Earth Days

Hey.
I've been working on posting some blogs recently, but I want to post a few mega-blogs so those will be coming!
I'm currently waiting for my delicious vegan fries to be ready, so I thought I'd write a blog about the new documentary, Earth Days.

It's about the revolution of environmental activism, starting in the 1970s. The movie "gives an absorbing overview of how the green movement got started, and why it ended up where it is today." So, it basically shows how the green movement got started, who developped and influenced it, different struggles and challenges that the environmentalists have overcome and finally, where it is today and what challenges we need to overcome.

I haven't seen the movie but I definitely will try.
I'm just going to insert some quotes from the article that I read.

"Earth Days chronicles how groundbreaking, controversial writings like Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 book The Population Bomb, which inspired Stephanie Mills’ famous commencement address “The Future Is a Cruel Hoax,” put environmental issues in the mainstream public’s consciousness."

"But Earth Days’ portrayal of the past left me with a dark view of the future. It gave me the sense that because the leaders of previous generations wimped out, the planet’s been desecrated past the point of salvation. As mentioned in the film, we’re going the way of the Maya, the ancient Egyptians, and other civilizations that taxed their resources to the point of societal collapse—except this time, ours is a global civilization that’s killing itself, and taking the whole world with it."



The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Phone Book, Dirty Energy, Climate Activism, PACT, etc.

*The following are all articles from Grist.

Phone Book:
Nobody really uses a phone book, and realistically, when said waste of paper is received, most people do not recycle it. "WhitePages, an online directory service, recently released the results of a survey it conducted indicating that only 15.9 percent of U.S. adults recycle their old or unwanted phone books, and that U.S. citizens are largely unaware of the environmental impact of printing and delivering so many phone books (five million trees cut down every year!)." WhitePages is sponsporing a “Ban the Phone Book” initiative that will hopefully encourage an "opt-in" program. This will allow citizens to only receive a phonebook if requested. 81% of respondents in the survey supported this idea. Some states have "opt-out" programs, which allows residents to indicate that they don't want a phonebook. Cincinnati Bell started an opt-in program, and Florida AT&T plans to test an opt-in program this fall.
Grist suggests lobbying your local government to achieve an opt-in or out program, while RECYCLING your old phone books.

PACT: Saving the world with your underwear
PACT, a sustainable apparel brand, has teamed up with Yves Behar and is launching three collections of premium organic cotton underwear for men and women. The making of these underwear has been "thought out with sustainability and social responsibility in mind". Each underewear collection is aligned with an organization that creates social and environmental solutions, such as 826 National, ForestEthics and Oceana. 10% of each sale is given to support these organizations. Behar said, "Our vision is to unite fashion and design with doing good in an authentic way, building a company that truly embodies 21st century needs, showing a new way for businesses to operate in the future.” To read more about the design and sustainability, click the title of the article. Be assured that the supply chain is certified to the highest possible environmental and social standards, and the packaging is compostable and reusable.

Coal Colouring Book:
Recently, the coal-industry group, Families Organized to Represent the Coal Economy, released a colouring book for children entitled "Eyes for Frosty." Grist obviously thinks little of this colouring book as "they [snowmen] won't be around for long if the coal industry succeeds in stomping all over climate change legislation." Grist believes the book to be wonderfully crappy in regards to plot, character development and drawings. The book educates childrens and families about the history of coal, how it's mined, and how "important" coal is. To view the drawings and story, click the title. Also, at the bottom is a link to REAL climate art.

10 Green Royals:
This article by Grist features the 10 most green members of royalty.
The first is Prince Charles of England, who has an across-the-board interest in environmental issues. The Prince's Rainforests Project has advocated for tropical rainforest preservation and brought attention to the rapid depletion of global fish stocks. He also converted the Home Farm from conventional to organic food production and started Duchy Originals to sell organic and sustainably produced goods.

The second is Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan, who has earned a long list of awards and honours for her efforts to bring environmental issues into the limelight. She was the first woman in Jordan to earn navy diving certification and saw firsthand the human damage on the delicate coral reefs of the Red Sea. She then formed the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society and the Royal Botanic Garden, which focus on conserving the marine and native plants of Jordan.

Third is Prince Albert II of Monaco, who implements sustainable practices in his own country and urges others to do likewise. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation declares that sustainability and protecting the environment are challenges that require urgent and concrete action. Prince Albert wrote a foreword to the Monaco Declaration on ocean acidification, urging political leaders to take action. He also promoted energy efficiency as a way to combat climate change.

