03-08-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksHaha!!! Sorry just kidding!
Here it is for real!
At my work we had a nice lecture from Bill Jensen about simplicity.
(No! not the electronics kind but the work kind)
It was about how you should manage your time at work.
Basically he said:
DO LESS!!!
Filter all the crap you receive trough phone and email and try to perfect the art of work not done.
Work you shouldn't do or doesn't need to be done.
Every hour of meetings, calling and reading mails is only 5 minutes for you!
Of 325 pages of info only 5 you NEED!
Ask yourself what is in it for me!
Prevent information overload.
Every 550 days mails, texts and messages DOUBLES!
So pay attention during meetings!
(don't check phone and mails)
2 to 4 hours are wasted on communication
This also about respect!
Treat your collegues like you would want to be treated!
Nothing is getting simpler without someone saying it!
Find the guts!
There are only 1440 minutes a day!
You don't get any more!!!
Interesting right?
If you want to know more?
Check out Bill Jensen's Simplicity survival handbook
And for tips on his website
28-07-2010 | Posted by: Valentina ZelyaevaYesterday I went to one of my favorite raw restaurants here in New York to grab some lunch, and I noticed that they star selling Glass Straw. And I thought "WOW! this is an amazing solution for our plastic waste problem!' it is very small but still a big help!
Think about how much garbage already exists on our planet and plus every time you purchase your smoothie or juice, you use one of those plastic straws. 5 minutes later - its all in the trash. and like this everyday!
Well, now you can buy only one glass straw and carry it around with you. It's made of high quality glass and will last forever.
"- glass straws don't leach toxins into your food as you drink
- each time you use your glass straw equals one less plastic straw ending up in your landfill
-one glass straw replaces thousands of plastic straws"
see more info on the website below.
love, Val
22-07-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksThe day before yesterday I burnt myself during cooking.
I spilled some carrots next to my wok and tried to grab them, when reaching over I accidentally burnt myself to the pan and in reflex I pulled my hand UP (which was more towards the pan!!! Aahhhhh AUW!)
While being busy trying not to waste my meal I kind of finished with the start of the vegetables etc. Cleaned something up and THEN I started to cool my hand!
Dumbdumbdumb!
I should have stopped whatever I was doing and started to cool right away! Now it ended up hurting all the rest of the evening! I had icecubes on my hand all evening until I put a bandage on it, so I wouldn’t hurt or damage it during my sleep. Which was great! When I put the bandage on it was better instantly!
So now I have a big red spot on my hand and it still kind of hurts a little.
So but what should I have done? I looked it up and I didn’t do everything totally wrong, thank goodness:
During the process of providing first aid burn treatment, the aim must be to cool the burn, provide relief from pain, and cover the burn. Cover the burn with abundant amount of cold liquid. Do not use ice or iced water as the burn may take a longer time to heal. Dress the burn with a sterile pad or bandage. Applying oils, creams and sprays on the burn may add to the risk of infection.
OK so the icecubes weren’t a good idea! Oops! I absolutely didn’t know that! And thank goodness my boyfriend stopped me from smearing cream on it! The bandage was OK and it helped really well!
So all in all I cooled too much, too late but the rest was fortunately OK
Doing a first aid course might be something we should all do! So we all know how to treat our clumsy accidents as well as the really serious ones!
01-07-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksReading back the blogs from the past week, my eyes fell on the re-usable bottle blog from Lonneke and the Toxins blog from Anne-Marie.
I have to admit that I drink from old waterbottles ALL THE TIME!
I do always hate how you are unable to wash them and I felt a little guilty about switching them regularly because of that. Never ever did I hear about BPA before!
So I decided to find a replacement. And I found a PERFECT one!
I just bought two bottles from jointhepipe, this is a project from two Dutch designers that were shocked about how much water is wasted on one half of the world while the other half doesn’t have enough water!
They wanted to build a huge waterpipe to send the water there! Well, that was of course not quite possible, so they started a social tap water community.
They created bottles that resembled water pipe elements that could be cleaned easily and could be used for a lifetime! They would sell the bottles to the members of the community and use the money to fund water projects in Africa and Asia. They asked everybody to join the community and in April during earth month Aveda Benelux invited everybody to buy the bottles during the walk for water to buy another 6 waterpumps in Congo.
Since the start 722 people have joined the community, 3473 bottles were sold and 6 pumps were build. And over 10.000 people that didn’t have water now do have water to drink!
