Top Ten Rules of Eco-Friendly Camping and Explorations in Nature

Hi! I'm back from camping. Here is what I have to say about keeping it eco-friendly, both from my previous knowledge and what I have learned over the last few days.

My pup-tent from when I was camping with my parents and sister right before I went into Grade 8. (not a recent camping trip)

1. "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" is an excellent rule to live by. Nature is a sacred place, and in order to be a respectful visitor to a natural spot, it is important to leave it how you found it-- or in better condition, if you clean up trash.
2. Don't bring your own wood! This is widely publicized, but I feel I ought to re-inforce it. If you bring your own wood, tiny insects hiding just under the surface could make their way into the eco-system. These insects-- such as the emerald ash borer-- could completely destroy the region. Only buy wood from the campground office or store. If there isn't one, you can collect dry wood from the surrounding areas-- but make sure to take only what you need!
3. Drink the camp water, assuming that it has been tested and is safe. If you don't trust the camp water for whatever reason, then bring your own in large containers, as we did while camping. The worst thing you can do is bring along a multitude of little water bottles.
4. Don't feed the wildlife; this will only make them more trusting of humans, which will in turn make people more keen to get rid of them.
5. Camp food-- oh, how easy it is to slack off on healthy and eco-friendly eating while camping! Still, you should try to avoid the highly packaged foods, like individually-packaged cookies, granola bars, juice boxes, soy milk :) /cow's milk :( cartons, and little boxes of raisins. Instead, bring bags/containers of non-perishables and/or hardy foods, like bags of trail mix, re-usable containers of oatmeal cookies and snack foods, cans of beans and soups (if you are lucky enough to have the space to store the cans), carrots and other root vegetables, potatoes and sweet potatoes, rice/quinoa/oatmeal packages, etc. I am guilty of using some of the pre-packaged foods while camping, but I used the better bulk-packaged foods, too.
6. Use the car as little as possible while camping. My aunt wanted to drive to the ampitheatre at the campground for a show, but I told her that it was only a 5-minute walk, so we walked there instead. For longer distances you need to travel, try to combine as many of your outings as possible into one car trip. "Outings" refers to things like shopping, hikes, and sight-seeing.
7. S.V.P.-- please do not use paper plates and plastic cutlery! Whenever I had the choice while camping, I would use the re-usable plates. Not only are disposable plates wasteful, they are also often toxic!
8. There really is no need to purchase souvenirs. If you are completely stubborn about buying souvenirs or gifts while away, please buy things that you need/can use, like a tin of candies, a pen or pencil or eraser, a sun-hat (if you need one), some re-usable containers, or a wrist-watch. (Remember: "souvenir" is exactly the same to the French word "souvenir", or "to remember". Photographs or a journal are far more likely to spark your memory than a touristy mass-produced gizmo ever will.)
9. There is also no need to bring excess electronics! If you are camping with other people, just bring one cell phone for safety reasons, and leave the other ones at home. Video games, laptops, ipods and mp3 players, portable DVD players, and the rest can stay at home.
10. When you can help it, do not stray from the path. Not only does wandering into the undergrowth trample down the ecosystem, it also increases your risk of getting a poison ivy (or stinging nettle or whatever) rash or getting lost.
11. *Bonus* Read the rest of my blog for tips to take with you!

    

    Have fun camping! Photo courtesy of http://www.showroom411.com/dir/Living-Green/Outdoor-and-Recreation.html



What's Up With Sunscreen? (Besides the Sun?)

There are so many opposing viewpoints on the topic of sunscreen nowadays. The mainstream people and the sunscreen companies will tell you, "Wear plenty of sunscreen today!" And yet, many sunscreens are toxic. Just when we turn around, though, to declare that all-natural sunscreen will fit our purposes nicely, we read another article saying that zinc oxide, a common component in "natural" sunscreen products, can cause the formation of free-radicals when exposed to sunlight, which in turn could cause cancer! And anyway, say some people, you need sunlight for vitamin D, right?
My word! It seems that this whole sunscreen business is a huge waste of time, not to mention a possible health hazard.
It is also bad for the environment in some cases. For example, if you go swimming at the beach while wearing sunscreen, you'll be accidentally contaminating the lake waters. Once I went swimming in a completely pristine lake, and it made me feel a bit guilty to see all my sunscreen fog up the water before diffusing into the whole lake. Even if you don't go into the water, the sunscreen will still be washed away down the drain at a later time, only to end up comtaminating some place far away years later. After all, what goes down the drain never really goes "away"-- it has to end up somewhere. Worst of all or best of all, depending on how much of an eco-martyr you are, it would end up soaking into your skin and contaminating your body. Not very fun, eh...
So now what? I definitely don't want you to stay inside all summer. The answer is actually quite simple. Wear a light khaki or white long-sleeved shirt on top of your T-shirt or tank-top. You can also try a nice hat to cover your scalp and face.

