Looking Forward to My Summer Vacation... and Eco-Friendly Office Supplies

Hi everyone!
There are three things I would like to talk about today-- first, I'll tell you about my summer vacation and how it will affect my blog posts. Second, I'll let you know about some of the eco-friendly school and office supplies that are available. Third, I have a very serious question to ask you >:) Let's go!

On August 2nd, I'm heading off with my aunt to go camping near my hometown. I'll be there for about 4 nights before going home. I'm not sure whether I'll get a chance to post, although there will probably be an Internet cafe somewhere. If I don't post on that Friday, don't think I've forgotten you, though!
I'll be at home on Friday August 10 and on Friday August 17. Then, on August 18, I'm heading with my parents and sister to Quebec and Nova Scotia! Although I wish I could make it a more eco-friendly trip, it is difficult to convince the others to do this, as they have their own ideas of how a dream vacation should go. At least we'll be driving instead of flying. Our vacation will last two weeks, which means that my blog posts will possibly be all over the place (time-wise, of course). Just keep checking back and I'll post whenever I can, also giving you updates on my trip (well, why not?)!
On September 1, things will be back to normal. School starts late for me, on September 10. I don't like school... but I'll have to give this new one a try before I claim to dislike it.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.learning-to-save-money.com/how-to-live-green.html

Speaking of school-- surely there are some eco-friendly school and office supplies to be used? It really can get on my nerves when I see everyone using up uncertified paper by the notebookfulls, not even writing on both sides of the page!!! In fact, there are some other products you can use. Here is a list of alternatives to the usual supplies:

1. Pencils: Have you ever heard of EarthZone pencils? They are made of 100% recycled newspapers. It's really cool to write with them-- every time you sharpen them you get a new pattern on the part that normally would be wood, and sometimes even colour! These may be fun, but they are also very acceptable to use in any sort of office or school environment-- even for tests and documents. You can purchase EarthZone pencils at an office supplies store, local environmental shop, or online. Here is what they say on their website, www.earthzone.com:

   special features:

• They're made from 100% recycled newspapers. No trees were harmed in the making of these pencils!
• They last longer than regular pencils and won't break when you sharpen them!
• You get smooth, high quality writing each time.
• The erasers are latex free!
• Sharpens really easily.
• Each pencil is made from a different newspaper and really looks cool when you sharpen them.
• No toxic chemicals!
2. Paper: Go tree-free! There are many different kinds of eco-friendly papers you can use, including banana leaf paper, bagasse paper, and, of course, 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Even while taking these considerations, you should only use paper that is blank if you need to-- otherwise, use scrap paper-- paper with writing on one side already.
3. Erasers: Use the eraser on the back of the EarthZone pencils! If this does not appeal to you, you can use FLOMO erasers instead: made with Thermoplastic Elastomer instead of the toxic ingredients typically found in erasers.
4. Pencil Sharpeners: Please, forgo the electric sharpeners. Instead, use the handy and portable pencil sharpeners that don't require any electricity. You can even buy a pencil sharpener made of recycled vending cups: see this online store for details.
5. Binders: go PVC-free! Buy recycled ones! (Please don't expect me to dig up another URL for this one-- I'm sure you can find some nice eco-friendly binders at your local store or favourite online office-supply store.)
6. Technology: My advice-- stay away from all those fancy gadgets and devices. They are truly unnecessary and are not good for the planet. If you must use one, buy one of the "eco-friendly" ones, at least.

Most of all, try to use as little as possible of office and school supplies as you can. The eco-friendly ones are an improvement on the regular ones, no doubt, but they still have a small impact. Judge for yourself how far you can go into the eco-friendly supplies before you seriously annoy your teachers or boss. People may be more accomodating than you expect, even if they don't share your environmental beliefs.

