Social Context

My Social Context class has come to an end after about a month and a half. The class had many features that I really enjoyed about it: the material revolved a lot around the environment, the class size was small compared to others I have been in, I knew a little about almost everyone, and the students felt comfortable around the professor. It was a little reading-heavy, and a little more feedback on our blogs would have been appreciated, but the content and the projects were interesting anyways.

There are two particular moments in class that have meant a lot for me. The first is when a girl in our class made a comment that insulted me so much so that I think about it almost every day. I don't remember how it came up, but the class was talking about education, and she raised her hand and said that she was from Mauritius, and that she had to take a whole bunch of difficult school tests there, and that "you in Canada with your education system, you have it easy," or something like that. The reaction of the class was just some laughing, but I actually got really mad at that!! And it isn't the first time this has happened.

There are always exchange students that I meet, from Asia for example, who tell me the Canadian education system is a joke. And that really pisses me off. We're sitting in the same classroom, aren't we? We both applied to McGill University. We both got accepted. We got accepted because we are accomplished students and are obviously worth something to the institution and vice versa, right? So why would somebody say that? "You guys have nothing to worry about," please. Our population is much smaller than elsewhere, and a lot more people have access to education. If we compared the population of Canadian students to that of Asia, the competition is much greater in Asia than it is here. Nevertheless, if a Canadian student and a Mauritian student both apply to McGill, and both are accepted, then both deserve and are qualified to be there. I think about her comment every day, and every time I do I get frustrated that she said that.

The second concept that I will keep with me is the importance of being educated about helping the environment in order for action to take place. I feel as though you can't just tell people to recycle and expect them to comply. I think people need to understand why it's important to recycle if we want it to occur. They have to grasp the weight of the current situation they're in and see how recycling can help change that. I also think people need to have a sense of reciprocity; we like doing things only if they benefit us, which isn't always bad but isn't always good. Things like money incentives, or tax reductions, which are already available, might be interesting if there was more advertising about it. For instance I was in the bus the other day and I was reading the ads near the top of the bus, and apparently you can get something like $30 back from the government if you bought a composter or a rain barrel. That's not bad, right? You'd be helping sustain your own environment while simultaneously saving water consumption, or creating your own soil in a fun way. I used to have a composter at my other house, and it's not a big deal but I loved pouring this eclectic melting pot of orange peels, egg shells, and even cat hair, and then by the end of the year you're left with this rich, black soil that could help produce beautiful plants. I think people just really need an initiative, a starting point, and we could really get the ball rolling on changing the environment.

Writing a blog allowed me to try things I wouldn't have bothered trying, or to research things I didn't know much about. I tried a lot of health changes, and looked up green products that were of interest to me. I experienced foods I didn't like and pulled myself away from unhealthy habits. Even though I didn't enjoy all of my experiences, it allowed me to see different sides, or to learn about different processes. I learnt how to better myself as an individual within a collective. Social context allowed me to think before I act, to identify what I want out of my life, and to always question and explore things for myself before making a final decision.

Indian Food

On Tuesday of this week, I met up with two people from my Social Context class, Alex and Manar. I've known both of them for a while now, but aside from hanging out with Alex, I had never hung out with Manar. One day in class I and Alex were talking, and I said that for one of my social-living projects I would like to try Indian food. Manar overheard me say this and a look swept across his face that can only be described as a mix of disappointment, shock, disgust, and intrigue. "You have never tried Indian food? What's wrong with you?" were his kind words. We had a laugh about it, and the three of us made plans to meet some time around 6 for supper.

I wanted to try Indian food for no particular reason aside from that I had never tried it before. I'm a big fan of cultural foods but I never actually had a big yearning for Indian food...so why not try it before I judge it?

We met at Guy-Concordia metro and walked to the corner of Rene-Levesque and Guy, turned left and went to Buffet Maharaja. We were given a table and some water right away, which I thought was funny. Next, our waiter brought by some garlic bread, but the Indian version. It looks like a really thick pita, which was covered in butter, garlic and I'm guessing parsley. It was really good, but yet again I'm a big fan of any kind of bread.

I made Alex and Manar come with me to the buffet because I had no idea what I was getting into. They walked me around its parameters and gave me a brief explanation of what everything was, what I should try, and what I might like. I settled on getting a somosa, rice, butter chicken, and this spicy cauliflower thing.

I really liked everything I ate except for the cauliflower; it was a bit soggy. Over dinner, we were talking about how the food wasn't as spicy as we thought it would be, and Manar explained to me and Alex that the food was adapted to fit the "white man's taste." That spun off into another conversation about how man are such a destructive species. I agreed with that, but I also said that we're the only species to want to survive, and the only ones who know how to make that happen. We exploit our environment to help sustain our growing population. I also gave the example that lions don't not eat because there is a shortage of zebra, for example. I said this to illustrate that we are not the only animals that exhibit selfish behaviour; we all want to survive. I hadn't had a conversation like that for a while, and I really appreciated their inputs.

We finished our meals then moved on to desert. I tried a little chocolate thing about the size of half a cigar, got some pineapple, this thing pronounced "goolamjam" (according to Manar), this mush looking stuff in pink sauce, and these tiny egg-shaped white ovals in the same pink sauce. The chocolate part was standard desert stuff, the pineapple was awesome and I hadn't had any in a while, and then it kind of went down hill from there.

The "goolamjam" was a warm dough in a syrupy sauce. As I bit into it and tasted it, it reminded me of Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese. I told Manar and Alex and they started laughing, but once they tried theirs they both ended up agreeing with me. It was so odd to bite into something sweet and have it remind us of a dinner. Then the white ovals in the pink sauce ended up being sweet cheese, and so was the pink mush, and I'm not going to lie, I got really grossed out. I ended up just eating pineapple, and I was actually really satisfied with it.

We finished our night by having chai, which is an Indian tea. I've had that before though; I love the taste. and it's a really comforting beverage. We paid about $25 each including tips, which was kind of pricey for just a buffet, but the experience was nice and spending time with people I don't usually see was really fun. I'll be honest: although I liked trying the foods, I don't think I will ever have a craving for Indian food. I kind of compared it to a poor man's food...lots of carbs, kind of simple ingredients aside from the lush variety of spices of course. I'm glad I went nonetheless, at least I can say that I tried it. It also allowed me to be social, which is important to me since I keep to my usual group of friends and am rather shy.

Want to know more?

All images are from Google.

Grand Prix Weekend and Thousands of Tonnes of Greenhouse Gases Later...

I thought I would write about th past weekend in Montreal, which was all about Grand Prix. I don't know much about cars (nor could I care less about them, really), but the only thing that particularly bugs me is that they're all gas guzzlers. I'm rather certain the Lamborghini Gallardo (seen left) is not available as a Hybrid. As I walked through mobs of people taking pictures of gaudy, immobile cars, I wondered why a city such as Montreal, which is trying to become greener, wouldn't impose some kind of way to respect the environment. Reading the paper on the metro the other day, I fell upon an article dealing with just that, written by Stéphanie Saucier.

Saucier writes, "Even if it's impossible, for now, to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by transportation by plane or by car for the thousands of tourists, the participants and their crew members to Montreal, it is evident that thousands of tonnes have been emitted." Why are we letting this happen every year? Would it help if we made this event take place once every two years? In order to actually accurately calculate the effect of greenhouse gases emitted during F1, we would need the number of of people who have taken the time to get themselves to the event, the mode of transportation used, and their hometown (to calculate distance).

Saucier finally adds (and I was wondering why this reason hadn't come up earlier in her article), "We could also calculate the racecars' energy consumption." I'm glad she brought this up; it was my main argument against F1. What is the point of this weekend? Sure, there are gorgeous cars in different colours, fast speeds, and doors that open all weird, but what is so incredible about watching people drive fast for a couple of hours? Is it the speed? Understandable; I appreciate the speed of a car as much as the next person. Is it the anticipation of crashes? People are fascinated by that stuff. Is it a social event during which during which women hope to meet men? More importantly, why does the city of Montreal invest such efforts in trying to rid our streets of cars to alleviate our roads, while it hosts events such as these that counter any previous intentions?

