Eating for the Planet

I just visited my sister and saw a June 2009 edition of Sunday Inquirer Magazine, a freebie when you buy the Sunday edition of Philippines Daily Inquirer, a leading newspaper here in the Philippines. The whole magazine was devoted to environment. Two articles catch my attention Green Home and Eating for the Planet.

After reading these two articles, I had to think whether I am doing what were mentioned in these articles. I did some reality check and found that though, I doing great with Green Home, I failed miserably with the other one.

The Green Home article advises us to have a not too big and well ventilated house to reduce carbon emission. I have a small house and it is well ventilated because I have windows everywhere, my two bedrooms, my kitchen, my comfort room have one window each, while my living room have two windows even though I only have a seventy square meter lot and fifty square meter floor area. I even have 4 trees planted in my front yard and one in my back yard. Usually when you have that size of lot, you need to utilize all the available space to widen your house thus sacrificing the ventilation. Due to that kind of house setup and with trees and other vegetation planted in my yard, I can survive the summer heat without using air conditioner. So with that, I can say that I'm doing great with the Green Home thing.

The second article deals on how to become a vegetarian and it benefits to our health and environment. This article struck me most not only because it will greatly help the environment, but will also save lives not only of the human beings but also of some animals. But unfortunately, I am not doing it. Our diet usually includes pork, chicken, beef and fish. Since my kids will not survive with green diets, I am force to eat meat as well because due to budget concern, we cannot afford to have two dishes of food everyday. But I am still trying to device a way that will not hurt our budget and be vegetarian at the same time, so that I don’t always have those guilty feeling during eating time.

Who knew?

I received an e-mail from a friend with a subject line, "Who knew?” I found the information interesting and helpful especially for those who want to save. By following these tips, you can make use of what you already have and avoid buying new products, thus save you money and help the environment. Though, the products mentioned here were not advertised for said usages, and have never been proven effective, I think there is nothing if you will try it. So here it is.

Who knew?

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes..... Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

and

Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure... Cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Vinegar to heal bruises... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief.... it's not for breakfast anymore! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.