacifier links.
Natural rubber pacifiers:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Eliminating Plastics from your Daily Life, Installment 3
Things Covered in this Issue: Buckets, Lunch Bags/Boxes and Grocery Bags
5 gallon buckets for storage/hauling liquids:
I am trying to track down a pattern for making your own canvas bucket but have yet to find one. If anyone has one, or has made one and wants to share please email me/post a comment.
Lunch Box/Bag
If you are anything like me you take a lunch to work/school (or maybe your children/wife/husband/significant other do) nearly every day. Did you ever stop to think about what your lunch box is made out of? Most are made out of plastic (or at least lined with it). Belo
w are some options to purchase lunch boxes that are not made of or lined with plastic. There is also a link to making your own lunch bag.
Make your own Lunch bag. Note: This design calls for a thin plastic lining in the bag. I would skip using that as a lining and just use cotton. You could wash the bag once a week or so to keep it clean if need be.
Grocery Bags
I’m sure that by now you have all heard that plastic grocery bags are horrible for the environment (if you are reading this blog you likely use reusable bags already). I figured I would put this section on here anyhow, however, since most store bought reusable grocery bags have plastic in them. Below are links that you can purchase cotton bags from and also how to make your own reusable grocery bags. If you wish to have more choices for purchasing reusable bags, simply search “reusable cotton grocery bag” or “reusable hemp grocery bag”.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Eliminating Plastics From Your Life, Installment 2
I’d like to thank everyone for their interest thus far in this project along with all of the recommendations I have received. I have been looking around me with a new set of eyes since I started working on this yesterday and I see that plastic is literally everywhere. I am going to work to provide not only alternatives that you can purchase, but also (when possible) alternatives you can make yourself. I am also going to try to recommend (also when possible) alternatives for purchase that are hand crafted by someone else for those not inclined to craft themselves.
Things covered in this issue: Tea Kettles, Coffeemakers, Rice Cooker, Plastic Wrap
Tea Kettles/Tea Pots
I was looking around my kitchen last night when I realized that even my tea pot has a plastic handle and a plastic cover over the spout. I have, thankfully, been able to locate some tea pots that do not include plastics. I have links for them below.
Ceramic Asian Stove Top Tea Pot
Duo Glass Tea Pot/Infuser
Staub Cast Iron Tea Pot
Tea For One Tea Pot
Coffeemaker
Chemex Coffee Makers and Filters (From their website: “The Chemex® coffeemaker is an elegant, one-piece, hourglass shaped vessel made of high quality, heat resistant glass. The traditional model comes to you with a polished wood collar and leather tie. The collar serves as an insulated handle around the middle of the coffeemaker.”) Note: be sure to use unbleached coffee filters with this.
Stove top espresso maker
Porcelain Percolator
Stainless Steel Percolator
Stainless Steel French Press
1 Cup Stainless Coffee Maker & Porcelain Drip Coffee Makers (Scroll Down on the Page to find them)
Rice Cooker
Miracle Rice Cooker (It looks like the outer areas of this cooker are plastic, but everything that touches your food is stainless steel)
Clay pot 5 cup rice cooker (It looks like the outer areas of this cooker are plastic, but everything that touches your food is clay)
VitaClay Rice Cooker (It looks like the outer areas of this cooker are plastic, but everything that touches your food is clay)
Plastic Wrap
Abeego Wraps. From the website “Abeego came to life one year ago as a result of my fascination with nature and my growing dissatisfaction with plastic. Through months of trial and error I discovered the perfect blend of natural ingredients, closely mimicking the us eful qualities of plastic while eliminating the unsavory attributes. Creating an original, handcrafted, natural alternative to plastic food wrap has been a wonderful and rewarding experience. Enjoy!”
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Eliminating Plastics From Your Life
My mother, who is still heavily entrenched in civilization, surprised me when she told me her new year’s resolution this year. Her goal? She wants to eliminate plastics, to the greatest extent possible, from her daily life.
Why avoid plastics? Well there are many reasons. Here are some links to articles about the evils of plastic both to human health and to the environment:
Critical Health Risks From Plastics
Adverse Health Effects of Plastics
Chemicals in Plastic Water Bottles May Pose Health Hazard
I tried to do some research and find her some websites about doing this, but was sorely disappointed to find minimal help and information on doing this. (However, I wasn’t too surprised). So I have decided to dedicate the next few blog posts to things that someone can do to eliminate plastics from their lives. I am also going to provide links to products that can replace the plastic ones people typically use.
