Showing posts with label BeaGreen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BeaGreen. Show all posts

Sunday, February 24, 2013

You've Heard this Before: Human Activity is Hurting Our Planet!

Spirit Sunday: 


Yesterday Bret and I saw Chasing Ice by Jeff Orlowski and it was beautiful. It was the journey James Balog, a scientist who set out on a journey to prove that climate change is happening right before our eyes through photographs. Balog and his team from the Extreme Ice Survey placed more than  20 state-of-the art cameras (in total) in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska and Montana to capture the melting of glacial over a period of 4 years or so. 

Most people know glaciers exist because of what I’ve seen on TV, books, etc., but we don't really think about them. This movie brought the glaciers to life right in front of our eyes. I had a very little idea of how meaningful they are, but this movie made me realize that I had NO idea of what they really are. By studying glaciers from the inside out, scientists learn about the air and temperature of thousands of years ago and compare it to today's changes in the planet. Chasing Ice made feel as if I were there – in the cold, extreme weather of the coldest and some of the most beautiful places on Earth.


It was heartbreaking to see ice mountains melting and disappearing over just a few months. I had tears in my eyes and I was in awe.... It's incredible to know this is actually happening as I type this and as you read this. It's serious. We are destroying our home.

 


At the end of the movie James Balog said, "What will I tell my daughters a few years from now when they ask me what I did to stop climate change?" That made me think.... In 40 years from now, when I have grandchildren, and they see the consequences of climate change, they will ask me: Abuelita, what were you doing to prevent climate change? Didn’t know you were going to inherit us this world???”  

I asked Bret what his response to our grandchildren will be and he also realized something, “Wow, I feel that I’m doing nothing.” 

I know it feels like we're not doing enough. But that’s not true baby-- we try. We do what we can.... But we can always do MORE," I said.

Living in the U.S. -- in L.A., it almost seems impossible to see our lives without a car, running water, comfort, electronics, etc. It's hard to see us making changes to our life and living with little. I think that if we try hard enough we are able to live with little. We can't be afraid to give stuff up and simple, modest lives.

I think that the way Bret and I eat has a greater impact on the planet far more than what we can recycle, re-use and buy less stuff. I told Bret that I feel that by eating plant-based foods is one of the main things we can do to slow down climate change. 

There are so many reasons I can think of for not eating animal products. It’s not just about our health, animal treatment, or worker's right of being in a safe and clean environment -- but about the impact the consumption of animal products has on the planet!
Please take a moment and watch this 3+ minute clip by Brendan Brazier.

As individuals, the way we chose to eat has the biggest environmental impact on the planet.  In addition to all the significant health benefits of having a plant-based diet, it reduces our carbon footprint more than driving our cars daily!


food affects climate


What we eat either increases or decrease the rate of global warming/climate change. Growing plants for human consumption uses far less energy and resources to produce, while contributing the least amount of greenhouse gases and deliver the most nutrients. 

What we eat probably has the greatest impact on the planet.  "...On a calorie-for-calorie basis, plant-based proteins require less fossil fuel energy, water, or arable land to produce than any animal protein" than growing food to raise and feed the animals people end up eating. Most of the food grown in the U.S. is for animal growth and we get far less nutrients by them an going straight to the source (plants).

Just choosing to eat more plants in your diet can make a huge difference, not just on your body, it's efficiency and wellness, but you will also reduce your impact on this planet. Simply put: eating a Plant-Based diet makes a huge difference.

You and your family, too, can contribute to the well-being of the planet. Take a step forward to improve your live and the life of others globally by just making small changes, initially. Once you make a eco-conscious change you will learn how to live with less and you will also eat less, believe it or not. We all have to start somewhere to make this a better place to live.

This week, try to eat one meal with no meat, or aim for a week free of dairy.  You can do it! :)

Love,

Bea 

 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Pens & Pencils: Use them up, Don't Store Them!

Green Tuesday: 

This week I begin teaching my nutrition and fitness classes and I wanted to have pens ready for my participants to use. On Monday I thought about buying some new pens and pencils, but every time I think 'I need' this or that, I ask myself: 

"Do I really need it? 
Do I already have it at home?"
You can see how dusty the lid of the container is from not being opened in years!
Instead of buying new ones, I took out Bret's container of pens (which has been lying around the house for years!) so that I could use up. I separated the working ones, kept them; and threw the non-working ones to the recycling bin
 It actually kind of fun (and it was a good exercise for my fingers). ;-) It also felt good ppracticing this thought:  there is always more than we can do with the stuff we already have instead of buying new stuff that can just go un-used until who knows when.  