Alas, there is some hope on the horizon. It turns out that the sole outcome of F1 is not environmental degradation! Apparently, the Grand Prix increased efforts to better deal with any residual matter that may accumulate after the races. "Le Consortium Echo-Logique" (The Eco-Logical Consortium) was on site for the duration of the festival, and actually assured that all recyclable matter be in fact collected and recycled. This certainly looks like it could be a step in the right direction.

To end, I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised that I found Stéphanie Saucier's article since it essentially addressed the same questions I had been asking myself. I'm glad events such as these, though still socially acceptable, are starting to be questioned. It's kind of like how bull fighting is being questioned in Spain: is it ethical to anger an animal, then kill it progressively in front of thousands of people just for their entertainment? Is it ethical for Montreal to attract people for Grand Prix to the demise of our environment? I think the Grand Prix has its charms, and it's certainly economically beneficial to the city, but maybe reducing the frequency at which it occurs could help decrease unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.

Want to know more?
The Image is from Google.
The article L'écologie ne remporte pas la pole position was in the Montreal metro newspaper 24 H, on June 14th, written by Stéphanie Saucier.

Pulling myself away from television.

I don't know about you, but one of my favourite things to do, whether it be to relax or not, is to watch TV. I love that it's completely mindless and it's something that finally doesn't call for my attention. I also really like that it doesn't demand concentration, but keeps me occupied enough to not think about other things on my mind. It's completely undemanding and yet provides all the entertainment and information I need and want.

But how much is too much? I don't watch too much TV during school since I have virtually no time, but now that the course loads have lightened, I'm able to sneak a couple more hours in that I couldn't before. I've also found that I've expanded the repertoire of shows I watch; I've added Hell's Kitchen, Wipe Out, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, and Big Bang Theory to the list of shows I used to watch carelessly and without too much commitment.

I think part of the charm of TV, for me, is that is has this story-telling effect. I'm the kind of person who prefers to listen to someone speak than talk herself. The TV technically does all the talking; I can sit there with my feet up and just listen as it rambles on about these intriguing and unrelated stories. I can also listen to these stories half-assed, or switch back and forth to listen to the ones I prefer over others.

And don't a lot more people use watching TV as an excuse to relax these days, too? People come in from work, raid the fridge or grab a beer, toss off their shoes, sit down, and watch the news or something. We have no more energy to come home and crack open a book, or go for a walk. But why TV? We look at little glowing screens every day and all day. We text. We stare at our computers for 8 hours a day at work. We check our emails and Facebook for the remaining 16 hours of the day. We watch TV.

So this weekend, I put myself to the test. I told myself I would not watch TV all of Saturday and Sunday, which ended up being easier said than done, but anyways. On Saturday, I worked on some material for my other class for a couple of hours, then read a book. It was getting later on in the day, but I left my blinds open to get in enough natural sunlight, lit some bamboo candles, sat in this big comfy chair I have, and found a light blanket. I have to admit, I felt really relaxed just reading my story at my own pace, in an environment that made me feel at ease and relaxed. I made a mental note of the way the atmosphere I created for myself made me feel, and I think I'm going to try to do the same thing with my homework. At night, I went to a Tim Hortons with a friend and we just hung out there for a while while she told me about work, school, where she was going this summer, and how her boyfriend, which is also one of my friends, is doing. I got home around 11:30 at night, and even though it wasn't very late for a Saturday, I went to bed, satisfied for the way my day panned out.

Sunday was more challenging only because America's Funniest Videos plays at 7 pm and it's hard to pass up watching dogs drag children around on their leash, or people falling down stairs. But according to my dad, after I had asked him, it wasn't playing so I wasn't really missing out. Despite this though, I spent my day working on a project, and then I went down town to meet up with some team members to discuss where we were in our progression. It also took me a while to mosey on through the crowd accumulated from F1, which bought some time also. When I got home, I had some supper with my family, then me and my mom sat outside with some sangria and just spoke. When we came back in though, I got kind of bored and wanted to just sit down and watch something, but instead I just cracked open my book and finished it a couple hours later.

So really, though TV could be entertaining, there are so many better things you could be doing than watching it. You can be strengthening your relationship with someone you haven't spoken to in a while, or read a book you've been dying to, or go for a nice walk, or paint, or whatever. It might sound silly but I really think TV can create its own relationship with its viewers. I've already been warned by a friend that she can't go out on the nights Glee plays on, which is fine, but that's just an example to illustrate my point. I wouldn't give up TV, but I think it would be healthier for me to give up a couple hours for something with more subsistence.

Want to know more?
The image is from Google.

Having Control Over Changing Your Life

One of the underlying themes in my blogs, I think, is self-improvement. As my summer classes are coming to an end, and I still haven't found a job, I've been really thinking about joining a gym or something. The gym I used to go to called me up the other day offering $19 a month with no inscription fee, but I don't even know if that's particularly good. I had left that gym because a lot of their machines were usually broken; it was hard to get a spot to work out in especially around rush hour with limited spots.

After experimenting with jogging, yoga, the cookie diet, and even deciding whether to wear makeup or not, I've gotten to the point where I feel like I need to do something. I've started to think about joining a cycling class, or try out pilates, something different. I've never done either so maybe what I could really use is change, and maybe my body will respond positively to it. Maybe I need something different from just jogging, or eating 106-calorie cookies meal replacements, and find something new and innovative. Really, I think the core reason for my laziness and lack of motivation is that I haven't been excited about sports for a while.


Some of the advantages I see in being active are things like clearing one's mind, getting that sense of accomplishment, getting the sense that that you're contributing to something better for yourself. There's something about saying, "I went to the gym today" that makes you seem like you take care of yourself, you're somewhat of an athlete, and you seem to make smart choices. I don't know why it makes me think of this, but it's definitely something I'd want to exhibit. It also got me curious, so I asked a couple people about their opinions about working out.


I spotted one of my friends sitting with some buddies at a table at school. I went to go say hi and introduced myself to his friends. My friend Kyle was sitting down with Isabel and Mark. I asked them if I could ask them a quick question, explaining that it was for my Social Context class, and they understood. We just had a quick dialogue as a group about the idea of going to the gym.


Kyle began by saying that for guys, going to the gym was an appearance thing. "It's all about the arms," he claimed, and I didn't disagree with him. He did however, agree with me that it helps him clear his mind. He said sometimes he goes in to the gym in a terrible mood, and after about half an hour of doing weights he could already feel better.


Isabel was enrolled in a gym last year but didn't like the experience. She didn't like the idea of just running in place for 20 minutes, or lifting stuff repeatedly until she saw results. She said she much preferred sports, or some kind of strategy game to work out. I have to agree with her, but once women hit 18, a lot of girls stop sports. Teams because more mixed, people can't make some games, there's a lot less commitment. I don't have a problem playing against 35-year-olds, for example, but I would prefer playing with people my own age. She countered by saying that at school there are some teams that consist of women much closer to her age, which is true, but again the levels of competition could vary.


Finally, Mark told me about how he likes going to the gym for mostly the same reasons as Kyle, but simultaneously because he and his friends go there together. It's kind of like a guy hang-out thing. He said, however, that his girlfriend has never been to a gym. She thinks that the enclosed space is smothering, and so she much prefers outdoor sports like hiking and skiing, stuff like that. As he was telling me that, I couldn't help but feel like outdoor sports are kind of boring... I feel like I would get bored just walking around by myself, not seeing other people working out around me. Maybe the only outdoors sports I would consider would be biking and snowboarding.
Anyways, after I took mental notes about our conversation, I thanked them and headed home. Isabel and Mark both kind of brought up the monotony of going to the gym, and Kyle and Mark both mentioned how going to the gym is good for appearance and clearing one's head. Sometimes going to the gym can be a social thing too. But I'm just looking for physical exhaustion and mental willingness. I'm looking into a pilates school, a YMCA that just opened up, and a Femme Fitness. I think initiating research is already half the battle.