Isn’t that amazing!!
I’ll enjoy drinking my tapwater from now on for sure!!!
23-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelThese days you cannot even get through security at airports with a bottle of water. We all know that! But how annoying is that? Flying is one of the biggest things in drying out your skin! You NEED to drink a lot of water... But to bother the flight attendant the whole flight is not so nice either... And all the plastic cups you waste! I see airlines recycling those cups more and more, Like Continental's Eco Skies plan, where they try to collect and recycle all the metal and plastic cups on board. Great idea!
But what I saw a woman do, sitting in 8C on this flight from Amsterdam to NYC, was something I just always forgot to do! She brought on board a reusable bottle filled with water, that she filled up after the security check!
Smart! You can bring an empty bottle on board, and ask a flight attendant to fill it up. This way you have water to drink whenever you need it! Sometimes you can fill it up before the flight with a tap in the bathroom, but some countries the water is not so clean ( In the Netherlands the water from the tap is suitable to drink).
So now I am going to bring my reusable bottle with me on every flight!
There are many good brands, like Sigg, Klean Kanteen and Natura.
The Klean Kanteen one has a wide mouth, so it is easy to drink from it.
I have one from Natura Water and Sigg that I love! Remember last December's Pura Vida party? we gave out free reusable bottles to create awareness around all the plastic waste we have! You can find pictures in the OYL picture section above.
By the way, it's the silver one from Natura for the people who are going to look for it ;) Also, they now have a competition to win one, so go to the site and sign up!
20-06-2010 | Posted by: Eyal Amir
Eco Kingdom. Making our homes friendlier to the environment shouldn't take more then a few simple steps. My responsibility as a real-estate broker, who happens to love this planet, is to give you some tips to help you upgrade your apartment/home into an eco-friendly kingdom. Step One: ENERGY - we should all support renewable energy, like wind power, green power or even solar power. These days, big companies like Con Edison give us easy and affordable solutions to make this change. Go to: http://www.conedsolutions.com/residential_green_power.html to get more information. Of course, there are many different companies who offer different programs to fit our needs. Please research the web to find the program that best fits you! Step Two: RECYCLE - As citizens born into a consuming society, it is impossible for us not to create trash on a daily basis. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything about it. Actually the solution is pretty simple. Get 3 trash bins and make one for paper, one for plastic and metal and one for biodegradable/compostable trash. Make sure to divide your trash into these 3 groups and always place it in the right bin. There are companies like Tiffany Carting Corps who take your trash and make sure to keep it divided until it gets to the right recycling plant. Go to http://tiffanycarting.com/index.html to get more information about it. Step Three: WATER – We must use our water resources wisely, as it is one of the most important pillars of our planet! Don’t waste water! Use it wisely and with extra care. Personally I recommend installing water filtration systems to the general pipelines of your apartment and, if it turns out to be too expensive, you should start at least with your kitchen pipeline. Go to http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com to compare and contrast various water filtration systems. Step Four: ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS – we all use many different products to ensure proper housekeeping. From cleaning products to personal hygiene products and also products to improve the lives of our favorite pets. Almost every product that we purchase can be greener and better for the environment. These days it is very common to find green solutions in almost every drugstore. You can also shop online in stores like http://www.greenhome.com. Step Five: GREEN DESIGN – Personally, whenever I see a piece of furniture that I like laying on the side walk, I take it, clean and sanitize it, and use it for my personal use. If you don’t like used or second-hand furniture pieces you can shop for eco-friendly furniture. There are many stores to choose from, http://www.eco-furniture.com is a website where you can find some great options. We can find endless ways to make our homes greener and with time I will give you more tips that I have found to be useful. As of now, you can start by applying the simple tips mentioned above. Please do, and make a difference! Eyal.
18-06-2010 | Posted by: Valentina ZelyaevaWe should think of our body as a miracle machine that does everything to keep us healthy and happy.
While you sleeping at night, your body is going thru detox process - it is getting rid of old toxins and waste that you receive thru polluted air, unclean water, unhealthy food ... You name it.
To me , the most important meal of the day is breakfast. How you will feel the whole day is simply depends on what you have first thing in the morning.
My advise to everyone is to start your day with glass of warm water and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Lemons are very alkalizing on your body, so you will have stronger immune system. Besides, lemons are very cleansing for your intestines.
Wait 30 min and then you can have your breakfast, It is very important to have fruit as a first food entering your body. Try to keep is simple - chose one fruit that you enjoy most and have it as much as you want till the lunch time.
