Whole Foods Market has it all!

  I recently moved to Hillsboro, Oregon-- just outside of Portland, and low and behold I live right next to one of my favorite grocery stores, Whole Foods Market. I was excited to see what they offered and whether this particular store was as big as the one in Duluth, MN where I used to go. I was excited to find that this particular Whole Foods was about three times the size and had it all!
  For anyone that has never been to a Whole Foods Market, it is definitely worth checking out. I would suggest visiting their website before heading to the store for several reasons.
For starters, the website offers a basic guide to help you choose healthy foods, plan meals and making healthy lifestyle choices when it comes to your diet.
Additionally, different headings along the top of the site tell you about their products, values, and why to choose whole foods. Healthy recipes are offered as well as a scoring system that shows healthy choices store-wide. There is even an "under $3" section :)
One portion that catches my eye is the fact that Whole Foods is dedicated to buying local when they can. The picture to the right shows one of the Colorado stores selling locally grown melons while they are in season.
Check it out!

Share & Voice: real or fake christmas tree?

Well, I may have some personal bias with this issue, but I wanted to look into whats more eco-friendly. A real or fake Christmas tree? My parents own a tree business and we sell REAL Christmas trees this time of year. I believe families getting together and picking out a tree is a great way to spend time before Christmas, we see tons of happy families come in and sometimes spend hours outside deciding what tree is perfect for them. I see a lot of my classmates from high school even come in when I work there which is cool because this is something families of all ages enjoy doing!


This video takes a look at why many believe cutting down real trees is actually more eco friendly than getting fake trees, EVEN after the fact that fake trees can be re-used. 







I love the fact that many towns re-use the trees in many different ways, I didn't even know that was happening.
I personally agree with this video; I love having a real Christmas tree in the house, they smell so good and they're refreshing. And looking at sales this year, it seems as if the Christmas tree business is still prosperous in rural Minnesota :)


Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

Share & Voice: how about some travel!

Cleanest Countries in the World

I decided I wanted to do a little research on the cleanest countries in the world to visit because I am very interested in doing some traveling in the near future, and right now I could use a little narrowing down on my list.

First of all, I will more clearly explain my research and what I was exactly looking for. I have pretty bad asthma so the first item on my checklist was to look for countries with the cleanest air. Second, I was looking for places that ranked the highest in Environmental Performance Index (EPI) which would determine the cleanliness and environmental safeness of a country. The EPI in most basic terms is an index that ranks countries based on their environmental performance in categories such as water quality, air quality, biodiversity, their use of pesticides, etc. 

Just for the record, with 1 being the best/ cleanest and 140 being the worst, the U.S. ranks at a dismal 39th on the list. Not the worst, but for real?? How sad is that. For being such a "developed" country...I guess I'm just not even going to go there.

 Anyways, back to my main focus, there were a few different sites that all agreed on the same places and a few that only slightly differed from the norm.  When it comes to clean countries Switzerland takes the cake. According to Forbes, "Switzerland scores a perfect 100 in eight environmental indicators, including sanitation and water quality, forest health and pesticide regulation."  WordPress also indicated Switzerland as number 1 and stated, "The environment has been in the country’s interest as early as 1876 when it passed a forestry law...Nearly all electricity comes from dams and nuclear plants, reducing emissions caused by burning fossil fuels. Strict standards for exhaust are placed on vehicles to lower air pollution. The country is also one of the top recyclers in the world, with stiff penalties levied on offenders." 

Next on the list was Sweden, although all of the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway and Finland) nearly scored the same EPI. According to Forbes, "Sweden has low levels of airborne pollution, pristine drinking water and low per-capita emissions of greenhouse gasses" 

Costa Rica followed the Scandinavian countries, thanks to 25% of the country being under wildlife preserves.

Columbia, New Zealand, Japan, Croatia and Albania (due to the fact that has not yet become industrialized) all made it in the top 10 overall cleanest countries. 

If we are just talking air quality, Tasmania, Iceland and South Africa are all pretty safe according to Travel Leisure. Many of the cleanest air countries can thank their location; high elevation or wind direction can often prevent the movement of pollution from other countries. 

Of the places that I researched, several of them ranked in the top ten on my list of places I would like to travel, so that was awesome! I also believe that traveling to any of these countries and seeing how their daily lives differ from ours as well as how the government has implemented more environmentally friendly choices would be awesome to see first hand.

Share and Voice: Blog award-expressing inner health educator!

Last week I received an award from Pam for my Coca-Cola Share and Voice post. My post was about making sure people know what Coca-Cola and big companies really do in other countries, and what they really get away with.