Want to know more?
The image is from Google.

Green Marketing 3 - The Body Shop

I've always had an appreciation for the Body Shop. The company sells mainly things like creams and body washed. The part I respect most about the organization is that it uses mostly natural products and is environmentally-conscious. As a side note, I've only ever purchased two items from the store, but when they were finished the containers were recyclable as well. Furthermore, the bag they came in was paper (which I also recycled), advertising on its side:

100 %

Recycled Paper

Water-based Inks

AND REUSABLE

It's in the Bag.

The bag was actually the thing that gave me the idea to write about Body Shop. My respect for the company grew as I realized that not only to they sell amazing coconut-smelling cream that reminds me of summer, but the remains, whether the containers or the bag, are recyclable or reusable.

Here are some excellent points from the site:

• Activism isn't listed on The Body Shop labels as an ingredient, but it is there as surely as the bergamot and hemp oil.


• It is the first cosmetics company to source sustainably harvested palm oil and introduce the ingredient into the beauty industry. They also work with an organic company to maintain ethical production.


• The company introduced100% post consumer recycled bottles. They were hoping to create all their bottles in the same way by 2009.


• Body Shop committed to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2010, ensuring that carbon dioxide emissions from the company's core retail business worldwide are reduced.

They also hope to reduce their number of bottles by 9 million every year. They can do this in part by integrating other recycled materials into the packaging. They also came out with cloth bags which state, "Green is not a colour. It's a state of mind." Also, synthetic chemicals are still used in their products, but only when they're to provide better quality or safety. I appreciate the fact that this way included in their facts. I think it is reasonable as well as a logical explanation for using synthetic chemicals. Sometimes they can't just compromise safety or quality in some of the features, which is understandable from a corporate standpoint. They'd want to make money off their products, right?

When I think about it, their smart environmental efforts must go a long way. If you rationalize that the bulk of consumption stems from women, and Body Shop is geared towards this particular customer segment, then that could potentially result in high sales. Consequently, there would be more jars of cream out there. Imagine if everything was synthetic, or if the containers were non-recyclable (like Plastic 6). That would result in a huge amount of waste and environmental degradation that could have easily been avoided by the methods the company is using now.

I know it personally makes me feel better to buy products that are good for me (providing services like protecting my skin for example), and in using natural products I know my skin isn't absorbing pesticides or dangerous stuff like that. I also like that I can recycle the container the product comes in, which reduces my own guilt as a consumer. I actually noticed that I veer away from containers that are not recyclable, especially for things like shampoo bottles, or even some plastic packaging (like the bags my Ikea stuff came in; Plastic #4 is recyclable), so the concept of recycling is a factor is my purchase decision-making process. I feel good about buying from the Body Shop because of it's environmental ethics, and makes me appreciate their efforts, making buying a $20 bottle of cream worth it for me.

Want to know more?

Body Shop info: http://www.thebodyshop.ca/about-us.html

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/global/content.jsp?page=earthday

http://www.eco-asia.info/content/b-the-body-shop

Images from Google.

A rant on Montreal public transportation

Perhaps it's just the rage talking, but when did the Montreal public transportation system go sour? Did it coincide with construction season, i.e. Summer? In any case, my disappointment is becoming more and more of a burden for me. It's not really something I would imagine to be a source of stress.


I take public transportation every day. I live in Laval, which is a ways away from downtown to begin with. First, I walk about 7 minutes to my bus stop. Next, I wait for it to arrive (which is usually longer than I should). Next is the bus ride to Cote-Vertu metro. It takes about 30 minutes on a good day to get there in the first place. I'll also note that's it's faster getting downtown going from Laval to the city of Saint-Laurent, than to Montmorency metro because the bus comes more often in that direction. Laval buses come maybe twice an hour, maximum. So my options are already severely constrained.


Then when I get to Cote-Vertu, I go on a twenty-minute ride to Lionel-Groulx, followed by a ten-minute ride to Peel, where I then walk 5 minutes to Bronfman. There goes at least an hour and 20 minutes including waiting in my day, in one go. I spend almost three hours a day on public transportation! Doesn't this seem a bit much?

And today, what a disaster. The orange line went down right when I got to Lionel-Groulx to go to Cote-Vertu. It was right after my OP exam and I couldn't wait to go home. But because of an "incident" on the orange line, I was stranded there for half an hour. I can get to Cote-Vertu in 30 minutes! I missed my bus!!!



Finally, I decided to take the green line back to Guy-Concordia. I took a bus to TMR, near where my boyfriend lives. From that terminus, I took another bus to Cegep Saint-Laurent, which was near Cote-Vertu metro. I walked 10 minutes to the metro and finally got to my bus stop towards Laval. The bus was only going to come in 15 minutes. I was going to strangle something.


SO. One metro ride, three different buses, and three goddamn hours later, I finally got home. I was fuming. I sat down on a couch and just stayed there for a while. At almost 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I was starving, so I ate a late lunch. Nothing was able to make the disappointment go away though.

Even talking about it now gets me so mad. Lately I haven't been able to rely on public transportation. Just yesterday, I had to go into school to get a book, and I waited for my bus for 20 minutes. It never came at the time advertised. The bus across the street, which went to Montmorency, never came either. TWO buses did not come at their advertised times. In addition to this mess, the times posted online do not coincide with those posted on the plaques at the bus stops. How do they figure people can get their buses on time? How many people have been late for work or school or whatever in the last little while? Why can't they respect their clients?

There should be some kind of guarantee, like if the bus is more than 10 minutes late, clients get a ride for free. I don't pay $89 a month to get access to Laval and Montreal public transit to be left with no way to get around. I really think this would get bus drivers and the companies to better respect the times...people need to get places, and it's bad enough the time to get to these places is amplified through transit in the first place.

Let's look at the advantages of public transit though. According to the Montreal Transit Society, taking the metro cuts polluting agents by half. The Montreal metro is 100% electric, and there is technically no traffic. Taking the bus is like carpooling; the gas is seperated among some 30 people when the bus is packed; carbon footprints thus are reduced.

But then my time spent in buses or metros is ridiculous, isn't it? I pay $90 a month for my pass. Let's say, $90/ 4 weeks = approximately $24 a week. You fill up a car what, once every week and a half? Let's say, $40 every fill-up. That's $40 twice (making up 3 weeks in the month), then let's say half a tank to finish a month, so about $110. It would cost $20 more to get from point A to point B in probably half the time. It's a far more attractive option, is it not? It doesn't offer the same benefits as public transit does. For example, I like taking the bus and metro sometimes because I'm doing something good for the environment, I feel like a city girl, etc. But if I drove to school every day (if I had a car, which is also a problem), I could sleep in! I wouldn't have to budget 2 hours to get somewhere...I wouldn't be dependent on lazy bus companies. I wouldn't have to sit next to the drunk dude on the metro at 4 pm. I think it's something to mull over, because I really am getting sick of the back and forth. It's stressing me out because I never know if sometihng will be on time or not. I really hope this trend mulls over soon...

Want to know more?
http://www.wisebread.com/7-reasons-to-take-the-bus
http://www.metrodemontreal.com/faq/index.html
http://www.stm.info/english/info/a-offensiveverte.htm
All images are from Google.

The Impacts of Facial Tissues

Today I was thinking about the stuff I use almost every day of my life, and I came up with Kleenex. What are its impacts? How much of it ends up in our landfills? I mean, we use it for so many different purposes, from blowing our noses to wiping up spills. Doesn't that lead to a huge need for trees?