Right after that little task, I finished my large cup of yerba mate and green tea and Bret and were ready to hit the gym for a tough leg session!



Love,

Bea

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Homemade Natural Deodorant

I tried making my own deodorant! I was inspired by reading this blog: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5970/A-Quick-Easy-Natural-Deodorant-Recipe.html

Here is what I used: 

3 tablesppons of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of cornstarch (I actually need to add 1 more tablespoon)
1 teaspoonof baking soda (I actually need to add 1 more tablespoon)
A few drops of essential oil


See a video of me when I've been working from home all day! ;-p

I added all of the ingredients in a small container, mixed it all up and viola! Homemade deodorant, yay!

Love,

Bea

Monday, August 1, 2011

What the f*#k is McDonald's doing again?


What the f*#k is McDonald's doing???

I went on to the Power 106 website to play the live stream and I came across this McDonald's ad. This kind of s#!t McDonald's pulls makes me so angry. Wow....We are in the midst of the obesity and overweight epidemic and fast food advertisements are everywhere! 

I cannot believe it. The ad says "count fries not sheep," as if sleep did not matter. Come on! Fries are bad for you, they are evil and poisonous to the body. French fries are full of grease, saturated fat, have tons of calories (mostly FAT calories!), BAD carbohydrates and they have no nutritional value. Yuck! Why would anyone want to eat that?!

Sleep on the other hand is one of the healthiest things one can do. We need plenty sleep to survive. Sufficient sleep controls the level of cortisol in our bodies. (Cortisol is a the chemical in our fight or flight responses.) When we don't sleep our bodies release more cortisol, the more cortisol in our body, the least likely we are to burn fat. So yes -- little sleep = more cortisol = more stress = fat.  How can McDonald's tell people to count fries -- and not sheep (sleep)? What McDonald's wants is more profits. There are more 24 hour locations and drive-thrus where people can have access to their fat food ALL the time and don't even have to walk anymore to order it! Fat calories + less physical activity = weight gain. McDonald's is sure to make that happen as fast as possible as long as they make money.

I have so many issues with the fast food industry, it is ridiculous....It is sad to say that more times than not, I hear from people, "it is not that bad. Everything in moderation." Yeah right! Do people actually know what goes into fast-food??? That is not even real food and that alone is the reason why overweight and obesity have alarming rates all over the country (and globally!). In the US, low-income, less educated, people of color (i.e., Latinos, African Americans and Native Americans) suffer the most from overweight and obesity.
The obesity epidemic in America is the most alarming and threatening health issue I have seen in my life. It is terrible that this disease affects 2 out of every 3 Americans and 1 out of 3 children and adolescents. I scanned the report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, by PreventObesity.net
 
(http://www.preventobesity.net/fasinfat?cid=xem|2011-07-26_FinFat&utm_content=003A000000ommDmIAI&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=read%20the%20whole%20report&Hutm_campaign=How%20fat%20is%20{State|your%20state}%3F). I saw that the state’s most affected by overweight and obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, and hypertension are in the South of the US with Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia taking the top three. Poor people of color are the majority of the population in these states. This is a tremendous health disparity based on race and socioeconomic status. What an injustice!

I blame the fast-food industry, in large part, for the decline of American's health. I despise fast-food restaurants; yeah, even Subway....To me there is no such thing as healthy fast-food or that it is "not that bad." The truth of the matter is that it is just that bad.
If I can tell readers to do just one thing to improve their health is DO NOT eat fast-food. That will make a huge difference in the way you feel, look, think, sleep and you will be a much happier and healthier person. I promise.

Yay! Dinner time is here! :D

Love,

Bea

Friday, April 22, 2011

Happy April 22nd: Earth Day!

Happy April 22nd: Earth Day!

Earth Day is every day! Making conscious choices about my consumption is part of lifestyle. Although some times I don't do enough, like recycle everything, reuse or bring my own cups or utensils, I do my best to be less impactful.

So, the reason I am blogging today is because I made a life-changing decision about my education. Two weeks away from taking the Comprehensive Exam that would award me the Master of Public Health (MPH) given that I pass it -- which I am sure I would -- I decided to switch over to the Master of Science (MS) in Health Science.

After careful consideration, the MS is best for me as I prepare to be the best applicant I can be for Doctoral programs. If I stay a student at CSULB, I can get continue my graduate reasearch assistantship through RIMI (Research Infrastructure Minority  Institution). As a RIMI Health Scholar, I qualify to get funding to attend conferences, travel, software, a GRE prep course and more!

Love,

Bea