Finally, here is my question-- how do you think I am doing with my blog? I don't understand why, but I haven't been getting as many pageviews as I used to... Am I being too philosophical? Who knows!
Wait-- you do. You, reader, have a pretty good idea of what you like about my blog (I hope). So tell me-- what do you enjoy most about my blog? Do you like the useful lists of things you can do, the anti-consumer rants, or the personal anecdote (the latter I fall rather short on, I think)? Please comment below to give me an idea. I look forward to your responses!

I'll be writing again next week-- if I can!

The Problems with the Internet

Whenever I hear Internet fanatics and well-intentioned fellow activists ranting about utilizing "The Power of the Internet", I release a little groan of annoyance (after all, I'm just reading their Internet rants at my computer, so they can't hear me!). They seem to think that the Internet is one of the best things that has ever happened to humanity. Now, I know that I shouldn't be saying this on an Internet blog and all, but really-- the Internet has some serious problems, and today I'm going to write about it.
1) The Internet is a myth.
Well, sort of, anyway. Not your typical fire-breathing, sword-wielding myth, but instead, a lie that we convince ourselves is true. Tell me: what IS the Internet? A bunch of electric signals shooting about space? Is it the servers which store all the information? Or is it everywhere you go, so long as you have the equippment to pick up a signal?
Everything you see on the Internet-- including my blog-- isn't real. It's just an image. If the electricity failed, it would be gone, and those of us who invest too much time in virtual reality would be left all alone in the real world, hopelessly confused as to how to truly live.
Although I still do use the Internet for my blogs and e-mail (and the occasional time-wasting mindless web-surfing), I try not to waste away very much of my life on something that isn't real.

2) The computer gobbles up a LOT of electricity.
American adults spend an average of 8 hours per day in front of a screen, according to http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/April/22/Americans-Spend-Many-Hours-a-Day-Watching-Screens.htm. The average computer uses 100 to 330 watts of energy, according to http://www.wisegeek.com/how-much-electricity-does-a-computer-use.htm. Imagine how much electricity this uses! It is best to steer clear of screens in general!

3) The Internet takes away from REAL life.
Real life! I hope that those of you who are reading this have a real life. I'm sure some of you do, otherwise you would have clicked the "X" in the corner of the screen in disgust by now upon seeing that I was critisizing your religion of technologism!
Anyway, people can be so much happier when they aren't glued to a screen. The spontaneity of finding a silver quarter on the beach, the joy of talking with friends face-to-face, the thrill of standing at the top of a mountain that you just climbed-- *sigh*. Real life is amazing. The computer isn't. Even if you have written work to do, isn't it so much more relaxing to go and sit outside with a notebook and pencil than it is to sit and stare at the computer inside a stuffy basement? Well?

4) Computer systems become outdated within a few years. More and more computers are being thrown away every year.
It's quite a shame that we can't seem to be thankful for what technology we have instead of constantly trying to "improve" it to make it more "advanced". This only brings us farther from nature and deposits more toxic waste into our landfills. The less you use your computer, the less tempted you will be to buy a new one. Strange, perhaps, but true.

5) The Internet ruins community.
I have never gotten too excited about "building community", but it bears mentioning that the Internet replaces real community with a fake one.

6) The Internet is an advertising tool.
You want to sell something? Go to Google and they'll connect you with all the computer users who frequent websites and send e-mails that relate to your product. Which leads to my next point...

7) There is no privacy on the Internet!
Believe me, they don't want you to know this, but it is true. Your e-mails are not private. Nor are your "InPrivate" web surfings. Sure, your history teacher can't see them, but the web providers and the government can. And they can tell whoever they want. I read an article once in which the Canadian secret intelligence divulged information to us on what a Canadian official said in his private e-mails to a woman he was flirting with. I read the leaked portion of the e-mails, of course-- who wouldn't? But they shouldn't have done that. Apparently the workers who found the e-mails were all laughing behind his back and sending around the e-mails to their friends and family. What a disgrace!

