Hippy Girl Blog

Dreaming of a green Christmas

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:03:28 +0000

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. Lots of excuses to get dressed up in the gorgeous fair trade dresses I bought online with my birthday money; plenty of chocolates and delicious puddings and no reason not to eat them; and best of all, snow! Well, we don’t always get snow at Christmas, but the only good thing about climate change is that our winters have got a little more extreme in recent years, making the prospect of a white Christmas just a teensy bit more likely….

Unfortunately, Christmas is also a very wasteful time and there’s nothing that gets me on my high horse more than people being wasteful. Every Christmas morning I have to bite my tongue and not deliver the recycling lecture I’ve been preparing all year! My old-fashioned uncle, who works doing the finest plastering Oxshott has to offer, always finds my hippy lectures amusing. Not quite the effect I was aiming for, but at least he listens. I’ve learned over the years that people are not at their most receptive to new ideas first thing on Christmas morning. The kids are too busy screaming and running round and round the house waving their new toys in the air; Mum and Granny are arguing over how long the Turkey needs to be in the oven; and Dad has already got his beady eyes on the cans of lager chilling in the fridge.

Besides, I can always volunteer to do the tidying up – an offer that is never refused – and sort glossy from matt as I go along! This may sound tragic, but one year when I got roped into helping in the kitchen rather than dealing with the world paper mountain in our front room, I actually sneaked downstairs after everyone had gone to bed and grabbed as much of the paper as I could out of the bin! At least, all the wrapping paper that hadn’t ended up soaked in turkey juices…

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Complicated life- why a bad thing?

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:33:13 +0000

My friends often complain about the fact that life has become very complicated. I find it very amusing when a person employed as a data quality management department head complains about complications in life. Had life not being complicated, she would have never been employed in the 1st place. Had we lived a simple life, we would have never faced the requirement of managing quality of data. It is obvious that we would have never bothered with such complicated systems. However, we have done so and that is the reason why hundreds and thousands of individuals are employed.

When I make such an argument, my friends criticize me for oversimplifying the issue. They say that complications in life cannot be justified by pointing out that it helps employing lots of people. Well, what is the point of having a society with a large number of persons unemployed just because life is simple? With such a life be a happy one? We are seeing the consequences of suppression of masses in various African countries.
When people are unemployed, they are obviously going to protest and this will affect the stability of the social order. It is easy to criticize the system when you are enjoying yourself and have a steady job and lots of money in your pocket. However, when you find yourself without money or stability in life, you will automatically criticize the system for not taking care of you. When that happens, you will not be bothered with simplicity in life.

You will be focused on filling your stomach and caring for your family members. In my opinion, it is advisable to accept that we like the system the way it is but we just want more and more for our selves. I find this to be a very immature approach and believe that we must try to adopt a balanced view where we focus on the pros and cons of different realities in life.

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Organic vs. Non Organic

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:03:42 +0000

The basic idea of having organic food is to have it the way the nature originally intended to serve it. Any modification in the way the food grows would make it less than organic, and therefore less healthy. You might try to keep a check on your diet by eating all the healthy food like green vegetables, fruits, drinking milk etc. But have you ever thought that what you have on your dining table and looks full of health might actually not be healthy. It could have been sprayed with chemicals. Many times even after you wash them you will not be able to take off the chemicals, especially from vegetables like tomato which would absorb the chemical due to its thin skin. And now think about the cows which eat fodder that has been sprayed with chemicals, what kind of milk do you think these cows produce? You could be drinking milk, which is meant to be healthy, but is it really healthy? The kind of food that we eat has a direct impact on our growth. The more we eat food that is served just the way the nature intended to serve it in the first place, the closer we get to a healthy life.

One day as I was at the Diesel Wakefield centre, getting my car fixed, I saw another customer carrying a transparent plastic bag and in it was a pack of organic mushroom and organic skimmed milk. Anything organic is slightly costly, so I wondered if she has spent extra money to buy organic why not rather buy organic whole milk. But no, that would have natural fat in it, which would help in weight gain. But the point is that’s how nature intended it to be and nothing can be healthier than that. Skimmed milk is also nutritious, but it cannot be as healthy as the organic whole milk.