According to an article written by Marc Gunther, Kleenex, along with other products such as Huggies, Scott, Pull-Ups, etc. attribute to a $16-billion annually to forestry activities. Despite this, Kimberly-Clark, the company owning Kleenex, said that they also use residual woods like sawdust and chips.

Are facial tissues even biodegradable? They're made from trees and seem really thin, but how long do they last in a landfill? I couldn't find a straight answer. Some places said they dissolved within 5 days, others said within 5 months. The answer to this frequently asked question on the Kleenex site itself was rather vague as well: "Kleenex tissue is made with biodegradable cellulose fibers. Because the tissue is made with an additive to make it strong, it will not break down as rapidly as bathroom tissue." So is that a no?.. I figure the wood would dissolve quickly, but then are the additives even more harmful to the environment?

To make matters worse, Kimberly-Clark has been rumored to cut down tree from the oldest forests around Canada, and even indirectly doing so by purchasing wood chips from British Columbia. In a campaign against K-C's use of older trees, Greenpeace organized a boycott of all of their products. They came up with a statement that went as follows: “Did you know that it takes 90 years to grow a box of Kleenex? That’s right, every time you use a Kleenex tissue, you are blowing away ancient forests."

I guess the most sure and positive thing I found out about this mini-research is that the Kleenex box as well as the plastic part are both recyclable. I was actually surprised about that because I would usually rip out the plastic stuff and throw it out, and recycle only the box.

So to sum things up, there are around 100 Kleenexes in a box, we don't know if they're biodegradable...but the box is. I know I use something like 3 or 4 Kleenex a day, so am I contributing to something harmful? Imagine all the people who use Kleenex daily, or the people who get colds. Imagine flu season!

What can we even do about this situation? I think Kleenex is one of those products you can't just go without. I think it has become one of those necessary things people need, and it is hard to find substitutes for it. I doubt people will go back to using hankies, and I think Kleenex's use provides us with cleanliness in disposability.

Want to know more?

Marc Gunther's article, Are Kleenex Tissues Wiping out Forests? from http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/26/magazines/fortune/pluggedin_gunther.fortune/ .

FAQs on Kleenex site: http://www.kleenex.com/na/faq.aspx#E04

Greenpeace's Statement: http://lifegoggles.com/1474/it-takes-90-years-to-grow-a-box-of-kleenex/

All images are from Google.

The Cookie Diet Finally Comes to an End

Finally, finally, my cookie diet is over! Words can't express how happy I am in this moment. But first, here's a quick recap.

I wanted to try the diet for a week. The food comes in these little rectangle packages, which hold six cookies. None of the packaging is recyclable though, which constitutes a huge waste. For breakfast, I was supposed to eat two cookies; at lunch, the same thing; and for supper, I would need to have a lot of protein and simple greens. The two last cookies would be for snacks, in case I got hungry. I'd have to drink 8 glasses of water a day too.

I went through my first and second day with about the same enthusiasm a soldier would have being shipped to war. I was basically dissatisfied for the vast majority of the day and had trouble focusing on much else than all the people food I was missing out. I even had tuna for the first time in a while for one of my suppers and freak out at how awesome I thought it tasted. I would actually say I would have preferred not eating for two meals than eating the cookies.

The consistency of these cookies was interesting to say the least. First of all, the undeniable taste of plastic was present with every bite. Next, the cookies were so thick I couldn't finish chewing them without drinking water in between and during bites. It felt, as my friend Alex described when he tasted one, like trying to swallow pill, but it getting stuck at the back of your throat, taking a while to go down. I would make a face every time I needed to eat one, and pretty much loathed the process.

So it's the end of a week and I've lost 1 pound. To be fair, I cheated almost every day; either I'd have a coffee, or I'd eat lunch (oh!). This diet did not make me feel positive. I didn't feel good thinking I was helping myself change, or lose weight. It wasn't like I was making better choices; I wasn't eating salads, or eating less bread voluntarily, etc. I ate cookies, that made me feel pretty shitty in the first place, to replace hungry, but it could replace disappointment. I could have found some kind of satisfaction in a salad, but never the cookies.

Why do people decide to diet, anyways? According to Jeff Talbot, overweight people are typically those who tend to diet. Those who do it healthily reap mroe benefits than those who try to lose dangerous amounts of weight. Others just continue to diet because it's out of habit; some could keep dieting because they simply do not feel attractive enough. Talbot and I share the same opinion that a lot of this pressure to have a nice body comes from the media and fashion industry.

More importantly, why do people fail their diets? According to a writer named Shelly, 98% of people end up not completing their diet. When you starve youself, the body goes into survival mode. It stores fat; you won't lose weight. You might even put some on because your body would retain everything you ate. This is not my case... I was lenient with what I ate for my meals so really the results are my own fault.

I really hated thsi diet. I'd feel better just changing my habits, and feeling like I'm making a positive change for myself. I think I can do it if I really tried. It's important to me, and I want to feel good about myself, but the habit is almost addictive and it's something I really gotta work on.

Want to know more?
All images are from Google.
Jeff Talbot's article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Do-People-Decide-To-Diet?&id=588724
Shelly's article: http://searchwarp.com/swa14572.htm

Green Marketing 2 - Pepsi Refresh Project

Pepsi has come out with a great new campaign called the Pepsi Refresh Project. The marketing for this project is really great. They got Black Eyed Peas singer Will.I.Am to sing the commercial's song. Next, on my diet Pepsi 591 mL bottle, right above the Pepsi logo is the site "refresheverything.ca" in a red noticeable box. Next, vertically and along the seam of the bottle's wrapper, in big letters it says DO GOOD/ AGISSONS (which in French translates more to LET'S REACT). According to Pepsi, the beverage company is, "looking for individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations with ideas that will have a positive impact on communities." See their hopeful commercial here:

The submissions for ideas started June 1st, and voting begins July 1st. I'm happy to say that I submitted my idea today! My idea won't be shown for a couple days while they review it, but I'm glad I got it out there.

My submission revolved around the idea of solar-panelled windmills. Think about it. Windmills are very tall contraptions so as to maximize the amount of wind power. Compare it to when you walk up a mountain: at the top it's much windier than at the bottom.

My suggestion is to slap some solar panels on the blades of the windmill so as to further maximize solar power. Think of trees; they compete between each other to get the most light, so they grow taller vertically. This allows them to reach more sun than lower trees. I'm trying to apply the same principle here to my solar-panelled windmill.

Now, I applied for the $5,000 grant, which states that I'd have to work with some other organization in order to try and achieve this product. That's where I'm stumped... I don't know who I can partner with. I don't know if this is something I can do at school, or if I can contact professors, or engineers. Or maybe I'll need environmentalists and engineers at the same time. I just want the end product to be sustainable and really make a difference throughout Canada. It's a hopeful thought anyways.

I thought this tied in nicely with Orr's article named What Is Education For? Orr suggests principles we should approach in order to rethink people's education. One of them was "All education is environmental education. [...]Students are taught that they are part of or apart from the natural world." I know that my classes often talk about environmental issues, or impacts people have on the environment. Consequently, it makes me more conscious of my actions, it makes me follow environmental news and other happenings more closely. This means I tend to think about it more often, and I think that's how it lead me to my idea about the altered windmill.

I think this project was particularly appealing to me because I had this idea for an outlet and haven't had an outlet or the opportunity to really put it out there. Also, I think it's a small way I could modestly give back to the environment. Innovation has to come from somewhere; it's through human innovation that we will be able to change and save our planet. I hope my idea is accepted by Pepsi; it would give me something to be proud of. If it does, I'll post the site so people can vote for me!

Want to know more?

Pepsi Refresh Project: http://www.refresheverything.ca/how-it-works

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fS39FitsoQ&feature=channel

Article by Orr: What Is Education For?

