Keep it cool & do your homework

I've written today's post to inspire some thought.

In this morning's paper was a headline, Are Sewage Fertilizers Safe? , about the biosolids, or "natural" fertilizers that are used by most farmers in Ontario and around the world. Although I do agree with the article, that it is something to be concerned about, I am a believer that one also has to consider a whole picture. As we all know, newspapers have papers to sell, and sensational stories involving food and sewage in the same sentence will always elicit a rather emotional response - and paper sales. It is a worthwhile article, and an eye opener, at least worthy of discussion, and perhaps action.

It also brings up some big questions for me.

We are encouraged to support our farmers by buying locally, but do we know what crops are fertilized with? According to the article, 80% of farmers in Ontario use these fertilizers. But when we go to the grocery store, we will never know what they are fertilized with. How can we make an informed decision if we have no idea where our food comes from and what the farmers are using? What about crops from other countries? What about processed foods?

At present there is no way to measure the impact on our health. But one thing comes to mind - Walkerton.

Those of us in Ontario will remember Walkerton where E. coli contaminated their water supply. What if these contaminates - or any others such as heavy metals enter our food chain? How do we know they won't? How do we know that they aren't already? It's not like you go to the doctor and be tested for cholestrol, blood glucose, mercury and lead levels. I don't know, it's just something to think about.

Personally, I do think that until we know more about these fertilizers, there is no place for them in our food chain. But that is this furball's opinion. I always encourage some research and critical thinking, so you be your own judge. In the meantime, I will continue to buy foods from the grocery store. I am not in a position to be growing crops in our little backyard in my limited amount of free time.

That being said, I stumbled across the following article today. It is worth reading to the end.

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!
The Invisible Killer

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted
thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage.

Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of:

• acid rain
• contributes to the "greenhouse effect
• may cause severe burns
• contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
• accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals
• may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes
• has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

• as an industrial solvent and coolant
• in nuclear power plants
• in the production of styrofoam
• as a fire retardant
• in many forms of animal research
• in the distribution of pesticides
• even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical
• as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The Horror Must Be Stopped!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.

And, what is this "evil" chemical? WATER. (H20)

So, this is your thought for today. Just think about what you hear and what you read. What looks really bad can really turn out to be something (like Walkerton), or nothing at all, like Dihydrogen Monoxide.

Doing The Hour

We did the Earth Hour last night. At 7:55, I started shutting down, and dutifully notified everyone that it was the official 5 Minute Warning, then I flipped the switch. There was no power to be had.

I must say, it was very enjoyable. Candles were lit, adding a nice ambiance, although that part was a little lost on Larry, but whever. I enjoyed it. I think Steph enjoyed it too. We had a wonderful meal and dessert, and enjoyed each other's company for 1-1/2 hours! It was nice to have some family time and some good conversation. We also noticed a number of houses lit by the glow of candles, or were dark, so they were presumably participating.

And apparently, Canada proved itself to be the world leader in the Earth Hour... and on a hockey night too (it probably helped that the Leafs sucked so bad!) You can read more here.

Why bother? Here are my reasons:

Make our opinions known - speak out. If we speak out by participating in this small gesture, the more the politicians might notice, and actually do something. The decision makers will know how many of us care, by knowing how many of us registered to participate. These numbers are backed up by the drop in hydro usage. It is a statement of "show me the money", and we did. So now we can say, we are ready to do something, what are you going to do about it.

I believe that we have become energy addicts. We drive everywhere, flip on lights, turn on TVs and computers without thinking, and then just walk away. There is no such thing as darkness anymore. Everything glows. Even our power bars glow, and this just eats away at our precious resources. So we can start breaking these habits, and that starts at home. Who knows where it can go from there.

This video explains why I think we need to do something... to make that statement. It explains why I think we need to make a difference in our world. Consider making the Earth Hour part of the everyday changes of your own lives.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Hug The Trees

Consider this - how many newspapers does any one family need to read?

I'm not very good at the environmental thing... after all, I commute for more than an hour each way to work, so there's not much room for me to criticize, but we do try to do the right things.

For example, we're big freecyclers, and as much as we get many good things, we give away as much stuff as we can that we no longer need, that others might appreciate. We keep things out of the dump this way.

But today I noticed how many newspapers we get, and there are several. It occurred to me how many trees must go just to feed our paper habit. I counted them all today as I was gathering them up for recycling- from Thursday through Sunday, we get 7 papers. We have subscribed to 2 of these - one each on Saturday and Sunday. The rest are "free".

I think we need to ask the question - do we really need all of these papers.

Of the local community papers - there's 3 different ones, all with tons of flyers and advertising. On top of that, all of the papers arrive in their own little baggies. That's an awful lot going to waste. Sure, with our dog furballs in the house, they make great scooping bags, but how many could any one family possibly need?

Do we read all the papers? Sometimes. When we have time. And in addition to all that newsprint with valuable community news, flyers and ads.

This can't be good for the environment. If you do the math - how many people in town actually read these local papers. I'm betting not too many - maybe a half if we're being generous? All the "news" in these papers is notably geared towards church groups and gossips, and those interested in the latest fights at Town Council.

There is a lot of news about church suppers, fundraising drives, local hockey games, and what was discussed at the recent Town Council meeting. Also, if the Town has some important "business" to communicate to its residents, it will publish it in this local rag. I do know though, that many people don't even see these notices. I see them unopened, still rolled up in their bags, in their recycling bin.

I think given the number of trees that are lost, and how this affects our environment, our landfills, the amount of energy put into recycling this paper, that we, as a community - as a society - should look at other ways to get the information out there. I think the Internet is here to stay, and new ways of getting community information out there should be looked at.

For example, community boards are not a new idea, but maybe we should re-examine what an online community board could do. For example, what about the Freecycle model - and use this type of technology to share community information. What about if towns and cities started an email communique of important community notices.

As a society, and as a community, we should look at some new ideas. Let's do something to help our environment while supporting our local businesses. And there's nothing wrong with hugging a few trees along the way.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens