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!

Getting Politically Involved

Wow, I almost forgot to post today! Oh well; I'm glad that I remembered to do so this evening. Now, about getting politically involved...
Getting politically active is a vital way to start to make change. Everything else that I've talked about here is important, obviously, but sometimes it's necessary to contact the government or campaign for a party, too!
I know that a lot of people (myself included) groan at the mention of politics. It's so controversial that it leads to many pointless heated debates. I mean, do we have to talk about this???
Well, if we really are concerned about the environment and not just pretending, it turns out that we do!
Get involved in something to do with political change. Isn't that what democracy is all about?
Here are some things you can do to help in your community and nation:

1) If you're 18 or over, you can vote. Therefore, when reviewing potential candidates to vote for, take into account what they have to say about the environment. This doesn't mean you have to vote for the Green Party of Canada if you don't want to. But you really should choose a candidate who wants to help save the environment.
2) Petitions! Here's a good rule of thumb: every year, start two petitions and sign ten others. You probably don't want to spend all day signing endless Internet petitions (I know you have better things to do), but signing a few and starting a few is good.
3) Write letters to government officials. I sent a letter to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, regarding to cruel seal hunt. I got a letter back from someone who works with Harper, and it was actually personalised and responded to the things I said in my letter! I had been so sure that my letter would be opened, read, and tossed aside among what I imagined to be thousands of others. I figured I might have gotten a pre-written response (some other people sent their own, too, so they might have sent us all the same thing), but I didn't. My letter was given to someone in charge of Fisheries and Oceans. See-- this sort of thing can make a difference, after all!

Don't be intimidated by official-looking documents and coats of arms. It's all there for us, the citizens (theoretically, anyway). We had might as well use our individual power to help the environment! Believe me, it can be as easy as writing a quick e-mail.

4) Join a group that deals with environmental issues.
5) Attend a city council meeting.
6) If you really like a party that helps the environment, like the Green Party or NDP of Canada, for instance, then you can join the party or donate money, or volunteer for them.
7) If you have some really good ideas for what you think needs to be done in your municipality or city, ask to meet with the official (for Canada, MP and mayor) in person.
8) Politics isn't just in your country, province, state, or municipality. Everywhere you go that has a specific governance system-- schools, workplaces, recreation centers, environmental organizations, clubs, etc.-- has its own politics. If your boss, for example, makes you and your co-workers use uncertified and unrecycled paper for documents and things, ask him to change it. Depending on the situation, you could even start a petition for forest-friendly paper.

There is no reason why everyday civilians can't get involved! We are the ones who influence the government, after all!

If you HAVE to...

I understand that being eco-friendly is not very appealing if you feel like you must deprive yourself in order to succeed at it. Sometimes, I just (feel like I) need to listen to music, play video games, or watch a movie. But surely there are more energy-efficient ways to do such things?

And so...
If you HAVE to listen to music, use an MP3 player instead of a loud CD player.
If you HAVE to play video games, use a Nintendo DS instead of your computer or X-Box.
If you HAVE to watch a movie, do it at a movie theatre or invite a friend over to share the fun.
If you HAVE to have a bath instead of a shower, use lukewarm water-- not steaming water.
If you HAVE to do unneccessary things on the Internet, use a laptop instead of a desktop (it saves energy).

How did you all do with last week's challenge, by the way?

Happy Birthday to Me... and The Importance of Getting Into Nature

Last weekend, I attended the Ontario Nature Youth Council Leadership Retreat in Kettleby, ON. It was a lot of fun. We did group activities in nature and teambuilding challenges, and we also got into a debate about how the council should be governed. I learned something while I was there, too-- that connections to nature are an integral part of an environmentally-concious person's life.
Many of the other members of the Youth Council seemed to have spent a lot of time in nature, and this fueled their passion toward it. It makes sense; you wouldn't want to destroy the places that you have grown up in, would you? This is why I am going to talk about different ways you can get more in touch with the natural world...

1. Go for a walk or bike ride at the park or in the nearby woods.
2. Sit under a tree and read a book.
3. Go bird-watching-- in your backyard or in the forest.
4. Have a (vegan) picnic outside.
5. Have an outdoors party.
6. Canoe, kayak, paddle-boat, or row-boat gently down the stream.
7. Search for reptiles near a marsh.
8. Use a solar-cooker to heat your food.
9. Roller-skate or skateboard around the block.
10. Hug a tree today, seriously.
11. Go camping or stay at a cottage.
12. Paint and sketch natural scenes. No need to work from a photograph-- just get out there and do it!
13. Go to a tree-planting with the local naturalists' club.
14. Join the local naturalists' club (or another similar organization).
15. Take your laptop outside to check your e-mail.
16. Stand outside in the rain (a very nice thing to do!).
17. Go for a swim.
18. Listen for frogs and crickets at night.
19. Learn to identify trees, herbs, and other plants, as well as insects and other animals.
20. Garden-- see my gardening post for more ideas.
21. Set up a birdhouse or a bat box (make sure they are safe from cats!).
22. Pick up garbage down by the river or in another natural spot.
23. Visit a wild animal rehab center (I'll probably be volunteering at the local wild bird care center this summer).
24. Go geocache hunting in a natural setting.
25. Stargaze.
26. Watch the clouds drift by.
27. In winter, go skating, skiing, or snowshoeing.
28. Dry your clothes on a clothesline in your backyard.
29. Practice a musical instrument outside.
30. Take your companion animal on a walk (on a leash, and safely, of course!).

Here's a challenge: I dare you to try at least five of these things in the next week! Try it out, okay?

 



My Birthday! This vegan cake looks delicious. Photo Courtesy of Auntie Loo's Treats