Heck Yeah Conservation...

The blog title is a total nod to my dad, who introduced conservation to me at a very early age, and who also hates the phrase, "stuff like that." Dad, thank you for being such a great teacher! In my personal life, I am working to reduce my waste by 2/3 of my current amount through smart product purchasing, food scrap composting, and reducing water and power consumption. I expect this campaign to get off to a slow start as we adapt to changes in our lifestyle and begin to incorporate new practices. Please feel free to submit your suggestions for sustainable life changes, links to important information, and other relevant material.

[heckyeahconservation]

Pickled Carrot Sticks Recipe | Epicurious.com

I can't wait to make some of these for my upcoming trip.  I need a snack to munch on that helps settle my stomach.  I will be playing at the Roller Derby Nationals competition at the end of the month and my guts always get a little twisted out of nerves.

[heckyeahconservation]

My 21 Day Sugar Detox

I recently decided to join a friend in a 21 day sugar detox diet following the Holidays.  I was acutely aware that I had indulged in sugar cookies, candy, and more than my fair share of soda at all of those blockbuster movies.  Today I am on day 19, finishing up over the weekend.  I am not going to lie, the process was insanely difficult.  The early days were accompanied by stomach discomfort and loose bowels.  I then over compensated for that problem by consuming more than a good amount of cheese for a few days.  Each meal I ate in the first week left me unsatisfied; I knew I was full, but I still found myself wanting more...surely this was the sugar craving.  I simply wanted sugar, but mind over matter won, except I just kept eating all the allowed foods I could find.  Unfortunately this did not do too much for my energy.  I found myself passing out on the couch some nights at only 8:30pm, dreaming wildly, and not really feeling rested by 6:00am.  In my second week I finally decided that I needed to make accommodations for an active lifestyle and allow myself some approved starches.  I bought myself a bag of Trader Joe's sweet potato ridged chips, and kept those at my desk for emergency afternoon pick me ups before the gym or roller derby. I at least needed to be able to make it home and get dinner fixed before passing out. Towards the end of my second week my mood throughout the day had shifted; I finally felt that my meals were appetizing and satisfying.  I did begin to feel that I was always in the kitchen, and that was becoming an irritant.  I confronted my husband on the matter and he was less than supportive, actually pretty hostile about my requests for help...although he did like the new diet, he didn't want to be responsible for cooking my food...that he was happy to eat once it was prepared.  I finally just had to let it go.  He wasn't going to see he was being difficult, and I only had the one week left. As I reflect on week three, I know I have gotten smarter about preparing meals in advance, and what flavors satisfy me.  I have become a better cook; I no longer boil everything I consume, and I actually like brussel sprouts.

So here's hoping my husband will cook tonight.  I am babysitting 2 boys all afternoon tomorrow and that might be a challenge.  Sunday morning I have a roller derby practice, but the home stretch should be a breeze.  I do plan on eating a dessert I have been saving for three weeks...a small piece of cheese cake I froze from New Years...right at midnight!  I probably won't ever go back to eating bagels with cream cheese or sugary yogurt for breakfasts anymore.  I have come up with a great blended smoothie made from frozen bananas, cocoa, almond butter and almond milk.  For dinners I will eliminate the old go-tos of rice, potatoes, and bread, saving those for only pre-workout meals.  Remaining smart about the time of day I consume my sugars, starches, and fruit will be key.  I have already lost 6 lbs, and with any luck I could easily lose another 5...and as my derby teammates say, "please don't lose that butt."  

[nprfreshair]

Health food writer Jo Robinson talks to Dave Davies about  which produce you should eat as fresh as possible:

There [are] fruits and vegetables that also burn up their antioxidants and their sugar at a really rapid rate, and they happen to be those superstars of nutrition that we’re all encouraged to eat. So I’m just going to give you a list of things you should get as fresh as possible, perhaps from a farmers’ market, which … is going to be probably fresher than from the supermarket, and eat as soon as possible. So it would be artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce, parsley, mushrooms and spinach. …

I think you should have an ‘Eat Me First’ list on your refrigerator of those [foods] that you should eat the day you bring them home, or the next day. It could [make] a measurable difference in your health.

[heckyeahconservation]

...and she would hold all of the approval power, under a new executive order GW Bush enacted to take this power away from the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Why hasn't President Obama restored this decision power to the EPA?  Will Rice be allowed to maintain her investments?  Would a better candidate be John Kerry?  Is this shit already decided!!!