To read the rest of the articles and more details about these royal members, please click the title.

Two other articles that I've read, but are simply too long and detailed to summarize are
The Fallacy of Climate Activism, and Immersion in Nature Makes Us Nicer.

Grist has also been talking about the new Disney's Friends for Change song, Send it On, featuring the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez.


The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

May.

I decided to take a break from all my work and actually check my email.
I've been reading through some PETA Prime articles that I've been behind on and I found one with some truly inspirational words.

How do you want the world to be? Are you willing to do something about it? My vision is that all living beings will be recognized and honored for their contribution. That is the context for my life. How can our vision be expressed in the world? By the decisions we make and the actions that we take every day... This is one way to express what is important. Your vision can be expressed in many ways.

I thought it was inspirational at least. The article is about people who help in any way, and how we can help make a chance. http://prime.peta.org/2009/05/how-to-change-the-world?=cppenews509

There's also a few other articles that are worth reading:
http://prime.peta.org/2009/05/a-greener-garden-for-you-and-your-dog?=cppenews509
http://prime.peta.org/2009/05/animal-rights-vs-conservation?=cppenews509
http://living.peta.org/2009/instead-of-this-buy-this
http://living.peta.org/2009/five-minute-showers-to-save-time-and-the-planet
http://living.peta.org/2009/five-great-things-about-slow-cookers (Cause I love slow cookers)
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-05-review-eco-label-shampoos

Also, I thought I should inform you about a contest hosted by WWF's Earth Hour. If you send in a picture of yourself using a reusable bag, you can win a prize. (Don't quote me on it) http://wwf.ca/takeaction/shareit/?homepage

For those of you in Toronto, there's a discussion on Thursday May 14th hosted by IFAW with Senator Mac Harb and IFAW's Sheryl Fink.
The Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=84996104082
When: Thursday, May 14, 7-9 p.m.
Where: J.J.R. MacLeod Auditorium, University of Toronto, One Kings College Cir., Toronto

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

PS: Did everybody hear about the victory for seals? The European Union has boycotted seal products from Canada. :) Woop woop.

PPS: If you didn't hear about it, sign up for some e-newsletters! It was in WWF, IFAW, PETA, and so many others! I read the same thing about eighteen times!

Two Interesting Articles.

Pets:
http://www.examiner.com/x-8319-Boca-Raton-Animal-Rights-Examiner~y2009m4d20-In-Defense-of-Animals-Guardian-Campaign-seeks-to-improve-our-relationship-with-companion-animals

Obama:
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-29-obamas-green-achievements-at

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Animal Friendly Gardens

To make your garden animal friendly, whether it be a vegetable garden or a flower garden, there are three main steps.

Firstly, you need to plan where to place the garden. It will have to be a sunny place that gets at least 4-5 hours of sun. A southern or western exposure would be best. he smiled as if there were still hope and suggested a southern or western exposure. If your garden is north or east facing, plant crops like carrots, broccoli or leafy vegetables or perennials or shrubs. Make sure it has a water source and is level with the ground, for open access.

Secondly, you need to get the soil ready. Soil amendments are especially important, since vegetables need nutrients to grow. There are many different types of soil amendments. Store-bought amendments often include animal manure (these are the nutrients), such as cow or sheep manure. They are typically blended with peat moss (which is not a nutrient), which acts as an aerator, breaking down soils so that water, food, and air can get to the plants’ roots. There are several reasons to avoid animal manure. You can never be sure of the treatment of the animals who produced the product, and no one wants to include cruelty in their animal-friendly garden. Besides this, animal manures must be aged for at least six months, or they are considered “hot”. If they’re “hot,” they contain too much salt and will burn the roots.
Another store-bought amendment to avoid is fish emulsions. Many dogs are attracted to the scent and dig up the garden. Also, a nice reminder if you use any fertilizer with a potent odor: Be sure to monitor your dog when they relieve themselves or to fence off the new garden until the odor subsides.

Rather than using animal manures, you can create your own “cow and peat” by adding any organic material, such as nondiseased leaves, which will act as a peat moss. Compost is another great soil amendment, and it can be created in your backyard! Year-round composting is also great for your garden in spring. You can actually continue composting throughout the winter, despite the colder temperatures, although it slows down the decomposition process. Also, if you have a compost bin or an area in your yard for composting, be sure to fence it off so that your dog cannot get into it!

