Plastic is the DEVIL/hipocrisy

Plastic: the most prolific man-made material that will NEVER BIODEGRADE. It is so highly synthesized that no known organism can digest it, and therefore every piece of plastic that is ever manufactured (from petroleum) will persist in our environment FOREVER! This has major implications! It can photo-degrade (break into smaller pieces) but never biodegrade.

First of all, the extraction of crude oil and all of the problems that go along with it (war, environmental destruction, international instability) are part of the plastic cycle because PLASTIC IS MADE FROM CRUDE OIL. (At least, 99.999 percent is at this point).

Next, the manufacture of plastics is incredibly energy intensive, and produces TONS of toxins & some carcinogens. (Toxic = negative health effects, Carcinogen = causes cancer).

After that, many of the plastics themselves are toxic (such as PVC: http://www.noharm.org/us/pvcdehp/issue).

That "new car" or "new paint" smell is most likely giving you brain damage due to off-gassing

Also, drinking and eating from many plastics can cause reproductive harm

And even more so, our natural environment is filling up with this totally unnatural stuff: http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

What to do? STOP USING, BUYING, CREATING PLASTICS made from petroleum. They are the most unnatural material on the planet, will never go away and are totally BAD FOR OUR HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF ALL CURRENT AND FUTURE ORGANISMS ON THIS PLANET.

That said, I am wearing plastic sunglasses, a plastic hat, and a plastic shirt in my profile picture. I didn't know as much about plastics when I bought those things as I do now. But I will also be the first to admit that I am a hypocrite. We are all hypocrites, and while contradicting ourselves constantly is part of human nature, that does not make it "OK". We should strive to rid ourselves of our hypocrisies and live true to our values, especially if we are teaching and spouting those values to others.

When you are able, please buy natural materials and not plastic. A wonderful industry of alternatives is sprouting up everywhere. Some great new advances have turned vegetable oil, silica, soy, bamboo, corn, potatoes, wool, silk and natural rubber latex into all sorts of things that we used to rely on plastics for. Plastic hides under many names, especially when it is turned into apparrel. Here are a few of the names of plastic:

Vinyl
PVC
Nylon
Polyester
Gore-Tex
PTFE
Lexan
polyurethane

Take the time to research your consumption! And if nothing else please don't buy products that are KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER!!!!

Time to start sharing knowledge, something personal

I know that I have more to learn than I have to teach.
I also know that I should teach what I know, even while I am still learning.

I am in my mid-twenties, still searching for my path in life. Transformation occurs within me on an almost daily basis, re-aiming my goals and directions, causing me to re-evaluate what I once thought was important, normal, righteous.

I intend to live a life directed not by societal expectations, but by compassion for my fellow beings, human and otherwise, as well as the deep knowledge that my intuition has more often lead me in the right direction than have the expectations of America. I intend to be unpredictable and spontaneous, to live outside of categories and norms, to not take for granted many of the things that the majority seems to.

I do not watch TV (commercials especially).
I try to spend more time outside than inside.
I eat responsibly grown and raised foods, most of which I know the source of.
I have a strong belief that the world, and especially America, is poised for major change in the coming 10-20 years. Not only politically and economically, but a core change in the values and understanding of the people, the way we are connected to the planet, and how our actions will affect the lives of future generations.
I believe in a healthy, active lifestyle, minimizing consumption of disposable goods.
I am an advisor to the California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) http://sustainabilitycoalition.org/

I teach recycling and composting education for the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
I am going to Costa Rica & Belize for the summer to lead a trip for Wilderness Ventures. http://wildernessventures.com/summer_programs/trip.php?id=69&cat_id=3
I crave the knowledge of the natives of this land, though I know that much of it has been lost, and most of the rest has been changed.

I just finished a 3 day solo backpack through the Santa Lucia Wilderness near Arroyo Grande, CA, my current home.

I wish love upon you and all the creatures of this world.

I write on a huge range of topics, but much of what I write are simply the random wanderings of my mind.