Earth Day 2012

So it's Earth Day again.  Today is a day when it's probably a good idea to reflect on the fact that we only have one earth (unless this is true) and no place to go if we mess up the place. I hate to admit it, but my ethusiasm for encouraging people to change their ways has died down a bit in recent years.  It's been difficult to get into good habits when you're constantly moving around.  Many times I've had to sacrifice good choices with cheaper and easier ones.  However, maybe today is a good day to get back on track.

Way back (5 years ago, I think) I did do a post about Earth Day.  I'm not going to link to it because there wasn't much.  However, I did find another post I made describing 50 things you could do (I probably lifted that from somewhere) and there were some comments adding to it.  I thought I'd go through and describe which ones I've done in the past few years (and which ones I could have done but failed - i.e. the ones I should be focusing on).

A small caveat before I begin: I read the book No Impact Man a while back and, while it was encouraging to see what changes could be made, it was no way a realistic way of living in today's society.  The author, Colin Beavan, did some incredible things, but made it clear that the way our society is set up makes it impossible to actually have no impact.  So I guess the biggest thing you could do is vote for people who will put us in the right direction (good job Canada, on giving Steve-o that majority... note: that was sarcasm) so that it is possible for more people to make better choices.

Another caveat: I really don't like it when people (usually children) say "We need to save the environment."  Huh? That just shows that the person doesn't quite understand the issue. If you said: "we need to preserve the environment" you'd be a bit closer, but still off.  We are part of the environment and that environment is changing all the time.  The problem is that we are causing massive amounts of change to a very complex system.  Every small change affects the whole and if we make too many changes, our ability to survive in our surroundings will suffer greatly.  Anyway.... I digress.

Things I've done in recent months (from my previous list and comments):

1. Compost Food Scraps (Though sadly, not in NZ, all in the UK, Canada and Korea.  I was most saddened in Tanzania where they burned them instead).
2. Turning off lights when I'm not using them (they're off now).
3. Taking the bus, walking and running (every day).
4. Turning off the tap when I brush my teeth (this one should be automatic for most people).
5.  Don't have a shower unless you need to (yeah, might be gross, but some days I don't need one).
6. Use biodegradable soaps, especially laundry soap (this one is much easier these days, most stores sell them, and they're not too expensive).
7. Recycle (another one that should be automatic by now, though it isn't always).
8. Unplug appliances when not in use (this is a big one and most people waste a lot of electricity by keeping tvs plugged in).
9. Put on warm clothes instead of using the heat (um... in England they don't really use the heat that much, so I guess this counts).
10. Open the window instead of using A/C (no A/C in England, haven't seen it here yet).
11. Grow your own food (I ate fejoas off of a tree the other day, does that count? The house I lived in in the UK did grow some food, but I was never there in the summer to eat it).
12. Don't drink bottled water (who does this anymore? You should be shaken until some sense comes into you - unless of course you live in Seoul or Africa, but then you should buy bigger and refillable containers of water, which are cheaper anyway.  And, when I was in Tanzania, the family I was staying with reused the big bottles I had afterwards so they weren't a complete waste).
13.  Don't use paper unless you need to (my grocery lists are on the back of old reciepts, and other similar things).
14. Reuse plastic containers instead of buying new ones (in England I had so many old yogurt and hummous containers full of seeds and nuts and other things).
15. Don't put fruit/veggies into plastic bags.
16. Use cloth bags when grocery shopping (failing marks for both the UK and NZ on this.  Plastic bags galore with no incentive to not use them.  I can understand the UK, but a bit shocked here).
17. Use energy efficient light bulbs (I haven't bought many recently, but when I do, I buy those... can you buy others these days?)
18. Submit assignments (job applications) electronically (yes, but some schools are demanding paper copies only, and I suspect the ones I send in electronically get printed out anyway).
19. Use the library (when living in Seoul this was difficult, though I did buy a lot of second hand books, but in the UK and NZ a library card was one of the first things I got).
20. Wash clothes with cold water (and it's probably better for the colours anyway).
21. Air dry clothes instead of using a dryer (haven't had a dryer in a while so that hasn't been a problem, though with the humidity here, it may become necessary).
22. Use cloth napkins instead of paper (and I save the extra one sthey give me from restaurants).
23. Read newspapers online (cheaper too!).
24. Buy local produce and from local shops/farmers markets (getting into that here, and it is cheaper).
25. Donate old clothing instead of throwing it out (when I left the UK I dropped off a lot of stuff in a Traid bin, after a very well timed school assembly in my final weeks in London).