[nprfreshair]

Get your feel-good on!

“We’ve seen legalization in two states — that’s the first step toward legalization in other states. That’s a step toward legalization nationally. So you have a third vice industry like tobacco and like alcohol. The problem with that is that 80 percent of the profits tobacco companies and alcohol companies make comes from heavy users. The business model is based on people consuming more than they should. And so there’s a strong economic incentive for big marijuana companies to create as much addiction as possible. And yeah, sure, marijuana is less harmful than Jack Daniels, but it’s not the same thing as safe or helpful in the home or helpful in the workplace, or good. And so the long-term worry is that you have sophisticated marketing programs in place, distribution programs in place, that create a double or tripling of the current level of marijuana usage. And … by the way, Americans [already] use marijuana at triple the global average. So we’re talking about a tripling of a tripling, and that’s a big deal. It’s something to think about, which is why many people are in favor of — or I believe will become more in favor of as they realize the risks — of severe limitations on the size of marijuana businesses and the advertising that they can undertake.”

—Reporter Tony Dokoupil on the threat of big marijuana business

[heckyeahconservation]

More on the business of addiction, over-consumption and preying on the poor/disadvantaged...alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. 

[nprfreshair]

Reporter Tony Dokoupil on the initial “Green Rush”:

After Eric Holder and the Obama administration suggested that they weren’t going to crack down on medical marijuana, everybody and their brother grabbed a trash bag full of weed out of their backyard and were like, ‘All right, medical marijuana here for sale!’ … Then Colorado was really interesting … because there’s a core of young, educated, politically connected and well-financed guys who said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can’t have former black market drug dealers and bikini girls as the face of our industry, because the community’s not going to accept it.

So they partnered with law enforcement. They partnered with state legislators. They hired incredibly high-level political consultants and lobbyists who have worked nationally. And they are the inside force that led to the creation of Colorado’s regulated medical marijuana industry, which is unlike any in the country and which will be the basis for the legalized, regulated market. And so in response to the craziness that we saw in 2009 … a movement toward controlled, regulated, not-in-your-face, nonconfrontational pot culture has begun.

(Photo credit: Ron Werzer/Getty Images)

[heckyeahconservation]

This was a great interview I listented to on NPR's FreshAir this morning.  The interview covered a lot of topic areas, some I had not even considered, especially how I naively thought the movement was total grass roots...HAAAA...you can thank Big Tobacco for helping to fund the passing of these laws in WA and CO aparently.  Yah!  Big Tobacco has had their eye on this market for their future for some time now, I believe it was even suggested that they already have plants!  This is something I definately want to re-listen to later.

[apcalvin-deactivated20190924]

[buzzfeed]

It’s a big night for America.

[cheatsheet]

So this also happened. 

[heckyeahconservation]

That first line...bwahahah. I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. I am so at ease right now and I haven't partake almost 10 years. This is just great for progress and getting rid of rediculous laws clogging our legal system.

[officialssay]

All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell.

Congressman Paul Broun, in a speech at the Liberty Baptist Church’s 2012 Sportsman’s Banquet on Sept. 27. Broun is a high-ranking member of the House Science Committee.

We've sold our budget balancing souls to these pandering fools.

[heckyeahconservation]

Had to wear a sweater last night...and that most certainly means that winter is creeping up on us here in the PNW!  Settling in for the big rain, and sadly it looks like there is no snow in the forecast.  So as my friend Mary Sharp says, "The Blanket Descends".

[speakerforthetrees]

Washington, DC – Today, the Obama administration finalized standards for model year 2017-2025 vehicles cutting carbon pollution to 163 grams per mile and achieving a fuel efficiency equivalent of 54.5 MPG by 2025. Combined with standards in place for 2012-2016 vehicles, the standards announced today will double the average efficiency of new vehicles and cut vehicle carbon emissions in half. In 2030 they will cut U.S. carbon emissions by the equivalent of 10% of current levels.

Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, issued the following statement:

“Today, President Obama has taken the most significant action by any President in history to move our country off oil and slash dangerous, climate disrupting pollution that threatens our children’s future.  

With June and July registering as the hottest months on record, and droughts ravaging America’s heartland, these standards are a major victory for our planet and our families.  They will also save families thousands of dollars at the pump and create more than half a million new jobs.

American automakers are roaring back as leaders of the global market because they are delivering what consumers want — vehicles that use less gas, emit less pollution, and save families more money at the pump. Today Sierra Club, automakers, and autoworkers stand together to celebrate success for American industry, jobs, and the environment.”