All images are from Google.

Free Admission to Museums in Montreal

Yesterday, Montreal held an event that allowed people to go to museums free of charge. I'm not a very artsy type of person, but I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to experience something new. I decided I'd leave home around 10:30 AM and set out for some of the destinations.

The first one I wanted to go see was the Planetarium. When I got there (near Bonaventure metro), a line spilled out the front doors and around the block. Only then did I realize the amount of screaming, crying, playful young families the building attracted. I left Saint-Jacques street and walked to Saint-Paul street in Old Montreal, toward the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum.

Now, in the pamphlet it lured us in saying, "come explore 2000 years of history," but this wasn't the case. In fact, I think there was a typo, and it may have had to be "200 years." Basically, all I learnt was that a woman named Marguerite Bourgeoys instilled an educational system in order to please God. The only thing I enjoyed about that one was the look-out facing the Old Port. It was nice, and i even saw some newlyweds posing for some pictures. After that I left and walked towards Sherbrooke.


The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was the last stop. Despite visiting only two others, the walking ended up tuckering me out, I had no energy due to my stupid cookie diet, and it was getting late. The Fine Arts Museum can't ever disappoint me. I went to see an Andy Warhol exhibit a little while ago, and despite not appreciating his art, the exhibit was quite nice.

I went to go see the Mediterranean artifacts first. There were pieces from Ancient Greece and Egypt. I'm fascinated by both cultures but I have a slight preference for the Greek stuff. Aside from being half Greek myself, I took an incredible class in Cegep on Greek mythology. The sculptures were absolutely exquisite and thoroughly detailed. The Egyptians' were less so, but hauntingly intriguing nevertheless. I was also surprised by the fact that despite both cultures' artifacts to be from around the same time, their perception of the human face differed completely. The Greeks really seemed to grasp the concept of individual "faces", while the Egyptians seemed to focus mostly on the characteristics of a "population."

I finished off my stay by going to their permanent paintings collection. Do you have any idea how many paintings there are?? Most were really lovely, some really strange. The paintings from the Victorian era were really beautiful; completely realistic, but the people painted all had the same shaped eyes and mouths. I thought it could have something to do with the fact that there were far fewer inter-racial and inter-cultural pairings than there are today. I find today I can discern people's eye shape specifically, we're all truly different.

The paintings portion was probably my favourite part of the day. The paintings went from anyone between Monet, to Renoir, to Warhol. It was great to see the progression of art, the imitations of skill, the use of colour evolve over some 200 years. Looking at another person's work who is no longer around leaves a fast ocean of mystery to navigate through.

I thought this experience as particularly important because I think it raises the concept of free education. Why do we pay to learn about another person's painting? Or why do we pay to see a sarcophagus? Why can't we just be told what everything means? In my opinion, art is an important factor of culture, and within culture is education, so it is all related. If I relate this to Orr's article, education merely "emphasizes theories instead of values... abstraction rather than consciousness." Education will teach us about the method of brush strokes, but looking at the relief of paint against a canvas, and seeing those brush strokes with your own eyes, is a completely different story.

According to Orr, one principle in rethinking education would be:"education is to master your own person." Art is a very personal thing; it allows one to express herself with no constraints, no limits, no censoring, nothing. It's completely free-will. Art tells a story, but is open to interpretation at the same time. Despite not connecting completely with art, some pieces can really evoke strong emotion in me, whether sadness or serenity, happiness or confusion.

Want to know more?
All images are from Google.
Read Orr's article, What Is Education For? to learn more.

Oh jobs, where art thou?

The school year is over and it is finally summer, which means only two things: summer classes and working. An excellent time to catch up on classes and make dollar bills. I have a problem though; I have my summer classes set, but I am still unemployed.

Now, let's be clear on one thing: I am a saver. I saved enough of money from my last job, but I really hate digging into that amount. It isn't being refreshed and the dwindling number is really starting to get to me. I would work either way, but aside from the experience, money is an excellent incentive. I like working. It makes me feel useful, I like being busy, and the reward is a lot faster than that of school, for example. I'll work for two weeks, and get paid in two weeks. I go to University for three years, and I'll reap the benefits in my 30 when I get a kick-ass job. Getting paid gives me a sense of accomplishment, and it definitely gives me something to look forward to.

And yet I am jobless. I've left my CV off at 7 places including today. And still nothing. The thing is, I'm trying to get a job in a normal, retail store. I've never worked in one, and I really think I should get the experience if I'm going into marketing. I want to learn how to work with customers, see how to look at them from a seller point of view, and observe their behaviour. I'm bracing myself for rude people though...not looking forward to that part.

I've only ever had office jobs, also, which leaves me with little sales experience and virtually no client interaction. So in a way I guess I could see why I'm not getting any bites. Still, my former jobs were good ones, why wouldn't they think I was a worthy investment?

I think part of the problem could be attributed to the fact that I might be applying too late in the season. I only finish my finals by April 30th, then started summer school straight after, so I didn't exactly have time to give my resumes out. Also, maybe the mini recession that touched Canada could have to do with it. According to International Human Resources, from May 2010, Canada's current unemployment rate is 8.1%. However, there have recently been an increase in jobs in Canada. Nevertheless, Quebec's rate remains at 7.9%.

It's too bad there is such a long wait before you here back from opportunity. The other day I got a call on my cell, and I didn't know and I got so excited! Wrong number. "That's okay. Bye," I said, but really I was hoping someone was going to offer me a job. I guess I'll be printing out a couple more and try to hit other areas besides Laval; downtown and Saint-Laurent must have some potential. How about this, if I get a job, I promise to blog about it!! Right, now my wish is out in the universe.

Want to know more?

International Human Resources site: http://www.hrmguide.net/canada/jobmarket/canadian-unemployment.htm

Image from Google.

Spring Cleaning!!

Well it isn't really spring anymore, but it's never too late to clean out a sacred place.

My room is messy approximately 10 out of the 12 months of the year. So when I actually do decide to clean up my room, it is brought on by an act of God or purely by boredom. But this time, my tidying up had nothing to do with the need for being clean: I wanted to get rid of all the stuff that I felt was tying me down.

I noticed as I was going through my stuff that I would hesitate throwing out stuff, or giving stuff away because I attached some hypothetical value to it. First of all, I'll make it clear that I'm not a bit shopping buff, so I don't have a tone of clothes (in my opinion). So when I'd come across a shirt I only wore once, or maybe never before, I'd rationalize that it would be wasting if I didn't keep it. Or maybe I can keep it for workout clothes, or what if I need this colour at some point? ...All useless limitations I've imposed on my decision-making in order to avoid throwing something out.

I threw out a lot of stuff. Clothes and various knick knacks filled about 5 full clothes store-sized bags. I replaced little porcelain decorative things with pictures of friends and family. It's a lot more personable, and it means more to me. But as I was packing up everything and carrying the bags out of my room, I felt like I could throw out more. What is with getting rid of stuff all at the same time that makes me feel so liberated? To see a little extra space on a shelf to put up more books, or a little more room in a drawer, is actually a really comforting feeling for me. I feel like all the extra materialistic things in my room were kind of suffocating, and I hadn't notice to what degree until I go rid of them. I felt like such a hoarder! But I was really pleased to see everything I could declutter from my life.

So I got kind of curious about what it is that renders getting rid of unimportant possessions that somewhat therapeutic to people. Katherine Gibson from Canadian Living Magazine says that, "If left unchecked, clutter not only poses physical constraints, but it can also pollute mental well-being. [...]Clearing clutter not only liberates your physical space but also evicts emotional clutter."

What Gibson is saying pretty much coincides with what I was talking about earlier. When I think of it, the people I talk about thorough cleaning, or big "give away" days, they feel good about getting rid of stuff because of the amount of stuff suffocates them. It's not only attributing an issue of less space or mobility, but also the mental struggle with it.

