I know we yoginis probably all struggle with some form of this. It's pervasive, influences our everyday actions whether we're conscious of that little voice or not. We've been indoctrinated from such an early age by our culture and society that it's difficult to even recognize that it's there.
Our image of how we perceive our "Self".
With this I mean our internal and external Self. I know the two are separate entities, but I feel personally that it's naive to assume we can realistically separate something so intertwined with how we're taught to view who we are- our image. When asked to describe ourselves, how many of us automatically include age, hair colour, eye colour and perhaps under our breath weight, to the mix? In a time when obesity is becoming the topic of the day, the challenge of fighting unhealthy body image and "diet industry" mores has become more complex.
I was reminded recently about the connection and at this time apparent disconnect, of yoga and health and our expectations of what a yoga instructor "should" look like. I was reminded that I have that cookie cutter type mold that I measure yoga instructors by- an unconscious little mold that I was unaware existed until I thought "hmph, how can she be a yoga instructor when she looks too thin to be healthy?"
Trying to live a planet compassionate life includes a lot of thinking about food. Where it comes from, how it's processed (or preferably not processed). Often the level of processing involved will dictate the amount of "eco-guilt" I feel. It's something I work on as my personal growth, letting go of the eco-guilt while still trying to accomplish a level of environmental responsibility.
Trying to live a yoga-compassionate life also includes quite a bit of talk around eating and food. We talk about practicing yoga to improve the health of muscles, bones and organs. We talk about when to eat (not two hours before practice!), which postures to help with our digestive system and weight loss. There's talk about treating our bodies like a "temple", putting certain food types in to nourish a healthy body and mind. This includes cleanses that sound pretty darn scary (only drinking smoothies for a week) and analyzing our diet through the lens of our dosha constitution. Then there's the whole discussion around meat and vegetarianism-veganism and ahimsa. I've found that compared to other disciplines or physical/spiritual practices, yoga has quite a large portion that is dedicated to food and eating.
Speaking strictly for myself, and my personal struggles with body image and weight, all this focus on food and eating can spiral into something destructive and harmful. Research has shown that simply the act of talking and analyzing food and eating can bring about symptoms of disordered eating. I can recognize that this is an extremely personal thing.
As my practice increases I notice that my body changes, muscles grown in my arms and my back, my legs and belly get stronger and leaner and I *know* that I am stronger and healthier. With this comes more exposure to "yoga food speak"; I attend more classes, read more about yoga and am exposed more to "proper healthy" yoga eating. Appropriate food for my dosha. I become more aware of my physical body which in turn leads to increased awareness on what I do to my body. What I eat. I get caught up in the vortex of yogic-food speak and cleanses start to sound almost appealing.
Add in a good dose of eco-food speak and you get some pretty disordered thoughts about my body and my eating habits.
I'm not writing all this as a means of judgment on Yoga as a practice, nor as a "feel bad for me" post. It's more of an observation and an overshare. I can't be alone in experiencing this.... can I?
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Needing some help on the eco-kitten front!
Since rescuing our little bundle of devilish "joy" Atreyu from the SPCA, I have recognized (even though I had a smidgeon of a hint prior to) that being eco-friendly with pets is difficult. I've also realized that practicing yoga with Atreyu really isn't that difficult- it seems yoga scares the crap out of him while at the same time he is irresistibly drawn to my rubber prAna mat.
As a premature kitten who actually had to be incubated away from his mother, Atreyu was kinda litter box deficient. Which meant that for weeks we had to keep it uncovered (ew!) and in the middle of our living room in plain view. Yay watching a kitten pee and poo! We have now migrated to the corner of the living room, but he can't seem to figure out how to use the litter box properly with a cover.
Finding litter that is truly eco-friendly at the detriment of perhaps having poo and litter all over the house (the risk you take if your cat is litter box-handicapped) has been kiboshed. I know. I am lame- we've stuck with the "pine" litter even though I know there is no way straight up pine could magically clump. Some chemicals are obviously in there.
We've also been changing the litter by.... GASP.... throwing the litter in a plastic bag and dumping it. This seriously makes me want to vomit just a little bit every time. It goes against everything we've tried so hard to change in our lives. Sadly, I have no idea how to get around this one, since our municipal composting facility won't accept litter. BOO.
Even though he's been pretty sickly- a sneezing machine spewing cat goobers all over (including my macbook screen... ewwwww), Mr. Kitten sure does drink his water. Thanks to an energy sucking little fountain that we have to leave running all.the.time. Supposedly the common thought is that cats don't like to drink a lot of water and as a result get little crystal in their digestive tracts. Which is in fact false, cats just don't like to drink from still water sources. Give them a running water source and they go nuts. Atreyu drinks on average about a cup of water a day. He may have uncurable respiratory illness, but he sure is hydrated! I hate the fountain's use of energy, but he just drinks so much water...
On a behavioural view, Atreyu has been a bit on the extra wild side. He likes to chew everything... especially metal. Our first vet actually scolded us as bad kitten parents because he was "so mouthy". As if we weren't spraying him with water every two seconds, because that's how often he play-bites us. No claws, he can keep those in. Can't seem to retract his teeth though. Bah. It's not even like he doesn't like humans, he's constantly wanting to be wherever we are... bathroom, kitchen, living room...he's a social cat. So now I have to actually warn guests- like an embarrassed parent- "Don't pet him, he bites".
Three things we've managed to do well on this Eco-Kitten Journey; food, toys and sleeping through the night. Andrew was adamant that Kitten not have access to the bedroom at night, so right from day one he was shut out in his Kingdom; the living room. Now he really prefers hanging out in Atreyuland to hanging out with us (plus a friend stayed over once and after one night claimed Atreyu tried to lick her eyeballs all night...).
We feed Atreyu Orijins cat food, made in Canada from sustainably sourced, minimal synthetic ingredients. (Acana is owned by the same company). I guess cats shouldn't be eating grain, who knew? Orijins actually states the percentage of protein, vegetables and grain in their food, which we still weigh out twice a day (he gets an amount depending on his age and current weight. yep we're anal kitten parents). Our cat probably eats less chemicals than we do.
Toys are actually the easiest. Atreyu's favourite toys have been a paper bag from Love,Me Boutique (which is fantastic for more than their cat friendly bags!) and a random ribbon. We've been blessed with awesome equally cat-obsessed friends who have given Atreyu toy hand me downs that their cats are no longer interested in. He adores them.
So, anyone have any suggestions to help with our litter-plasticbagtoawayland issue? How do you try to minimize your pet's footprint?
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
(I am in attack mode- I will get my humans!!!, yes i do the voice over)
Finding litter that is truly eco-friendly at the detriment of perhaps having poo and litter all over the house (the risk you take if your cat is litter box-handicapped) has been kiboshed. I know. I am lame- we've stuck with the "pine" litter even though I know there is no way straight up pine could magically clump. Some chemicals are obviously in there.
We've also been changing the litter by.... GASP.... throwing the litter in a plastic bag and dumping it. This seriously makes me want to vomit just a little bit every time. It goes against everything we've tried so hard to change in our lives. Sadly, I have no idea how to get around this one, since our municipal composting facility won't accept litter. BOO.
Even though he's been pretty sickly- a sneezing machine spewing cat goobers all over (including my macbook screen... ewwwww), Mr. Kitten sure does drink his water. Thanks to an energy sucking little fountain that we have to leave running all.the.time. Supposedly the common thought is that cats don't like to drink a lot of water and as a result get little crystal in their digestive tracts. Which is in fact false, cats just don't like to drink from still water sources. Give them a running water source and they go nuts. Atreyu drinks on average about a cup of water a day. He may have uncurable respiratory illness, but he sure is hydrated! I hate the fountain's use of energy, but he just drinks so much water...
(although he likes to check to make sure nothing has changed in the toilet, he never tries to drink)
Three things we've managed to do well on this Eco-Kitten Journey; food, toys and sleeping through the night. Andrew was adamant that Kitten not have access to the bedroom at night, so right from day one he was shut out in his Kingdom; the living room. Now he really prefers hanging out in Atreyuland to hanging out with us (plus a friend stayed over once and after one night claimed Atreyu tried to lick her eyeballs all night...).