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The Only Way Forward

admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:03:09 +0000

Gas central heating was the way forward. Gas was cheap, it burned cleanly, and it made our homes nice and toasty. The problem these days is that the price of natural gas sky rocketed and we are all held hostage to the big energy suppliers. What is a honest hippy girl to do? A lot of people I know have installed wood burners in their homes and have sourced local supplies of waste logs from tree surgeons and the like. They continue to keep their gas central heating systems and put them on timers so they can get a little bit of warmth to wake up to. One option that entails some initial investment, but is a long term sustainable solution is to buy bio diesel fuel and heat your home with it. This would mean putting in a diesel based home heating system. These are not that popular in the United Kingdom, but in the long run, they can offer options for home owners to create zero carbon homes.Bio diesel has certainly grown up from the days when me and my friends went to the local chippy, got their waste oil, filtered it and poured it directly into the tank of our camper van. Bio fuels are big business. You want to make sure that you find an ethical supplier that produces bio fuels from as much waste material as possible and that they are 100% renewable. The next step is finding a good used aga to install in the kitchen.

Green Office

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:03:21 +0000

When you turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or get online you will be bombarded with the phrase “go green”. Because of global warming there has been an increased concern about the sustainability of our planet. Entire industries are being targeted for ignoring the warning signs of the environment. No matter if your company is London builders or a paper mill, to truly be a 21st century business one has to be on top of environmental issues. It doesn’t mean you have to invest thousands of dollars into going green, it just requires you to do a few things.

It may just take one person to cause an organization to start on the green path. Every small change is a big change. The following ideas are meant to help you and your business become green:

In the Office:

1. The copiers and printers should be on settings that make double sided copies.

2. Remove the desktop printers and use larger copiers or printers for more efficiency.

3. Reports should be distributed digitally.

4. Don’t use a separate fax cover sheet, use sticky notes.

5. Think twice about how you format a document, if a document is barely four pages make it three by widening the margins and changing the font.

6. Post one copy of any general memos and put on a board for everyone to see instead of printing out several other copies.

7. Make sure that there are recycle bins next to every garbage can.

For the building itself:

1. Put in low-flow toilets to help reduce the consumption of water.

2. With a fluorescent light that has multi-bulbs take out one of the bulbs. The room will still be bright but the electric bill will be reduced.

3. Recycle any unwanted furniture in the office.

4. Water the plants at night to help reduce water loss from evaporation.

These are just a few ways you can help your business become green. It all starts with you!

Low Carbon Transportation

admin — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:33:06 +0000

I was so depressed with the new report on train travel in the UK, it basically said that the government shouldn’t be subsidising it because it is only used by a small percentage of the population (I believe the figure was twelve percent). I thought these people were supposed to be smarter than the rest of us as they were all Oxbridge educated. I am not, but I know clearly that one of the reasons that poor people don’t use the trains is that they are so darned expensive. If you raise the prices that will make them even less affordable for the masses. Train travel is the ultimate low carbon alternative to car driving, when it is cheaper to take your own vehicle, you are actually encouraging people to destroy the environment with economic incentives. Cannot the government figure into the budget the cost to the environment of expensive rail travel? What about traffic congestion? Shouldn’t they figure in the value of having less congested motorways into the savings for rail travel? It is so last century to make economic projections that don’t take into account the environmental and social costs to policies. It is this thinking that has caused corporations to profit from destroying the rain forest that acts as the lungs for the planet earth. The company makes the profit, but does not need to deal with the economic impacts of the global environmental devastation. It is not as simple as taking out military insurance if you are going to go to war, you need to think systematically.

Foraging and Friends

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:33:06 +0000

It seems that the big question these days is how to have a cool, ethical job, where you don’t have to work too hard, can help save the planet, and make money too. I was just in Bristol visiting some friends and the council in the face of cuts, still maintains a great play scheme with play workers sent out to parks and green spaces to work with local kids of every age. My friend, who was a newly qualified teacher and looking for Special Needs Teaching Jobs, got a great part time appointment at the woodland. Many people who do her job just replicate the old ways, giving the kids balls, and encouraging them to play footy and such.My mate, however, takes the kids on wild foraging adventures through the woodlands. She sets up different types of treasure hunts and races.The races are brilliant in that they help the kids burn off energy, get them engages in this naturally competitive way, but they also make the kids engage in a direct and relevant way with nature.Last week she did this great wild garlic race where the kids had to race to the beds, pick one leaf at a time, pass it off to the next person who had to tear it into bits and then the next one set off again. It may sound simple or stupid, but these were kids from a housing estate close to the woodland who didn’t use it at all, getting everybody into nature is brilliant.

