The Benefits of Driving Less

In our society today, we rely too much on cars, on fast and accessible motorized transportation. Cars have evolved into an addition, an obsession. Walking and biking seems outdated and incompatible with our busy, and increasingly expansive lives.

We wake up in the mornings, drive and curse through traffic jams and careless drivers, sit and wait impatiently through drive-throughs, and drive or be driven home without the fulfilment of engaging in essential physical activity, breathing in invigorating fresh air, and reaping substantial environmental and economic bonuses.

Some consistent drivers accuse busy schedules, or too lengthy or treacherous of a distance to their destination. Weather, security, or even disinterest is also used as excuses. Excuses deemed worthy enough to spend a colossal amount of time and money on fuel, insurance, and vehicle maintenance.

Statistics aside, simply through observation it appears fewer people walk or bike to their destination. The reality is our global demand for more and more cheap and abundant fuel is severely lacking behind world production. That is why gas prices are so ridiculously high. Our reliance on automobiles furthermore ensues other problematic issues plaguing our society: from air-pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to inactivity and obesity. Traffic congestion can be extremely frustrating, but not only that, according to Canadian Geographic, gridlock is leading to reduced economic output and accompanying job loss.

In contrast, the benefits of walking and biking are immense. The environmental and economic benefits are obvious. You emit zero greenhouse gases and simultaneously save a vast amount of cash. But more than that, walking and biking bring about emotional and social profit. There is greater social interaction amongst neighbours, and increased opportunities to observe, experience, and enjoy the scenery and environment. Walking and biking are convenient, versatile forms of fitness training that is relatively cheap, and can be adapted to suit the health and fitness of the participant.

More now than ever, greener alternatives for how we get to and from places, are necessary according to grim statistical and observational evidence of a lazier, less fit, more anxious, and environmentally unsound society. It is important that our generation, the future and, perhaps, new drivers, will prioritize when, how, where, and why we drive.

Did You Know:

• Transportation is the leading cause and fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. The average car emits 4 tons of pollutants annually. Over the next 25 years, fossil fuel consumption is expected to rise by 40 percent. 
• The average cost to keep a car on the road in 2011 was $11,000.
• Individual Canadians, in their daily living, contribute about 25% of the national total CO2 emissions - about 5 tonnes per person per year.  
• A Health Canada study found a strong association between premature mortality due to respiratory disease and airborne particulates.
• Thirty minutes of walking or biking per day cuts the risk of heart disease by up to half, and reduces the risk of some cancers, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.
• If walking or biking is not an option you can share the drive- use public transportation, or carpool. More than 12 million Canadians use transit, which helps alleviate traffic congestion and improves air quality. Taking the bus instead of your car reduces greenhouse gas emissions by almost 2/3.

Appreciating the Beauty of Nature Weekly Goal July 15th

This week spend at least 30 minutes in nature everyday. Notice how the exposure to pure raw beautiful nature effects you.

God the Artist

Angela Morgan

God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?
How did you dream of the Milky Way
To guide us from afar.
How did you think of a clean brown pool
Where flecks of shadows are?

God, when you thought of a cobweb,
How did you think of dew?
How did you know a spider's house
Had shingles bright and new?
How did you know the human folk
Would love them like they do?

God, when you patterned a bird song,
Flung on a silver string,
How did you know the ecstasy
That crystal call would bring?
How did you think of a bubbling throat
And a darling speckled wing?

God, when you chiseled a raindrop,
How did you think of a stem,
Bearing a lovely satin leaf
To hold the tiny gem?
How did you know a million drops
Would deck the morning's hem?

Why did you mate the moonlit night
With the honeysuckle vines?
How did you know Madeira bloom
Distilled ecstatic wines?
How did you weave the velvet disk
Where tangled perfumes are?
God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?

Pray to What Earth

Henry David Thoreau

Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong,
Which asks no duties and no conscience?
The moon goes up by leaps, her cheerful path
In some far summer stratum of the sky,
While stars with their cold shine bedot her way.
The fields gleam mildly back upon the sky,
And far and near upon the leafless shrubs
The snow dust still emits a silver light.
Under the hedge, where drift banks are their screen,
The titmice now pursue their downy dreams,
As often in the sweltering summer nights
The bee doth drop asleep in the flower cup,
When evening overtakes him with his load.
By the brooksides, in the still, genial night,
The more adventurous wanderer may hear
The crystals shoot and form, and winter slow
Increase his rule by gentlest summer means

Source: Pray to What Earth by Henry David Thoreau, Famous Nature Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/famous/poem/pray-to-what-earth-by-henry-david-thoreau#ixzz20k6DJ78G
www.FamilyFriendPoems.com

Source: God the Artist by Angela Morgan, Famous Nature Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/famous/poem/god-the-artist-by-angela-morgan#ixzz20k64Zw9a
www.FamilyFriendPoems.com

Walk (or run, or bike) the Walk: July 8- July 15

We rely too much on cars, on fast and accessible motorized transportation. Cars have evolved into an addiction. We wake up in the mornings, drive and curse through traffic jams and careless drivers, sit and wait impatiently through drive throughs, and travel our way home in the cramped pocket of 21st century glory, slowly but surely. 

The reality is our global demand for more and more cheap and abundant fuel is severely lacking behind world production. That is why gas prices are so ridiculously high. Our reliance on auto-mobiles further more causes other problematic issues plaguing our society, from air-pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions to inactivity and obesity. Traffic congestion can be extremely frustrating, but not only that, according to Canadian Geographic, gridlock is leading to reduced economic output and accompanying job loss. In fact the cost of traffic congestion is predicated to balloon to $7.8 billion a year by 2031 in the Greater Toronto Area, the most populous urban centre in Canada. 