8) The Internet sedates you and numbs your brain-- it's like a drug.
Is this intentional? Do the big corporations purposely try to placate us so that we don't think for ourselves? I'm not taking any more of this drug of modern society than I have to, thank you very much. It's like in The Hollow People by Brian Keaney-- read the book to know what I am talking aboiut.

9) The Internet keeps you from being physically active.
Simple, and obvious. Not only does it waste time that could otherwise be spent in a physically active way, but it also sedates you, making you not in much of a mood for exercise (see #8 for details).

10) The Internet keeps you away from nature, and this harms your mental health.
It has been proven that nature is good for your emotional well-being. Again, this should be obvious!

I strongly urge you to try to reduce your Internet and computer time right away. Still, come back to my blog to read my posts-- it's only once a week! Of course, if you are going completely screen-free for the rest of your life, then this is likely the last you will be seeing of my blog. But I doubt that most people would be prepared to do that, so there is no need for goodbyes.
Make a plan as to what Internet time you could cut out. Then, write up a schedule or a daily computer-time limit, and follow it! It's worth it, believe me!

See you next week!

Inspirational Filler Post, Or, Inspiration for Environmentalists

Last night I couldn't sleep very well. So I'm going to write a filler post.

Inspiration:
1) Never give up on what you believe in. Environmentalists are too smart to give up.
2) If you ever feel like nobody cares about the environment, tell yourself that they'll snap out of it eventually. Then they'll all adore you for being a trend-setter.
3) You can live according to your beliefs.
4) Don't procrastinate anymore. I mean it. I have to wait until I'm 18 to do a lot of the things I want to do it my life. So, I get a little annoyed when people do have the power to act now, but they don't act.
5) Start a blog. Or not. Maybe you could go leafleting. Or not. Go invite over all your friends to an eco-friendly party, just to show them how fun it is. Or not. Get a bumper sticker for your moped about eco-friendliness. Or not! I don't know! Just do something, please!
6) Keep reading my blog. I'm not being a very good writer today, but if you have read my other posts, I think you'll want to stay. Then I can reach more people with my message.

Ta-ta! See y'all next week.

The Ontario Nature Youth Council. Guess which one is me!

Super-Easy Homemade Natural Cosmetics and Toiletries

Hello! Last time I touched on how to re-use coffee in your beauty routine (among other things), but there are actually a lot of interesting ways to greenify your use of everyday products like toothpaste, deodorant, and hair conditioner. In doing so, you will also be ensuring that you are not taking in any toxic chemicals or any other scary ingredients. Read on!

Toothpaste
I got this one from Kirst's Homemade Cosmetics Recipes. It sounds tasty... But don't eat it!
Ingredients:
   2 tablespoons ground dried lemon or orange rind
   1/4 cup baking soda
   2 teaspoons salt (you're better off using sea salt-- table salt often contains sugar, and you certainly don't want to be brushing your teeth in white sugar!)
Mix them together until they become a fine powder. You may need a food processor for this. Then store in airtight container. To use, mix individual portion with water (leaving the rest untouched) and place on toothbrush.

Deodorant
Again, baking soda wins the prize. It's a natural deodorizer that comes from minerals. It's very eco-friendly, though, because there is so much of it. I've heard that one lake that is rich in these minerals can provide enough for everyone in the world indefinitely!
Ingredient:
   Baking soda. Need I say more?
Okay, the baking soda alone MIGHT irritate your skin. If it does, try Melinda's recipe. Mix 1 part baking soda with 6 parts cornstarch. Then apply to underarms.

Conditioner
This recipe is from Hair Care Recipes Cookbook. There are a lot of other wonderful recipes on this site!
Ingredients:
   1 avocado
   Organic coconut milk (the liquid that comes out of coconuts)
Mix and mash them together, adding coconut milk until you have a good consistency for your hair conditioner. Ideally, you should leave this on for 15 minutes before rinsing, but you are supposed to do that with all hair conditioners anyway. If you can't wait that long, still try out the recipe and see what happens!