My favorite breakfast is melon smoothie!
I take one cantaloupe melon - split it in half - spoon out the seeds. Then I take my blender and put ripe flesh into it. I blend everything well and thats it! Sometimes I add almond milk and it tastes even better!
Love, Val
12-06-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksAfter reading my last blog you might wonder: who actually won?
Well I didn’t forget, honestly! It was just such a great film that it was worth its very own blogpost.
The winner of the Golden Strawberry DEFF best green film award was:
DIVE
A film by Jeremy Seifert
This film is about that supermarkets and grocery stores are massively filling their dumpsters with food. Not rotten, spoiled food, but billions of pounds of good, edible food. They throw it away because the expiration date is nearing.
The film is about a group of friends that “dumpster dive” in the back alleys of the grocery stores and dive through all the garbage and not only find great food but also an ugly truth about waste in America. Why aren’t the stores giving the food to the people who need it? The group of friends no longer spend money on groceries and probably haven’t eaten this well ever before!
The power of the film lies in its ability to motivate: Will you ask your grocery store manager what is done with their waste?
It might just be that you will end up in a dumpster yourself!
12-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelYou know a baby can put a lot of pressure on the household, and also the environment. Think about all the clothes you have to wash after just one burp attack. Or all the toys you buy or get. And of course the diapers, that you use A LOT for your baby.
When I was shopping, I came across a flyer for a dutch shop: Kaatje Katoen ( "Kathy Cotton"). The flyer and website are in Dutch, but what was interesting is, that they sell washable diapers. The modern kind is much more fun than the ones my parents used for me ( Yes, I was a washable diaper baby). Those classic ones where horrible, with that cotton cloth, and plastic diaper u had to tie around the baby.... those days are over!
Because now there are different brands who offer nice diapers, that are washable. Like Itti Bitti ( see picture on the left), a diaper made of fleece or fleece velours, in many different bright colors, with buttons to close.
Or the diapers of Tots Bots, like the Bamboozle, made of sustainable bamboo. You do need a plastic wrap for on top, but these days those wraps are much nicer!
All the washable diapers have in common, that they are comfortable for the baby, but most of all: create much less waste. And that is something to keep in mind in this era of overconsumption.
I am gonna give one to my sister to try out with her baby boy. I mean, it is a colorful present!
What do you think of washable baby diapers?
02-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelIt starts tomorrow!
From June 3rd to 6th is when DEFF, the Dutch Environmental Film Festival, organized by Strawberry Earth is happening.
3 days of films all about environmental en climate issues!
Sounds amazing to me and I really want to go!
This year it will be in Amsterdam (Studio K) and Rotterdam ( Lantaren Venster)
Check the link below for the time schedule.
I am really interested in the film Garbage Dreams, a film by Mai Iskander, about 3 boys that try to survive in Egypt, by recycling waste. It won the Al Gore Reel Award and a lot of other prizes worldwide. I am looking forward to the film Carbon Nation by Peter Byck a film about the climate problems and SOLUTIONS ( Yes! Something positive!)
Will you come watch the movies?
On June 6th, the "GOLDEN STRAWBERRY FILM AWARD" will be awarded to the best documentary or film, in Hotel De Goudfazant.
31-05-2010 | Posted by: Maruja RetanaSeen any good movies lately? Well, I saw 'The imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' yesterday, AWESOME! But before that I was invited (thanks to Lonneke) to see something more serious... Beautiful Tuschinski in Amsterdam hosted the premiere of a documentary called 'Sea the truth', a film made possible by political party 'Partij voor de Dieren' and the Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation. So...early in the morning a large group of people gathered in front of the cinema. Mostly politicians and activists (I felt a little bit like an oddball fashionwise) that were interested to see the sequel to 'Meat the truth'.
Sea the truth describes the alarming situation concerning the fishing industry, focussing mainly on 2 aspects: the shocking decrease of fish in the oceans caused by commercial fishing, and the incredible amount of poison that is polluting the fish. Interviews with scientists and other experts are accompanied by amazing underwater footage of diver Dos Winkel, reminding us how wonderful ocean life is.
Here are some shocking 'highlights' according to the documentary:
- if we continue overfishing, there will be no fish left around 2048. That means we have about 40 years of sushi left (if we're lucky)...
- most commercial fish (except for haring) contain an enormous amount of mercury, much higher than science advices us to eat. And mercury poisoning does not seem fun...
