Monthly Archives: December 2009

Global Green Girls

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Girl Nature Camp

As a girl I had a passion for anything remotely environmental. I begged to go to Nature Camp year after year at the Austin Nature and Science Center. Posters and books about endangered species and the lifecycle of various insects padded my room. I boasted that I would become an “environmental writer illustrator.” Twenty years later, I can definitively scratch out the “illustrator” part of my dream, but here I am writing about all kinds of green goodness at my discretion, and I’m not the only one. Green gals all over the world wide web are giving their two cents into the green global community. If you’re a more traditional green girl, visit Green Girl TV for creative and fashion-friendly products you can do at home! If you don’t have time to watch these fascinating, though addictive, videos, turn on one of Make-It-Green Girl’s voice recorded articles as you’re doing other things.

These women are doing a wonderful job of paralleling the importance of women and the world, but whats the use if the next generation doesn’t appreciate it!? Instill a wonder for wildlife in your children. Its not too early to begin looking for a nature camp for your child!

Milk: It Does the World Good

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Photo: REUTERS


Dairy farmers and neighbors of dairy farmers rejoice! A growing trend among dairy farmers world wide are knee-deep in a more innovative way to rid themselves of manure, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency, livestock raised for slaughter, wool and milk production account for one quarter of methane emissions in the country. Many farmers are beginning to harvest said methane, either using it to run elelcticity on their own farms or selling it back to utitility companies. Californian rancher Albert Straus uses his herd of 270 cows to run his 75- kilowatt generator. Like many environmentally solutions, this one seems to have no flaws except for the financial investment each farmer or rancher must hand over. According to Chuck Fry, vice president of the Maryland Farm Bureau, a farm about Strauss’ size of around 200 cows, can be up to a $1 million investment, not including the cost of maintenance and extra labor. As for the benefits, methane capturing tanks not only keep the stench to a minimum, they also decrease greenhouse gas emissions and keep manure from ending up in waterways. This process has been recently employed in Maryland, where debate rages on about the effect of land-based agriculture on marine agriculture. While dairy farms themselves seems to be leading the way on such innovations, dairy agriculture as a whole is still being scrutinized for emissions that have to do with processing and transportation. Thus, children, we have two lessons to learn here: one, buy milk and other agricultural products locally whenever possible, and two, remember that cows are the only kind of animals that create excrement. As they say one man’s waste is another mans fuel, I paraphrase.

Heart Warming – Heart Healthy

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Welcome! That’s what we all love to say to our family and friends as they enter our doors this holiday season. We also love to hear it when we reach our destination and finally get together after who knows how long. I haven’t seen my brother and his wife since last December, so I know it will be totally cool to catch up on where we’ve been all of 2009. But we have a heritage of heart disease in the family, and this could be a cloud over the festivities unless we de-stress, and stay smart as the years rush by. I know I don’t want 2010- or any year- to bring sudden bad news, when simply paying attention to a few good habits could tip the scales the healthy way.

Mary Benton says her Emergency Department Prepares to See Higher Number of Heart Attacks on Christmas, New Year’s

In a national study published in Circulation, researchers at the University of California at San Diego and Tufts University School of Medicine found that there are 5 percent more heart-related deaths during the holiday season. The biggest days of the year for heart attacks are Christmas Day, Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day.

Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman Ph.D. blogged last week that reduced budgets can mean stressing more this year over how much to spend on gifts and what to get.  I’ll implement this tool as they suggested in the post:

Tool: Notice and Ease

Step 1: Notice and admit what you’re feeling.
Step 2: Try and name the feeling.
Step 3: Tell yourself to e-a-s-e- as you gently focus your attention in the area of the heart, relax as you breathe, and e-a-s-e- the stress out.

Can Cyber Communication Weaken our Relationships?

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Can Cyber-Communication Weaken Relationships?

I always wonder if I am alone in thinking that electronic mail, text messaging, and social networks depreciate our relationship with others. Things we used to say face to face can now be conveyed ‘mechanically.’

This results in a number of changes; it eliminates our ability to see the other person’s facial expressions, which can communicate a great deal. Our circles of friends increase to a significantly larger number because we are able to befriend people very easily online.  For example, people who have hundreds of ‘friends’ on Facebook have many friends that are simply acquaintances. Yet, because so much of their lives are exposed on Facebook, we suddenly know lots of random information about them. This can leave us with less time to concentrate on our relationships with people that are closer to us.

I myself am a great sucker for Gmail chat. It is easy to use and very reliable. I feel like I am freer to speak my mind. I find it easier to say things because chat is less formal. In one aspect this feeds our laziness, although, John Suler’s The Psychology of Cyberspace points out that email forces us to be more creative in expressing the “subtle voice and body language cues (that) are lost.”  This may entail more effort for some people. The positive of email shortcuts is that it frees up our time to accomplish other things.

I love Facebook too. It instantly updates me on the comings and goings of my friends. The downside: I think I know what’s going on in their lives and no longer feel the need to call them. When I do, I realize how much I miss without verbal conversation.

Ravenwerks – Global Ethics, Etiquette and Effectiveness, successfully tackles The Downside of Personal Communication Devices! They really seem to have their ‘head screwed on’ with regard to drawing the line between work and personal life. Easy access to these communication systems causes us to unintentionally merge all aspects of our lives. Is this what we really want? Thankfully, Ravenwerks suggests ways to segregate the work and the personal.

Having grown up in a cyber-world, I wonder what it would be like to have to write letters, and send them via post, and to indulge in eloquent conversation. It just seems so real. And yes, I know I can do that today, but today we seem to have so much less time for these ‘luxuries.’ We are not forced to live the way we were then. We live in a fast pace, flat world.

Warmth of a H.U.G. (Home Utility Gift)

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Here is a new idea and timely- purchasing a H.U.G. (Home Utility Gift)!  This is a program offered in my locale by Louisville Electric and Gas (LG&E) for customers who want to warm up their loved ones, literally.  In the winter season where utility bills creep up higher and pull funds away from other categories in the budget, anyone can go ahead and pay some or all of another household’s bill.

“Even with wholesale natural gas costs at six-year lows, many families are on fixed budgets because of the sluggish economy and are trying to manage their energy usage more wisely,” said John P. Malloy, Vice President of Energy Delivery — Retail for E.ON U.S. “These non-traditional gift certificates are the perfect idea for many shoppers because they are unique, convenient, and very practical for any recipient.”

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Advent Conspiracy: You're getting a new conscience for Christmas this year

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Merry Christmas! It’s that time of the year again, and this year, it’s going to be bigger and better than ever- bigger donations and better understanding of the need to solve challenging social issues, that is.  Advent Conspiracy says, “This year, give presence.”

Water! Advent Conspiracy has joined with Living Water International again this year to promote and supply clean, drinkable water sources all around the globe.  If Santa wasn’t so busy with supporting avarice, he could get in on this, too.

Put a Cork In It!

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Its hard to find a downside to this amazingly versatile material!  The best part about the Cork Oak, indigenous to Northwest Africa and Southwest Europe, is that it lives for 200 years and the cork itself is sustainably harvested every nine years without any tree fatalities!  Whats better, this woody tissue is buoyant, fire resistant, impermeable and elastic. You may have unwitting used cork when playing a wind instrument, throwing a baseball, or using boating and fishing equipment.  Now that word is getting out about this amazing material, you can find all kinds of items made of cork.  At corkstore.com, cork luggage, serving trays, and even furniture are sold.  Although its traditionally known as a means to stop bottles and for bulletin boards, cork is quickly finding its way into our homes and local home improvement and supermarkets as flooring material.   While cork was recently awarded the most sustainable way to stop a bottle (compared to twist-off aluminum and plastic caps), cork flooring is actually a bi-product of cork bottling manufacturing, so its a completely recycled product.  It comes in a variety of colors, lengths and shapes.  One can buy a roll, tiles, or snap-together planks.  Its runs about the same price as a regular hardwood floor and comes with a 25 year warranty at Walmart, but its warm and soft on your feet on cold mornings like carpet, yet still bears a polished look!  Save your feet, give your floors a new, sustainable look and feel good about letting your two-year old play on cork floorboards!