Wow, I'm actually impressed I can list all of those things.  I guess they've all just become second nature to me by now.  But instead of me boasting about what I have been doing, perhaps I should focus more on what else I could be doing.  So here is a (shorter) list of what I'm going to work on:

1. Find a way to compost food.  The last few cities I've lived in have all had food waste collection. I guess it's not a priority here, but maybe I can find a way to do something.
2. Have shorter showers.  I think the lack of heating in England made it hard in the winter time when I was cold (also, less hot showers).  I should revert back to the bucket showers I had in Tanzania.  Very little water use and you could even heat it up.  We'll see though.
3. Plant a tree.  Hmmm.  Sounds like a good idea.  I'll have to look into it though.
4.  Fly less.  Ok, going from London to Auckland isn't exactly the best way to not add CO2 to the atmosphere.  To be fair, when I travelled around Europe, I took the train (fun times) instead of flying to Brussels, Prague and Copenhagen.  In fact, I really love the train.  But still, my miles in the air have probably been astronomical since my post 5 years ago.
5. Vote for Leaders who will do something.  Now here I have to hang my head in shame.  During the last election (Canadian) I registered to vote from overseas and got my voting card in the mail.  Even though I filled it out immediately and when to the post office as soon as I could (I just missed the closing time one day and had to go back the next) I was told that for a large sum of money (it was over 50 pounds) I could send it and it MIGHT get there the day after the election.  My vote was for the Green Party member in my riding.  So I bet you think it wouldn't have made a difference without that vote.  Well, it didn't.  She still won.  Sad that I couldn't be a part of history, but I won't let that happen next time. Sigh.

I could add a few more but I'll leave it at that.  What will you do for Earth Day?  I guess this will show who actually reads my blog and who actually read to the end of this post!  Haha!  Please tell me one thing (or more if you'd like) that you're going to try to change today.  Something small (or big, but it doesn't have to be).  Every little action (or inaction, I guess) helps.

I look forward to seing what you say.

Countdown of My Favourite Sports Movies: #'s 10, 9 & 8

More than a month ago, I suggested that I would do a top 10 countdown of my favourite sports movies. Keeping in mind there are a few sports "Classics" that I have not seen, here is the first three in the countdown:

10. Any Given Sunday. Why is it that some of the best sports movies are about Football? Any Given Sunday tells the story of a fictional football team. An aging quarterback is hurt in a game and is replaced by the second string quaterback who is also hurt. This sets the stage for the third string quaterback (Jamie Foxx) who fills in more than adequately. The story follows many different members of the team (Al Pacino as the head coach, Cameron Diaz as an owner, James Woods as the team doctor, etc.). Directed by Oliver Stone this football movie is definitely worth a watch if you have the time.

9. Chariots of Fire. It's not often that a sports movie will win Best Picture at the Oscars (the only one I was sure of was Rocky - and I haven't even seen it), so I thought Chariots of Fire should be on the list. Set in 1924, the movie tells the story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two British Sprinters who ran in the Paris Olympics that same year. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it is a movie that should be seen. This movie has probably the best opening of any movies I've ever seen (and the music lives on forever in my head - especially when we ran through Willow's beach in Victoria as a group on a cloudy Sunday morning).

8. Rudy. Admittedly I have only seen this once, but include it on my list because it is a classic and it has a good message (work hard and your dreams can come true). Starring Sean Astin (funny, I've been compared to two of his characters...) and Charles S. Dutton, this is a great movie to watch if you're in need of some sports inspiration. In it, Rudy (Astin) is always told he is too small to play football. He never stops trying and tries to make the Notre Dame football team as a walk-on. Like Chariots of Fire, this is also based upon a true story (you may notice a trend...)

Check back next week when I'll go through #'s 7, 6 and 5.

The Best Sports Movies...

It was rough trying to come up with something to write about for Sports on Saturday. I have stopped watching sports on TV (for two reasons: 1. I don't have the time and 2. They're just not that exciting to watch right now). I recently counted down my top ten favourite children's books, so I thought I could do the same with sports movies. I just came up with this idea so I will take some time so that I think through my top 10 (I'm going to go with criteria for this I think and give points!). Until I get this done, I'll leave you with a couple of lists of top sports movies from:

IMDb

Rotten Tomatoes

Perhaps you can send me in suggestions of what I COULD include in my list. I'll do what I can, as I may or may not remember all the sports movies I've seen.

Enjoy!

Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: #1

We've finally reached number one on my list after 4 long weeks, you finall get to know what my all-time favourite children's book is. Before we begin, here is a recap of the last four posts I've done: week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4.