I also personally find that a simpler environment to live in reduces the amount of stress I feel. When I'm studying in my room and there are piles of clothes I need to hike over, or books collecting in piles against drawers I need to open, I get frustrated. I feel like I shouldn't put so much effort into feeling calm in my own bedroom, or moving around in it for that matter.

I also noticed I was holding on to broken or way too old things. For example, I kept an old pair of jeans with a massive hole going across the knee. But they fit right! They were comfy! And my mom would give me a disapproving look whenever I'd wear them! But I threw them out. Only after I had I told myself I should look for places around Montreal that take thoroughly damaged clothing, or a jeans-recycling plant type of place. I just looked it up and nothing seemed to come up. I kept stained or faded tshirts, again for the fit and the comfort, but those are gone now too. I feel bad about everything I threw out. I know clothing that isn't organic doesn't disappear quickly. However, I rationalize that I used them to their full use, right?

Finally, with the things I didn't want anymore, I intend on giving them to the Salvation Army. Their mission is to meet human needs and help change the community for the better. It would be a great way to recycle and reuse goods that can still be used. It would provide useful things for people in need. I'm really happy my room is cleaner, and even tried making my bed everyday. It just makes me look forward to resting, it makes me feel comfortable, and it makes me feel neater, or healthier.

Want to know more?

Canadian Living article: http://www.canadianliving.com/health/mind_and_spirit/6_ways_to_clean_up_your_home_life_4.php

Salvation Army's mission statement: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/missionandvalues/

All images are from Google.

HOME

HOME is an environmental documentary featured on YouTube that focuses on human impact on natural resources. You can watch this short movie here. It mixes concepts such as human rights, globalization, and global warming all together.

The introduction of the movie tells about how in 200,000 years out of the 4 billion since life first appeared on planet Earth, the presence of humans has unbalanced our own environment. The movie is my story, it is your story. This is what I/you have done.

The Earth is made up of intricate processes that create a balance in life. The balance itself is of these links; it allows us to live, our food to live, it provides our society with resources. The life of one being depends on that of another, and so forth. Even the death of natural elements helps to maintain the balance. For example, when a tree dies, it decomposes and goes to creating soil. Are we just a species that is going to disappear? Will we go extinct just as millions of other have over all of Earth’s history?

The documentary makes us seem like such an invasive species. The narrator makes the point that we have taken control of every habitat we could. We’ve taken control of a large portion of coastal region. However, we are the only species to be able to adapt to every environment. The first humans were very labour-oriented. Children were considered assets if they would help around the house and food was tough to find.

Then came agriculture. Humans experienced food surpluses for the first time. To this day, agriculture is still the occupation to a vast majority of the population. Most of this work is even done by hand in most cases.

We then found oil. Oil was really the changing point of humanity. We use is every day for many uses. In 50 years, the health of the environment has degraded quicker than at any other point. This change came about most particularly in the US. The country has particularly harnessed the power of fuels. Pesticides came about in order to kill parasites. Famines and bad harvests became a distant memory, the biggest problem nowadays being where to put all the surpluses. Pesticides and herbicides would be absorbed into the soil, and discharged of into our waterbeds…
Which humans drink water from. Yes, these can be harmful to our species.

Our abundant use of water has caused problems also. We have been able to transform the most arid land into vast green fields. We can raise more cattle for our increased meat production. The cattle eats grain… it takes 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of potatoes, 4,000 litres for 1 kilo of rice, and 13,000 for 1 kilo of beef. The numbers are revolting. Our agriculture is oil-dependent. Imagine the amount of it we use a day. Time is most relative now to our oil; when we run out of it, we’ll run out of time too.

We also severely stress the world’s minerals. Due to excessive mining, we will have exhausted all of the planet’s reserves. It’s a terrifying thought. A good example of a high consumer of minerals is Dubai. The country itself has few natural resources, yet has been able to achieve the impossible. It even created its own separate island by shipping desert sand into the ocean. But because of the key resource it does have – oil – they gain enough profit in order to import millions of tones of minerals.

Our society focuses strongly on consumption. In 50 years, we’ve increased our fish consumption from 18 to 100 million metric tones a year. We’ve caught so many large fish that the adults don’t have enough to reproduce, leading to an exhaustion of fish supply.

Then there are wetlands, which take up 6% of the Earth. But even their moisture is being reduced. The Amazon’s river has been depleted by 20% due to the deforestation. In Borneo, important forests were chopped down to replace it all with palm trees. Borneo happens to be the largest producer of palm oil, which is not only used in food, but in cosmetics, detergents, and even as fuel.

Humans have created huge disparities. Nigeria, for example, is the largest oil exporter in Africa.

However, though the country has wealth, 70% of the inhabitants don’t have access to it. Half of the world’s poor live in resource-rich nations. Half the world’s health is in the hands of 2% of the world’s richest.

¼ of the Earth’s species can go extinct by 2050: 1 mammal in 4, 1 bird in 8, and 1 amphibian in 3. Why do we try to save species? Is it for our own use, or for a less-selfish cause? Are we interrupting as natural rhythm through which some species disappear and new ones appear? Not necessarily.

Today, extinction rates are 1,000 times faster than the natural rate should be. Maybe humans are only still alive because we want to survive. We won’t go until we’ve tried our very hardest to stay.

Want to know more?

All pictures are from Google.

The movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

The Cookie Diet, or Why I Will Be Unhappy for a Week

Today I started myself on the cookie diet for a week. This diet suggests you eat 6 cookies a day: two at breakfast, two at lunch, and two more as snacks or to fill your hunger. For supper, you can have "people food" so long as it consists of a large portion of low-fat meat and a narrow range of vegetables.

The cookies are really expensive to buy. Also, the 6 cookies are in separate wrappers for every days, and there is a lot of waste; the plastic case is #6 so it isn't recyclable in Montreal. 7 packs of waste can add up.

So ideally, you would heat up a little cookie to really "bring out the flavours" and munch on them. Also, you're supposed to drink 8 cups of water per day. You're supposed to drink loads of water when you eat the cookies so they expand in your stomach and make you less hungry. But the idea of getting myself to drink 8 cups of water is actually a bit of a chore... It's easy to drink a lot of water when you're eating the cookies because the fiber makes you hungry, but between them it's kinda tough to remind yourself.

I begrudgingly ate 5 of the cookies up til supper. So supper I ate chicken and leaves of spinach, and had half a cup of cucumber with salt on it. I ate it so quickly and actually enjoyed eating real food. I'm already getting hungry...this no eating yummy food thing is already getting to me. I'm also a late night snacker, so I'm salvaging that last cookie like you would not believe. Yey, a cookie and a glass of water. So, so wrong!

I even keep thinking about my favourite foods, pasta and bread. These foods are in the 'marvelous' food category in the Canadian food guide. I also keep rationalizing that hey, I'm still kinda young, I can eat whatever the hell I want and feel super. But this is very very false. My eating habits are affecting me physically and mentally. I, like others, wish for better for myself. I'm not sure if I'll achieve this by eating yucky cookies, but it's worth a shot. I keep thinking that tomorrow, before my 6 o'clock class, I can go buy myself a big bag of chips and watch a movie. Or maybe a poutine, that's a food-drug right there. But alas, my packaged plastic-tasting cookies will be waiting for me patiently, and I really should not leave them hanging.

I wonder how many people have the same food rationalizations as me. There must be people who say, "I'll have this bag of chips, and walk to the bus tomorrow, so it'll cancel things out." No, no, no. I think society isn't aware of just how many calories we intake, and how many we spend out. We never compensate, we let ourselves eat too much of the wrong stuff, we stretch our stomachs, and we make ourselves unhappy. Whether it's that you don't like how your jeans fit, or that you're mad you can't go up the stairs without breaking a sweat, it still affects you.

