Washed Ashore

This summer I have been given the opportunity to work as a volunteer "explainer" for a spectacular, but sad, art exhibit called Washed Ashore by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi. This beautiful set of 15 sculptures (and a photo-mosaic) is being held at the Sausalito/Marin Headlands area-based Marine Mammal Center. The Center is the world's largest marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation hospital, serving 600+ miles of California coastline, and receiving an average of 600-800 rescue patients per year. From June 25-October 15 of 2011, they are holding this wonderful exhibit made entirely of trash that washed up on 60 miles of Oregon beach. (40 miles of that 60 were completely cleared of trash-- score!) This compilation of trash sculptures is meant to, and does, inform us of how lacking our care of our oceans is.
Keep our oceans blue-- recycle and DO NOT LITTER.
For more information, check out the links below.


Links:
Official Washed Ashore website: http://www.washedashore.org/
Angela Pozzi's website: http://www.seathingsart.com/galleries.html
Marine Mammal Center: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/

Grab A Bag Before You Go.

I'm sure you've heard of it.. but probably never actually done it-- bringing your own bags. Whenever I go shopping, I try my best to bring my own grocery bags with me. Not only are they stylish (if you know where to get them!), but also most stores will give you a discount for being nice to the environment and bringing a bag you're going to use over and over. From the slogan covered canvas bags I bring to the grocery store or farmers' market, to the inexpensive but stylish tote that doubles as a purse while I go mall-hopping, using reusable bags was probably the easiest switch I have made.

Care.

In their mission statement, the World Wildlife Fund states that their mission is " the conservation of nature. Using the best available scientific knowledge and advancing that knowledge where we can, we work to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems by protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species; promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources; and promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution. 

We are committed to reversing the degradation of our planet's natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature. We recognize the critical relevance of human numbers, poverty and consumption patterns to meeting these goals." 

This non-profit foundation is simply an organization dedicated to the preservation of all living creatures, endangered or otherwise. Being my favorite charity, I am probably biased towards it, but I most definitely recommend looking into it, and ways you can help the wild species' of the world.

The FOUR "R"s..

You know what I'm going to say.. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But, did you know, there should be many other "R"s in this cycle? RETHINK, Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, then Recycle. Now that's more like it! People hear this saying all the time but don't think anything of it. All I'm asking you to do is one simple thing-- take a second to think!

Rethink- Think about what you're doing, buying, etc. beforehand. Don't have to have regrets. 


Reduce- Reduce your waste and wastefulness. Reduce your thoughtless buys. Reduce using anything that you don't need. And reduce useless things from your schedule. (That last one just saves time and stress, and maybe a little gas.)


Reuse (until you can't anymore)- Pretty self-explanatory. Reuse everything that you possibly can until you've squeezed every last use out of it. 


Recycle- Also speaks for itself. Recycle everything you can when you can't use it anymore. Not only can you get money (some recycling plants will pay you to bring them aluminum, plastic, and glass; I've gotten almost $100 this way) from this process, you get peace of mind knowing that your well-used and well-loved object is receiving a new function. 


So Rethink, Reduce, Reuse (xInfinity), and Recycle. It's that simple!

Guilt-Free Water.

As I write this post, I take a sip from my stainless steel souvenir water bottle from Alcatraz Island. I didn't buy this to remember my trip there (come on, it's like a forty-five minute trip INCLUDING the ferry ride), I bought this because I can drink my water in peace this way. 


Does anyone ever think of the effect of plastic water bottles on our environment? Yes, most of us do. But most of us believe that when we responsibly throw our plastic water bottles into a recycling bin, the next bottle we buy will be made out of those old bottles. Not true. With the technology today, water bottles can never be made into new water bottles. The plastics that actually are recycled are made into plastic conglomerates, such as the materials that make up play structures, park benches, and the rubbery turf that make up tracks and the ground of children's parks. Some plastics put into recycling bins actually are NOT recycled and are sent to out-of-country landfills, such as in India. Recycling your bottles is good, but it is not enough.


Glancing up at my stainless steel water bottle, I can give you five reasons just off the top of my head why those are better; there's no annoying crushing noise, they won't spill in your bag, they cost less in the long run ($5-$8 for an average stainless steel bottle, filtered water from the tap is close to free), they can be stylish and come in many different looks/colors, and they're better for the environment. Talk about the total package! So tell the plastic water bottle distributors "begone!" and grab a guilt-free, stylish stainless steel water bottle. 

(these are examples of the popular Klean Kanteen BPA-free stainless steel water bottles)

Cleaning Green

Now, I'm sure everyone who's reading this uses cleaning products all the time. From the soap you wash your hands with, to the cleaning products you clean your house with, to the washing fluids your clothes and dishes are soaked in, soaps and the like are a huge part of our everyday life. What not everybody knows, though, is that many cleaning products include harmful ingredients which are very bad for our water system. Many chemicals included in simple things, such as body wash or our shampoo, are extremely harmful, and stay in the water even after filtration processes. There are products becoming rapidly more popular nowadays which are paraben, phthalate, EDTA, or silicone free. Or even a combination of those. And the feeling you get, knowing that your shower isn't harming a thing except the dirt you're washing away, is refreshing and amazing.


One of the best brands to buy is Method Products, a small name brand with some big ideals. They call themselves the "people against dirty" and all their products are friendly to our planet. You can read more on their website or on their blog. I definitely recommend their Marine Naturals Body Wash, I will never buy another body wash.


Also, I love Garnier Fructis hair products, and they have just come out with a line called Pure Clean. These hair products are light, great smelling, and leave my hair (literally) squeaky clean. Both their shampoo and conditioner are over 90% biodegradable (the shampoo is 94% biodegradable, the conditioner is 92%), and they contain no harmful ingredients.

These are both great brands, but there are thousands of others on the market. It's just important for you to look at labels (most products will proudly label themselves as "green" if they are), and ingredient lists. It's not hard to make the switch, and it will ease your conscience to the max! 

Welcome To The Farmer's Market

Find out when your local farmers' markets occur and switch out a trip to the supermarket for a visit to your friendly neighborhood farmers' market. Not only are the growers more friendly than more grocery store clerks, but the food is organic, healthy, and much more delicious than anything you could find pre-packaged or freeze-dried. Walking down the lanes of stalls at a farmers' market is refreshing and invigorating, as the smells of fresh fruit and delicious veggies entice you, and fellow members of your community smile and exchange casual conversation. All in all, people who exchange just one trip a week to the grocery store to one at a farmers' market have better shopping experiences, are healthier, and have a place they look forward going to every week.

Keep it Real

Everybody living nowadays has heard of the "green" fad. Some people go all in, going vegan and living in completely energy efficient houses, but some of us just don't have the time for that. Highschoolers, such as me, and others who have equally busy schedules dismiss being ecofriendly as something good in the long run, but not something possible for them. With all the things going on in our lives, we don't have time to be "green", right?! WRONG. There are many names to be a friend to our planet without going crazy or spending all our time on it. There are simple switches which you can make in your everyday life which will make your life more ecofriendly, and, sometimes, even easier.


Now, there are people who believe in and do not believe in man-made global warming, if you are ready to completely trash the idea of being green just because you don't believe in man-made global warming, you're not very smart. (no offense.) Even for those who think global warming is just a cycle the earth naturally goes through, being green is much more than global warming. You can't say that recycling, not dumping waste into our water, and keeping the smog levels low are all just part of the "propaganda piece" of global warming. It's not, it's just taking care of the only Earth we have.


This blog is about and for people who want to be green, and ways for them to make their life greener in simple and easy ways.