  Today, I came across Amanda's Share and Voice blog about UMD wasting paper, specifically, the HUGE stack of courses for spring semester, which as she mentioned can easily be found online. I definitely felt slightly agitated as well when I passed by this large stack near the student center, it's probably still there! I'm sure a good chunk of those will have to be thrown away or hopefully recycled. She definitely expressed her inner health educator when she reacted to seeing this "problem." Go check out Amanda's blog and see the huge stack for yourself!

 Award Instructions for the Award Winner(s)

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
   
2. Within 1 week, create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

Share and Voice: Superstar Blogger!!

I received this award from Ashley  for my quality format and content for my blog about the coca cola company: Share and Voice: How do you feel about Coca Cola? along with a video guide.

I will be now passing this Award onto Mediterranean Melissa for her Share and Voice: Eco Shic Hotel. This blog was really eye catching and a really interesting approach as well! Content was interesting, and she depicted many forms of "eco-chicness" through photography and displayed that in a blog. Even better, was the fact that she did this while on a vacation! Overall, very appealing post in both content and format. :)

 

 

 

Award Instructions for the Award Winner(s)

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
   
2. Within 1 week, create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post. Be sure to include the Award in the post as well!
   
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

Share & Voice: Go Dakota County!

"As Americans, we generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous waste each year"

I was searching for articles on reducing chemicals in our daily lives, and was very happy to find that Dakota County's website is a great resource in itself!!

First of all, you can choose from a large category of different ways to protect the environment, and each category has many helpful tips. 

The categories I found the most interesting were "Reducing harmful products in your home" and "Reducing harmful products in your yard" 

Some valuable tips that I found from these were the importance of buying "green" cleaning supplies with non toxic, all natural or biodegradable ingredients. Also, multi-purpose products such as white vinegar can be used to clean many different appliances. Look out for words such as corrosive, toxic, dangerous... AND always pay attention to the label (more is not always more effective). Vacuum often if you have children playing on the floor, especially if shoes are not taken off at the door (many chemicals leach onto our shoes). Floor mats keep chemicals by the door, and can be washed as well. Do not cut grass too short, it allows for better tolerance. Allow the grass trimmings on the lawn to act as a natural fertilizer. Use phosphorus free fertilizers. Reduce chemical weed killers by pulling weeds by hand!!

Many other health tips are covered in their health section from food to environment and water, even a Green Guide, check it out!

There are many different areas to search within the website, and after searching it, I really wanted to advocate for more available resources in my hometown (county) AND help my county create a more helpful website like this one!

Share and Voice: how do you feel about Coca-Cola?

In class, we watched a video called "Thirst," which I will put in as short of terms as possible: a film about the mistreatment of water and those who deserve to use it. This video brought up an issue involving the Coca-Cola company and how they have plants in developing countries that are using up public water supplies and leaving behind toxic waste, as well as trying to sell coke products back to the community whom would rather just have their water back.

This issue really caught me off guard, I can honestly say I had no idea this was happening.

For this Share and Voice, I decided I wanted to show some claims against the Coca-Cola company, as well as their side and let you be the judge. 

When we see fun loving commercials for coca-cola, who doesn't get a positive feeling?

This is not the case in India.
This next video shows the extreme problems Coca-Cola has created in developing countries such as India. 

I did not know that the sale of Coca-Cola has actually been banned in many cafterias in India because high levels of pesticides containing DDT were found in it. Additionally, piles of toxic waste left behind were found to contain extremely high levels of arsenic as well as lead, causing dangerous health affects to many civilians. 

My final video contains arguments from citizens of India, as well as Coke's defense against many of the accusations. This video is slightly longer, but the epic music makes up for it. ;)

All in all, I am very surprised and disappointed that a powerhouse company like Coca-Cola tries to send off really happy, upbeat messages to their customers, yet at the same time ruin thousands of lives.

Share & Voice: website and debate

I found a really interesting website called Our World 2.0
There is a lot going on and a lot to explore! Climate, Oil, Food, Biodiversity and About, are the categories.
Under each category, you can find really interesting articles and pictures about each topic.
The home page shows the newest articles and highlights those in pictures at the top of the page.

I really was puzzled by "Debate 2.0: Meat or the climate? Pick one!" but in a good way. This article by Brendan Barret poses a question to the reader about their diet. It talks about our diets affecting global warming: specifically eating meat.
The opening statement of the article reads "Meat free Mondays has to be the way to go. Former Beatle Paul McCartney backs it. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, advocates it."

This previous statement, is first backed and then questioned. Some health ministers do not believe that our meaty diets affect climate change enough to matter, but others say that cutting out meat would have a great affect. They specifically link an article called Livestock's Long Shadow, which suggests that 18% of our greenhouse gases come from meat production. 

