Sweeteners are a staple food in my diet. However, since Christmas rolled around, I'm now rolling around. I've signed up for the Pound for Pound Challenge (see my blog post, Pound for Pound) and am trying to shave off the damage done by an eggnog…
In this day and age, smoking is becoming a thing of the past. It's no longer shown on television or in ads. The Marlboro Man has become an icon for cancer as opposed to his past career as a sex symbol. Movements to eradicate smoking…
Peppered throughout this blog, I will be writing about certain reducing, reusing and recycling efforts as seen abroad, particularly in the third world. I call these 'unintentional conservation' efforts not because the people of developing nations aren't conscientious of environmental concerns, but because these particular…
Ann Rule's recent book, Mortal Danger, is yet another example of her instinct to pick intriguing cases and her skill in recording a story. She has mastered the art of evoking sympathy for a victim's plight while avoiding the pitfall of creating pity for the…
You don't always need do as the Romans do. One thing I hated about living in Egypt was the prevalent method of garbage disposal. It went something like this: throw it anywhere.I would watch as Chipsy bags and soda cans flew out of car windows.…
I’ve heard the adage that America is a ‘melting pot’. I have also heard that America is a ‘salad bowl’. I subscribe to the ‘salad bowl’ analogy. I think tomatoes should stay tomatoes, and that carrots should remain carrots (of course, only if they want…
Thanks to both Joe Butler and Bart Mihailovich for pointing out my error. Apparently, bread is not good for birds, so please disregard my suggestion to feed your stale bread to them (in Packaged for One). For the reason, go to either the related comment…
In my last blog, I mentioned a Times article by Bill Gates discussing creative capitalism (http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1828069-1,00.html). But what is creative capitalism? The aforementioned (RED) campaign is an example, as is the Pound for Pound Challenge, but what does creative capitalism do? And for whom?Creative capitalism,…
Have you ever had the experience where you've never heard of something before, then you hear about it randomly in an off-hand capacity, and suddenly in a very short space of time it comes up again multiple times from multiple sources?It happens to me frequently.…
The hit show The Biggest Loser has partnered with General Mills and Feeding America to create the Pound for Pound Challenge.For every pound a registered participant loses, $.10 will be donated to Feeding America- enough to provide a pound of food to local food banks.For…
I just threw away a perfectly good cantaloupe. Okay, it wasn't perfectly good. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thrown it away. But I hadn't sliced into it yet, so it had no business molding over on me.But alas, one of the dilemmas of eating for one…
It's fairly well known that, per capita, Americans are the largest consumers on the planet. And while that might sound great for a business demographic, it's not so good for natural resource management. Much of the world population sees us as being extraordinarily wasteful when…
I love this show. I've had some wild adventures, but this guy is insane. I caught an episode recently where adventurer Bear Grylls body boarded down the Zambezi River, which flows between Zimbabwe and Zambia.I've been on that river. During an excursion to Victoria Falls,…
Looking for a way to give back to the forests that we love to ski and snowboard in? The next time you head to the pass, check out the National Forest Foundation's Ski Conservation Fund. Under this program, any donations made by visitors at ski…
The Minnesota weather decided to bestow a favor on us today. Around noon, it warmed up to a balmy -20. Add the freezing temperature to the piles of snow and the sheets of ice covering the roads, and people don't seem to be getting out…
We all like to stay clean while on vacation, but doing laundry while traveling can be a difficult prospect. The levels of convenience and environmental impact are primarily determined by the type of trip we're on. The trend is that the more luxurious our vacation,…
Welcome to The Eco-Traveler, DownToEarthNW's travel blog. A bit about myself... I started traveling abroad over eight years ago. The travel bug grabbed me, and I have spent the last six years living overseas. During that time, I witnessed, experienced and learned new ways to…
Through The Eco-Traveler blog, Andrea Shearer shares her experiences of international adventure travel, volunteering and SCUBA diving with a commitment to protecting our environment. In the next few months, Andrea will bring her blog closer to home while exploring the natural environment and adventure activities the Midwest has to offer, and will go international again with a volunteer expedition to Nicaragua over the winter holidays. You can reach her at askandrea@ymail.com.
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