We feed Atreyu Orijins cat food, made in Canada from sustainably sourced, minimal synthetic ingredients. (Acana is owned by the same company). I guess cats shouldn't be eating grain, who knew? Orijins actually states the percentage of protein, vegetables and grain in their food, which we still weigh out twice a day (he gets an amount depending on his age and current weight. yep we're anal kitten parents). Our cat probably eats less chemicals than we do.
Toys are actually the easiest. Atreyu's favourite toys have been a paper bag from Love,Me Boutique (which is fantastic for more than their cat friendly bags!) and a random ribbon. We've been blessed with awesome equally cat-obsessed friends who have given Atreyu toy hand me downs that their cats are no longer interested in. He adores them.
So, anyone have any suggestions to help with our litter-plasticbagtoawayland issue? How do you try to minimize your pet's footprint?
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Halloween Yoga+ Spooky Links!
I heart Halloween.... very much. I always have, it's my absolute favourite holiday of the entire year. I'm not exactly sure why, and over the past few years attributed my love for Halloween to my recent discovery of my pagan leanings. After going through my childhood books I realized that even as a child I had disproportionately quite a few of Halloween, magic-y books. So... guess I've always loved Halloween.
It really has nothing to do with dressing up and getting candy; it has been about 10 years since I've lived somewhere that could receive trick or treaters (they are SO cute though!) or mummers (something that does happen off and on in rural Nova Scotia, but at Halloween not Christmas). I haven't gone out trick or treating since a teenager. I also despise dressing up in costume and am usually the "woodland pixie" or some ridiculousness.
Nope, Halloween is more than that for me. It truly is a magical time where briefly in our adult lives we celebrate all that is whimsical, otherworldly, magical and possible. It's a time to honour those who have passed and meditate on our past, present and future paths. In a time when it has been years since we believed in "make believe", Halloween allows a short period of reality suspension.
For myself, yoga practice really fits into this concept of the magical, the "other" as I spend my practice trying to connect with something invisible and abstract.
Thoughts on yoga practice during Halloween:
I do believe it is essential, if not any other time of the year but around Halloween, to create a sacred space. This doesn't necessarily have to involve lighting candles and invoking the elements, it could be something as simple as lighting one candle in memory of specific passed on loved ones and mindfully sweeping and tidying your chosen space.
Or, if you'd like to honour the four elements and Spirit, carefully set up five candles, one at each direction representing Earth, Fire, Water, Air and one in the centre to honour Spirit (after you've tidied your space). As you light each candle quietly thank the assigned element as you inhale and ground your body into this space and life. Upon lighting the final candle in the middle, thank Spirit for those who were a part of your life, sending Light and Love their way.
After a few moments, carefully thank each element and sending the energy out with each exhale as you blow out each candle, ending with Spirit. You are now ready for a Halloween Yoga practice!
Choosing the sequence that will help you focus your mind and body (whether this a flow or yin practice- choosing what is best for you) choosing to dedicate your practice to those that have gone and those who remain. It's best if you practice sans dvd or external voice as quiet will help your mind focus inward. When you're finished your practice, take a moment to again thank Spirit for your practice. Halloween Yoga Success!
Thoughts on Halloween and the Environment:
Sadly, as with all other holidays, Halloween comes with a ridiculous amount of marketing, consumerism, plastic plastic plastic. Ick. I would say that Halloween is probably the only holiday where I look at the cheesy, plastic crap decorations wistfully. If I didn't give a rats bum about the environment I would be the weirdo lady with sparkly black skulls, blinking orange and black lights and boo-ing ghosts strung up from every wall and ceiling space.
This year Andrew and I have decided on hosting a Halloween "gathering" since party-ing is a bit too much after the wedding. It's especially fun since my birthday was just on October 25th and no actual party was had. Since I hate dressing up and refuse to "create" a costume (cuz I'm lazy and not crafty) and can't just buy a bunch of cool ready made sparkly decorations- I needed something special. Determined not to spend any money, I've plans to transform saved boxes and styrofoam into tombstones and creepy objects along with left over candles and tarot readings! Halloween eco-fun, here we come!
A few bloggy-peeps have been writing fabulous posts recently about different ideas for a compassionate, plastic-free Halloween. My favourites are:
A Green Spell's Two Parter "Establishing Family-Focused, Compassionate Halloween Traditions". In these posts you'll find ideas about nourishing family traditions such as watching fun Halloween movies (I love Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic) and a fantastic account of how to honour those passed by making a "dumb supper".
I'm also enjoying homemade decorations such as My World Edenwild's twig broom and Fake Plastic Fish's plastic-free options!
Face Paint and Halloween by Domestic Witch has some pretty scary facts combined with a fantastic eco-friendly alternative! Yay!
I love this post on "The Secret Life of an American Witch"'s blog about the week before Halloween and her weekly tarot card- Temperance.
This guest post over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom (awesome blog btw) by Herb Mother provides great info on herbs and the Day of the Dead, November 1st (and a really fun herb-bread combination!).
I hope this All Hallow's Eve finds you all well and connected with our Planet my EcoYogi(ni)s!
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
An awesome pumpkin we saw last year on Halloween
Nope, Halloween is more than that for me. It truly is a magical time where briefly in our adult lives we celebrate all that is whimsical, otherworldly, magical and possible. It's a time to honour those who have passed and meditate on our past, present and future paths. In a time when it has been years since we believed in "make believe", Halloween allows a short period of reality suspension.
For myself, yoga practice really fits into this concept of the magical, the "other" as I spend my practice trying to connect with something invisible and abstract.
Thoughts on yoga practice during Halloween:
I do believe it is essential, if not any other time of the year but around Halloween, to create a sacred space. This doesn't necessarily have to involve lighting candles and invoking the elements, it could be something as simple as lighting one candle in memory of specific passed on loved ones and mindfully sweeping and tidying your chosen space.
Or, if you'd like to honour the four elements and Spirit, carefully set up five candles, one at each direction representing Earth, Fire, Water, Air and one in the centre to honour Spirit (after you've tidied your space). As you light each candle quietly thank the assigned element as you inhale and ground your body into this space and life. Upon lighting the final candle in the middle, thank Spirit for those who were a part of your life, sending Light and Love their way.
After a few moments, carefully thank each element and sending the energy out with each exhale as you blow out each candle, ending with Spirit. You are now ready for a Halloween Yoga practice!
Choosing the sequence that will help you focus your mind and body (whether this a flow or yin practice- choosing what is best for you) choosing to dedicate your practice to those that have gone and those who remain. It's best if you practice sans dvd or external voice as quiet will help your mind focus inward. When you're finished your practice, take a moment to again thank Spirit for your practice. Halloween Yoga Success!
Thoughts on Halloween and the Environment:
Sadly, as with all other holidays, Halloween comes with a ridiculous amount of marketing, consumerism, plastic plastic plastic. Ick. I would say that Halloween is probably the only holiday where I look at the cheesy, plastic crap decorations wistfully. If I didn't give a rats bum about the environment I would be the weirdo lady with sparkly black skulls, blinking orange and black lights and boo-ing ghosts strung up from every wall and ceiling space.
My "lazy costume": eyeliner and makeup+ sash and green dress=crazy woodland faery...lol
This year Andrew and I have decided on hosting a Halloween "gathering" since party-ing is a bit too much after the wedding. It's especially fun since my birthday was just on October 25th and no actual party was had. Since I hate dressing up and refuse to "create" a costume (cuz I'm lazy and not crafty) and can't just buy a bunch of cool ready made sparkly decorations- I needed something special. Determined not to spend any money, I've plans to transform saved boxes and styrofoam into tombstones and creepy objects along with left over candles and tarot readings! Halloween eco-fun, here we come!
