charity + eco-gifts + sharing

With the holidaze upon us, there’s a load of hype to get us buy groovy things so we can look + feel and BE better. There’s one commercial on TV right now that’s irritating the crap out of me.

It’s for the brilliant charity Right to Play that helps kids in the third world get to play soccer and other organized sports. Except it’s not really. It’s for Roots + Mastercard who implore you to buy something so THEY can make a donation and give themselves a corporate pat on the back. I’m like, hey, that’s nice, but why don’t we just give to the charity directly, duh? Or any charity.

There are so many wonderful causes – so instead of Secret Santa, why doesn’t everyone chip in five bucks and buy a goat, or a breakfast program for kids in your hood or save endangered animals. Just an idea. We already have so much, it’s a nice idea to share.
Right to Play
Gifts of Hope
UNICEF
World Wildlife Fund

shoptimism + consumerism + buy nothing day

November 27th is BUY NOTHING DAY – a day to quite simply be happy with what you have + not look for happiness in things + stuff + such. BUY NOTHING!!

So it turns out that this dude Mark Boyle in the UK got so into the idea that he’s spent the last year buying nothing. AS IN NOTHING. Not even FOOD! He lives in a camper on an organic farm where he trades work for food. This be his blog. Just for the love of it

Powerful if not a bit extreme. And tough.
So on the other side, in time for this big day is a new book called Shoptimism which is all about why we shop and how we can buy our way out of the economic doldrums. Thing is, the writer is talking about how we’re immune to advertising yet buying something that’s socially hip can be considered a NEED. Seems a tad contradictory to me.
Guess I want to make sure that I only WANT what I truly NEED.
shoptimism

toxins + cosmetics + food safety + chemicals

Today I give you a useful tool for all your soaping, shampooing and make up needs and little indulgences. The awesome SKIN DEEP DATABASE rates the compounds in every day beauty and cleaning products on a scale of zero-10 for goodygoodyness and rather badiness. As I try not to support wastefulness, I don’t think you should throw out everything you have in your bathrooms, but pay attention next time you go out to get something for your face or body.
PS I luv Dr. Bronners all natural/fair trade almond soap to wash my hair, face and house! VERY DEEP INFO

Plastic + toxins + Pacific garbage patch

I’m sorry to present something as disturbing as this on a gorgeous, crunchy fall day, however this is what happens to unwanted, discarded plastic. They call these birds Albatross, but it’s clear we are the real albatross around their tiny, fragile necks. Heartbreaking Info

Corporate Sponsorship + Global Awareness + Water Crisis + Live Earth

So that info on the amazing Plastiki led to more info about plastic and strange connections – as in big corporate polluting type organizations jumping on the enviro-bandwagon (LITERALLY) by partnering with Live Earth. The latest is Dow Chemical (makers/creators of more than 100,000 chemicals since the 1930s, some good, some, NOT SO MUCH) sponsoring a great cause – the need for clean water and accessible wells around the world.

Please let me know your thoughts on this because I’m trying to understand my own! WORLD WATER RUN
Also see this cool blog PLUCKFASTIC
And for more info TOXINS ARE US

Plastic bottles + Plastiki + Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch

I’ve been meaning to write about this appalling mass of plastic detritus and garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean. It’s the size of TEXAS – and made mostly of our wasted, useless plastic bottles. So this guy David de Rothschild has made a boat out of 12,000 plastic water bottles and will sail 12,000 miles from San Francisco to Australia to raise awareness of this horrific environmental nightmare.

And guess what? He actually started following ME on twitter! So kewl. Guess I needed to be reminded to post this very shocking and important info to remind you to stop buying drinks in plastic bottles! Tap water rocks.
PLASTIKI voyage

environmental action

Another shout out to my tweeties who send me great ideas for being a better me.
This one goes to Amanda Golding in the UK for her groovy action in action blog.
Because if not us, who?

Girl power + girls matter +

Girls around the world need out help. I like to think I’m aware of things but this number is truly scarios. Of the one billion people around the world living in extreme poverty, 70% are women and girls. And while we might moan, groan, complain and whine about going to school, 20 million girls never do because they can’t or aren’t allowed. Girls also face more violence than boys do.

So what can we do? You can join the sisterhood of BECAUSE I AM A GIRL from Plan Canada an international aid group. Super kewl website. GIRLS ROCK!

Car-Free + Green Cars + Sierra Club

Tuesday SEPTEMBER 22 is Care-Free day. I’m happy and sad. Happy that it’s happening, sad it’s not on a weekend so me and my peeps needn’t skip class to partake. Then again, maybe the idea is to remind daily traffic-makers to remember there are bikes and people who share the road too.

I would include the link, but alas, apparently it’s dangerous. Not sure why, but you can google carfreedays to check it out.

And, like I said before, and appropos of the posting above…
Kensington Market in Toronto, Canada is the bomb! This is the green car parked by my fave burrito + veggie haunts. It used to get towed away (why, for being beautiful, emitting oxygen???) but happily now is making people happy and keeping the air clean.

Art + Bees + Knees

Went to the most lovely and creative of gathering in Cabbagetown, hosted by Ruby + Cassie’s friends the Woodn’t Bees. Super creative and smartyskirt gals known as Mabel Bee, Eliza Bee, Rose Bee and Bea Bee. The idea is to have a pot luck dinner with a visiting writer/filmmaker/artist/storyteller (insert art of your choice) and to learn and talk and laugh and eat. I saw the oh-so-lovely films of Mary Lewis from NFLD while there was a kitchen party with fiddle music and chowder – YUM!

Sadly for me, the Bees are flying off to Berlin but plan to pollinate hives all over the world. See the bees @ Bee Free BEES!!!