Thirdly, you have to choose proper edging for your garden. Although edging can be done at anytime of the year when the ground is not frozen, it's easiest to do it in the warmer months. Edging is used to create transitions in the yard and define garden borders. For example, it prevents the migration of wood mulch into sod and prevents sod from migrating into your garden with wood mulch. The problem is, edging can also be a hidden knife in your garden and can cause great harm to your animals if you do not choose the right kind.

Common steel edging is usually sold in 10-foot strips at either a 14 or 16 gage with edging pins. Normally, 16 gage is used in gardens, and 14 gage is used for flagstone walkways, patios, etc. There are many different types of edging–steel with “safety caps,” roll top, weeping, coloredge, plastic, timbers, patio edging, strip stone, scallop edging, or even bricks from your garage.
All these are safe for dogs except steel edging! The safety caps do not protect animals nor humans from lacerations. Steel edging is like having a knife in your yard. The plastic safety caps pop off, since they do not weather well in any climate. Another problem with steel edging is that many people do not know how to install the caps. In fact, many dog guardians do not realize the dangers of unsafe edging and end up in the veterinary emergency room mystified about how their dog cut himself on “something” in the backyard. Edging is almost always the culprit.
Edging is necessary, just do not use any type of steel edging. Or better yet, visit any landscape bulk-material store that carries edging and look for types that do not have a sharp edge. Carefully run your hand along the top of it to feel its sharpness, and if you feel any hint of a sharp edge, do not use it.

Once you’ve chosen an animal-friendly edging, you must outline your proposed garden to determine its shape. You can outline the area with either a garden hose or flour (both are non-toxic and won’t harm your animal companions). Then just install your safe edging along these lines.

Then use animal friendly plants and you're safe and ready to go. :)

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Friendly Dishware

Wikipedia defines bone china as “a type of porcelain body first developed in Britain in which calcined cattle bone (bone ash) is a major constituent.” Do you want to serve animal bone on your table? I do NOT.
There's a company called Fire and Light, based in Arcata Cali, that makes glassware from 91% crushed recycled glass. Thus, it's both animal and environmentally friendly. It is beautiful glaswore in rich colours, with a thick, heavy and simple yet extremely artistic. You can buy everything from candy dishes to zen bowls to a vase to a set of dinnerware. This product is sold all over USA and have a website for more information.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Greening the Office

Here are some simple ways (From Umbra of Grist)

If you're looking to green your office, start with the EPA carbon footprint calculator. It's an Excel spreadsheet, based on well-respected work from the World Resources Institute. Next, look up some tips on how to cut down all over the Internet (or look at my previous blogs: one, two, three). Umbra recommends the Portland's Green Office Guide. Their improvement categories are office equipment, paper products, heating and cooling, water, and car-related items. Office equipment includes computers, refrigerators, and everything in between. Together with the self-explanatory paper products, office equipment should be responsibly sourced and responsibly discarded. Heating and cooling improvements could take place at the thermostat, in crawlspaces, and at the store, among other places. The water system includes hot water, sink, and toilet -- as well as landscape use. Car and transport impacts include commuting as well as business-related mileage, and don't forget the heat island parking lot. There's also the Clean Air Cool Planet and the Sierra Club.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

Make Your Cat Love You

Here are 8 tips to make your cat LURVE you.
(Based on the book 250 Things To Make Your Cat Adore You)
1. Scrunch up bits of tinfoil and roll them into balls. Try tossing and flicking them around the house. Your cat may pounce on and retreive it. Since they're shiny and ball-like, your cat will have hours of amusement.
2. Get your cat some catnip. You can buy them from the Humane Society and all money goes to support the animals.
3. “Create a ‘bag of tricks’ by placing an empty paper grocery bag on the floor. When kitty enters the bag, which is inevitable, sneak up and move your fingers lightly along the side. Using several bags will provide rapid-fire hiding places during finger attacks.”
4. Use the pull-tab from juice containers as a cat toy.
5. Use a laser pointer or a pencil flashlight, and run it over the walls and over the floor. I can make my cat go in circles for hours. Make sure you let them win once in a while.
6. Turn un-mated socks into cat toys. Put some catnip in the toe and put some safe stuffing around it, then tie. Easy peasy.
7. Put a toy on the end of a string at the end of a long stick and "cast" like a fishing rod.
8. When outdoors, pick up featheres, seaweed and other harmless things that your cat can play with. Your cat will find them smelly and fascinating, especially if he/she is an indoor cat.

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

PS: My cat prefers the laser and fall leaves.