A few bloggy-peeps have been writing fabulous posts recently about different ideas for a compassionate, plastic-free Halloween. My favourites are:
A Green Spell's Two Parter "Establishing Family-Focused, Compassionate Halloween Traditions". In these posts you'll find ideas about nourishing family traditions such as watching fun Halloween movies (I love Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic) and a fantastic account of how to honour those passed by making a "dumb supper".
I'm also enjoying homemade decorations such as My World Edenwild's twig broom and Fake Plastic Fish's plastic-free options!
Face Paint and Halloween by Domestic Witch has some pretty scary facts combined with a fantastic eco-friendly alternative! Yay!
I love this post on "The Secret Life of an American Witch"'s blog about the week before Halloween and her weekly tarot card- Temperance.
This guest post over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom (awesome blog btw) by Herb Mother provides great info on herbs and the Day of the Dead, November 1st (and a really fun herb-bread combination!).
I hope this All Hallow's Eve finds you all well and connected with our Planet my EcoYogi(ni)s!
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saying 'No' to Misleading Cosmetic Certification
I walked into Lush today and was alone in my ventures. Why? Because the rest of our crew cannot handle the strong scents in the self proclaimed 'natural' store. Yep, I walked straight over to the shampoo section... hoping for something natural to pop out and say 'Pick Me!'.
You'd think choosing a natural alternative for cosmetics would be straightforward, but spend a few seconds closely reading the ingredient list in any Natural Health food store and you're in for a nasty surprise. Lush does have the odd synthetic-ingredient free product but I really wasn't in the mood to read every single tiny, barely legible label in the store. So I asked... and was kinda the annoying customer on this one. When she asked me to specify what I meant by 'clean', I chose a shampoo bottle and started reading some of the synthetic and sketchy chemical ingredients- 'anything without these?' She pointed me to a few that had less, but I pointed out that I really wasn't in the mood for a half a** job here, go eco or go home.
Bottom line, I went home.
Here's the problem. Labels like 'natural', 'organic', or environmentally friendly really mean jack sh*. when it comes to the beauty industry. Women slather a ridiculous amount of products every day, so you'd think the industry would be more closely regulated. Ah no.
According to Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database, the FDA has been quoted 'FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before manufacturing....' and '... a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA...' (FDA 1995 as quoted on Skin Deep). They've also found that the Cosmetics Ingredient Review has only reviewed 13% of the 10,500 ingredients over the past 30 years for safety... which means that nearly 90% of all cosmetic products have not been evaluated for safety. Nice.
Even labeling is pretty wonky and can be misleading. Take 'Ecocert' certification labeling. To qualify for a certified organic labeling products only need to contain 10% certified organic ingredients by weight. Wow. Even though Ecocert has other fabulous aspects like not allowing testing on animals or the majority of ingredients by natural origin (um, whatever that means), when you see a shiny label saying 'certified organic by Ecocert' do you think only 10%? (Adria Vasil, Ecoholic).
Some exciting news though? Whole Foods will be requiring all cosmetic products with a claim of 'organic' to be certified through USDA certification by next year... or their product won't be carried in the store. USDA organic certification requires that at least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic by food grade standards. So companies like 'Avalon Organics' or 'Giovanni Organic Hair Care' can't just have that as their name anymore without certification to back it up. Yay for us the consumers!
Even though I know I was the annoying customer in Lush today, I really think that things won't change until we talk with our moneys. It's not unreasonable to say 'I'm not ok with misleading greenwashing silliness- I care about what I put in and on my body' and standing firm. No ingredient list? Ask for one, and walk away if they aren't willing to provide you with one. The shorter the ingredient list, the better. If you don't feel comfortable or understand the ingredients on the list, don't feel embarrassed or bullied into buying it.
Come on EcoYogi(ni)s! I support you! :)
You'd think choosing a natural alternative for cosmetics would be straightforward, but spend a few seconds closely reading the ingredient list in any Natural Health food store and you're in for a nasty surprise. Lush does have the odd synthetic-ingredient free product but I really wasn't in the mood to read every single tiny, barely legible label in the store. So I asked... and was kinda the annoying customer on this one. When she asked me to specify what I meant by 'clean', I chose a shampoo bottle and started reading some of the synthetic and sketchy chemical ingredients- 'anything without these?' She pointed me to a few that had less, but I pointed out that I really wasn't in the mood for a half a** job here, go eco or go home.
Bottom line, I went home.
Here's the problem. Labels like 'natural', 'organic', or environmentally friendly really mean jack sh*. when it comes to the beauty industry. Women slather a ridiculous amount of products every day, so you'd think the industry would be more closely regulated. Ah no.
According to Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database, the FDA has been quoted 'FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before manufacturing....' and '... a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA...' (FDA 1995 as quoted on Skin Deep). They've also found that the Cosmetics Ingredient Review has only reviewed 13% of the 10,500 ingredients over the past 30 years for safety... which means that nearly 90% of all cosmetic products have not been evaluated for safety. Nice.
Even labeling is pretty wonky and can be misleading. Take 'Ecocert' certification labeling. To qualify for a certified organic labeling products only need to contain 10% certified organic ingredients by weight. Wow. Even though Ecocert has other fabulous aspects like not allowing testing on animals or the majority of ingredients by natural origin (um, whatever that means), when you see a shiny label saying 'certified organic by Ecocert' do you think only 10%? (Adria Vasil, Ecoholic).
Some exciting news though? Whole Foods will be requiring all cosmetic products with a claim of 'organic' to be certified through USDA certification by next year... or their product won't be carried in the store. USDA organic certification requires that at least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic by food grade standards. So companies like 'Avalon Organics' or 'Giovanni Organic Hair Care' can't just have that as their name anymore without certification to back it up. Yay for us the consumers!
Even though I know I was the annoying customer in Lush today, I really think that things won't change until we talk with our moneys. It's not unreasonable to say 'I'm not ok with misleading greenwashing silliness- I care about what I put in and on my body' and standing firm. No ingredient list? Ask for one, and walk away if they aren't willing to provide you with one. The shorter the ingredient list, the better. If you don't feel comfortable or understand the ingredients on the list, don't feel embarrassed or bullied into buying it.
Come on EcoYogi(ni)s! I support you! :)
Friday, October 22, 2010
Alberta will 'Tell it Like it Is' via Pro-Oil Commercials
We now have a television. After two years sans tv, Andrew has finally won the battle- we compromised at a 37 inch (seriously, our first marital compromise). It stays off for the majority of the time, but we have discovered magical cable hook-up.... which means commercials. Which is the starting point to this post.
Have you seen the pro-oil sands commercials lately, fellow Canadians?? I almost spit out my coffee the first time I saw one. I think I actually told the tv to eff off. These commercials have 'everyday' working folks, like you and me (hah), talking about how proud they are to be working for Alberta oilsands, a company that is harvesting energy responsibly. Cue happy music and environmental backlash.
You know what's really sad about these commercials? They're funded by the government of Alberta. Go unbiased provincial representatives! Woo!
The website has a whole slew of 'The real story behind Alberta's tar sands' from videos of cultural and environmental sensitivity to 'facts' and 'statistics' stating that No really, we're not the bad guys here! It's scary and makes me throw up just a little... in my mouth.
I suppose we can't truly expect a province's government officials to be unbiased about a venture that brings in BILLIONS of dollars each year in revenue. Which also follows that their website isn't going to be the most trustworthy resource of non-manipulated 'facts' and information. The province of Alberta has an invested interest in keeping the tar sands (sorry 'oilsands') running and convincing people that they really aren't that big of a deal.
If the oil sands really aren't that harmful, then other people should be saying the same thing right? Let's go have a look-see!
David Suzuki Foundation.
He has quite a lot to say about the tar sands, all of it not so rosy. According to their site over 600 square km have already been cleared, mined or disturbed and one-fifth of Alberta's landmass is already leased for further bitumen mining. This stuff makes up approximately 10% of sand extracted and requires around two tons of sand for ONE barrel of crude oil. Average emissions for oil sand extraction and upgrading (per barrel) are 3.2 to 4.5 times greater than for conventional crude oil.
