Think before you eat

I am a big fan of "going green" regardless of the varied opinions on the issues surrounding it.  I feel that there is no negative side to going green so we should all take part in it in one way or another.  Our nations food industry is one of the heavy hitters in this cause, specifically regarding the way that the industry's practices impact consumers and the environment.  If you are not familiar with the dark side of what we eat and why it is one of the most important social and environmental issues right now then check out this trailer for an upcoming documentary called Food Inc. This film will show you the hidden truths of our food system and the subsequent outcomes that we don't always take into consideration.



One of the points made in this film is the extensive use of corn in so many of our foods. A good documentary about that topic in itself is King Corn.  It is pretty interesting to learn just how much corn we consume.  It is literally put into just about everything.  If you're at all interested in becoming more educated about our environment and how our food industries impact it, I suggest looking into these documentaries.  King Corn is available now and Food Inc. will be released June 12th.

RiP: A Remix Manifesto

One of the biggest issues in our society these days is piracy and the overwhelming amount of "illegal" downloading taking place online. Alongside this issue is the corporate fight against it as studios, record companies, labels, etc. attempt to get back at consumers who download music, movies, and other products illegally. This is a pretty interesting topic to me especially in regard to music production, sampling, and the music industry itself among other things. I stumbled upon a documentary called RiP: A Remix Manifesto, a film detailing the above issues and heavily starring the popular mash-up artist, Girl Talk. It is an interesting documentary about copyright and remix culture and you can download it for the price of your choice here.

Digital Detox recap

Digital Detox Week ends tomorrow and as you can tell it was quite hard for me to accomplish. I did manage to cut down on the amount of time I waste on Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, etc. etc. but to quit all together was impossible for me. I didn't notice anyone else taking part in this either so it looks to me that most people have accepted the takeover of digital interactions and no longer mind the lack of face to face contact as the dominant form of socializing. It is kind of sad that so many aspects of our lives are being replaced by the digital age/advancements in technology. I won't deny that I'm a big fan of technology and such and I clearly love everything that I was supposed to give up during Digital Detox Week but it's still kind of pathetic how these things can control us so much.

This campaign opened my eyes big time and even though it was hard to give everything up entirely, I was able to cut down on my habits drastically and I survived. I hope more people joined in on this because I think keeping these digital dependencies in check is a smart approach to getting back in the habit of real forms of interaction that don't revolve around Facebook "Bumper Stickers" or "Top 5 Applications" and updating your status or Twitter with random quotes or highly unnecessary statements that you otherwise wouldn't waste your breath announcing. Here's to next years Detox Week.

One week detox

I won't be blogging this week from the 20th to the 26th because I am trying this one week digital detox program. I find myself spending way too much time on the Internet especially with Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and even this blog. I have already said goodbye to Facebook and MySpace for the week via my status updates. I also changed my default pictures to one of the posters for Digital Detox Week seen above so more people can get the idea.

I already know this will be very difficult for me and I doubt I will be able to go without the Internet entirely but saying no to the above social networking sites will be a big step. We waste a lot of time on unnecessary digital "necessities" so the only thing I will use the Internet for this week will be email and homework since those remain pretty essential. Other than that it's so long to other websites along with TV and cell phone use. Wish me luck, I hope you do the same.

Drink to the Earth!

Whether you believe in global warming or not, the environment is always worth taking care of. One of the many current issues out there right now is the consumption of bottled water and other beverages in plastic containers. Bottled water is extremely popular among consumers regardless of the fact that its no healthier than tap water, it produces nearly 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year, and is part of the overall corporatization of water. Boxed Water is taking a new approach to bottling water by boxing it up in recyclable, sustainable cartons that are better for the environment. Currently that are only available in Michigan but are expected to be sold everywhere soon. If you want to take further action now, check out this site.

Random post on light use

I am working on a global citizenship project for my human relations course and the point of the project is to take part in multiple actions that will change who we are and how we effect the world. The first action I am starting today involves cutting back on the use of lights. It might seem like I'm beating a dead horse but lighting is one of the most overlooked energy wasters, especially here on my college campus.

For starters, I decided to no longer use the lights in my room during the day. If there is enough sunlight coming through the window there is no point for artificial lighting. Come night fall, rather than flipping on the big ceiling light I am only using my desk lamp unless more light is needed. These actions can be done anywhere, really. Furthermore, in the residence halls all the hallway lights, bathroom lights, lounge lights, etc. are on pretty much 24/7 regardless of motion sensors in certain areas. I decided to rebel a little bit here and turn these off on my own. Anytime I use the bathroom, I shut off all but one switch when I leave (safety matters), if I use a kitchen or lounge, I kill all the switches on my way out. The hallways in our buildings are a different story, not all lights can be turned off due to safety reasons so I typically turn off one or two switches.

Granted, the lights don't stay off for too long because so many people come and go but I am spreading the word and hopefully getting some people to join in. There is really no point for unnecessary amounts of lighting, especially with our environment going to hell. You can do the same, and I encourage you to do so. If you live on a campus, try doing what I mentioned. Try it anywhere for that matter. It takes no effort at all to turn off a light switch but the benefits really add up.