Humane Rodent Control

Mice are cute, but pests none the less. They are just looking for a home, someplace to raise a family - like humans. Technically, we stole their home, when we invaded and built cities and towns. The only problem is, a lot of people do not like them. However, we must be fair to them and be humane when getting rid of them! Mice and rats are complex, unique individuals with the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions. As highly intelligent as our canine friends, they're natural students who excel at learning and understanding concepts. We owe it to these gentle, social animals to do all that we can to peacefully coexist with them.

Here are some easy and humane ways to deal with mice.

Peppermint - Mice are not fond of peppermint, so a peppermint candle or scent will keep away and repel the mice and give your home a nice-smelling scent. :) HelpingAnimals.com suggests using a mixture of salad oil, garlic, horseradish and cayenne pepper. They instruct to let it sit for four days, then straining it and spraying it on the desired area. Moth balls and peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls also work well.

Holes - Make sure you seal the holes in your house so that they can simply not enter. Steel wool is good, but anything that makes your home entry-free will work too. This includes cracks in walls and floors, and spaces around doors, windows and plumming.

Food - Eliminate their food source. Keep counter surfaces, floors, and cabinets free of crumbs. Never feed your pets outside, and use a seed-catching tray for bird feeders.

Nesting - Rats and mice nest in bushes, plants and piles of wood, so keep them at least 2 feet away from the house.

Live traps - Use live traps instead of points, glue or snap traps. You can easily use a live trap for mice, then release them outside.

Make your own trap:

MICE:
Place dry oatmeal and peanut butter in a small plastic wastebasket in an area that is frequented by rodents. Provide the mice with a stack of bricks or books to climb up on, and they will jump in but won't be able to climb back out. Check the trap often. The mice will be hungry, thirsty, and frightened, and may die if left in the trap too long.

RATS:
Spread a dab of peanut butter on a 0.5-inch-by-1-inch wooden block, and place a dab of the Loganberry Paste on top of the peanut butter. Then place the baited block in the back of the trap and set the traps against walls in areas frequented by the rats, i.e., places where you've seen droppings in the past. The traps must be checked frequently—at least three times a day!

After trapping:
Once the mouse is trapped, put on heavy gloves, take the garbage can outside, and release mice at least 100 feet from the building, in a park, wooded area, or meadow. Clean the garbage can and/or live trap and the areas that rodents have been frequenting with a mild bleach solution.

When a rat is captured, a towel should be placed over the trap to keep the animal calm. Then the captured rat should be transported and released at a designated release site or in a wooded area close by. (In urban areas, rats can also be euthanized by barbiturate injection by a veterinarian or a qualified animal-shelter technician.) After you've released the animals, reset the traps and continue to keep them baited. If the baited traps are set for two weeks without being touched and there are no more signs of rats (i.e., droppings), that's a pretty good indication that the rats have been removed successfully.

NEVER be inhumane. Take a moment and send an email to Lowe's to ask them to stop selling glue traps, which are completely inhumane for mice. Click here to read my previous blog on this issue. (Go down after the Armani campaign)

The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

PS: Some cool facts about mice and why we should NOT kill them:
About Mice and RatsMuch like us, mice and rats are highly social creatures. They become attached to each other, love their families, and enjoy playing, wrestling, and sleeping curled up together. Despite the stereotypes of being "dirty" or "diseased," mice and rats are fastidiously clean animals who groom themselves several times a day and are less likely than dogs or cats to catch and transmit parasites and viruses. These nocturnal animals are found throughout North America and are extraordinarily successful in adapting to human environments. Rats can slip into buildings through quarter-size holes, and mice can squeeze into dime-size holes.Did You Know?Rats are very playful, love to be tickled, and make chirping noises that sound like laughter. Mice and rats are so smart that they can recognize their names and respond when called. Female mice with litters will vigorously defend their nests and young. Rats naturally have a pleasant perfume-like scent. Rats have excellent memories, and once rats learn a navigation route, they never forget it.

Food Waste

[Based on Ask Umbra; Grist.org]

12% of garbage in landfills is food waste, when it can easily be recycled or composted! If you have food waste, anything from coffee beans to banana peels to fish guts, it can be composted. It's as simple as a container with a bit of soil to start off, and some worms. Once the food is allow to decompose, you can return it to the ground for an extra fertile garden. There are also certain cities that offer recycling programs, such as the green bin in Toronto or central drop sites. Ask Umbra also gives the link Compostable Organics Out of Landfills by 2012.



The world is in danger, we need to be its superheroes.
Love,
TreeHugger

PS: My new years resolution: To stay up to date. Starting TODAY! HAPPY NEW YEAR!