Helen Caldicott
this wednesday i'm heading over to see helen caldicott speak. she was named one of the most influencial women of the 21st century, and is one of world's leading voices against nuclear energy. she's also co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, and she hosts a radio program called "If You Love This Planet". check her out: http://www.helencaldicott.com/about.htm

no poo
sometime last year i heard about "no poo", which is a cute/crude term for going without shampoo and conditioner. i browsed a website or two, and learned that people were spouting about the fact that you can use baking soda and apple cider vinegar in place of shampoo and conditioner, resulting in locks as nice and healthy as one has ever seen. well, being a dutiful environmentalist and an economical human being, i gave it a try. i rubbed baking soda into my scalp, and then doused my head with vinegar. my hair was left with a rather sticky residue, but it did the trick- as long as i was planning on braiding my hair. and wearing a hat. so i went back to shampoo and conditioner, trying everything to avoid plastic (bars, bulk shampoo and conditioner, making my own, etc). a couple weeks ago i ran out of the shampoo i'd made, and not having the time to make more (or being very impressed with the recipe i'd used), i decided to look up no poo again. in doing so, i realized what was apparently a rather large faux pas. the baking soda is supposed to be dissolved in water (~1T to 1c) and poured over the head and scalp, followed by rubbing/agitation similar to shampooing and a good rinse. then the apple cider vinegar is supposed to be diluted (again, ~1T to 1c) and poured over your hair, also followed by rinsing. that made an incredibly large difference. also, this time i was more patient. it takes a week or two for your head to adjust its pH and oil secretions. once it balances out, your head and hair take care of themselves and can go longer periods of time without washing. in the long run it saves you money, requires no plastic, saves both you and the environment from exposure to unneccessary chemicals, and happens to be incredibly easy. i know you're all probably skeptical, but my hair is lovely and soft and shiny and clean. i also only wash it once or twice a week. and yes, it looks delightful the whole time.

board retreat
i won't be posting next week, because i'm shooting off on a retreat to the wilderness with my OPIRG tribe. for some reason i thought i'd volunteer to help organize all the food, even though it was going to be vegan anyway. "helping" quickly turned into planning the menu, buying and transporting all the food, and being responsible for delegating duties related to cooking and such. it's a good thing i have an absolute surplus of time...
between the good company, planned events, canoeing, swimming (it may be mid-Oct but i'm going swimming- and i've convinced at least one other guy to go with me), the great food, and the fact that it's all paid for, it should be a marvelous time.

is that a book you're holding, or a super sweet clutch?
my brain-baby workshops are taking off- there's a lot of hype about the kickoff next week. a few of us got together to make examples of next friday's projects, which will focus on things to make out of unwanted books (journals, photo albums, photo frames, and clutches). the projects turned out better than i expected.  i only have a pic of the clutch i made, although i wish i could show you how well everything turned out. i was so impressed with us.

here's the clutch (do you know what a clutch is? i didn't, although now i'll have to try to find a reason to use one...), which i made out of a tom swift book entitled "Tom Swift and His Atomic Earth Blaster". it's hilarious. and Awesome. you can't tell from these photos, but i found some gold sparkle fingernail polish and painted the atomic earth blast featured on the cover. also, the fabric i used along the sides and on the inside of the bind is a very atomic stretchy silver.

this quote

from the http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/ website, which expresses a viewpoint i've long held:

"One of the critical reasons that we have so many major issues in the world today - such as climate change, sweatshops, wars over oil reserves, factory farms, polluted oceans and rivers - is because we never have to see the direct repercussions that our purchases have on the people, environment and animals they affect. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that it now, conveniently, means that people are completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering involved in the making of the 'stuff' they purchase. We have no longer any idea how much embodied energy has gone into the things we consume. The main reason we have no appreciation for this energy is because we are so disconnected from what we buy."

in this crowded world, many people feel they have no power to make a social or environmental impact. what they don't realize is that there's power in every single purchase made. any time money changes hands, it goes to a person, a corporation, an organization, an ethical or unethical approach to people and or the planet.

who or what do your purchases support?

enough of the heavy stuff, how about this guy? :)

hah! it's a newly banded 7 day old ovenbird.