On average 1.5 barrels of a processed substance of water, clay, sand and contaminants is generated for every 1 barrel of bitumen produced and 200 million litres of it gets dumped into tailing ponds every day. Currently the area for these ponds is 130 square km, projected increase to 310 by the year 2040. We've got local First Nations people suffering from higher rates of cancer, contaminated rivers that supply the rest of Alberta, oil sands that produce 5% of Canada's total carbon footprint and impacted forest and waterfowl (Stop the Tar Sands! David Suzuki Sept 2010).
World Wildlife Fund.
According to the WWF, the Alberta tar sands are the highest rising source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. They go on to state that mining and processing the bitumen produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars on the road in Canada... and it's expected to triple or quadruple over the next 20 years (great). Although clean water is one of Canada's largest natural resource, huge quantities of it are used to process the bitumen extracted (Tar Sands Impact-WWF).
Greenpeace Canada.
According to Greenpeace, along with the above mentioned information, the tar sands use more water than a city of 2 billion people every day... with a runoff of 11 million litres of contaminated run off per day in local waterways. Awesome. Further, according to Greenpeace, 3 out of 4 jobs created by the tar sands are in construction and once the job is finished those jobs disappear....
Tar Sands; Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. (2009)
According to Andrew Nikiforuk, author, approximately 50% of Canada's energy comes from the Alberta oil sands and that over the course of 10 years Canada has quietly become a petro-state. He states that the huge political and economical dependence on the tar sands has impacted our dollar (2 billion barrels of oil get shipped south to the USA daily) and as a result our efforts to fight climate change. Any sort of climate change national statement is simply a token offer... not a serious effort so long as we continue on the Tar Sand bandwagon. He argues that without Canadians actively engaging our government officials about the tar sands, the government will act like oil executives and not our governmental leaders. Check out his website for fabulous key documents and
(I especially like his response to accusations from the Energy Resources Conservation Board- BAM).
Currently we are 4-1 on the Tar Sands=Bad Bad Bad. Hmmm... my four resources are not funded by oil companies while the Alberta Government is. I wonder who I'll choose to believe?
We so desperately want our energy issues and climate change to be an easy quick fix without any sort of life changes required on our part. Unfortunately, we need to take a step back and start making those changes ourselves, demanding that our government work for us and critically analyzing anything claiming to be a disposable, quick fix. We can do this together, just don't let that greenwashing get to ya.
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Have you seen the pro-oil sands commercials lately, fellow Canadians?? I almost spit out my coffee the first time I saw one. I think I actually told the tv to eff off. These commercials have 'everyday' working folks, like you and me (hah), talking about how proud they are to be working for Alberta oilsands, a company that is harvesting energy responsibly. Cue happy music and environmental backlash.
(credit: Rainforest Action Network via Flickr)
You know what's really sad about these commercials? They're funded by the government of Alberta. Go unbiased provincial representatives! Woo!
The website has a whole slew of 'The real story behind Alberta's tar sands' from videos of cultural and environmental sensitivity to 'facts' and 'statistics' stating that No really, we're not the bad guys here! It's scary and makes me throw up just a little... in my mouth.
I suppose we can't truly expect a province's government officials to be unbiased about a venture that brings in BILLIONS of dollars each year in revenue. Which also follows that their website isn't going to be the most trustworthy resource of non-manipulated 'facts' and information. The province of Alberta has an invested interest in keeping the tar sands (sorry 'oilsands') running and convincing people that they really aren't that big of a deal.
If the oil sands really aren't that harmful, then other people should be saying the same thing right? Let's go have a look-see!
David Suzuki Foundation.
He has quite a lot to say about the tar sands, all of it not so rosy. According to their site over 600 square km have already been cleared, mined or disturbed and one-fifth of Alberta's landmass is already leased for further bitumen mining. This stuff makes up approximately 10% of sand extracted and requires around two tons of sand for ONE barrel of crude oil. Average emissions for oil sand extraction and upgrading (per barrel) are 3.2 to 4.5 times greater than for conventional crude oil.
On average 1.5 barrels of a processed substance of water, clay, sand and contaminants is generated for every 1 barrel of bitumen produced and 200 million litres of it gets dumped into tailing ponds every day. Currently the area for these ponds is 130 square km, projected increase to 310 by the year 2040. We've got local First Nations people suffering from higher rates of cancer, contaminated rivers that supply the rest of Alberta, oil sands that produce 5% of Canada's total carbon footprint and impacted forest and waterfowl (Stop the Tar Sands! David Suzuki Sept 2010).
World Wildlife Fund.
According to the WWF, the Alberta tar sands are the highest rising source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. They go on to state that mining and processing the bitumen produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars on the road in Canada... and it's expected to triple or quadruple over the next 20 years (great). Although clean water is one of Canada's largest natural resource, huge quantities of it are used to process the bitumen extracted (Tar Sands Impact-WWF).
Greenpeace Canada.
According to Greenpeace, along with the above mentioned information, the tar sands use more water than a city of 2 billion people every day... with a runoff of 11 million litres of contaminated run off per day in local waterways. Awesome. Further, according to Greenpeace, 3 out of 4 jobs created by the tar sands are in construction and once the job is finished those jobs disappear....
Tar Sands; Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. (2009)
According to Andrew Nikiforuk, author, approximately 50% of Canada's energy comes from the Alberta oil sands and that over the course of 10 years Canada has quietly become a petro-state. He states that the huge political and economical dependence on the tar sands has impacted our dollar (2 billion barrels of oil get shipped south to the USA daily) and as a result our efforts to fight climate change. Any sort of climate change national statement is simply a token offer... not a serious effort so long as we continue on the Tar Sand bandwagon. He argues that without Canadians actively engaging our government officials about the tar sands, the government will act like oil executives and not our governmental leaders. Check out his website for fabulous key documents and
(I especially like his response to accusations from the Energy Resources Conservation Board- BAM).
Currently we are 4-1 on the Tar Sands=Bad Bad Bad. Hmmm... my four resources are not funded by oil companies while the Alberta Government is. I wonder who I'll choose to believe?
We so desperately want our energy issues and climate change to be an easy quick fix without any sort of life changes required on our part. Unfortunately, we need to take a step back and start making those changes ourselves, demanding that our government work for us and critically analyzing anything claiming to be a disposable, quick fix. We can do this together, just don't let that greenwashing get to ya.
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 21, 2010
My Favourite Moments
My favourite part?
This. The ceremony. We had huge grins from the moment I walked down.
Reading our vows to each other. I will always remember *that* moment.
10 minutes alone together immediately after becoming husband and wife.
My dad giving his speech and crying the entire way through.
Breaking my Tante and Uncle's crystal wedding knife on our locally made organic chocolate cake. (OMG).
We are MARRIED!!! WOOT!
Happy Full Moon eco-yogi(ni)s!
photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Final Count Down and Eco-Recap on this Wedding
T-minus one sleep until wedding weekend, 54 hours (as of right now) until we say 'I do'....
So I need to confess that the next few weeks may be a bit sparse on the posting. Although we don't have the big bucks for a honeymoon, a stay-neymoon is what's in the books.... and I'll be honest, after the ridiculously terrible experience this planning has been so far we'll need it.
So, our last 'eco' count on what we managed to do to make our wedding as low-footprint as we could...
- out of town eco-packages: homemade organic granola (with fair trade organic chocolate yum!) that I made last weekend, fair trade organic coffee from JustUs! both things that are in small mason jars we picked up from Value Village and friends. A local free newspaper, the Coast, apples and pears I bought from a local farmer at the farmer's market.
- minimal rsvps, rest by email (which actually didn't work.... phone calls were made)
- flowers are being picked up by the BTA (Bridal Team of Awesomeness) tomorrow from a local flower grower dude. I'm making my own bouquet (cannot wait!)
- ceremony decorations include Value Village ginormous mason jar finds with beeswax candles that the BTA and I made together.