This is all very interesting to me, and I personally am all for "meat free Mondays," but it seems like quite a difficult task! I'd definitely like to see how it is advocated. 

Share & Voice: article!

So, to begin, I found an article that I had to look at 3 or 4 times and still have a hard time believing, but if this really is the plan, then heck yes! (Even if its not, its at least the right idea!) 
The website I came across is called guardian.co.uk. The website appears to be legit, and has many interesting articles, world news, sports, etc. The article I happened to come across was called "Countdown to Copenhagen," which is a MUCH bigger countdown than one would think. 
Am I the only one in the dark here? As quoted in the heading, "Europe offers to cut emissions by 95% by year 2050 if deal is reached at Copenhagen." This is a very clear message; Europe is making the first move and wants everyone else to follow! Like I said on one of my previous blogs, just taking that first step and making the initial decision is oftentimes the most difficult part, once you make that decision, you have somewhere to start! 
This article was posted just last Wednesday, the 21st, and the importance is that Copenhagen has 6 weeks to sign the pact, after 27 EU countries have already finalized a common position. In addition, the proposal also states that a 30% cut in carbon emissions will be the goal by 2020. One major setback is the few developing countries involved may have some financial burdens and over-reliance on coal, so these problems are still being discussed. 
This seems like a huge deal, and Europe deserves a pat on the back for making the first move. 
I did find another older article ("Carbon Offsets") that also talks about Europe's plans to cut emissions 20% by 2020, but this more so mentions their plans to delay this project. 
Anyways, I just found this to be really cool even if it is a few years down the road, has anyone else heard about this?

Share and Voice: Enviro -Cool Blog Award

I received the cool blog award from Karly for my share and voice from an experience I had at Fitgers. This experience was great; I went out of my box and tried something new (that being a veggie burger) which I thought would never happen. AND to my surprise, it ended up being my first step to a healthier lifestyle because I discovered that it was actually good, so I went home and decided I wanted to try and make these on my own! I left the recipe on that blog if anyone is interested in trying it (it worked out well for me!) thanks Karly for the award! I am passing it onto Abby, for her share and voice: worry about more than just your water bottles. I thought this blog was very informative and shocking... everyone needs to see it! 

1. Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.
2. Within 1 week, create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).
3. Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).
4. Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.
5. Publish the post.
6. Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won.
7. Continue the process...

Share & Voice: idea and experience

When I decided I wanted to start incorporating more vegetarian meals into my diet, it all started when my boyfriend took me on a date to Fitgers in Duluth. We were browsing the mall there and a lady greeted us in an outerwear store. We got to talking and said we were headed to the Fitger's diner for a date, and she got all excited and said "oh! I would suggest trying the wild rice veggie burgers! Even though I'm not a vegetarian, they are amazing." I looked at Michael and cringed a bit. The idea of veggie burgers has always put eerie pictures in my head. So anyways, I got there, and got to thinking, and I decided to let go of those horrible feelings and trust this lady I had just met because I had been wanting to convert to a mostly vegetarian diet. After trying it, I was in awe. How could a burger that doesn't have any "burger" not be completely worthless? Well, apparently you can mock the taste of a burger and its consistency by using wild rice and other veggies...Yes. It's true. I went home and actually looked up their recipe. Which I could not find. I'm sure its a secret, but I was able to guess on most of what was in it, as well as find mock recipes. So, finally Michael and I tried making these beasts and had a little get together with some carnivorous friends who all gave us the thumbs up after trying. (Here is a link to a Sue Redmond's  wild rice burger recipe I found, but I would suggest adding mushrooms and onions on top after you patty up and cook the burgers). This share and voice may seem minuscule compared to some, but for me, it was the first huge step into a diet that I thought would be impossible, and I really wanted to share my positive experience. So, if you or anyone you know, wants to become a vegetarian but just can't seem to make that first move, show them this website (as soon as possible) AND take them to Fitgers (directions here) for a wild rice veggie burger. 
Becoming a vegetarian is very eco-friendly. Seriously. check out the website I have posted above if you haven't (or here). Some of it seems hard to believe, but a lot of the information I found on there, I found on many other sites as well, but this particular website is very straightforward and isn't here to make you feel good about eating cows and "hot dogs" all-American style.

Welcome to Danielle's Discoveries

I am Danielle Wall, an art and community health student, and I am all about discovering the beauty in our natural surroundings. So far I have highlighted my interests in art and nature, and I would like to tie that into my blog and doing my part in preserving our natural environment, and helping others become healthier, well informed decision makers!



Thanks for checking out my blog, I hope you enjoy!

Blogged for the Welcome Linky Party hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy