modern life vs. human nature

I wrote earlier about larger multi-national stores offering organic cottons and eco-friendly clothing. I was genuinely excited about being able to find some good organic alternatives to traditional cotton because as I mentioned before the standard industrial way to grow, harvest and dye cotton is like chemical warfare. The amount of pesticides that go into cotton growing is enough to kill a cow…umm…well..actually more like cow(s)…like thousands …and humans and..well,..you might be getting the point..the chemcials pretty much kill every living thing for miles around but no need to worry because you are safe…ha! just kidding.

Anyway, our friends(not really) over at Levi’s are actually putting out pants/jeans that are made from organically grown cotton(no pesticides..Yay!) and as well 1) they don’t look like burlap sacks and 2)they don’t cost an enormous amount. So , it makes it easier for those of us who are on a budget to be more eco-friendly and still remain fashionable. By fashionable, I mean that Levi’s can still pass in most circles as a stylish brand and their quality is usually quite good. Please note: I am still uninformed about their labour practices and wouldn’t take their corporate “word” for it.

The main reason I have posted Levi’s on this blog is that they, unlike H&M and The GAP, seem to actually have stock of the organic product in their stores. Not to downplay either H&M’s or The GAP’s organic offerings but they are totally weak, lame, completely limited, out of stock and..well…maybe I am just being overly dramatic but the way they played up the “organic” thing kind of looks a little shaky now! I am almost about to call them both out for “greenwashing”(which basically means lying about their eco-offerings to get publicity and traffic in their stores) however I am going to scope out a number of their stores again to be sure.

So beware and buy smart!

This was the latest G8 Summit on the environment…and not a backyard barbecue. But Ol’ Georgey showed up for a “hoedown” and as usual said little, confirmed nothing and blocked any progress possible…with good ole plain ignorance and lack of concern.

And of course remember this…

Poor America…he’s like the drunk Uncle who keeps hitting on his “cute, little niece from the city cause she’s all growed up now!” The world’s most pathetic leader. Or maybe I’m being too judgemental again…sorry…it’s the media’s fault.

One of the still remaining leftovers from the company and career I left in Toronto is this RV. I bought this giant gas guzzling condo on wheels for the sole purpose of doing the Lollapalooza tour in the U.S. for my clothing company because they were too expensive to rent and because I thought I could sell it, rent it or otherwise dispose(crash it!) of it when the tour was over. That was in 2003. No luck.

Now, I refuse to drive it because it takes too much gas and I am not really an RV person so I don’t really get along with other RV people(see below)

or…

I would rent it out but the insurance and hassle is disproportionate to the dollars I would take in so I am stuck for now. Oh, did I mention the bottom fell out of the RV market now that the American dollar has tanked. I also thought about living in it ala Mel Gibson in ummm..oh..Lethal Weapon…

but he was crazy and I am not..quite..plus it’s just too small and again..my neighbours would be RVers too! (See previous pictures) No thanks.

So if anyone reading this has an idea to convert it to run on solar or electric or just some brilliant makeover idea let me know. I would love to hear it.

ABC NEWS Photo

Yes, unbelievable to me too! China is taking the environment, or at least plastic bag pollution, seriously. The article in in Treehugger explains that the Chinese use over 3 billion bags every day!

The funniest part about the new law is that some people complained that it would hurt shop owners and consumers… but those people stopped complaining very quickly …or maybe they just disappeared? After all, in communism “there’s no saying NO to the State Council.”

Those of you wondering why we don’t have the same policies in Canada and the U.S. might want to ask yourselves how many of us would “whine and complain” about it being inconvenient. I am not calling all of us “spoiled consumers” but there are a good many that would feel it was “their right to have free plastic bags with their groceries.” I believe a good many of those people probably think it is also their right to own guns, smoke in public places and throw their trash in a local ditch.

Not to be too ridiculous, it is probably quite possible for us to pass a law that bans free plastic bags but it is not going to come from our government. In the case of Canada, Harper and the boys are too busy giving tax credits to the biggest polluters in the world, the companies pilfering the Alberta tar sands! No really they are..people in the US are even starting to complain about it and it’s ruining our good name as peacekeepers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Oops, there I go again being ridiculous?