- In the North Pacific Ocean there is a so-called 'island of plastic', (also known as 'plastic soup') a large area of litter in the middle of the ocean. This is obviously terrible for the ocean and it's contaminating the fish that we put in our mouths...
- to make fish oil, a mere 3-5% of the fish is used. And the omega 3 doesn't even come from the fish, it comes from algae.
'Sea the truth' was a good piece of information about an important part of the food industry. Even though the tone of the documentary was slightly moralistic (which always makes me a bit rebellious), I still found it very useful to hear the facts and figures. I thought the problem was well represented, and eye-opening in a way. What I absolutely missed was a 'ray of hope'. Having done research on behavioral change, I am convinced that people will only change if they believe there is a better way. I've never seen someone change their behavior when somebody told them what's wrong without offering a better alternative. The only message I heard in this documentary was: stop eating fish. I never eat meat and very rarely eat fish, but I almost felt like my mommy was scolding me! (and yes, as a result I had a sushi-fest a few days later)
Food is fuel, and what we eat affects our bodies as well as the earth. I myself have been experimenting with my diet this last year to see what makes me feel most healthy and energized, using mainly local products that cause the least waste for our planet. Having said that, I strongly believe that even though we should absolutely take this seriously, we should also feel like this is not a restriction, but rather a choice to live a healthier life. Telling people what to do is rarely effective, but informing people how to do things better for themselves and the planet might have a shot.
But, maybe I'm doing the same exact thing in this blog... ;) So, watch 'Sea the truth' and decide for yourself!
18-05-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van DijkDid you know that Continental Airlines started its own green corporate initiative?
I usually fly with Sky Team, but this time on a short trip to Sweden my ticket was booked with Continental and I had the pleasure to stumble upon Continental's Eco-Skies recycling bags.
Surprised, I started paying attention and noticed that the stewards diligently picked up and separated every single plastic cup from the paper cups and threw them in separate bags. They also collected the (cheap, throw-away) plastic meal trays and carefully placed those in another container.
Little from the "obvious" stuff seemed to have been wasted.
Upon arriving at my hotel I decided to look up "Eco-Skies" to see if their commitment is indeed sincere.
I was amazed - their initiative doesn't just stop with the recycling program, Continental Airlines has championed in several other areas as well.
Watch this impressive video to get a sense of what they are doing and what they have accomplished thus far.
* Needless to say, in the future we will still have to come up with an even greater sustainable solution to avoid manufacturing such great amounts of cups/trays or anything else for that matter (whether plastic or paper)...
13-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelAs I believe you can't do everything at once, can't be all perfect at once, I do everything step by step.
Right now, I am looking into ways to filter tap water at home, so I can kick my plastic habit!
There are many different ways to do so... Some products filter better than others. Well known brands that help you get cleaner water from your tap, are Brita, Natura Water,Aquasana and Watts.
What I think I want is a seperate tap next to the kitchen sink, where the filtration system is attached to. That way I never have to bring big plastic gallon bottles to my apartment!
And that is saving energy, creating less waste and plastic.
Not to mention the better taste, maybe even better than the expensive bottled water brands out there!
Also, I want to attach one to my shower head, as the heavy metals, and chlorine in the water is not good for my skin, nor for the color of my hair.
Do you have any great filtration systems you think I should look at? Please leave your ideas in the Community link below.
Thanks in advance!
15-04-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
13-04-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksI saw this great event coming up!
From 13th till 16th of May there will be a rally from Rotterdam until Rome.
Everybody can join!
Only rule is =
You have to drive on deep-fry oil given to you!
That sounds hilarious!
Only first tank is given to you by the organization.
On every tank a Diesel car could run about 300 till 400 kilometers.
After that you have to ask snackbars, hotels or restaurants for their waste of oil.
Purpose of this rally is to give attention to alternatives for fuel, and to raise money for charity.
And to have lots of fun I’m sure!
Can you imagine how those cars would SMELL!
Or the faces of the snackbar owners (thinking the drivers are crazy, hahaha).
00-00-0000 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
25-02-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
17-12-2009 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
08-12-2009 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
05-11-2009 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
26-11-2009 | Posted by: Nancy Bommel
04-11-2009 | Posted by: Nancy Bommel
08-10-2009 | Posted by: Nancy Bommel
03-10-2009 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
02-09-2009 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
03-08-2009 | Posted by: Maruja Retana