Courtesy of depositphotos

There are plenty of different styles. There are plain ones for men and women, as well as uber-fashionable ones.
What makes wearing light-coloured clothing instead of sunscreen so awesome is that people have been doing it for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks were famous for their togas, remember, and ancient Egyptians wore light coloured tunics.
If you already have some light long-sleeved clothes, that is great. If not, why not buy a nice shirt, or make one yourself? Make sure it is made from organic materials!

Painlessly Parting from Plastic

Plastic is everywhere in society: wrapped around food and clothes, littering the streets, in everyone's homes, and stacked up on supermarket shelves in one form or another. But plastic, laced with toxins and almost unable to decompose, presents significant problems to the environment and our health. It is a very unnatural substance derived from oil, which also means that it uses up our precious little resources, only to satisfy fleeting human desires. Here are the best ways to avoid plastic and dispose of it responsibly:

1. Recycle the plastic that you have to reduce the production of more of it.
2. When moving or sending packages in the mail, use newspaper or Papernuts instead of styrofoam peanuts.
3. Bring cloth bags--preferably organic-- to the store and always use them instead of plastic bags. Many grocery stores sell them nowadays. You can buy the pre-made cloth bags or make your own out of old T-shirts (click for my other ideas on how to re-use T-shirts)!
4. Use reusable kitchenware, avoiding plastic plates and cutlery. (Even at parties! We don't want to degrade our resources for convenience, even once in a while! If you still aren't convinced of this urgency, please read this article: http://www.theonion.com/articles/how-bad-for-the-environment-can-throwing-away-one,2892/.)
5. Keep reusable containers to keep your food in. If you already have plastic containers, they will do. But if you now need to go out and buy some, buy either metal containers or special eco-friendly snack bags. The latter can be found at many grocery and health food stores, or at http://www.greentimebags.com/,  http://www.reusies.com/, http://www.reuseit.com/store/lunchskins-sandwich-p-1883.html, and http://www.snacktaxi.com/, to name a few.                                     
6. Buy food and necessities in bulk; this requires less packaging. Individually packaged foods should be avoided!
7. Don't allow plastic to fly away into the wind! It sounds obvious, but someone is obviously dumping their plastic all over the streets. Look outside if you don't believe me. :)

Those are all my tips for reducing plastic. Of course, there are definitely more ways to avoid plastic, depending on your lifestyle. If you would like to point out anything I've missed, feel free to comment below. Thanks!

Are you Buying Tap Water For $4 a Litre?

Today I'll be talking about bottled water and recycling. "The Story of Bottled Water" is a quick illustrated video (by the same woman who narrated "The Story of Stuff") informing you about the realities behind bottled water. I apologize for the bad formatting of my blog (there was nothing I could do about it), but please sit back and watch it right now:

Recycling, although not 100% effective, is very important. DoSomething.org has partnered with Nestle (which is weird, because Nestle is known as one of the most socially and environmentally irresponsible companies on the planet) to encourage recycling. Please go to http://www.dosomething.org/trashy/gallery for the rest of these funny pictures and statistics:

People often think that buying some bottled water and then throwing it away afterwards doesn't really hurt the planet. But it does. Here is a rather ironic article, "'How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?' 30 Million People Wonder", that sums up my point nicely: http://www.theonion.com/articles/how-bad-for-the-environment-can-throwing-away-one,2892/.

I understand how you might already have a bunch of water bottles stored away in your cupboard or ready to be recycled. There's nothing you can do about all those water bottles you consumed in the past, but you can become part of the movement by not buying any more and by reusing those which you already have!

I took this picture of a water bottle bird feeder while out walking with my aunt and cousin:

You can also use old water bottles to store change, nuts/bolts/nails, collections, and as pencil holders and cookie jars (once you cut the top off). Don't store anything wet or moist in water bottles, though; that could make you sick. For the birdfeeder above, I recommend only using it in dry weather, and if it rains, you should change it.

On the whole, bottled water should be avoided! If you haven't watched "The Story of Bottled Water" yet, please scroll back up and watch it or go to http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-bottled-water/ to see it at it's original website. If you are really interested in this sort of thing, you should go on a movie marathon and watch all of "The Story of..." videos. I've only seen three, but that was three really good videos I spent my time watching!

