For years now, experts have been encouraging kids to engage in physical exercise and abandon their x-box, even just for an hour a day, with slogans like “get outside”, while we, as adults, workout either within the confined spaces of our living rooms or at the nearby gym. However, there’s now reason to believe that humans of any age should: get outside!
The fact that there is a strong co-relation between physical activity and mental wellbeing is well-documented; exercising in a ‘green’ space is even more beneficial, according to researchers, even if it’s just for five minutes a day.
The importance of getting sufficient exercise each day has become mainstream ideology, but not so stressed is the fact that our exercise should take place in natural, green surroundings for optimum mental benefits and overall wellbeing.
U.K. researchers conducted ten studies involving 1,250 people in various outdoor activities, including walking, cycling, gardening, boating, etc. and found quick improvements in mood and self-esteem, especially among young people. The effect was even greater in an area with some ‘blue’, such as a lake or a river.
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Apart from the cumulative repercussions resulting from millions of automobiles burning oil for fuel the world over, there are also the sudden catastrophes which result from time to time when massive oil operations spill their lethal load. This threat became reality last week when the rig Deepwater Horizon, operated by BP, exploded and then sank off the coast of Louisiana.
The massive oil spill is predicted to reach land by Friday, and, after discussions with five Gulf state governors, the U.S. Government declared the oil leak a disaster of ‘national significance’. While pledging immediate aid to counteract the situation, U.S. officials say the primary responsibility, and ultimately the price tag for recovery efforts, rests squarely on the shoulders of the oil company BP PLC.
But the company has been slow to acknowledge the urgency of the situation, only conceding Thursday that the leak may be as bad as government estimates say it is. The U.S. Coast Guard says that a new leak has been found which looks to be five times greater than what was previously thought and estimates that as much as 5000 barrels a day are escaping. In the end, as much as 100,000 barrels or 4.2 million gallons of oil could be spewed into the Gulf, before rescue operations successfully halt the leak. However, the worst oil spill in U.S. history, the Exxon Valdez, leaked 11 million gallons in 1989 off the south coast of Alaska.
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My landlord, Stanko Matic, planted the apricot tree that shades my backyard. Stanko, a gentle giant in his seventh decade, immigrated with his wife to Canada from Yugoslavia many years ago.
Every summer he fills my yard with tomato plants grown from heritage seeds from the old country. Peppers, cucumbers, garlic and leeks accompany the tomatoes in his strictly organic garden. He urges me to harvest my fill.
He planted the apricot tree 10 years ago: “before that… was cherry tree, but the birds eat. Before cherry was apple tree, small green apple, kind that nobody eat.”
Looking out over his piece of the urban forest, he says our apricot tree won’t be around much longer. We’ll get maybe three or four more years from it. It does look a bit ragged. Last summer a windstorm snapped off a large limb and hurled it into my neighbour’s yard. Hardened gobs of amber resin now ooze where the bark has split. In the three years I’ve lived here we’ve had just one true apricot harvest. The squirrels beat us to most of the fruit before it was even ripe.
Despite its imperfections, this gnarled, sap-clotted tree brings me such happiness. Its blossoms burst open in the spring earlier than those of any of Ontario’s other fruit trees. We’ve eaten countless summer meals at the picnic table in my backyard, shaded by its boughs. And the apricot pie my daughter made during the year of the great harvest is the stuff of gastronomic legend.
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by Amoy on April 5, 2010 Filed under Food
The debate is on, with implications as far-reaching as the lusts and desires of your expectant tastebuds.
Just as an exquisite meal satisfies the soul and nourishes the body, the standards by which we ‘create’ food can impact our society. Which food ethic is more nourishing and beneficial to a community and even to the planet as a whole? Should we continue to indulge in the vast array of culinary choice, delighting in the foods of the world? Or should we adopt a more local approach and embrace a form of culinary xenophobia?
Arguments for both sides are persuasive. In the end, though, the flavor that should accent every dish is, balance.
Locavores, or proponents for eating local food, correctly claim that such a trend benefits the local economy by supporting businesses and farmers within a certain area. The movement also positively impacts the environment in that less transporting of food means less greenhouse gas emissions. Last, but not least, is the argument that local food is fresher and ‘in-season’, bringing a heightened taste experience to the table.
Others believe ‘food’ to be a cultural experience, as much an exploration of the multicultural society we are connected with as a revelation of flavors.
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It’s a barterer’s paradise, and it’s officially here!
As if the age-old adage “one person’s ‘junk’ is another person’s treasure” wasn’t enough, current environmental concerns require that we all show greater awareness about how we consume and then ‘un-consume’, or discard of our possessions. A great way to demonstrate personal responsibility is to reduce, reuse and recycle. That’s where SwapSity comes in.
It may be as easy as snapping your fingers, but it’s not magic. With SwapSity, you can easily convert your unused possessions into things you really want, while satisfying your eco-conscious and budget-savvy desires.
The Canadian online consumer bartering site allows you to use your assets as ‘money’ or collateral to swap for items you really need or want but perhaps have been holding out on in hopes of finding a bargain. The bartering community allows those adopting a ‘greener’ lifestyle to be able to freely negotiate the value of items and skills and facilitates fair exchanges.
What’s the best thing about SwapSity? It’s hard to extol just one virtue of this online bartering haven, but one bonus is that swapping is free of charge, so you can trade as many times as you like. As well, SwapSity uses a unique matching tool that makes it easy to find local swappers in your area.
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In the context of today’s world, ‘consuming’ and ‘balance’ in the same sentence seems to be an oxymoron.
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