- The Maid of Honour and Best Man are wearing clothing they already had... so no new 'never wear again' dresses or suits.
- our rings are both locally made and beautiful. (and conflict diamond free).
- The 'Guest Book' is a 'Guest Tree' that I painted and guests will put their thumb prints and sign their names as leaves with water-based paint. We're going to frame it afterwards.
- table decorations are wine bottles (choosing wine based on the shape and colour of the bottle really isn't the best idea for taste lol) local flowers and vintage frames bought at Value Village with pictures of us and places we've been together. The tables are named after those places (i.e. 'The Enderby Table, The New York Table').
- In lieu of favours we've donated to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of those in our families who are survivors and those who have passed. We have a framed (old frame from my childhood room) sign for this (on recycled paper).
- We also encouraged guests to donate to either the Canadian Cancer Society or the David Suzuki Foundation in our names instead of giving gifts. This has already happened from my coworkers- so just that makes it worth it.
- on that same theme, our 'game' to get us to kiss is guests will have to donate money in a mason jar to the Canadian Cancer Society. Hopefully we'll be able to raise even more money :)
- We're having yoga that morning, breakfast will include homemade muffins by friends, homemade bread by Andrew and homemade granola by moi :) my father is making lobster chowder from lobsters he's kept (alive in huge holding traps in the ocean) for lunch.
- The reception is a black box- the Chef went out shopping this week for local fresh ingredients that he'll use with our chosen protein- chicken (he emailed me last night to say how excited he was to do this! the hors will also be as local as possible).
- The wine served is all Nova Scotian and yummy.
- My mom made 6 apple pies from local apples and 6 pumpkin pies for dessert.
-The cake is made with fair trade organic ingredients by a local baker.
- We're playing RockBand after a bit of dancing (ok, not green, but I'm SO excited about it!)
-homemade gourmet s'mores that evening... probably inside since it's going to rain. but that's ok.
- The venue recycles and composts... and so do all the cottages. No paper or plastic plates or utensils, all will be 'real'.
ummmm. I think that's it. I think.... stuff is kinda blurring together on crunch time.
We're off today to buy an umbrella, as LOTS of rain is headed our way. Perhaps I'll buy some cute rubber boots- I need them to walk to work during rainy days anyway. A Nova Scotian wedding could not be complete without rain and fog.... and the ocean!
Much Light to you!! I'll miss you for a few weeks, but the rest is MUCH needed. :)
So I need to confess that the next few weeks may be a bit sparse on the posting. Although we don't have the big bucks for a honeymoon, a stay-neymoon is what's in the books.... and I'll be honest, after the ridiculously terrible experience this planning has been so far we'll need it.
So, our last 'eco' count on what we managed to do to make our wedding as low-footprint as we could...
- out of town eco-packages: homemade organic granola (with fair trade organic chocolate yum!) that I made last weekend, fair trade organic coffee from JustUs! both things that are in small mason jars we picked up from Value Village and friends. A local free newspaper, the Coast, apples and pears I bought from a local farmer at the farmer's market.
our coffee and granola!
- invitations: post consumer recycled paper printed at home and designed by yours truly :)- minimal rsvps, rest by email (which actually didn't work.... phone calls were made)
- flowers are being picked up by the BTA (Bridal Team of Awesomeness) tomorrow from a local flower grower dude. I'm making my own bouquet (cannot wait!)
- ceremony decorations include Value Village ginormous mason jar finds with beeswax candles that the BTA and I made together.
- The Maid of Honour and Best Man are wearing clothing they already had... so no new 'never wear again' dresses or suits.
- our rings are both locally made and beautiful. (and conflict diamond free).
- The 'Guest Book' is a 'Guest Tree' that I painted and guests will put their thumb prints and sign their names as leaves with water-based paint. We're going to frame it afterwards.
Our Guest Tree and the table Enderby frame with the recycled paper Enderby sign (and Kitten).
- In lieu of favours we've donated to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of those in our families who are survivors and those who have passed. We have a framed (old frame from my childhood room) sign for this (on recycled paper).
- We also encouraged guests to donate to either the Canadian Cancer Society or the David Suzuki Foundation in our names instead of giving gifts. This has already happened from my coworkers- so just that makes it worth it.
- on that same theme, our 'game' to get us to kiss is guests will have to donate money in a mason jar to the Canadian Cancer Society. Hopefully we'll be able to raise even more money :)
- We're having yoga that morning, breakfast will include homemade muffins by friends, homemade bread by Andrew and homemade granola by moi :) my father is making lobster chowder from lobsters he's kept (alive in huge holding traps in the ocean) for lunch.
- The reception is a black box- the Chef went out shopping this week for local fresh ingredients that he'll use with our chosen protein- chicken (he emailed me last night to say how excited he was to do this! the hors will also be as local as possible).
- The wine served is all Nova Scotian and yummy.
- My mom made 6 apple pies from local apples and 6 pumpkin pies for dessert.
-The cake is made with fair trade organic ingredients by a local baker.
- We're playing RockBand after a bit of dancing (ok, not green, but I'm SO excited about it!)
-homemade gourmet s'mores that evening... probably inside since it's going to rain. but that's ok.
- The venue recycles and composts... and so do all the cottages. No paper or plastic plates or utensils, all will be 'real'.
ummmm. I think that's it. I think.... stuff is kinda blurring together on crunch time.
We're off today to buy an umbrella, as LOTS of rain is headed our way. Perhaps I'll buy some cute rubber boots- I need them to walk to work during rainy days anyway. A Nova Scotian wedding could not be complete without rain and fog.... and the ocean!
Much Light to you!! I'll miss you for a few weeks, but the rest is MUCH needed. :)
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Eco-Shock; Blowing Children Up for the Planet
We interrupt my next two 'fire-water' element posts for this little bit of environmental and yogic frustration.
Have you heard of 10:10? It's a now international movement to decrease your carbon emissions by 10% over the entire year of 2010. I love the idea- it's fabulous to have a goal with a nice support structure to decrease our carbon emissions as a movement. I also think it's fantastic to start considering about carbon emissions in it's entirety instead of changing a light bulb here and there.
However. I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with their advertising tactic. 10:10 aired internet ads (not television I have to point out) a few weeks ago and there was such an outcry that they quickly pulled it. I'll give you the premise in case you don't really want to watch it, but in case....
The first one is the most shocking. A school teacher asks her students, in a very 'Monty Python' type attempt at humour, if they'd like to decrease carbon emissions... 'No pressure'. When two children don't volunteer, the teacher again claims 'no pressure!!' and before they leave the classroom she pulls out a box, pushes a button and the two children actually explode- blood and guts everywhere.
Ummm.
I find this type of advertising frustrating on a few levels. At the moment, the environmental movement isn't really 'cool' anymore... a rising level of backlash has been mounting, with the recession taking priority of 'doom and gloom' environmentalists. Also, there is an entire stigma attached to environmentalists, where quietly we're being portrayed as an 'us vs them' group. This ad, exploding children, one isn't funny, it's just gross, and two simply enforces the already growing backlash that environmentalists are 'us vs them'. Follow us or we'll just blow you up.
I also am just not a fan of gratuitous violence and gore. Never was. I happen to agree with the rising number of studies showing that becoming immune to violence on television (and the internet) can be damaging for our youth and social functioning.
Finally, a very interesting discussion around this video occurred on the French radio-cbc podcast- Christiane Charette recently. The commenter, an author of a book proclaiming the value of encouraging children to experience nature, indicated that more than any other movement, the 'green' movement is placing responsibility on our children to change the world. We're teaching our children how to recycle, how to turn off the taps, how to drive less and walk more. Our children are hearing about how our world can end from pollution, environmental leaders are shouting from the rooftops that we're ruining the world for our children. They grow up with this apocalyptic future of a pollution doomed planet hanging over their head.