A quick recap of the first nine:

10. The Berenstain Bears Series
9. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures
7. Princess Smartypants
6. Love You Forever
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
4. Oh, The Places You'll Go!
3. The Paper Bag Princess
2. The Lorax

1. The Eleventh Hour (Graeme Base): I said last week that it was my analytical mind that this is the number one book and anyone who has read this will understand why. The Eleventh Hour (note: this link contains a spolier!) is about Horace (an Elephant) who plans his 11th Birthday Party (on November the 11th no less). Eleven guests are invited to eat eleven dishes of food and play eleven games. The story focuses on this party but with a twist. At the end of the story, the big feast is stolen. No one knows who it is, but the book goes on to tell you that there are clues hidden throughout the book (and boy are there clues!). The first time I read this book I was in grade 5 and our class tried feverishly to figure out who did it (don't worry I won't spoil the fun). Recently I bought a copy of the book so that I could look through the pictures for the clues. Even as an adult (and I knew who did it) I had fun looking through the pages.

The pictures are amazing (as anyone who has seen Graeme Base's work - including Animalia, The Sign of the Seahorse, and many others - will know). I have fond memories of this book and it is one of the few I actually remember vividly reading when I was younger (though no doubt there are many I read over and over). For more information on Greame Base, check his website.

I hope this list has been enjoyable. Feel free to comment on your favourite books from your childhood. I will be adding some honourable mentions next week of books I enjoy and had a hard time not adding to this list.

Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: #2

We're still on our way to number one in my countdown of my favourite children's books. Check here for week 1, week 2 and week 3.

Here's a quicker recap of the first 8 books:

10. The Berenstain Bears Series
9. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures
7. Princess Smartypants
6. Love You Forever
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
4. Oh, The Places You'll Go!
3. The Paper Bag Princess

2. The Lorax (Dr. Seuss): Another Dr. Seuss book that I didn't read until I was much older (I was actually reminded of one that I read a lot when I was young, but unfortunately that did not make the list), and a book that I read to my class just yesterday. I think this is more than a good book; it's an important book. First published in 1971, this book rings true today. For those of you who have not read the book, I suggest you do (I can't imagine a public library that does not have this book), and so I will not explain the plot, other than to say it is about our treatment of the planet. I have used it twice already to teach students about the environment and I plan on using it many times in the future. This book would have been number one on my list were it not for my analytical mind (a clue! (which itself is a clue!)) and some fond childhood memories. The Lorax is probably the only book on this list that I think ALL children should be read. It's message is too important to be forgotten or ignored.

Tune in next week to find out what the #1 book on my list is (and if you know what it is, please don't post it, as I know many of my readers are waiting in anticipation!).

Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: #'s 4 & 3

Here is the next installment in my countdown of my favourite children's books which I started two weeks ago and continued last week. Here is a recap of the books I have already counted down:

10. The Berenstain Bears Series
9. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Matthew and the Midnight Tow Truck
7. Princess Smartypants
6. Love you Forever
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

4. Oh, The Places You'll Go! (Dr. Seuss): Believe it or not, I had never read this (at least to my knowledge) until the end of my very first practicum in Toronto in 2003. A fellow student teacher brought it in to read to our class on the last day we were there and I read it to one of our classes (we were in a SK class, with a morning and an afternoon class). I absolutely loved the story. Every time I read it I have to hold back the tears. I think this book is such a classic for so many because it is honest. It's not one of those books that says everyone is great and that nothing bad will happen. It instills a message of working hard but still encourages children - and adults - to dream big dreams and to not be discouraged by setbacks. Lately this book has become a cliched gift to graduates of every level of school. I'm not really into that, but I think the book is great for people who appreciate good children's literature. I could not find much information out there about the book, except that it is Dr. Seuss's last book. Find more info at Wikipedia and at the Dr. Seuss website.

3. The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch): Ok, so those who know me, may be surprised that this is "only" number three - but I assure you, I have two good ones at the top and you'll understand why. This book is somewhat similar to Princess Smartypants in that it is about an atypical princess. I like this book more for the fact that it spits in the face of conventional fairy tales that tell girls they are the ones that need saving. As a character Elizabeth is a great role model. She fights for what she wants, uses her brains to beat a foe, and then stands up for herself at the end. The humor present in this book also adds to it's appeal. If I were doing a list of which books I like to read, I imagine this would be a bit higher (Dr. Seuss is hard to beat for readability though). A few years ago, they released a new version of the book which has background information on the book which is rather interesting if you are a fan (or for children who like that kind of thing). There is lots of information about this book at Wikipedia, Robert Munsch's Website, and a random site I found.