It is obviously impossible to totally eliminate plastics while still living within civilization. (Switching to glass jars for storage will still leave you with plastics on the lid, for instance). I think that taking some of these steps is helpful, in the least.
Today’s tips:
Prescription Medicines:
It really is disturbing when you think about how much plastic medicine comes in contact with. The large jars they are in at the pharmacy are plastic (you cannot control this). The machines they are produced in are riddled with plastic as well (also cannot control this). The one thing you can control is what they are stored in when you receive them. Ask your pharmacy if they have glass jars available. If they do not, transfer your medications yourself into glass jars when you get home. You can buy jars from any of the following sites:
Jars:
You can also sort your pills into a daily pill sorter/organizer that isn’t plastic. Here are places you can purchase those:
Food Storage:
Over the last couple decades people have become accustomed to storing food in plastic containers (Gladware, Tupperware, etc.) It may seem like an awkward transition to switch from plastic to glass, but it is much easier than might be anticipated.
Avoid plastic wrap if at all possible.
For small storage containers save the jars that you already use. Jelly jars, spegetti sauce jars, etc. make great containers to store leftovers (and even freeze soup in!)
If you want to purchase jars for storage the hard part is finding them that do not use plastic covers. Ceramic jars work well for storing things like sugar, flour, etc. Jars that close more tightly can be used for other things.
Here are some websites:
Bake 'N Keep Storage Container with glass lid
2-c. Glass Refrigerator Storage Container 81884S with glass lid
Glass Spice Rack
Square 40oz glass canister with lid
Glass Canning Jar/Gasket Set
Coffee/Tea To Go:
Did you know that paper cups from places like Starbucks are actually lined with plastic? Besides generating unnecessary waste, you are also drinking coffee out of warmed up plastic, yuck.
If you are staying at the coffee shop to drink your coffee, ask them if they have mugs for customers staying there. Many shops have this.
A reusable mug is a great solution if you aren’t staying at the coffee shop, but be sure to find one that isn’t lined with plastic. Also, most mugs have plastic covers, avoiding these is pretty difficult. I found some with silicone covers, which seems like cheating but it is better than plastic (Silicone is chemically inert and poses no known health risk. It is completely safe to use as cookware and will not leech into your food. It is technically not a plastic, although it displays properties of plasticity.)
Here are some links:
Cups with silicone lids:
Silicone lid 1Silicone Lid Cup 2
If you aren’t going far and aren’t apt to spill much, a ceramic mug with a ceramic cover might work for you. Here are some:
Ceramic Mug with lid and infuser (for tea)
Coffee Mugs with Lid 1
Coffee Mug with Lid 2
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Living with the Land, a critique of the ride at Walt Disney World
Disney World. One of the most dreamt about places on the planet. The Make a Wish foundation probably takes more children there than anywhere else an earth. It’s “where dreams come true” and all of that jazz. It is also run by a company that seeks to make profits, a company that misleads thousands of college students into internships in which they end up picking up garbage each year, among a ton of other (more horrible) atrocities.
I didn’t want to go to Disney World. I’d been to the Magic Kingdom when I was 18 and hated it then, but on a family vacation to Florida everyone agreed (minus me) to go to Epcot. It sounded like the park that would make me the least sick to my stomach (which isn’t saying much) and my parents were paying so I went. I thought that maybe the miniature versions of different countries around the world might be interesting and educational. I figured that at worst I would just grit my teeth and make it through the day. That was until I saw the “Living with the Land” ride.
Let’s start by describing where the ride is located in the park. It would, of course, make sense for it to be surrounded by native plants and greenery and packed dirt paths (not destroying the land with concrete). This was not the case. The ride was in a mall like complex complete with a food court. I could not even catch a glimpse of the sky as I got into line for it.
My family was excited, thinking that this ride would cheer me up. They think of me as some sort or another of an “environmentalist” and spend most of their time rolling their eyes at me. I stood in line drinking out of my reusable water bottle and taking in my surroundings. Throughout the day I saw no one else NO ONE ELSE at the entire park with a reusable water bottle of any sort. Granted this isn’t a direct reflection on people’s character, but when combined with the fact that they were smiling blindly at Disney World it didn’t add to my mood. The zig-zagging line for the ride had only a 5 minute wait (another testament to the interest of people when you figure the Test Track car ride had a 20min wait at that time). The walls of the waiting area were covered with painted quotations of the environmental variety. I was reading them thinking that most of the authors would have likely disagreed with being quoted on a Disney World wall when I saw a quotation from an unlikely source. George Bush. YES, GEORGE BUSH. I about fell over. I took a picture of it just to prove it because I assumed no one would believe me.