Yoga your way to a yummy body

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:25:24 +0000

I’ve always been a bog fan of yoga, whether the common Ashtanga variety that appears in celebrity fitness DVDs or the trickier Hatha yoga, which not only requires more dedication, but is also as much about meditation and relaxation as it is about getting fit! I try to mix it up a bit in my weekly routine – a bit of Ashtanga to work off all those skips full of chocolate biscuits that I eat just to get me through a shift at work, coupled with some Hatha sessions to keep me nicely centred and calm.
I know a lot of people are sceptical about the relaxing qualities of yoga; I think they’re suspicious that when meditation and mental disciplines are mentioned, we’re trying to get them involved in a cult! You can take whatever you want out of a yoga session, really. Even if you come along approaching it as a pure and simple exercise class, I guarantee you’ll leave with a sense of calm and happiness – as well as feeling like you’ve had a really good workout.
In fact, you should choose your yoga venue carefully, depending on what you hope to get out of a class. If you want to use yoga’s magnificent toning abilities to shape up then find a local gym that offers classes; if you, like me, are more interested in the mental and spiritual side of the sessions, then find a local Buddhist centre which will offer yoga classes that focus more on your mind than your body. I find that I can’t start the day without going through my “Salutes to the Sun”. It helps to wake me up, body and mind; and I’m fairly sure I’ve lost some weight doing it too!

Reasons for mass bird deaths

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:33:22 +0000

Reasons for mass bird deaths

There have been many presumptions about the sudden death of birds. Even the autopsy reports have revealed some reasons. People think of the Arkansas incident as the sign of the end times. Many also think of it as an outcome of a lightning or firecrackers. But as per the autopsy report it looks like the birds suffered trauma, resulting in blood clotting, followed by death. But the reason for the trauma is unknown. Following are some possible reasons that may have caused these deaths

• Sudden climate change is a popular theory in this case. Global warming has made birds adapt to warmer temperatures even in the colder areas. But a sudden cold wave could have taken their lives. There have been many incidents where both birds and fishes have died, due to the sudden change in temperature.

• Another possible reason for these deaths could be pollution caused by multiple sources. There have been many bird and marine deaths in the past due to pollution. Pollution can be reduced by using 4Kw Solar Panels.

• Epidemics and Diseases can also be a common cause for the mass deaths of birds. This is a justified reason and this is controllable if proper medication is given.

• Lack of food due to over population could also be a reason.

• Trauma could be a reason as well behind these deaths. But if it is then what is the reason behind it. As of now we don’t know the reason.

I wonder if believing in a supernatural force behind the mass deaths of the birds and fishes around the world would be a convenient option, or could it be the truth.

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Samoan tattoos

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:03:07 +0000

Tattoos have been famous among young Samoan men since it is considered as a mark of their manhood. A tattoo design can be traced back to the ancestor of the person who wears it and it can also get him some special privileges that he would have not had otherwise. This is mainly done in respect to historical background of the person. Anyone who would like to become a professional tattoo maker in Samoa has to train under an experienced tattoo maker first. Samoans have some of the best designs for tattoos, just like Enigin is the best in terms of energy saving, Samaon tattoos are the best in terms of design.

In the Samoan culture the wife of a tattoo maker also has a special role to play. She is addressed as Meanai or the artist helper. Her job is mainly to wipe the blood of the tattooed person. She is paid a good price along with some gifts which is shared with the family. The tattoo makers right to become a professional tattoo maker can be traced back to his ancestry. If his ancestors were a part of the tattoo guild, the person is sure to enjoy the hereditary rights.

Samoan Tattoos have been of great interest for many people today, especially those who are looking for some great authentic designs. It is very difficult to find one on the internet, this mainly because the niche for Samoan tattoos is quite small. The only few Samoan designs that are available online are difficult to find due to the thousands of generic and low end artwork. Instead of looking for designs through a search engine it is also a good idea if you can look for forums or discussions about tattoos. It’s even better if you search for Samoan tattoo forums directly. The benefit of this is that there are many people out there who are giving the best info, which is personally, tested by them. So most likely you are not only going to get the links to some of the best Samoan tattoo designs but also other important info on the designs.