Shopping Green

I don't really understand why people are so obsessed with shopping nowadays. After all, it's important to remember that the exhileration of buying something-- whether it be a new gadget, appliance, pastime, or "necessary" object-- wears off very quickly. Once you leave the store and get home, you fiddle around with your new toy for a while and then throw it off to the side.
Sound all too familiar? Take a look at some of my tips for shopping "green":

1. Only buy it if you NEED it. Before buying anything (well, apart from food and eco-friendly shampoo, I suppose), complete this process:
1. Write the name of the product down on a list, and go home.
2. Once you get home, ask yourself again if you really need it. How will it change your life? Will it cause more harm than good? What are the pros and cons, anyway? Can it cause health problems? After a few days, will it simply gather dust?
3. Research the environmental impact of what you wanted to buy. Is it still worth it?
4. Finally, wait as long as you can before going back to the store. Then decide: do you really want it after all?
2. Educate yourself on advertising tricks that the companies use to make you want to buy their products. For example, an effective ploy used by industry is to use the words, "essential", "natural", or "necessary" on the packaging. They use attractive symbols and colours to make you think that this product was meant for you. Apparently, the colour red makes you hungry (but seeing that I am a vegan, it doesn't work on me! Besides, the colour red is too strong for my eyes.). They also use tricks such as implying that:
• Everybody has one. Why don't you?
• You'll look cool, beautiful, etc. if you use this.
• You'll be behind the times if you don't have one.
3. When you do have to buy something, always go with the most environmentally-friendly option. For example, if you want to get some crayons for the kid you babysit, look out-- crayons are coated in toxins. Try to buy things that have labels like "organic", "no preservatives", "free of animal testing and by-products", etc. It is also just better for your health to avoid toxins and the like.
4. Shop from environmental stores. Although big chains like WalMart and Canadian Tire may sell the same product that you are looking for, it is better to buy from smaller businesses-- regardless of higher costs. That way, you are supporting that small store from going out of business, and that's important because they are an outlet for many environmentally-friendly products.
5. If there is something that you would like for yourself, wait until Christmastime or your birthday. I figure that if people are going to give me a present anyway, it might as well be something that I would buy with my own money if they didn't give it to me. ;)

Well, that's my rant for this week. See you later!

DIY Eco-friendly Crafts

In our modern world, people tend to buy everything instead of making it themselves. The result? Big industry taking over everything-- deciding how we impact the environment, deciding what we buy, and controlling the quality of our products. So why not break the cycle and make our own things?
Eco-friendly crafts can be things that are useful, advocacy-oriented, or just darn fun-- as long as they have a smaller impact on the environment than most products. Today I will be showing you some of my favourites.

Eco-friendly Bag: This is really easy to make. All it takes is some leftover material (I got mine from my family's scrap fabric bin, but you could always use an old T-shirt or two if you'd prefer), scissors, needle and thread, printable iron-on sheet and iron (optional), and some patience, of course!
Step 1: Cut the fabric to approximately the right size. Do it twice in total.
Step 2: Sew together the two pieces so that one side is open. Turn it inside-out.
Step 3: Sew down the material on the open end. If there is too much material on the inside, cut some of it off. (But be careful not to break the threads!)
Step 4: Print off a logo onto an iron-on sheet. Make sure the writing is backward-- this will come off the sheet and onto the bag the right way.
Step 5: Iron the logo onto the bag, following the instructions provided with the iron-on sheets.
Step 6: Sew the handle onto the bag. This can be any sort of fabric strip, really. (If you have trouble sewing the handle on sturdily, staple it on... It works!)

Awareness Letters: These are even more simple. All you need are some of those little iron-able beads that come with peg boards, called Perler Beads. You make them into letters that form an environmentally-themed phrase, word, or sentence, and then iron them together as the package explains. Then take a picture of it post it on the Internet and get your message out!

Eco-friendly Coasters: To make your own coasters, all you need is some leftover cardboard from old shoe boxes or the piece you get inside calendars, something to decorate it with (For the first one, I used a stargazing calendar, the one in the middle is from the plastic and mesh of a bag of oranges, and on the right I used a Christmas card), some tape, and scissors. Basically, you cut out little squares of cardboard and cover them with your decoration. Leave a bit of extra hanging over the side so you can tape it in the back. You may need to cut off some of the covering in the corners at the back, but I'll leave that to your judgement. Although Christmas is over for this year, that is not to say that you can't save them for gifts later on, or use them yourself!