At the same time 80% of our population lives in cities... away from nature and trees. An important theory postulates that children cannot wrap their heads around an amorphous thing called 'Earth' when they're never exposed to nature. Instead of encouraging our children to play outside, learn and explore in trees, dirt and bugs, we're telling them a completely alien world (to them) is ending. And expect them to care.
This advertising, if geared towards children or teens, totally misses the 'why' they should care and skips straight to catastrophic persuasion. With violence.
I'm sorry, but blowing up children just isn't cool.
10:10 has released a statement apologizing for the ad and indicating that they would be investigating as to what went wrong with the ad creation.
What do you think about the ad?
Have you heard of 10:10? It's a now international movement to decrease your carbon emissions by 10% over the entire year of 2010. I love the idea- it's fabulous to have a goal with a nice support structure to decrease our carbon emissions as a movement. I also think it's fantastic to start considering about carbon emissions in it's entirety instead of changing a light bulb here and there.
However. I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with their advertising tactic. 10:10 aired internet ads (not television I have to point out) a few weeks ago and there was such an outcry that they quickly pulled it. I'll give you the premise in case you don't really want to watch it, but in case....
The first one is the most shocking. A school teacher asks her students, in a very 'Monty Python' type attempt at humour, if they'd like to decrease carbon emissions... 'No pressure'. When two children don't volunteer, the teacher again claims 'no pressure!!' and before they leave the classroom she pulls out a box, pushes a button and the two children actually explode- blood and guts everywhere.
Ummm.
I find this type of advertising frustrating on a few levels. At the moment, the environmental movement isn't really 'cool' anymore... a rising level of backlash has been mounting, with the recession taking priority of 'doom and gloom' environmentalists. Also, there is an entire stigma attached to environmentalists, where quietly we're being portrayed as an 'us vs them' group. This ad, exploding children, one isn't funny, it's just gross, and two simply enforces the already growing backlash that environmentalists are 'us vs them'. Follow us or we'll just blow you up.
I also am just not a fan of gratuitous violence and gore. Never was. I happen to agree with the rising number of studies showing that becoming immune to violence on television (and the internet) can be damaging for our youth and social functioning.
Finally, a very interesting discussion around this video occurred on the French radio-cbc podcast- Christiane Charette recently. The commenter, an author of a book proclaiming the value of encouraging children to experience nature, indicated that more than any other movement, the 'green' movement is placing responsibility on our children to change the world. We're teaching our children how to recycle, how to turn off the taps, how to drive less and walk more. Our children are hearing about how our world can end from pollution, environmental leaders are shouting from the rooftops that we're ruining the world for our children. They grow up with this apocalyptic future of a pollution doomed planet hanging over their head.
At the same time 80% of our population lives in cities... away from nature and trees. An important theory postulates that children cannot wrap their heads around an amorphous thing called 'Earth' when they're never exposed to nature. Instead of encouraging our children to play outside, learn and explore in trees, dirt and bugs, we're telling them a completely alien world (to them) is ending. And expect them to care.
This advertising, if geared towards children or teens, totally misses the 'why' they should care and skips straight to catastrophic persuasion. With violence.
I'm sorry, but blowing up children just isn't cool.
10:10 has released a statement apologizing for the ad and indicating that they would be investigating as to what went wrong with the ad creation.
What do you think about the ad?
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Letter to a Reader
I love hearing from my readers, especially when it's asking to research questions or concerns (I'll be posting soon asking for topic suggestions :) ). Surprisingly I've never had a challenging email from a reader... until a few days ago. D, a reader from the States sent me an email which was respectful but appeared a bit "I want to discuss, but really I want to argue and not listen". My response, although also respectful was brief. To which he responded with a nice and clarifying email that I felt was perhaps not in the spirit I had originally assumed. I've decided to post my answer (not his original questions, as I don't have permission and I really don't want people to think I'll publish whatever they email me here), as I felt I had to address some interesting topics. Thank you, D.
Hi D,
Thanks for the clarifying, I apologize if I came across a bit blunt. Honestly, I've encountered quite a bit of "lets have a discussion, but really I just want to prove my point without listening to what you have to say" type of stuff from people. In any case, I do believe that we all will make our own decisions and that although I may have some influence, I really just am one small town Canadian girl trying to live a more balanced life.
You ask a lot of big questions, and you seem to have concerns that cross the gamut with regards to the environment right up to existential questions about life and the purpose of. In a sense, it's a nice place to be- it means you're changing and growing in your perspectives as a human and as a person. This can lead to great personal and life changes... sometimes we just get stuck in keeping with questions that are comfortable and familiar. At the same time, being in a state of constant critical analysis isn't really ideal either. There comes a point where a decision on morals and beliefs must be made with the information we have. Not to say the decision can't change.
I would clarify here, as well, my own bias in that I'm not really one for philosophy or philosphical debates. Not that I don't see the value in having these types of discussions, but I was always much more of a practical, pragmatic person (with a big hit of spirituality). From my perspective, it's best to have a balance of both- discussing those "bigger" questions as well as having equal, realistic discussions with regards to action.
Ok, so with regards to nature and climate and where we live. I would disagree that living in a northern climate means being at odds with nature. I would also say that there is a lot of research that is indicating that climate change means more storms (colder winter storms), more hurricanes and tornadoes etc. These storms and "forces of nature" are agreed upon by the climate scientists to be human caused due to our industrial revolution and it's affect on our planet's climate (not necessarily "global warming"- that was a simplistic view of what's happening in order to best reach the vast public. Think of it more along the lines of "climate"). So- increase in storms and stuff are human caused.
About cold weather and living in balance with our planet. I think at this point asking the questions about whether we should live a nomadic lifestyle etc is a bit moot. In that, humans have been sedentary for over 10,000 years.... not exactly a long time in the snap shot of earth's history, but not exactly yesterday either. From a practical perspective, going back to pre-industry, nomadic lifestyle just isn't realistic. At the same time, yes expecting to be at 26 degrees above (celcius, not really sure about F conversion) in our houses all winter long isn't really practical either. It's wasteful. Humans can adjust to lowering our thermostat and functioning in cooler homes. We can also obtain our energy from earth-friendly means, such as geothermal heating, solar panels, smart building... or putting on a sweater! :)
Your other questions about what is an "eco-yogini"- I guess I never thought of my blog as speaking to a group of people, or a cohort that in order to be labeled "eco-yogi(ni)" you must do x,y,z... I guess I just like to refer to my readers with the assumption that if you're here reading my blog, you must have an interest in the environment and this should be celebrated. I really am not a fan of the green centrism that you're either "with us, or against us" or having these weird strict rules about how to be a good "eco-yogini". At the same time, I will admit that I'm becoming a bit frustrated with how the movement has stagnanted and slowed down. Like anything that we feel passionately about, it's difficult not to shake people sometimes. I try really hard every day not to be judgemental of other people's choices.
I think to the question about what parts do we change and what do we accept? It's funny, we are moving away from a realistic natural world, i'm thinking with regards to things like bugs and worms and dirt.... we want a beautiful pristine world without those things. No bugs on my lettuce please! use spray if you must! so we are in a society that is increasingly disconnected from nature. The average Canadian child spends 6 hours with computer-electronic devices per day. It's incredible. I'm really not that old (late 20's) but we *played* outside, i've caught frogs and sloshed through the mud. I can't function in a city of concrete for months at a time. I need nature. Research shows that the more disconnected from nature you become, the harder it is to save something completely alien to you (especially since most of the North American and European population lives in cities now).
So we kill that insects and such because we don't like them, but don't get the connection between them and our sustainability. I do believe that as we move to a more sustainable lifestyle, we will fumble and (hopefully) discover a balance between living and accepting our planet. But this is a huge process and I wouldn't expect it to happen over night. Social change never happens overnight. My thought- we really need to step away from a disposable, convenient lifestyle. Only then can we start to truly connect and change with our environment.