TEENS: We need to start walking, biking, scootering, roller-blading, running, whatever means of transportation that does not pollute the earth, MORE!  

0 Waste: weekly theme June 30 - July 7

One of my goals in having a smaller impact on the earth is to produce zero garbage. Is it possible? Yes. Here's how... 

 Reduce 

• Buy less. Be aware of what you are buying: can its packaging be easily recycled, or even better, reused? 

 Reuse 

• Compost: Start your own compost to use for your organic garden or, if you do not have a garden, lobby your local government to establish the Zero Waste initiative. Zero Waste has played a significant role in reducing the amount of waste filling our landfill by giving each household a small bucket that collects table scraps and soiled paper products to be collected alongside our garbage on garbage pickup day and from there be made into compost. Check out the entire game plan: http://www.beyondcomposting.ca/ 
• Reusable Convenience: You can reuse many used products such as bags and food containers. Be creative, be cheap, be considerate. 
• Get crafty: reuse products when your done with them for crafts. Here's an awesome website featuring crafts made from recyclable objects: http://spoonful.com/crafts/recyclable-projects#carousel-id=content-carousel&carousel-item=2 

Recycle 

• You can recycle almost anything nowadays. Check out your local recycling depot.

 

Bea Johnson is the author of the blog Zero Waste Home.

 

Here are 10 things that the Johnson family does regularly to reduce waste.

1. Bring glass jars, totes, cloth bags, and cartons to the grocery store to carry food.

2. Buy in bulk. It eliminates packaging and can be more economical in the long run.

3. Refill clean empty wine bottles at local wine bottling events instead of buying new ones.

4. Use microfiber cloths instead of paper towels.

5. Consolidate multiple cleaning products into one or two cleaners that do the job just as well -- or, better still, make your own multipurpose cleaner. Johnson uses only one cleaner for everything in the house -- a combination of vinegar, water and castile soap.

6. Use handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues.

7. When buying makeup products, choose a company that takes its packaging back and recycles it. Johnson suggests Mac Cosmetics as one example.

8. Only recycle paper if it's been printed on both sides. Otherwise, use the blank side for making lists or jotting down notes.

9. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

10. When packing a lunch, wrap sandwiches or other food in a cloth napkin instead of using wax paper, plastic wrap or plastic bags.

Green Your Work-out: June 23rd- June 30th Theme

Summer usually means more free time. This means more opportunity to get into summer shape! This week I'm focusing on being green while working out. 

Be bottle smart

Use a reusable water bottle

Buy Eco-Friendly Gear

....Whether it be a bamboo snowboard or a running jacket made from recycled bottles

Encourage Change

Ask gym to save energy

Persuade friends to take public transit to the game

Get Outside- Skip the Gym

Enjoy your community's local parks and trails

Carpool

"Simple Beauty": Theme of the Week: June 17th-June 24th:

Changing my Beauty Routine to Get Rid of Toxic Chemicals 

There are probably toxic ingredients that could have detrimental effects to your health in your make-up

The David Suzuki Foundation did a survey of cosmetic products and found out that 80% had at least one of the "dirty dozen" toxic chemicals in their ingredients.

The Dirty Dozen and Their Effects:
1) BHA and BHT= endocrine disruptors, may cause cancer (BHA), harmful to fish and other wildlife
2) Coal Tar Dyes= potential to cause cancer, may be contaminated with heavy metals toxic to the brain
3) DEA-related ingredients= potential to cause cancer, harmful to fish and wildlife
4) Dibutyl phthalate= endocrine disruptor, reproductive toxicant, harmful to fish and wildlife
5)Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives= potential to cause cancer
6) Paradens= interference with male reproductive functions, endocrine disruptors
7)Parfum (aka fragrance)= allergies, asthma, some linked to cancer and neurotoxicity, harmful to fish and wildlife
8)PEG compounds= potential to cause cancer
9)Petrolatum= potential to cause cancer
10)Sioxanes= endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxicity, harmful to fish and wildlife
11) Sodium Laureth Sulfate= potential to cause cancer
12) Triclosan: suspected endocrine distrupter, and may contribute to antibiotic resistence to bacteria, harmful to fish and wildlife.

This week I plan to change my beauty routine to all natural, homemade products.
Here they are:

Face Scrub: sugar and half & half cream

Shampoo: Baking soda and hot water (be careful with this one!)

Blush: Vaseline and cranberry juice

Eyeshadow: Vaseline and cinnamon 

The finished project!

Featured Endangered Species

Grizzly Bears 

Grizzly bears make their home generally in the uplands of western North America. Except for cubs and females, grizzlies are normally solitary, active animals, but in coastal areas, the grizzly congregates alongside streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds during the salmon spawn. Every other year, females (sows) produce one to four young (commonly two) which are small and weigh only about 500 grams (1 lb). A sow is protective of her offspring and will attack if she thinks she or her cubs are threatened.

Grizzly bears are a known as a keystone species. A keystone species is a species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and whose impact on the community is greater than would be expected based on its relative abundance or total biomass.[1]

Grizzly bears regulate prey species and disperse the seeds of many plant species, such as blueberry and buffaloberry. They also help to maintain plant and forest health, both by aerating the soil as they dig for roots, pine nuts and ground squirrels, and by moving thousands of kilograms of spawning salmon carcasses into the forest, where trees and other plants absorb their high levels of nitrogen.

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[1] "Grizzly Bears." David Suzuki Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2012. <http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/wildlife-habitat/science/critical-species/grizzly-bears/>.