Buy a Reusable Bag!

What's the deal with reusable bags?

With concerns today about the effects of global warming and maintaining a green lifestyle, reusable bags are becoming a hit. It takes up to 1,000 or more years for plastic bags to biodegrade in landfills. Yes, plastic bags are (eventually) biodegradable. However, as oil-based bags bio-degrade, they break down into smaller, more toxic polymers which contaminate soil and waterways that enter the food chain.

Why should we use them?

They are stronger than plastic bags and can hold more. They are more durable and easier to carry. I walk to and from the grocery store, so reusable bags have made a big difference. Also, the store where I shop charges 5 cents for every bag, so I save money too.

What is my opinion on reusable bags?

I love them. I think they are great. They are better for the environment and have a lot of other benefits. I use them all of the time (as much as I can). I own about a dozen of them, in all different shapes, designs and sizes.

And if you don't like them, you'll have to get used to them. Grocery stores in Canada, such as Loblaws, is going to start charging for their plastic bags, and some are already phasing them out completely.

There are so many different bags to choose from!

Most of the reusable bags I have seen cost $1.99. My favourite ones are the LCBO, P.C., and Indigo bags. Now when I look for reusable bags I also look for style. I don't like the ones that Walmart sells because they look really cheap.

The LCBO bags are plastic and they are much bigger so they are good for protecting my purchases in the winter. The Indigo ones are great because they have flat bottoms and a little zipper pocket on the inside.

Anyways, I do not think I would buy a reusable bag for more then a couple of bucks unless I really like it.

It sounds like reusable bags are the perfect solution!

Not necessarily. There are some purposes that plastic bags are much better for. For example, it is great as a lunchbag that can be thrown out when you're done with it, so you don't have to carry it around everywhere. Also, sometimes you don't know when you are going to do some shopping. Reusable bags basically should be carried at all times and that isn't always convienient.

What does the future hold?

It makes me happy when I see more and more people carrying reusable bags, it shows that more people are starting to care about the enviroment. And I think that even small efforts like these promise a healthier planet to come.

Final Thought

Reusable bags are not just good for the enviroment, they save money, protect your purchases, and they make it easier to carry things.

You can help the environment too! Next time you are out shopping, pick up a couple of reusable bags and bring them when ever you go out. They'll grow on you.

Resources

ReusableBags.ca

ecoACTION

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Scene Card: Earn points for the movies!

If you are on a strict budget there is a free way you can see a movie at any Ciniplex Entertainment theatres (i.e. Galaxy, Famous Players). The Scene Card allows you to collect points when you purchase movie tickets, and you get 10% off at concession stands.

But the better deal is when you sign up for the Scene Debit Card from Scotiabank. I have this card and I love it. You get 1000 points just for starting up, you earn 1 point for every $5 you spend on all your purchases, and 5 points for every $1 you spend at the movies. There are also other bonus points along the way.

You can redeem your points for things like concessions and tickets. My boyfriend also has the card (and the Scene Visa) and we've already gone to the movies, for free, a couple of times

Anyways, I recommend that you check it out. You can sign up for it online, its free and easy, no monthly fees or anything. It's just a great way to earn free movies, and everyone's gotta love that!

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Recommended Read: The Host

If you like to read than I am sure you have heard of the Stephanie Meyer craze in Canada (and I believe in the U.S. as well). I work at a book store and not a shift goes by without hearing "Do you have Twilight?" a dozen times.

I myself have not read the Twilight series yet. But from what i've been hearing you cannot put the book down once you start reading. And since i'm in school right now I do not want to be entranced by 4 massive books for a week or more (I cannot handle anymore distractions!)

Anyways, I did read her book The Host, before I had even heard of Twilight. And I am not the fastest reader but I read that book in just a few days. I loved it! I'm also not into scifi or fast paced books, but this one was cool.

At first it was a little confusing but a few more pages later you clue into what she was describing. And boy does she have an imagination!

Near the middle of the book it gets a little slow (it wasn't dragging on) but I like that sort of thing too.

This was one of my favourite reads. I really enjoyed it, please read it! Give it a try even if you think it is a little weird, it may pleasantly surprise you.

Here is a description of the book from The Host official website.