Yes. 

[heckyeahconservation]

This needs reading, it will chear you up...especially if you are tired of hearing that your president does nothing.  He protects and preserves our land, air, and water.

[heckyeahconservation]

Because when I visit a National Park I look forward to see the strip-mining operation...said no one ever!

[gifhound-blog]

OMG! This is what Isaac looks like out in Caribbean right now, reports US News! The storm hit Puerto Rico on Thursday, creating 10-foot waves, and knocking out power and water for thousands. Florida officials told US News Thursday that even a “glancing blow” from Isaac would disrupt the RNC.

[H/T @LizFlock for the GIF]

[heckyeahconservation]

It's extremely insensitive of me, but because I find the Talking to Doctors blog so creative, I am fighting the urge to make this a climate change denier meme for the RNC. But I am thinking of the innocent victims of the storm and for now I am restraining myself.

[itsfullofstars]

Congress’s Science Committee Doesn’t Get Science

[dendroica]

Todd Akin is just scratching the surface.

[heckyeahconservation]

return to high school, do not pass go, do not collect $200

[heckyeahconservation]

No surprises here, but it's worth reading...my friend Carrie put time into it, and I'm happy to share.

[think-progress]

Your guide to 23 consumer brands helping bankroll right-wing attack ads. 

Get the details at ThinkProgress and share this to spread the word.

[Note: An earlier version of this inadvertantly listed Wendy’s instead of White Castle.] 

[122782]

Thoughts:

That Coachella cruise this winter was too expensive anyway.

Brian, stop buying Angel Soft TP!

Waffle House hashbrowns, you will be missed.

New Balance - how the hell are you gonna sell me shoes made out of recycled plastic bottles and then support this shit?

[heckyeahconservation]

So much hater-aid is contained in a Dixie cup...who knew?  I was sort of surprised by Cochella, New Balance, & Regal Cinemas!  Dad is going to be very upset that he cannot purchase New Balance anymore...maybe we can convince Vibram to donate to left leaning causes, so as to soften the blow.

[sagansense]

Bill Nye to CNN: “The two sides aren’t equal’ on climate change

Science educator Bill Nye on Monday told CNN that they weren’t doing the public any favors by giving climate change deniers equal airtime because ‘the two sides aren’t equal.”

“There are a couple of things that you can’t really dispute,” Nye explained to CNN’s Carol Costello. “Sixteen of the last 17 years have been the hottest years on record. That’s just how it is.”

“I appreciate that we want to show two sides of the stories — there’s a tradition in journalism that goes back quite a ways, I guess — but the two sides aren’t equal here. You have tens of thousands of scientists who are very concerned and you have a few people who are in business of equating or drawing attention to the idea that uncertainty is the same as doubt. When you have a plus or minus percentage, that’s not the same thing as not believing the whole thing at all.”

The Washington Post noted on Sunday that scientists had been warning for years that because of warming weather and severe droughts, Colorado’s “table was set” for monster wildfires like the ones currently sweeping through the state.

“It is because of the heat ultimately,” Nye told Costello. “Just two years ago, it was was wet in Colorado and there was a lot of growth in forests. And then you can say they should have responsibly cleared that growth — it’s a difficult thing. So then two years later when it’s especially dry and the forest flora gets especially dry and then there’s a lightening strike, the fire is that much more intense than it would have been.”

“But the people who are politicizing this issue, they seem to be winning because not much is being done on the issue of climate change,” Costello pointed out.

“If you’re a voter consider taking the environment into account as well as the economy,” Nye advised. “I think the two candidates running for president right now have different views about the validity, for example, of science and the importance of it and what you would do about climate change in the coming years.”

“We in the science education community chip away at this problem all the time. We have an enormous population of people in the United States that don’t believe in evolution, the fundamental idea in all of life science. It would be like saying, I don’t believe in earthquakes or something. The analogies are disturbing.”

Earlier this year, a Media Matters analysis determined that coverage of climate change had dropped by 80 percent on U.S. broadcast networks between 2008 and 2011.

Watch this video from CNN’s Newsroom, broadcast July 2, 2012.

[heckyeahconservation]

Now is as good a time as any to get real, facts are not negotiable.

[washingtonpoststyle-blog]

The delegate count for the Green Party’s presidential nominee. Yes, that Roseanne.

[heckyeahconservation]

Rosanne Barr is running for Green Party Presidential Candidate...I am so out of the loop!