February 28, 2011

Colin Firth won Best Actor for his performance in The King Speech last night at the Oscars. Many of you probably already know this, but what you are probably less familiar with is what his wife has created. Livia Firth has created a company called Eco Age (you can check out the website here), which is entirely focused on the environment, be it products or consultancy. 

In keeping with the company's eco-friendly attitude, Livia Firth wore a dress to the Oscars which was made from 11 recycled dresses, which is part of her larger 'Green Carpet Challenge'

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/livia-firth/

As she wrote on her blog for Vogue UK, "Every element — including zips, corsetry and the original toiles — is recycled. The only thing that we’ve used that is new is the thread that actually stitches the dress together.”

This is truly inspiring and demonstrates that eco-friendly clothing does not have to be made of hemp only and be worn solely by college students who've had an identity-make over.
Indeed, isn't Emma Watson designing a new line of clothing that's environmentally friendly? And Stella McCartney's clothing is all fur and leather-free and overall environmentally-aware, well ahead of the curve. Looks like there will be - and already is - an endless line of choice for those of us who wish to not only act and eat more eco-consciously, but also dress so, while still being fashionable.

February 20, 2011

I'm sure everyone can pin-point that one moment when they realized or learned that their actions had consequences that affected the environment. Mine was when I was little, sesame-street watching age (can't remember the specific age), and I was watching sesame street when this cartoon came on:

When I watched this I felt SO bad for that poor fish! Ever since then I have never left the faucet running when I brushed my teeth, and I made sure none of my family members did either. It is from this point on that I have been aware of my actions and their consequences.

Visit this site for more information about the water we use, and waste. With regards to leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth, it says that that action can waste 4 gallons of water.

February 17, 2011

Two days ago there was a giant solar flare, the biggest seen in many years. National Geographic explains that solar flares are "The most powerful explosions in the solar system." 

"Solar flares occur when magnetic field lines on the sun cross, cancel each other out, then reconnect.These "explosive reconnections" release huge amounts energy as heat—in this case, a short blast measuring roughly 35 million degrees Fahrenheit (19 million degrees Celsius), according to physicist Dean Pesnell, project scientist for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO."

Biggest Solar Flare in Years - National Geographic

Pictured in ultraviolet, the largest solar flare in four years (center) explodes on Monday.

Image courtesy SDO/NASA

 Along with this, the magnetic instability of the flare caused a blast of particles to be sent out towards earth. These particles are predicted to reach earth's atmosphere tonight. Now, while this all sounds really sci-fi and as if our planet might be taken over, don't worry. This is not an asteroid and this is not some sort of attack. Nope, at the most these particles will cause really pretty lights, or auroras. Neat eh?

Aurora borelais is caused  "by the interaction of charged particles from the sun with the Earth's magnetic field. That excites oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's upper atmosphere and causes them to light up."

Read more: CBC - solar flare and aurora borealis

Because it is an interaction that involves Earth's magnetic field, this is why you mostly see the northern lights, well, up north in the arctic, since that's where it is strongest. I have been lucky enough to see the northern lights once in my life when I was a child, and so it is a faint memory but one that has always captivated me and hopefully one day I'll see them again! Who knows, will tonight be the night? Probably not in Montreal since its a city and so there is all that city-light blocking out natural lights. But perhaps for those of you not in the city, or those of you ambitious and optimistic enough to go in search for it! 

Here is a really cool website provided by the Canadian Space Agency, called AuroraMax Live, which is a live webcam that captures real-time aurora borealis in Yellowknife (it only shows after dusk though, not all day, obviously). I'll be trying it out tonight for the first time, so forgive me if it is not 'all that' since I am just discovering it for myself as well (but I have high hopes).

Click here for an article about this new site.

It's nice to understand how the beauties of our world work, and neat to see how something as distant as the sun may influence it in such unexpected ways. I think that through truly taking time to stop and enjoy nature - even if it is through a live webcam, as sad as that may be ( I wish I could actually be up north cuddled up in a parka watching it!) - we can be reminded of what it is that we want to help preser and just how important things like conservation, sustainability and just living more 'green' is.

