The Convenient Chipmunk: Sun Skin Safety

The Convenient Chipmunk is all about giving you tips to be a true chipmunk and use natural substitutions. Look out for it every Sunday!

So, summer's coming up fellow chipmunks! And the big problem about it all is: the SUN. Yep, sunburn, tanning gone wrong (never use tanning beds, by the way), those unwanted freckles, and last but definitely not the least, the threat of sun cancer and heat stroke! Now as a true chipmunk, don't go to Target and spend $50 on your skin care, but go natural! Here's some advice for you chipmunks out there.

Chipmunk Convenience 1: Load up on tomatoes. Eat red to prevent red; after all, no one wants those ugly sunburn streaks on their noses. German scientists also found out that volunteers in a study who ate five tablespoons of tomato paste daily for three months had nearly 25% more protection in one study.

Chipmunk Convenience 2: Before you go outside to the beach, scavenge around for an ice pack, wash your face, and gently "rub" ice pack against your skin. Then apply a natural sunscreen, like Aubrey Organics Natural Sun SPF 30+ Active Lifestyles Tropical Scent ($13, http://www.aubrey-organics.com/) or Burt's Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen SPF 30 ($15, http://www.burtsbees.com/). Or make your own (recipe coming soon!). To check the hazard level of your favorite sunscreen, go to www.ewg.org/skindeep.

Chipmunk Convenience 3: If you get hot while playing on the pool or beach, have the previous ice pack wrapped around a towel and apply every now and then.

Chipmunk Convenience 4: After returning from the beach, give in to a luxury and find yourself and aloe plant. Carefully break off a "leaf". Then cut off the thorns on the sides and cut in half. Lastly, smear the icky goodness over your face and leave for 10-20 minutes. (Wash off afterwards) If you can't find an aloe plant, grow your own (instructions coming) or buy a good-quality aloe-based sun soothener, like Burt's Bees Aloe & Linden Flower After Sun Soother ($13, http://www.burtsbees.com/)

Hope this comes handy for your next trip to the beach, a sneak into a swimming pool, or just any regular day outside!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

While all of us would like to use renewable energy sources, that is, for most of us, not a reality. However, fossil fuels have their benefits and a place in this world.

Oil

Benefits: Convenient. Since alternative energy has not been used as frequently as gasoline, gasoline outstrips alternative energy when price, convenience, and transportability are considered. Used in cars.

Drawbacks: Not environmentally friendly. Drilling uses large amounts of energy. The fumes that come from gasoline are high in carbon dioxide and may contribute to global warming. Since countries with oil are often in political turmoil, accessing the oil can be difficult. Refining process is long and wasteful. Nonrenewable. Fire hazard.

Coal

Benefits: Cheapest fossil fuel. Most abundant in the United States. Available in over 70 countries. Easy to use--no lengthy refining process. Does not need as much special equipment. Good for economy because it requires a lot of manpower. Produces a lot of energy.

Drawbacks: Nonrenewable. Releases toxins such as mercury and carbon and sulfur dioxide. Mining damages environment by cutting of trees and polluting rivers. Mining linked to lung diseases. Electricity plants that use coal require large amounts to keep running. Emits more carbon dioxide than oil or natural gas.

Natural Gas

Benefits: Burns with lowest emissions. Can be safely stored. Cheap. Doesn't produce ashes. Produces a lot of energy--heating value is 24,000 Btu per pound! Easily used. Often dissipates because it is lighter than air.

Drawbacks: Nonrenewable. Extraction leaves large craters in earth. Flammable. Number one cause of carbon monoxide deaths. While cheap, constructing and managing pipelines costs a lot. Methane (which is what natural gas is mostly comprised of) is 21 times more dangerous for greenhouse emissions. Therefore, while natural gas should be cleaner in theory, in the real world it can be very dirty.

While renewable energy is still the cleanest option, fossil fuels are important. Deciding between which fossil fuel to use depends on one's lifestyle and energy uses.                               -Jean
                         

The Conventional Chicken

It's a common dilemma plaguing through our country. NON-ORGANIC meat. They're overboard on HORMONES and it's completely INHUMANE how the animals are treated. Legal, yes. Caring, no. The effects of hormones are frequently: immature growth, abnormal aging, etc. Organics may be more costly, but, read this "biography" of a chicken's life.

Your prison is lighted by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. There's only enough space to poke your head out the bars and feed on the cheap food. Life is basically eating and laying eggs. Eat. Lay eggs. Eat. Lay eggs. Eat. Lay eggs. Never see the sun, grass, or feel natural breeze. You are born in a prison. You die in a prison. After you die, your fatty chicken body is eaten by some family (or YOU).

So buy organics. It's a recession we're in, that dollar matters. Yeah, scientists say it won't hurt you. That's only true at the moment because no one has been introduced to hormones long enough for physical pain. But if that's true, how do you explain the 6-year olds maturing at an unbelievable rate?  Not to mention buying organics supports more humane animal treatment. So, next time you're at Target/Ralphs/Vons/Sprouts/(fill in the blank), choose ORGANIC! -The Organic-Lover Kyung Jin

Plastic and Its Role in an Environmentally Conscious World

Plastic has been the bane of environmentalists for as far back as we can remember, and truth to be told, no one at All Chipmunks is particularly fond of the choking device, also known as the plastic grocery bag. However, maybe plastic isn’t the villain it’s been portrayed to be.

Plastic is sometimes hated in the green community, and for good reason. There are a plethora of reasons why people avoid plastic: it kills animals, it pollutes the water and soil, it doesn’t biodegrade, it leaches into foods and drink rendering them toxic, and environmentalists could go on and on.

Plastic, however, can also be useful. It is extremely lightweight, and so less gas is used transporting plastic from place to place when compared to metals or glass. While plastic can leach, some plastics, such as PETE (#1) and HDPE (#2) have not been proved to leach.

To summarize, plastic, whether people like it or not, is here to stay. While it can be dangerous, it is also an important part of energy usage reduction. For now, the best compromise is to buy plant-based plastics such as corn- and soy-based plastics (although they are unfortunately GMO), avoid plastics that are difficult to recycle and proven to be dangerous, and recycle any plastics that are used.

Sincerely,

Jean

Hello

Hello to all of our (currently nonexisting) readers! We are a group of children who are passionate about the environment and want to do something about it. Chipmunks used to be a game we played at recess at school, but we wanted to expand it and connect with people to help the environment.

Thank you so much for reading our blog, and we hope you like it!

Sincerely,

Jean, Kyung Jin, and Joy