Stay tuned for # 2 next week (that's right, I'm going to make you wait two whole weeks until I reveal #1!).

Tips to Stay Motivated to Exercise or Train

Those of you who know me, know I run competitively. Lately I've had some big problems finding motivation to run, but the last few days I have gotten it back. I thought I would share some tips with my readers that helped me get focused once again. So here are my tips:

Stay Hydrated: Make sure you drink enough water during the day. Your energy levels will be much higher if you are drinking enough water. Carry around a reusable water bottle during the day to make this easier.

Sleep Well: If you're tired, it is much harder to exercise, especially if you are not getting enough sleep day after day. Get into a rhythm with your sleep by going to bed around the same time each day and getting up at the same time.

Eat Well: If you're going to eat junk, eat it after you run or walk or whatever you do. Not only will it be good motivation, but apparently your body processes the bad food much better after strenuous activity. If you're confused about what to eat, stick to a balanced diet with whole foods. See The World's Healthiest Foods for more info on healthy foods.

Rest: Make sure you give yourself time to recover. If you tire yourself out every day, you're not going to want to keep on doing it. I personally take one day off a week, but many people might want to take 2 or 3 (see below for related tips!)

Variety: If you do the same thing day after day, you're going to get bored. For example, if you want to average 40mins a day, don't run 40 mins each day. Perhaps you could do 35 min one day, 45 min the next. If you're running outdoors, change your route frequently (try not to do the same route more than 2 or 3 times a week). Do fun stuff too; some days go faster and shorter, while other days go longer and shorter. Though I'm talking mostly about running, I'm sure you can put variety into any other activity.

Make a Plan: Get into a weekly rhythm. Do the same thing every Tuesday for example. It's probably easiest to go with a weekyly schedule, because the rest of your life is likely structured that way. Also, pick a time each day to do your exercise. If you get into a habit of this, it makes it much easier to get out there.

Be Adaptable: If you find you're doing too much or too little, change your plan. Don't be afraid to take a day off if you need it. Sometimes you get stressed or have a tiring day. You'll be better off if you don't force yourself to exercise (if you're training competitively it MAY have a negative effect to take a day off, but use your judgement - if you work too hard now instead of taking a day off, you might find yourself taking a whole week of a month later!).

Exercise with Someone Else: Having someone there and knowing that they expect you to show up makes it harder to not do something. Plus it makes running less boring (though sometimes it's nice to exercise alone).

Have Fun: If exercising is constantly not fun, why would you want to do it?

Make a Goal: If you have something you are aiming for, it makes it easier to get out there. The goal could be as simple as lifting more weights, going on a longer run or just running 6 days in a week. Just having a goal gives you direction.

I hope these tips are helpful to you. If you have any other tips you'd like to share, please post them. I always welcome feedback.

Also, if you know of anyone who might find this post (or any other post in this blog) interesting, please send them the link. I'm trying to increase my readership so I can have some good contests in the future!

Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: #'s 7, 6 & 5

This is the continuation of the countdown I started last week. A recap of the first three:

10. The Berenstain Bears Series

9. Where the Wild Things Are

8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures

7. Princess Smartypants (Babette Cole): In the same vein as the Paper Bag Princess this is a book about a Princess who doesn't fit the stereotype. Babette Cole is definitely an author worth reading and has produced many other storybooks (which may or may not all be suitable for children). This particular story is about a Princess who everyone wants to marry. She makes each potential suitor complete some very difficult tasks. Definitely one that will make students laugh.

6. Love You Forever (Robert Munsch): If this story doesn't make you cry, the story behind the story will. A few years ago I had a music class where we talked about this book. It originally started as a song which was written by Munsch after he and his wife had two babies born dead. The song was written to those two babies. Astute fans of Robert Munsch will notice that his regular illustrator (Michael Martchenko). This is because the book was seen as a book for adults and not a book for children (though many children do enjoy it). More information about the book can be found here.

5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Jon Scieszka): Another great author who has written several great children's books. I choose this particular book of his to highlight because it was the first one of his I read and it absolutely blew me away (no pun intended). This is the classic story of the Three Little Pigs as told by the wolf. So simple yet such a great idea. Similar to Princess Smartypants in that it is a fractured fairy tale (my how many of those made my top 10) but very different. This can be used in so many ways in a classroom.

Tune in next week to find out what books 4 and 3 are!

Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books

A few weeks ago I sent out an email to all the teachers and librarians (and people who would know about this stuff) to send me their top 10 favourite children's storybooks and their top 10 favourite children's novels. I got responses from three people, so I figured those results would be slightly skewed. I'm going to hold off on this and hope that maybe I'll get a few more responses to this survey. In the meantime I will count down my top 10 favourite children's storybooks. We'll start with three today:

10. The Berenstain Bears Series (Stan & Jan Berenstain): Who out there has never read one of these books. The books dealt with such things as candy, tv, homework, and on and on. Though not necessarily the best books to read to children, they sure are enjoyable

9. Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak): This one is a favourite of many and although the basic plot has been done over and over (for those of you in my program at UVic you may remember when we looked at all the stories similar to this (Someone leaves home, finds it dangerous, then returns – I can't remember the name of it, but perhaps a classmate could post the name). Apparently, I have heard there is a movie in the works. Hmmm.

8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures (Allen Morgan): Specifically Matthew and the Midnight Tow Truck, but also the Midnight Turkeys and the Midnight Money Van. The idea of the magic car wash that could shrink regular cars into “dinky cars” (ahh... the good old days when I played with those) is kinda cool if you're younger. Very much in the vein of Robert Munch books (part of that is probably that they have the same illustrator).

Tune in next week to hear about #'s 7, 6 and 5!

50 Actions You Can Do to Be Nice to the Environment

I started this list a while ago and thought it would be a good idea to share it with my readers. Some of the things are very simple while others require some work. Maybe I will inspire some readers to make some changes in their lives. Who knows? Here is my list (the last one is kind of lame as I was trying to make it a nice round number):

1. Compost Food Scraps

2. Plant a Tree

3. Turn off your lights when you're not using them

4. Take the bus instead of driving when possible

5. Walk, Run or Bike when possible

6. Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth

7. Pick up recyclables that people have thrown on the road and put them in a blue box (or bring them back for money)

8. Have shorter showers

9. Don't have so many hot showers

10. Don't have a shower unless you need to

11. Use soaps and cleaning materials that are biodegradable

12. Recycle paper, metal, glass and plastic

13. When buying a car, consider the mileage that it gets

14. Use energy efficient light bulbs

15. When possible, eat organic foods

16. When possible, eat local foods

17. Use leftover water from boiling/cooking food to water plants instead of pouring it down the drain

18. Put your computer on standby or hibernate when you're not using it

19. Unplug appliances such as televisons, stereos and dvd players when not in use (they still use electricity)

20. Put on warm clothes instead of turning the heat up

21. Open the window instead of turning on the A/C (for cars and houses)

22. Collect rain water to feed your plants or put in your toilet

23. Vote for leaders who have the environment in mind

24. Ask your energy provider if they have renewable sources of energy

25. Switch to renewable sources of energy

26. If your energy provider doesn't have renewable sources of energy, ask them why not?

27. Write to your government representatives in support of carbon taxes

28. Run for office and promote policies that show respect to the environment

29. Tell your friends and family members to do the things on this list

30. Talk to local children about this list

31. Grow your own food

32. Support businesses that try to make themselves sustainable

33. Don't drink bottled water

34. Buy clothes made from organic fabrics

35. Learn as much as you can about sustainability and share that information with others

36. Use better insulating windows to keep your house warmer

37. Invest in environmentally friendly companies

38. Don't use paper unless you need to

39. Eat less meat

40. Use reusable containers and bags if you have to bring a lunch

41. Switch to a low-flow shower head

42. Reuse plastic containers instead of buying tupperware.

43. Don't put apples, oranges, etc. into plastic bags when grocery shopping

44. Bring cloth bags when grocery shopping

45. If you have to use plastic bags, find ones that are biodegradable

46. Submit assignments electronically when possible

47. Scan things instead of photocopying them

48. Wash plastic food bags as well as zip lock and reuse them

49. When washing dishes, instead of using the tap to rinse every dish and spoon, fill up your second sink to rinse the dishes off.

50. Remember that we only have one earth. If we destroy it, there's no second chance.

I realize this is not quite a comprehensive list, therefore I'm asking all of my readers to add their own. There is a prize (some nice high quality chocolate - I'll come back and revise this post with specifics soon!) for the person who gives me the most unique ways to help the environment. The criteria is that it must be an activity that an individual is able to do, and the activity has to be reasonably easy and affordable to do. I'll evaluate them on a case by case basis.

All responses should be posted as comments to this post and your name MUST be included. The deadline for responses will be Tuesday April 10th at 11:59pm PST.

Good luck!