So here's me taking the first step. It's an expensive, and a boring first step, but it still counts. I'll try to stop eating like a 400-pound man despite my complaining, and see if I see any true change this week. One thing I'm really happy about is that at least I don't have to stop drinking diet coke...No calories and no carbs!

Meet Sven

On Saturday, my mom and I went to our virtually yearly visit to the wonderful world of Ikea. Many people have gone missing in this colossal store, but despite this you can find everything you've ever dreamt of for your home there.

Even though we wanted a little bit of everything, we stumbled upon little things we found kind of cute, like strangely-shaped ice cube trays, new curtains, and other trinkets. I even found some solar-powered desk lamps: the base of the lamp consisted of a solar panel that would charge up and then the light would work. I thought this was so innovative and really forward-looking: the average customer can already begin to make better choices at an affordable price.

One of the things I wanted to do for my social context class was buy and care for a plant. I found a baby plant and a tiny pot, and the whole thing cost about $3, so really affordable for what I was hoping to get. According to the label, I bought a Tropisk. It looks like it can be a really nice-looking plant (as far as nice-looking plants go) when it gets bigger, with long stems and wide green leaves (as seen on the right). The instructions for taking care of it call for light but not to place it in direct lighting, to let it go dry, then to basically flood it, and repeat. When I showed it to my dad, he suggested I call it Sven since I got it from Ikea. I liked the idea. Sven it is.

The watering method actually reminded me of drip irrigation. This entails watering crops in a specific way. You would wait for them to get dry, then give them ONLY the water necessarily for their survival. This saves water, and seeing as how the agricultural sector uses a huge amount of water, whether from wetlands or other communal water areas.

I was wondering how much of a difference houseplants can make on an air-filtering basis compared to trees. I did a little research and if I'm understanding the information correctly, the advantage of trees lies in the fact that they have more leaves. Trees and plants filter the air by converting CO2 into O2.

Let's take a look at an example. At rest, an average person consumes 53 liters of oxygen per hour. An average houseplant, if it has about 30 leaves, produces approximately 5 mililiters of oxygen per leaf. My plant has...13 leaves :(. It only produces 65 mililitres of oxygen per hour. I would need approximately 815 house plants to produce the amount of oxygen I would need in only one hour. To put things into a different light, one single tree would produce more oxygen in only one season than 10 people would inhale during the entire year. So advantage: trees. In other words, if I planted one tree now, and waited maybe 10 years for it to grow, it would produce, seasonally, enough oxygen for the four members in my family as well as my neighbour's to consume in one year.

Want to know more?

All images were found on Google.

Plant info: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/biology/bio027.htm

Tree info: http://forestry.about.com/od/forestandtreeuses/ss/trees_value_3.htm

Green Marketing1 - Vitamin Water

I think there is a new, important trend that is emerging, and that is green marketing. I define green marketing as selling a product to customers, and providing them with information on how to dispose of it after they finish it, or that a product is made of 60% recyclable plastic, or even that it will biodegrade in less than 5 years after its use is complete. People are more and more environmentally conscious, and hold forward-looking companies in high esteem.

I'm majoring in marketing and minoring in environment. I think I was always interested in business because I find there is more opportunity and more chance that I would make money (this is important to me, to be honest). The environment, on the other hand, has always been important to me in a different way. My mom always made us recycle when we were young, and the habit carried on with me until now. I'm very precise in what I recycle and throw away, and in what I waste, in my opinion. Like, I literally freak out if I see someone throw a paper in the trash bin. It seems unnatural, wrong, and I actually get mad.

So I figured I would couple the two and make a difference. There has got to be a way that I can change people's habits, or make people feel better about purchasing something that won't hurt their planet. I know one of the main drivers that makes me recycle, or make better environmental choices, is that I don't want to live in a degrading environment. When I'm only 50, I don't want to be obliged to walk around with an oxygen mask, or fight others for water, or only have two meals a day because there simply isn't enough food to go around. I don't want to contract serious illnesses because of a higher population. I know these scenarios are probably over-exaggerations, but I'm afraid of these outcomes, and I want and need to change them.

The most important and pending question I can think of, as a marketer and as an environmentalist, is how can we get people to want to be environmentally conscious?



For today's blog, I will be focusing on Vitamin Water. It's a flavoured water drink that's supposed to contain vitamins people usually don't get enough of. Despite the fact that is one of the most disappointing new hyped products I have tried in a long time, they advertise the recycling symbol on the bottom of the bottle in a great way. Next to the typical recycling symbol, it reads, "30 may be the new 20, but green is definitely the new black. please recycle."

First of all, all the lettering is in lowercase. This really gives and informal appeal to the ad, like it's speaking to us in a casual conversation. Next, "green is definitely the new black" makes recycling sound like the "it" thing to do, the hottest trend for today's modern person. This little sentence relates to people on a deeper, personal level. It makes you appreciate the creativity and entices you to make an effort and recycle the bottle. I think it's a great way of giving more space to the recycling logo on the bottle and I even think it can increase the chances of it actually being recycled.

Want to know more?
The image was retrieved from Google.
See more about Vitamin Water on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater?v=app_352976184252#!/vitaminwater?v=wall

Jello Shots: Mixing Awesome with Awesome

One of the things about social context that I really like is that it allows us to try things we never have before. So today's blog might not save the planet, nor may it change the way society works, but it will make the long weekend a hell of a lot funner.

I never had jello shots before and really wanted to try making some. It sounded pretty easy to do when I looked it up. You can see the full recipe here. Here's what it calls for:

What You'll Need
(Note: 1 cup = 8 ounces)

1. 6 ounces of Jello or gelatin mix (usually 1 large package) - Any flavor except sugar-free
2. 16 ounces of boiling water
3. 6 ounces of cold water
4. 20 small plastic cups or shot glasses
5. Mixing bowl 1
6. 10 ounces of 80-proof hard alcohol (cold).

Note: While vodka is the most common type of alcohol used in Jello shots, any type of hard liquor will do. See below for various Jello/alcohol flavor combinations.

How to Make a Jello Shot
-Pour the contents of your Jello packet into a large mixing bowl.
-Mix in the boiling water while stirring gently. Let it sit for a minute so that the gelatin can fully activate.
-Stir in the alcohol and cold water.
-Set up your small cups or shot glasses on a serving tray.
-Give each cup a small spray of cooking oil. This will help keep the Jello from sticking to the bottom.
-Pour the alcohol/jello/water mixture into the cups or glasses
-Place your tray of Jello shots in the refrigerator and let them cool for at least two hours.
-Remove from the fridge, serve and enjoy!

I changed the recipe a bit to fit whatever I had. I thought I had vodka but it ended up being gin. I bought two interesting sounding flavours of Jello: strawberry-kiwi and strawberry-banana. I decided to use the gin with the strawberry-kiwi one, and a bit of leftover rum with the strawberry-banana one (I called my mom and we rationalized that rum tastes good in fruity drinks so why wouldn't it work?).

Around two hours later, the liquids jellified inside the small bowl. I didn't use any plastic so as to not use plastic cups uselessly. I tried cutting the jello into squares but that was rather pointless, so I resorted to using spoons as our shot glasses. My test subjects were my boyfriend Anthony, and my mom.

So first, we started with the strawberry-kiwi gin shots. No joke, it smelled like Purell or Febreeze. They both gave me similar reactions, and when I tried it for myself, I understood why. Gin should neeeeever be used in these shots. Oh wow, it tasted the way I imagined Purell would. Then we tried the strawberry-banana rum jello shots. Oh God. It smelled better than the gin ones, but tasted soooo baaad. They were actually pretty strong. Anthony and my mom's facial expressions intensified and I laughed.