"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love. "

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Alien Adoption Agency

I have been playing an interesting game online called Alien Adoption Agency for about a month now. It is a free text game but you can subscribe by month for extra benefits. Some of the game involves battling and increasing your stats like strength and endurance. I'm not really into that type of game but there is so much else to do. You can farm, mine, fish, get jobs, go to bars, invest your money, work out at the gym, by gifts, get married at the wedding chapel, and tons more.

It's a pretty cool game to check out if you're bored. It is easy to learn and if you have any questions I can do my best to answer them.

I'll just add that the game is not appropriate for children as there is some bad language.

You can try out the game by clicking the image below. It will take you to a page that will direct you to another page to sign up. It is really easy and safe to join and completely free!

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Healthy Eating: Special K Challenge

As part of my New Years Resolution I have decided to eat healthier. I heard about the Special K cereal diet and decided to try it out because I really like the cereal.

It is called the Special K Challenge. They have tips for success, exercise tips, healthy recipes and more. Check out the website to find tons of credible and useful resources.

The feature I like the best is the Meal Planner. The meal planner creates a suggested weeks worth of meals and snacks based on your recommended daily calorie intake.
While I found that the meal planner provides great ideas for a healthy diet I am not following it exactly. My twist on the challenge is that I am going to substitute one meal each day with a bowl of Special K. The cereal is available in different flavours so I can mix it up. Right now I am working my way through a box of Special K Berry. I love this one with some sliced banana and 1% milk.

I am going to be dieting this way for a couple of months. I'll let you know how it works out for me.

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Wendy Wear on Plus-Sized Labels

After reading the article from my previous post I found that the United States is considering doing the same. Wendy Wear, a plus-sizd clothing designer, was on Fox news to say her bit about the absurd proposal. She even mentioned something I had said about the issue (why not put labels on small sizes?). The video is below, you can also visit Wendy's blog.



It seems the consensus is that this idea of warning labels on clothing is insulting and degrading. The only person that seems to be for it is that crazy professor guy that started the whole thing.

Note to College Students: This just goes to show that not all professors are right about everything. When your in class listening to lectures just remember that you do not have to take everything your professors say as gospel. You can disagree with their ideas, philosophies, and opinions.

Politicians are listening to this UK guy because he is a credible source with education to credit his theory and of course they are concerned about money. But the fact is that the average person can see that this is an incredibly stupid idea and isn't going to help shit!

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Warning Labels on Plus-Sized Clothing?

A professor in the UK argues that clothing labels, on sizes 16 and up, should include obesity help line numbers. This is intended to help curb the high rate of obesity in the UK that is consuming their health care resources and government spending. Here is the article, found on wptz.com.

U.K. Professor Wants Government To Fight Obesity

"A leading professor in the U.K. said that obese people should be warned about the health risks of their weight when buying clothes, according to The Daily Mail.

Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said that oversized clothing should have obesity help line numbers sewn on them to try to reduce Britain's obesity crisis.

The professor made the recommendations in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal.

Sir George Albert, the U.K.'s national director for emergency care, joined other health professionals in their recommendations. He wants the government to take a more proactive response to obesity.

The suggestion would be to put the label on all clothes with waist sizes over 37 inches for boys or 31 inches for girls. Women's clothes over size 16 would also get a label.

The paper reported that Sattar also believes new urban roads should only be built if they include a separate lane for bicyclists.The professor also said that new housing complexes should all include sports facilities and park areas.

Britain's obesity problem could bankrupt its health system if nothing is done to stop it, according to Sattar. The British Medical Journal reported that more than half of the U.K.'s population is overweight and more than one in five adults is obese.

Treating obese people in that country takes up about 9 percent of the health budget, the Mail reported.

Sattar thinks there should be more political intervention. He told the journal that he also wants food manufacturers to display nutrition information on the content of all meals and snacks at retail and catering outlets.

"People clearly have some responsibility for their health, but society and government have a responsibility to make the preferred, easy choices healthier ones," Sattar said.

Sattar said in the journal that education should be provided at all levels to change behavior towards diet and physical activity, and obesity made a core part of all medical training, according to a press release."

My Opinion:

Shopping for clothing can already be hard enough on a person’s self esteem. Embarrassing and degrading women further is not a good way to cut down on health care costs. In fact, this may actually increase health costs for prescription drugs which these women may feel are necessary to live a happier life.

In addition, the article says that obese people use up 9% of their health care budget. But I think that this is not a high enough number to call for radical change. Maybe the government should be more concerned with curbing violence, car accidents, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and so on.

Notice in this article there is no mention of anorexia help line numbers on sizes extra small and lower. This professor is not concerned with health issues or costs, but is actually concerned that UK women should try harder to look like fake supermodels.

Discussion: What do you think about this proposal? Will it help or hinder health issues?

This video is related to this post. It's a Dove commercial from their real beauty campaign.

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No Classes for York Students

As you may of heard, the facalty of York University in Toronto has been on strike since November 6. And that means that students still cannot go to class. You may think "Wow, that sounds great, a break from all the chaos of school for awhile". But the reality is that students are losing money and precious time is wasting. For many, it will now take longer to graduate or they will have to take summer classes.

Here is an update about the strike from thespec.com.

Talks resume in York University strike
Two-month dispute jeopardizes school year

January 05, 2009

Raveena Aulakh
Torstar News Service'

"Students across Ontario head back to school today - unless they attend York University.

York University and the union representing its striking workers have still not reached an agreement, but it's a good sign that talks haven't broken down, said a union member.

"Talks are still going on – that's a very good thing," said Christina Rousseau, chair of CUPE 3903.

Thousands of students - including commuters from Hamilton - have been idled for two months by the strike. The school year is in jeopardy for many, but the province has said it won't intervene in the dispute.

University officials and union representatives will resume bargaining today after negotiations ended late last night. The two sides have been working with a mediator since Saturday. The strike has shut down campus since Nov. 6, when 3,400 teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants walked off the job. This is the third attempt at reaching an agreement.

Workers are demanding better job security, benefits, wages and a two-year contract that will expire at the same time as other Ontario university unions, giving the Canadian Union of Public Employees more province-wide bargaining clout.

Rousseau said job security is a big point of contention. "We want a special contract which gives members five years instead of the eight months they have now," she said last night. "That will allow them to do some long-term planning."

Child care and professional development are also at issue.

A York University spokesperson was not available to comment. "

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Keeping an Organized Schedule

There is nothing worse then going to class when everyone one has an assignment to hand in and you forgot all about it! Agendas allow you to keep a record of important due dates, test dates and to do lists. This way tests, and the like, won’t creep up on you unexpectedly.

I highly recommend writing a detailed schedule for everything in your life. If you are not used to keeping an agenda, just follow these guidelines and you’ll have no problem getting into it.

Buying an Agenda: Look for ones that have spiral binding so that it is easier to keep them open on the page you need. Make sure they have the required months for the school year and are of the correct year. Buy one that has a lot of space to write in. There are some agendas made specifically for students. I bought one called the Original Student Calendar a few days ago. I got it for half price (boxing day sales) and it looks like it will be very useful.

It also includes pages for recording your expenses, months at a glance, timetable page, goals, contact info, and grades.
Creating your Own: Last semester I made my own agenda. It worked really well and I was going to use it again (with a few modifications) but I found the Original Student Calendar and decided to try it out. Try making your own (on the computer) if you cannot find an agenda that you like or you want to save some money.
Keeping it Organized: The info you write is the most crucial part to being organized. In the "Appointments and Assignments" section of my agenda I will write that a test or group meeting takes place on that day or if there is an assignment due that day. In the "General Study" section I will write tasks that need to be completed by next week (i.e. print slideshow notes for the next class, read the next chapter). I will also write specific goals that need to be completed that day, like: complete research for the first argument of the essay. The "Rest of Your Life" section will be for other things I need to do or want to remember, outside of school.


Completing a Task: You can cross things off your list as you complete them. I find that doing this allows you to see that you are making progress and accomplishing your goals. And it makes it easier to see what still needs to be completed.


With so many things to do and the assignments piling up, you will find that keeping an organized schedule will allow you to manage your stress with more ease. Winter semesters begin soon for most programs so don’t wait to get started. If you have any questions leave a comment and I will reply ASAP.
Discussion: What techniques do you find are crucial to maintaining an organized lifestyle?

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