By the way, I have a new e-mail address that anyone can use to get in touch-- ecofuzzyATgmail.com (replace AT with @, because I'm trying to avoid spammers who scan the web for e-mail addresses.) Use this e-mail address to tell me how I'm doing in the blogosphere, give suggestions, and ask questions. I'll be happy to get back to you! (But if you know me personally, please use my personal e-mail.)
Have a good week!

Make Your New Year's Resolutions Sustainable

                              

Well, it's almost the end of the year! Can you believe it? A lot has happened in 2011. From an environmental perspective of what I got done, I quit and then re-started Hug a Tree Today Seriously, I started up The Animal Rights Action Site, I got the idea of using ration books and used one for the month of December (alas, read the haiku below), I signed a LOT of petitions, I stuck little slips of paper into library books with my blog's URL on them (hey-- I'm not the only one who does that), I joined Taking It Global (a youth organization that has lots of great resources to make change), and I wrote an article or two for Teen Ink on issues about the environment. I can't remember what else I've done-- I'll add them if I think of them...

So now with New Year's Day on its way, you're probably thinking about what New Year's Resolutions to try. Please keep the environment in mind for these such things! Here is a list of suggestions:

1) Commit to using half the amount of paper as you did in 2011. Here is a list of ways to do so on my Taking it Global blog. http://princesscat.tigblog.org/post/5331133

2) Go vegan-- try it for at least a month. If it helps to make a more official commitment, you can pledge on one of these websites: http://whyveg.com/pledge.php https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2055&c=pfvskvp09

3) Commit to bicycle to work/school/stores.

4) Decide to cut back on your television time by one-half. Even better, stop watching TV altogether!

5) Dry your clothes on a clothes rack instead of a dryer.

6) Commit to using a ration book every month.

Well, I could go on all day, but that's enough to give you the idea!

Hug a Tree Today, Seriously also has a New Year's Resolution-- I aim to get 1000 page views by the end of 2012! Can you help me achieve my goal? I already have 411 page views at the time of writing. You can see the number of page views at the bottom of the page-- it changes every time you visit. Please tell your friends and family about my blog so that I can reach 1000 page views by January 2013!

MOST IMPORTANT POINT!!!: To acheive your goals, you must plan them out carefully, decide what you want EXACTLY, decide how you will get there, etc. The best way to do this is to use S.M.A.R.T. goals:

Specific: What is your goal? "To use less electricity", while having good intentions, is hardly specific enough. Instead, you could say something like: "To use the clothes dryer once per week and hang out all other clothing on the clothes rack."

Measurable: How will you know when you have reached your goal? In the example above, it would be when you only use the clothes dryer once per week.

Attainable: Is it physically possible? "To consume nothing for the rest of my life" is impossible, but to comsume less resources is. If your goal is not possible, you will be chasing it for your whole life and constantly tripping up over it.

Realistic: This refers to whether it is likely to happen, judging by your lifestyle, needs, and how much you want it. For example, if your goal was to bicycle to work every day, but you work in a different town than you live in... well, good luck-- I won't be responsible for the outcome. Similarily, if you DO live close to work/school, but you aren't motivated enough to bike, your goal will, unfortunately, be useless. Make sure that you have the motivation to achieve your goals.

Timely: Set dates. In the clothes dryer example, you could mark January 3rd as your date to get a clothes rack, by January 7th you start experimenting with how well the clothes dry on the rack (you do not necessarily need a fabric softener for this, by the way, but if you do, make sure to go eco-friendly, vegan, and animal-testing-free!), by February you dry all your socks and underwear on the clothes rack, by March you dry pants and towels this way as well, etc.

Haiku:

It lies desolate

On my desk, almost all used up

This month's ration book

(My ration book was well used, however.)

By the way, here is the logo for Hug a Tree Today, Seriously. It is the picture that you should be able to find somewhere on your web browser while you are on this site! Does it work?

Up next: DIY Eco-crafts!



Don't idle!

Nope, I am not talking about lazing around (although we shouldn't do that too much, either!). I am talking about cars.
Cars, of course, cause air pollution, and air pollution causes smog, depletion of the ozone layer, and poor health for humans and animals, not to mention plants. The gasoline must be derived from the Earth, harming animals and ecosystems. Oil spills are the extreme examples of this devastation.
A lot of people think that idling is better than stopping the engine and starting up again. But in fact, idling for more than ten seconds uses up more gas than it would if you re-started. So when you are waiting to pick someone up or stopping for a snack, make sure to turn off your engine! You will be doing so knowing that you are making one more step towards being eco-friendly!