  

February 14, 2011

To all you Montrealers out there, check this out:

From February 25 - March 5 everyone is invited to go play in the Ephemeral Forest

"The Ephemeral Forest is a temporary piece created jointly with Montrealers around the Biodôme and the Olympic Stadium. The forest will be entirely made of Christmas trees picked up after the holiday season"

Go, take a walk through the forest and hang your wishes “for the planet” in the tree branches

What better way is there to not only give christmas trees a second life, but to enjoy winter and put good thoughts out there for the year to come!

I know I'll be going, will you?

http://www.ekosystem.org/0_Images/Street2/north-america/Phil-Jones_text-message_tree_mineapolis_usa_winter10.jpg

 

 

February 13, 2011

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and so here are a couple of eco-friendly creative gifts to give your loved one.

http://www.howoriginal.net/images/Alvarado/with_a_song_in_my_heart.jpg

 

 

Use up your old newspapers, magazines and wrapping paper from christmas and make something new out of it, like a collage heart or card!

One year, along with friends, I made paper which can then be used for cards as well. You can get really creative with this by adding in magazine cut outs, dried leaves or rose petals even - have fun with it!
Here's a good website for a guide on how to make your own paper: How to Make Paper

Here are some examples of the paper I made

Also, you could buy potted flowers rather than a bouquet as it lasts longer, and for those of you living in climates where there isn't snow, you can always plant flowers together, and that'll last the longest!

Also, there is tons of fair-trade chocolate and coffee out there - why not bake a cake and indulge! Actually, all of you should indulge whether you have a valentine or not.

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 10, 2011

As spring break looms, I can't help but dream of exotic vacations as I look at the snow on the ground.
The BBC travel section has taken a look at some the world's wonders and given them a grade based on how eco-friendly they are.

Coming out on top is Machu Picchu in Peru with an A-. Because of the lack of proper roads, cars and buses cannot access the site and further more helicopters have been banned as "Peru's Institute of Natural Resources found low-flying aircrafts to be contributing to the disappearance of a rare species of orchid and the Andean Condor". Hiking remains a popular way to enter the site.

The lowest scoring wonder is Pompeii in Italy. Why? Because of the lack of proper maintenance and budget cuts according to the author of the article, Suemedha Sood. "These cuts have left the site's drainage system vulnerable when faced with heavy rains. While some are calling for Pompeii to change hands from public to private control, others simply hope the Berlusconi government will respond to the calls for cultural preservation."

http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20110118-travelwise-eco-scorecard-to-the-worlds-great-attractions

Hopefully this inspires you - and for all of you who are not traveling but enjoy daydreaming, check out National Geographic's site for amazing, yet unattainable for students, expeditions. 

February 9, 2011

A great guide to keep in your wallet and have with you when you grocery shop:

February 8, 2011

Here is a new site I have recently discovered, and by recently I mean today!

The New Animalist

Check out the latest post on it entitled "Monkeys on a Plane" it is absolutely horrific! Even more sad that they are being brought to my hometown of Montreal! Something should definitely be done.

"Air Canada was in the business of shipping baby monkeys from breeding farms in China to biomedical labs in Canada."

"many people were shocked to learn that painful, invasive research is conducted on monkeys in Canadian labs every day–in this case, just a short drive west from our most cosmopolitan and sophisticated city, Montreal."

Spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told CBC that Air Canada is obliged by law to accept monkeys as cargo.

“As a public carrier,” he says, “Air Canada can only refuse carriage in very limited situations. We cannot by law refuse the carriage of animals for the sole reason that they could ultimately be destined to a laboratory or for research. We must comply with this 1998 Canadian Transportation Agency [CTA] ruling.”

Please read the full article and check out the rest of the site focused on human/animal interactions