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



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!

Yes, You Can Reuse Coffee and the Dregs!

If you are an eco-concious coffee drinker, you might feel bad about wasting old coffee that has been sitting for a while, as well as throwing away the dregs. But take heart! There are ways you can re-use, yes, coffee!

Courtesy of http://mikerowse.com/?attachment_id=136

Gardeners, you can pour the old coffee remnants onto the soil of plants that need an acidic environment, such as blueberries, kiwifruit, garlic, serviceberry, Welsh onion, Japanese angelica, horseradish, wildginger, birch, camellia, coriander, lemon grass, fox glove, and more. Click here for a longer list complete with Latin names and detailed information! As for the coffee grinds, place them around plants to repel slugs.
Amateur and proffessional chefs, use the stuff that has gone bitter in the coffee maker/teapot in sauces. Add it to chili, vegetable marinades, and more!
Craft-loving folks, use it to stain fabric. On http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/20111123/how-can-i-reuse-coffee-thats-sat-on-the-plate-for-too-long, Carol says that this works wonderfully.
To those of you looking for inexpensive beauty tips, try re-using the grounds as an exfoliant for your skin. And to remove smells from your hands, wash them in coffee grounds. You can even use them to dye your hair and make it shiny!
Put some of the dried grounds into a thin bag and put it in your house, closet, etc. for a nicer smell.
Isn't this amazing? Remember to buy organic, fair-trade coffee, everyone!
Until next week...

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!