In any case, I hope this answer was more what you were looking for D. I do appreciate your questions and thoughts. I also don't expect you to agree with me, I also am still on my journey of Life and discovery. :)
Much Light,
Lisa
Hi D,
Thanks for the clarifying, I apologize if I came across a bit blunt. Honestly, I've encountered quite a bit of "lets have a discussion, but really I just want to prove my point without listening to what you have to say" type of stuff from people. In any case, I do believe that we all will make our own decisions and that although I may have some influence, I really just am one small town Canadian girl trying to live a more balanced life.
You ask a lot of big questions, and you seem to have concerns that cross the gamut with regards to the environment right up to existential questions about life and the purpose of. In a sense, it's a nice place to be- it means you're changing and growing in your perspectives as a human and as a person. This can lead to great personal and life changes... sometimes we just get stuck in keeping with questions that are comfortable and familiar. At the same time, being in a state of constant critical analysis isn't really ideal either. There comes a point where a decision on morals and beliefs must be made with the information we have. Not to say the decision can't change.
I would clarify here, as well, my own bias in that I'm not really one for philosophy or philosphical debates. Not that I don't see the value in having these types of discussions, but I was always much more of a practical, pragmatic person (with a big hit of spirituality). From my perspective, it's best to have a balance of both- discussing those "bigger" questions as well as having equal, realistic discussions with regards to action.
Ok, so with regards to nature and climate and where we live. I would disagree that living in a northern climate means being at odds with nature. I would also say that there is a lot of research that is indicating that climate change means more storms (colder winter storms), more hurricanes and tornadoes etc. These storms and "forces of nature" are agreed upon by the climate scientists to be human caused due to our industrial revolution and it's affect on our planet's climate (not necessarily "global warming"- that was a simplistic view of what's happening in order to best reach the vast public. Think of it more along the lines of "climate"). So- increase in storms and stuff are human caused.
About cold weather and living in balance with our planet. I think at this point asking the questions about whether we should live a nomadic lifestyle etc is a bit moot. In that, humans have been sedentary for over 10,000 years.... not exactly a long time in the snap shot of earth's history, but not exactly yesterday either. From a practical perspective, going back to pre-industry, nomadic lifestyle just isn't realistic. At the same time, yes expecting to be at 26 degrees above (celcius, not really sure about F conversion) in our houses all winter long isn't really practical either. It's wasteful. Humans can adjust to lowering our thermostat and functioning in cooler homes. We can also obtain our energy from earth-friendly means, such as geothermal heating, solar panels, smart building... or putting on a sweater! :)
Your other questions about what is an "eco-yogini"- I guess I never thought of my blog as speaking to a group of people, or a cohort that in order to be labeled "eco-yogi(ni)" you must do x,y,z... I guess I just like to refer to my readers with the assumption that if you're here reading my blog, you must have an interest in the environment and this should be celebrated. I really am not a fan of the green centrism that you're either "with us, or against us" or having these weird strict rules about how to be a good "eco-yogini". At the same time, I will admit that I'm becoming a bit frustrated with how the movement has stagnanted and slowed down. Like anything that we feel passionately about, it's difficult not to shake people sometimes. I try really hard every day not to be judgemental of other people's choices.
I think to the question about what parts do we change and what do we accept? It's funny, we are moving away from a realistic natural world, i'm thinking with regards to things like bugs and worms and dirt.... we want a beautiful pristine world without those things. No bugs on my lettuce please! use spray if you must! so we are in a society that is increasingly disconnected from nature. The average Canadian child spends 6 hours with computer-electronic devices per day. It's incredible. I'm really not that old (late 20's) but we *played* outside, i've caught frogs and sloshed through the mud. I can't function in a city of concrete for months at a time. I need nature. Research shows that the more disconnected from nature you become, the harder it is to save something completely alien to you (especially since most of the North American and European population lives in cities now).
So we kill that insects and such because we don't like them, but don't get the connection between them and our sustainability. I do believe that as we move to a more sustainable lifestyle, we will fumble and (hopefully) discover a balance between living and accepting our planet. But this is a huge process and I wouldn't expect it to happen over night. Social change never happens overnight. My thought- we really need to step away from a disposable, convenient lifestyle. Only then can we start to truly connect and change with our environment.
In any case, I hope this answer was more what you were looking for D. I do appreciate your questions and thoughts. I also don't expect you to agree with me, I also am still on my journey of Life and discovery. :)
Much Light,
Lisa
Monday, October 4, 2010
Air
In honour of David Suzuki, I've decided to do a little "Four Elements" eco-impact. As a pagan, this paradigm just makes sense. Considering all four elements plus spirit is essential as part of our practice as yogi(ni)s. As biological beings we are inseparable from our planet and it's elements. Read 'Earth'.
Do you know THE reason why we have vocal chords? So we can breathe (well, to protect our lungs from aspirating food or liquid, so we can breathe). Seriously. Something we do 15 times a minute and we rarely even think about it... unless something goes wrong.
Last night during David Suzuki's lecture he gave a beautiful example of how we're all connected using our breath. Supposedly some researcher dude wanted to know if he could follow the path of a breath. Since we actually physically absorb the oxygen molecules directly from our lungs to our blood stream (basically) there is a large portion of the air we breathe that doesn't get released when we exhale. BUT, Argon a chemically inert molecule, gets exhaled and is traceable.
With every exhale we release about 30 quintillion (yep QUINTILLION) of these little argon molecules that immediately mix in the air around us, within minutes everyone in the room has inhaled argon molecules that you yourself has inhaled. Open the windows and within a year those argon atoms have traveled the planet to be inhaled by all human beings, past and present.
To think that air in one city, country or region could be isolated from the rest of our planet is just plain ridiculous. As the argon thought experiment shows, what I breathe in my lungs has been breathed by you- my fabulous reader- no matter where you are on the planet.
The layer of air surrounding our planet, essential for our body and brain survival, took millions of years of plants sucking in carbon dioxide and spewing out oxygen to form. If our planet was reduced to the size of a basketball, the layer of air we depend on to live would be no thinner than a sheet of paper.
In an extremely short period of time the levels of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has risen sharply. The leading climate scientists across the globe agree- humans are responsible for these toxic increase in carbon and chemicals in the air we breathe.
The average car produces 10 to 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year. Add the mining pollution required for the parts, chemicals used to coat the insides (mmm toxic new car smell molecules directly inhaled onto your delicate lung's alveoli) and the ridiculous amount of petroleum used to run them.
Each decision we make when we purchase a new plastic gadget, piece of clothing (um, cotton is the most energy intensive plant grown today), decide to drive our car instead of walking or bicycling, buy wood that was not sustainably harvested... we contribute to the risen, choking levels of chemicals we ourselves are breathing.
Instead of continuing to believe that what we dump into our air can be limited, controlled or corralled into one place or city, we need to accept that each of our actions and inactions contributes.
David Suzuki pointed out in his lecture last night that no matter how much the politicians and corporations decry the 'economic' cost of fighting climate change, humans cannot live without air, water, soil and energy. We can live without this latest version of 'economy'.
How to help:
- Bring your awareness during your yoga practice this week to your breath. Practice deep and mindful breathing, visualize the air entering your lungs and bloodstream uniting yourself with all other humans with each breath.
- Make the decision to decrease your car emissions. This might mean walking or bicycling to get places, looking into carpooling services or carshares. Not only will you save the planet, but you'll save money at the same time.
- consider where your clothing is made and with what. Buying organic cotton assures that your shirt isn't responsible for spewing harmful gases in the atmosphere.
- Go vintage. Second hand clothing is cool and fun- and extremely low carbon footprint.
-Let your leaders know that a carbon tax is an extremely successful method in decreasing our carbon footprint. There are fantastic examples (Sweden for example) with successful carbon tax implementation along with huge economic growth. Money is nice and all, but not very useful if our planet is shot to hell.
As Dr. Suzuki pointed out: "We call ourselves intelligent, but what intelligent species would use the very air they breathe as a toxic dumping ground?"
article copyright of ecoyogini.blogspot.com
(Wind!)