I enjoyed this experiment even though I will probably throw everything out. I never tried jello shots and figured it would be worth it to kill two birds with one stone and try to make them at the same time. It was really fast to make - aside from waiting for it to turn to jelly - and I took too much pleasure out of watching people try it. Next time I will definitely use vodka, and I might need to buy little shot cups if I don't want to serve people mush.

Want to know more?
Jello shot instructions: http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-a-jello-shot
All images were retrieved on Google.

1% for the Planet

One Percent for the Planet is, in my personal opinion, one of the most innovative environmental movements of recent times. There are currently almost 1,300 companies that donate 1% of their annual sales to non profit organizations that benefit positive environmental change. I even keep checking if they have job openings because I would love working with them somehow. I'm majoring in marketing and minoring in environment, and to deal with such a positive movement would truly be fulfilling. Here is a small clip of the company, explaining a little about how it works.

I think this video makes us feel like we can indirectly be donating to the environment by purchasing certain goods; munch on a Clif Bar, wear a Pantagonia, or go to a Jack Johnson concert. In the end it's the consumers that generate sales for the company, so really we're all working together!

Now, to me it seems that 1% of sales is a reasonable goal to achieve, but I'm not sure of the scale of things from a corporate point of view. I mean it is 1% from the revenue, not net income, so it might represent a bit of a high price for companies. Either way, I can't underline how much I love the whole concept. This would definitely be something I would donate to if I had my own company.

I first heard about One Percent for the Planet a while ago, but then again in one of my marketing classes last year. One group was presenting a small company's product, which happen to be high-scale reusable bags. They actually brought the entire class a bag so that already won big bonus points with me (I'm a sucker for free shit). Anyways, the bag company happened to be affiliated with One Percent for the Planet, which is fitting when I think about it. The bags sported the little 1% logo, and when I saw it I developed such a deep respect for the bag company.

My hope is that these logos spread and tattoo various products in various fields. I feel that 1% gives a sense of community to its members but also to the consumers who buy these members' products. It feels as though you are somehow contributing to saving the planet by buying something you want, like you are the indirect cause of bettering your environment.

In North America alone, there are 1,033 members. There is so much potential on this continent. But I also realized how ironic it is that the part of the world that is most responsible for climate change is the part that is spitting out the most members willing to help. When I was going through the list of the members, I noticed that there were a good handful from Canada. I didn't go through all of them since there are quite a few, but the assumption I make is that they are these little companies with few franchises who want to do some good, so they decided to help the environment. I have a hard time imagining that there are a lot of big Fortune 500 companies that have joined 1% (though there surely must be).

To finish I guess I would just have to say that I fully support One Percent for the Planet's mission, which is to create a healthier planet through nonprofit funding. I think the bulk of environmental change should come from corporations: either their are energy innefficient, their packaging is absurbly polluting, they are completely environmentally oblivious or careless, etc. These are the people that should be reaping the costs but who maintain a free-rider stance. The ethical, conscious, and modern 1,300 companies that have joined One Percent for the Planet are the ones that will make the difference. One percent of my own income will certainly not generate the same amount as one percent of the sales of a successful company. It's an oppotunity for companies in varrying fields to pull their money together to save the source that is actually providing them with their resources.

Want to know more?

The video was found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfnGOiFJUoo

The logo was found on Google.

Other information was found on One Percent for the Planet's site: http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/

Makeup Conclusion: Less is More

Today marks the end of my makeup experiment. So: Natural vs Makeup? It consisted of wearing makeup everyday for a week, and seeing how I felt at the end of it. I have to admit that I really got back into the habit of putting on makeup every morning rather quickly. I became more used to putting everything on than I did when I first started the experiment. I also noticed that once I got more into it, I’d experiment more, or use different colours.

There’s one thing I would have changed about my experiment had I had the time. For one, my mom would sometimes take my face in her hands and say, “Are you wearing any makeup?” She suggested I actually wear a lot of makeup and see how that goes, but I didn’t feel entirely comfortable doing so. She didn’t think I had put on enough, so I would try putting on a little more next time.

Honestly I don’t even think it was a very noticeable change. When I explained my experiment to two guy friends, both gave me blank stares. The makeup wasn’t showing enough for it to be a big change. My dad and brother hadn’t noticed a difference either, and I hadn’t seen my boyfriend enough this week for him to see it and compare, but I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t have noticed anything. It’s a guy thing, you see.

Putting on a face every day was a bit of a chore, but I was surprisingly dedicated to not skipping a day. Even on the days where I wouldn’t feel well, I’d still put on something. I guess in some ways getting dolled up is kind of fun; I felt cute, nothing special, but a little different. I was also able to put my guilt aside about feeling shallow for wearing makeup, rationalizing that it was actually for school, for an experiment. I also think I noticed that people would look at me when they spoke to me instead of away. I’m saying that I think I did because it’s possible that this has always been the case but that I just felt as though they did because I had stuff plastered to my face. There have been no big behavioural changes on my part, nor on that of the people I have dealt with as of late (that I noticed).

Taking off the makeup was more annoying than putting it on. I had to use makeup remover stuff, which was really thick, and I just scrapped everything off. Even then, though, there would be remnants of mascara that would stay stuck to my eyes and I couldn’t get it off properly. It would also prevent me from going to bed right away; I had to be responsible and take everything off so my eyelids wouldn’t be glued together the next morning.

Overall, I did not notice a big difference. I was a nice little challenge but that’s about the extent of things. I maybe felt as though people listened to me more, but I only think it’s because I had my experiment on my mind and thought I could notice more. I’ve come to realize that makeup doesn’t really mean much to me, nor do I have much interest in it.

The image is from Google, and it was for Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.

Jog for my blog

Ahh, the awesome shape joggers are in. Now that's something to be jealous about. Their incredible endurance, their seemingly professional and serious exterior. Jogging, an excellent way to stay in shape and an outlet to concentrate all one's stress into. The trim body and the calves of steel, incredible!

And yet completeeeelyyy unattainable.

Just went jogging. What the hell was that?? I feel like the universe just made me its bitch.

I woke up this morning feeling good about the idea of going jogging. I haven't gone jogging in months, and quite frankly I kind of miss that satisfying exhaustion one feels after a good run. So I put on an old t-shirt and soccer shorts and shoes, grabbed my iPod, put on some Ludacris, and left my cell and keys at home. I left through the garage, stretched quickly, and was on my way.

It was going pretty well for the first let's say 4 minutes. It's not too hot today, not too windy, and best of all, not very many people were outside. I was initially intending on jogging at home on the treadmill, but when I went downstairs it was surrounded by stuff, and I didn't feel like moving everything. I also rationalized that I would save energy if I jogged outside. So there I was, running to the beat of a song, and things were going rather well. Obviously certain weaknesses appeared more readily than others, notably my breathing increased really quickly, as did my heart rate.

Anyways, I kept going. I passed a couple of people and looked down when I did. I really wanted to jog at home. To be honest I was really embarrassed to run in front of people when I hadn't in so long. I didn't wanna look as exhausted as I felt. I hit the ten minute mark and then I started having a sharp pain in my stomach and felt dizzy so I slowed to a walk. I was half way into my run, which also meant I was at the furthest point away from home.

So, stomach hurting, dizziness. I walked home and tried to do so quickly. I was sooo tired and just focused on dragging my ass home. I tried opening the garage and it wouldn't open and I got mad. Finally it did though, and I walked in, lied down on the couch , and quite frankly almost fell asleep. I was exhausted and disappointed.

In any case, I plan to try jogging again. I want a healthier lifestyle, and I miss being active. I think I'm going to jog at home next time though, to avoid walking home again. Maybe I'll be able to adjust the settings on the treadmill so I can get back into it gradually despite the pace I THINK I should be going at. I need a lot more time to get into this than I thought, sadly. But I'll definitely try it again. Imagine if our entire society jogged! Just millions of sporty men and women in great shape keeping up healthy habits. It is an encouraging thought.

All of the images are from Google.