Simplify Your Life

Apparently some people don't believe that this is possible, but believe me, it is. What are the benefits of living simply? Here are a few:

1. Personal Fulfillment; the more complex and difficult your life is, the more stressful it becomes, but a simple life is easy, happy, and sustainable
2. Environmental sustainability; we can reduce however much we use by so much. Think of what life was like 200 years ago (you may need a history book for this!). If they got on with that much without extensively hurting the environment, then we can too. We should not to be destroying endless amounts of rainforest, polluting our skies and water, and harming our animals. We can reduce the damage (and even turn it around!) by living simply. "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." ~Mohandas Gandhi
3. We must share the Earth with other human beings. If there was no poverty, unemployment, then there would also be no war. (Bonus Point: No war also means less environmental damage!) Another quote that illustrates this: "Live simply so that others may simply live." -Mahatma Gandhi

So, how to live simply? That's simple!

1. Buy less stuff. Only buy something if you need it; this includes food, basic utensils, and clothing. Fill up the time that you would have spent shopping for fun with something else that you find fun. In a book I was reading, the author says that if you didn't need it before you saw it in the store window, then you don't need it at all!
2. Organize your stuff. If we can't even locate anything we need, we'll have to buy a new one, thus adding to the clutter. It's also just nice to feel like you have it under control, don't you think?
3. Don't overdo your entertainment. It is fun to have fun (surprise!), but we can have fun without cinemas, TV shows, movies, theatre, new books, video games, and computer games. Try to set a rule that next week will be screen-free week. (If you need to, only use the computer for a quick check of your e-mail and/or work. No IM allowed.)
4. Don't bother with exercise machines-- walk, jog, or cycle outdoors instead. (The weather isn't too cold yet!)
5. Donate your unwanted stuff to thrift and consignment shops. Be ruthless! You won't need it again, anyway. We must share our stuff with others if we want to reduce the consumeristic behaviours of the west. Before throwing something away, ask yourself: "Could I donate this? or would anyone want it who I could give it to? or could I turn it into something useful?"
6. Get rid of junk mail at www.DMAchoice.org , which represents many countries, by the way! Junk mail, in the US (sorry, no Canadian stats found), amounts to 1.5 trees per household per year-- which totals to 100 million trees made into junk mail per year in the US alone.
7. Avoid commuting. It's bad for the environment, and you probably don't like it, anyway! Try to live near your work or school, or switch to a place closer to your home. And then, walk or cycle to get places!
8. Prepare quick, green meals ahead of time so that you don't feel tempted to slap together a cruel turkey sandwich instead. Even better, rid your house of meat, eggs, and dairy. Try this website: www.webecoist.com/2008/09/01/20-delicious-vegan-meals-recipes-that-dont-suck/ , guaranteed to satisfy everyone!
9. You don't need to wash your shirt after every single use; only wash it if it is smelly or dirty. (Bonus: Use toxin-free, animal-free detergent!)
10. Finally, use less water. Shorter showers, etc. Time your next shower, then plan by how long you can reduce it by. It is better for the environment and it gives you more time to do other things!

And there you go! I hope that you can simplify your life by following at least three of the suggestions.

Next up: Green Christmas!

How to Eliminate Toxins at Home

What to do:
1) Keep toxin-eliminating plants in your house, such as Spider Plants, Gerbera Daisies, Peace Lilies, Chrysanthemums, and Philodendrons. They also add oxygen to the air and look nice. (If you know me, I might be able to give you a clipping of my Spider Plants when they grow bigger.)
2) Concoct your own potions... cleaning potions, that is. It's what us witches and wizards do all the time, but muggles can do it too! ;) Just mix together one part vinegar and one part water, and that's all you need to wash the bathroom sink!

What NOT to do:
DON'T: 1) Buy lots of stuff at the mall. Many objects produced by industry, like jewelery and crayons, for example, actally contain toxins! Instead, try to make your own things as much as possible. This can be fun-- candle making, jewelery making, etc. Just remember to make the beads as well!
OR 2) Eat butane. Did that make you laugh? But no, it's true. I was checking the ingredients of my All-Vegetable Shortening and there was an ingredient called TBHQ in it. I looked it up and it turns out that TBHQ is a toxic carcinogen. And it is a form of butane. EEK! And in a non-stick cooking spray, I found Propellants Isobutane and Propane-- in the ingredients list!

Keep your home toxin-free and you'll be looking up to a safer, greener future.