Last night during David Suzuki's lecture he gave a beautiful example of how we're all connected using our breath. Supposedly some researcher dude wanted to know if he could follow the path of a breath. Since we actually physically absorb the oxygen molecules directly from our lungs to our blood stream (basically) there is a large portion of the air we breathe that doesn't get released when we exhale. BUT, Argon a chemically inert molecule, gets exhaled and is traceable.
With every exhale we release about 30 quintillion (yep QUINTILLION) of these little argon molecules that immediately mix in the air around us, within minutes everyone in the room has inhaled argon molecules that you yourself has inhaled. Open the windows and within a year those argon atoms have traveled the planet to be inhaled by all human beings, past and present.
To think that air in one city, country or region could be isolated from the rest of our planet is just plain ridiculous. As the argon thought experiment shows, what I breathe in my lungs has been breathed by you- my fabulous reader- no matter where you are on the planet.
The layer of air surrounding our planet, essential for our body and brain survival, took millions of years of plants sucking in carbon dioxide and spewing out oxygen to form. If our planet was reduced to the size of a basketball, the layer of air we depend on to live would be no thinner than a sheet of paper.
In an extremely short period of time the levels of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has risen sharply. The leading climate scientists across the globe agree- humans are responsible for these toxic increase in carbon and chemicals in the air we breathe.
The average car produces 10 to 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year. Add the mining pollution required for the parts, chemicals used to coat the insides (mmm toxic new car smell molecules directly inhaled onto your delicate lung's alveoli) and the ridiculous amount of petroleum used to run them.
(Toronto smog, source Spacing Toronto)
In Canada one of the leading causes of air pollution is agricultural practices and toxic winds and air currents from the United States. During winter months we Canadians burn a LOT of fuel and wood to keep ourselves warm, adding to the fumes and carbon we then inhale. Acidifying agents spewed into the air create acid rain, which is especially concentrated in my tiny little province of Nova Scotia because of air currents from the states. Yay. Each decision we make when we purchase a new plastic gadget, piece of clothing (um, cotton is the most energy intensive plant grown today), decide to drive our car instead of walking or bicycling, buy wood that was not sustainably harvested... we contribute to the risen, choking levels of chemicals we ourselves are breathing.
Instead of continuing to believe that what we dump into our air can be limited, controlled or corralled into one place or city, we need to accept that each of our actions and inactions contributes.
David Suzuki pointed out in his lecture last night that no matter how much the politicians and corporations decry the 'economic' cost of fighting climate change, humans cannot live without air, water, soil and energy. We can live without this latest version of 'economy'.
How to help:
- Bring your awareness during your yoga practice this week to your breath. Practice deep and mindful breathing, visualize the air entering your lungs and bloodstream uniting yourself with all other humans with each breath.
- Make the decision to decrease your car emissions. This might mean walking or bicycling to get places, looking into carpooling services or carshares. Not only will you save the planet, but you'll save money at the same time.
- consider where your clothing is made and with what. Buying organic cotton assures that your shirt isn't responsible for spewing harmful gases in the atmosphere.
- Go vintage. Second hand clothing is cool and fun- and extremely low carbon footprint.
-Let your leaders know that a carbon tax is an extremely successful method in decreasing our carbon footprint. There are fantastic examples (Sweden for example) with successful carbon tax implementation along with huge economic growth. Money is nice and all, but not very useful if our planet is shot to hell.
As Dr. Suzuki pointed out: "We call ourselves intelligent, but what intelligent species would use the very air they breathe as a toxic dumping ground?"
article copyright of ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Aveda's BS Claims of Eco-Friendly
Slight pause between element posts for an enviro-reality check.
What is most frustrating is certain companies who have a massive, fraudulent block on creating products that are safe for our health and our water ways.
Case in point: Aveda.
As we've chatted about before, Aveda is a nice example of a whole slew of beauty companies that mislead and misinform the consumer into thinking they're making the safest and greenest choice with regards to their products. Other offenders include "The Body Shop" and Lush. Sure Aveda has some fabulous sustainable energy initiatives, like wind power and supposedly sustainably sourced herbs and flowers, but their ingredients leave something to be desired.
From phtalates to hormone disrupting chemicals each and every Aveda product is filled to the brim with unpronounceable ingredients. Why does it matter if beauty products use synthetic chemicals?
Firstly, women in our western society typical use an average of 11 products on our bodies every single day. Out of about 10,500 chemicals in beauty products only about 11% have been tested for safety in Canada and the US (Ecoholic, 2006). What's scarier, virtually none of these products have been tested together, so we have no idea how they interact. These chemicals are a recent invention in the beauty industry, with about one or two generations of women using them from birth to adulthood. We are only starting to figure out the longterm affects of slathering our skin with chemicals shown to be possibly carcinogenic, hormone disrupting and birth defects in animals. (check out skin deep for more info)
Not only do we have our health to think about, but where do all these chemicals go every time you wash your face or take a shower? Our sewage treatment plants were not created to filter all 10,500 chemicals and our waterways are testing positive with hormone disrupting chemicals, affecting our water-ecosystems, the water we drink and ultimately come back for a double dosage to ourselves.
So it matters a whole heck of a lot.
You'd think with a company like Aveda, who's mission is I quote: "...to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda we strive to set an example in environmental leadership and responsibility- not just in the world of beauty, but around the world" would invest the money into products that were actually 100% chemical free.
What I find frustrating is the argument from beauty-hair professionals that Aveda is doing the best they can and that 100% chemical-free products is a) unattainable, b) takes time and research to develop or is c) unnecessary.
To which all three I call bullsh*t.
There are many products and companies out there who are doing a hell of a job producing quality beauty products sans nasty toxic chemicals and charge LESS for them. Don't believe me? Let's take a recent example.
(sorry for the crappy photo, our camera is out of commission- computer photoshot)
I caved recently and bought a Rosemary Mint body lotion from Aveda prior to our trip to NYC. I love the way it smells and the minty feel afterwards. Strangely, it didn't really seem to alleviate my hives (actually, my hives got BETTER after I stopped using the lotion) nor did it actually moisturize very well.
I went out and bought Green Beaver's Après Ski moisturizer. Although it smells more like rosemary in chicken (Andrew loves that I now smell like chicken all the time "Why can't they make a bacon lotion??" bahaha), it is 500% better at keeping my skin smooth and hydrated. Also, no flare up of hives as a result.
Green Beaver Après Ski ingredient list:
Aqua, Glycerin, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, glyceryl stearate SE, Stearic Acid, cocoa seed butter, oat kernel flour, rhus verniciflua peel wax, origanum vulgaris leaf extract, thyme extract, cinnamonum zeylanium bark extract, rosemary leaf extract, lavender flower extract, golden seal root extract, grapefruit seed extract, cetearyl glucoside potassium sorbate, citric acid.
Aveda Rosemary Mint ingredient list:
Water extracts, rosemary leaf powder, peppermint leaf, aloe leaf, polyglyceryl-10 oleate, glyceryl stearate, coco-caprylate, isopropyl palmitate, dicaprulul maleate, cetyl alcohol, corn starch modified, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, glycerin, dimethicone, panthenol, retinyl palmitate, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, tocopherol, capryloyl glycine, PEG-100 stearate, xanthan gum, glyceryl laurate, polysorbate 60, sucrose distearate, guar, hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, methol, fragrance, linalool, limonene, citric acid, sodium gluconate, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate.
If we compare the ingredient list it's pretty darn obvious that Green Beaver truly doesn't use nasty toxic chemicals to make their product work or last on the shelves. Green Beaver also is a much smaller company than Aveda and one would assume has much less funding for research and technological advances. So what gives?
It's time we voice our concerns about the chemicals we put into our bodies and into our waterways and not let ourselves be bullied or made to feel like we're overreacting. Caring about what chemicals we put into our bodies is valid and I'm sorry, but I call bullsh*t on Aveda and other similar companies claiming that it's just not possible to produce quality products otherwise.
Plus, I can't even recycle their bottles! It says right on the bottle 'recycling is limited'. What's the point?
article and photograph copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
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