The ride was a boat ride, in chlorinated water (I said, right when the ride started “well avoiding chlorination would be one way to live with the land”). The boats traveled through tunnel type areas with video screens that showed agriculture through history. It then said that our current ways of agriculture aren’t the best and that new ways of agriculture have to be established. That’s when we were taken into Epcot’s greenhouses. Below are pictures of these. One of the things they are doing in the greenhouse is growing plants that aren’t even in soil, where they merely spray the roots with the nutrients needed. Correction, they don’t spray anything, a machine does.
We learn of course the fish farms are a healthy way to raise fish that cannot live in the wild any longer (don’t these fish look healthy?) Why they have captive alligators is beyond me also (except maybe as a food source as well).
The end of the automated ride talked about how with these advances people are sure to find a way to sustain themselves with new advanced technologies in agriculture and everyone walked out of the boats with a ‘feel good’ impression. They even share that the fruit raised in the green house is used as food throughout Epcot (well I’d HOPE so) though what percentage it contributes they fail to mention.
Here’s Disney’s description of the ride: Living with the Land is a 14-minute boat ride in Future World at Epcot theme park that explores agricultural advances in the rain forest, Africa and beyond.
Set sail on a voyage of discovery through living laboratories as you cruise past the American plains, a tropical rain forest and the African desert to witness the latest developments in aquaculture and desert farming. Float by experimental greenhouses—where produce is grown for Epcot restaurants—and take a fascinating first-hand look at an aqua environment, the Aquacell, with alligators and fish. The greenhouses grow crops native to many cultures, including rice, sugar cane and bananas.
This thought-provoking ride will leave you amazed at the wondrous ways scientists are helping farmers prepare for the food needs of our world's nations.
Here’s a video that shows the building the ride is in and the ride itself I have transcribed the audio of the ride below. Comments in parentheses are mine.: link
Welcome to a voyage of discovery and awareness of the richness, the diversity, and the often surprising nature of living with the land. Our journey begins as dramatic and sudden changes are sweeping over the land. The approaching storm may seem violent and destructive to us, but to nature (because we of course aren’t a part of nature) it’s a new beginning in the cycle of life. Beneath the surface of the land roots trap water extracting precious nutrients and minerals. These elements, when combined with sunlight, create the diverse and living systems of our planet. One of those living systems is the rainforest, home to one of the most amazing concentrations of life on our planet. These dense and beautiful forests cover only a tiny portion of the earth’s surface but they contain more than half of its plant and animal species. Rainforests are also extremely rich and productive living systems providing us (only us, of course not animals or other living things) with oxygen, food, medicine, and other elements essential to our lives (yet again, only our lives, not other species or the planet as a whole). (I love how they fail to mention here the fact that the rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate, because you know, this is Disney’d environmentalism and there is no sadness allowed here). In the dessert, nature has created a very different, but no less beautiful living system. And although this arid landscape may seem lifeless, it is very much alive. The plants and animals that have learned to survive in these harsh conditions make use of what little water they can find and avoid the scorching rays of the relentless sun. (A mention of the destruction and irrigation of the desert would fit well here as well, but yet again, it doesn’t happen). The American prairie once appeared as desolate as the desert, but over time the rainwater and nutrients gradually penetrated the hard surface of this land. The hooves of the mighty buffalo helped create the rich soil that would one day become home to the American farm. (Way to selectively forget to mention the Native Americans that were driven off the land [along with the buffalo] to make way for the farm). Of all the forces at work on the land humans have had one of the most profound effects. The need to produce food for a growing world led to the enormous use and sometimes overuse (sometimes?) of the land. In our search to grow food, we often fail to realize the impact of our methods. Today we are learning to live with the land. Discovering better ways to grow food that will assure both human and environmental well being. We are growing food on desert seacoasts by developing and growing plants that thrive on salt water. Here at Epcot we are learning to reduce the need for pesticides by using natural predators like ladybugs and wasps to control pests. In Japan we’re learning that by adding …(couldn’t hear here)…How will we meet tomorrow’s needs for food production and still respect the needs of the land? Some of the answers are just ahead. (There was not an announcer person talking in the ride when I rode it. The automated voice just described the plants and fish we were seeing). (The end of the ride was also the automated voice talking about behind the scenes tours of the green house at Epcot).
