Share & Voice: Tapping the Earth's Heat

I was searching up topics on the National Geographic website and came across an article on Geothermal Energy. It is energy that can be extracted from under the Earth's crust. The reservoirs of hot water and steam can be used to heat buildings and homes! I think it's amazing how many different ways there are to produce energy, but we're still so reliant on oil even though it is so hazardous to the environment. If you want to read on this, here is the link!!!

Geothermal Energy

Read 'n' Seed 5: 4th quarter & Final Review of "Harvest for Hope"

1. I read chapters 15-19, pages 218-286
2. Some of the topics it covered was obesity/fast food chains, wasting of water
3. I learned a new term "hotel families,"which was more of a made-up slang term rather than an actual definition. However, it refers to families that live in the same home but rarely talk, spend time or eat a meal together. This has to do with the fact that making time to eat healthy meals together has decreased significantly, which has contributed to fast food and unhealthy meals. Kids are also being deprived of being offered nutritious meals at schools, with fast food being offered in its place. Luckily, some schools in California created a program called Edible Schoolyard, which gives credit to students for taking a class that teaches them how to prepared nutritious meals, and how and where the food initially comes from. Surprisingly there is a HIGH rate of kids that do not even know that vegetables are grown in the ground. 
The epidemic of obesity has traces back in history. In medieval days, wealthy Monks stuffed themselves to the point of obesity. Even animals are programmed to overindulge in food if given the opportunity. It is instinct to fill up on food, since many may not be eating for a few days depending on the food availability. Now, advertising larger and larger portions have been directed at humans at cheap prices. 
Along with over-consumption, we also deal with the issue of wasting what we have. According to the World Resources Institute, "a person living in an industrialized country consumes, on average, twice as much grain, three times as much meat, 9 times as much paper, and 11 times as much gasoline as someone in a developing country." Water is also a resource that we waste. We use large quantities to crop corn and soy, which in turn feed the cattle in factory farms. We deplete our aquifers, and the number of dams and reservoirs have decreased. 
4. What we CAN do to stop this wastefulness is to start asking for smaller portions, or compost the excess food that we do not eat. Some use vermiculture , which is using worms to compost for you. We can stop our over-usage of water by watering gardens after the hottest part of the day, and by making sure the use of ice is not abused. Overall, there are many things we can do to stop this unhealthy revolution and waste.


SUMMARY
1. Overall, this book covered a vast range of topics. From organic farming, genetically modified crops and use of hormones in animal products, to the obesity epidemic, water waste and use of fossil fuels.
2. The 3 most significant things that I learned from reading this book, probably would have to be: 

• every organic product that you purchase makes a difference--it is one more step towards our markets selling more locally.
• we need to significantly reduce the amount of resources that we use. Rainforests and other natural land is being destroyed at a rapid pace
• the food that is normally sold in markets has traveled many miles and wasted fossil fuel getting there.

3. All of which was mentioned in this book pertains to me. Everything that goes on, regardless of how close, affects other parts of the world. By becoming more informed on these issues, I can start to do my part in trying to change them. Knowledge and voice are the key, and in order for change to occur i need to start thinking of the outcomes and how I am apart of it.
4. Yes, I would recommend this book. Though it touched topics that many already have heard about, it goes into detail and stories that make you think of the issues in different ways. It is easy to read and understand, and gives recommendations of how you can do your part.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

I decided to check out what my Burt's Bees honey lip balm was made of. It turns out that it is considered a number 3 hazard level item, which is moderate. Ingredients included have been linked to allergic reactions and immunotoxicity The flavor and Lanolin are the ingredients have the biggest hazard level. Overall, my lip balm does not seem to be very harmful. It is a pretty natural item, and I plan on continuing to use it. 

Share & Voice: Go Green Halloween

So, with Halloween coming up here in a couple weeks, I thought it would be a good idea to give some ideas on what you can do to celebrate, but with little impact on the environment. This Top Halloween Tips website gave me a few ideas. Number one, instead of going out and buying a costume that is already pre-made, you should make your own! You can use material that is reused/recycled from a thrift store, or maybe just find old clothes that you or your friends own that you can create into something new! It is saving money, being environmentally friendly, and plus.. it is fun!!
Some of the ideas on the website might be a little overboard, but a few are realistic, and easy to do. Grab some old decorations from the previous years and spice up your house! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

read 'n' Seed 4: 3rd Quarter of "Harvest for Hope"

1. I read pages 158-217, chapters 10 thru 14
2. Most of the chapters I read had to do with organic farming, and how it can help our economy and environment. It explains the corruption of multinational corporate giants, and how their use of "organic" is misleading. Towards the end, it briefly goes into how damage to other parts of the world, affects every OTHER part of the world.
3. I learned that whatever consumers demand, is what we get! By going to the grocery stores and purchasing organic products, we are voicing what we prefer, which in turn will lower the price as more and more of organic is offered. If businesses start noticing that certain products are not selling, they will stop selling them and give the consumers what the want. 
By organically farming, we can actually help the global warming issue, by reducing fossil fuel use. Organic farming uses 30% less fossil fuels than industrial and monoculture agriculture. An issue that has risen from a new motive to organically farm, is the multinational corporate giants, also known as organic factory farms. Though they are MUCH better than the industrial corporations, they are still forgetting about crop diversity, are taking over farmlands and burning many fossil fuels. These large-scale industrial organic farms and the small-scale sustainable farms are compared like shallow organic and deep organic are. Shallow organic is familiarity, limited selection, and sameness, while deep organic is committed to biodiversity, rotation of animals and plants, and replenished/respected water sources. 
With our increasingly growing population, it is hard to keep up with the food demands. Forests and traditional farmlands are being destroyed to make room for more crops. This is the wrong way to go at this, because the soil needed to grow the food is being ruined and washed away. We are decreasing the amount of land able to grow, and the food that we do grow is not even being distributed properly. While some are suffering from starvation, others are dealing with obesity. This is an ongoing chain that will lead us nowhere.
4. We need to stop supporting these huge corporations that are only worsening our chances survival. We are ruining our nutrient-rich soil for growing crops, and in the doing we are consuming more than our earth can provide. Organic farming needs to be taken very seriously, because it will soon effect every single one of us, as it already has begun to do so. 

Share & Voice: Anemia

So, my sister recently found out that she was Anemic. For those of you that don't know what this is, Anemia is having a decrease in the number if red blood cells, or less hemoglobin in the blood. This is a condition that often happens to women, due to lack of iron. My sister found out that she had Anemia because she couldn't figure out why she was addicted to chewing on ice! I thought it'd be interesting to inform you on things you can do in order to reduce or to manage the onset of Anemia. It is important that we stay healthy and aware of our bodies.

Here is the link!
How to manage anemia