Made in the U.S.A.

REALLY sustainable living!

shopusagirl — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:06:34 +0000

Found this article posted on a friend’s facebook. Really cool story about a Welsh man who built a sustainable house for his family! This is an inspiring family when it comes to sustainable living and being self-sufficient.

Ah, what a dream! I definitely wouldn’t moving in… tomorrow… just putting it out there. The family used mostly foraged materials and mostly did the work themselves. And the grand total cost to them? About $4700. Yep. For a house.

Here’s the full article about the family and their journey to build the house of their dreams! Plus more pictures.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

shopusagirl — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:50:28 +0000

Remember these guys?

Yeah me either… But really, the floppy disk has become a thing of the past. Like so many electronics, they’ve become extraneous over time. But I know I still have some sitting around from my very first school projects, and I’m sure in the back of your desk, you do too. Here are some ideas about where and how to recycle floppy disks and other passé electronics.
So if you need to recycle…

Floppy disks:
- TLC has a good list of options for recycling or reusing them here
- If you’re feeling more creative, TreeHugger has some other ideas here

Cassettes:
-One idea was to find a pre-school to donate them to. Whether they still use cassettes or not, they make good craft supplies
-GreenDisk seems to be the place to recycle most of the random electronic things. Even though I’m wary of paying for recycling, it seems like a good option if you’re recycling in bulk. (Be aware that it’s a “.com” and not a “.org”, which means they’re making a profit – however, they do seem to be recycling responsibly.)

CDs and DVDs:
- These are the easiest since they’re still pretty relevant! I have a lot of CDs that I have to recycle and I always send them to The CD Recycling Center of America. It doesn’t cost anything to use their service, just shipping for whatever you send in. This is a “.org” – just fyi
-Also, beware of recycling jewel cases. Up until recently (today, actually…) I just tossed them in the recycling bin to go to community recycling. The site earth911 informed me otherwise – Jewel Cases are Plastic #6, which can’t be processed at a local level, so you can send the cases in to be recycled at CD Recycling Center as well.

And on the trend of e-waste… Here are some ideas about recycling old electronics as well as some good organizations to keep in mind when getting rid of stuff.

CalRecycle is an organization that collects things to use as art supplies.
ecolife.com has a comprehensive list of recycling organizations and centers for all your recycling needs.

Mitumba: Second Hand Trade in Africa

shopusagirl — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:01:27 +0000

“The Story of Electronics”

shopusagirl — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:01:59 +0000

From our friends over at The Story of Stuff Project.

E Waste

shopusagirl — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:53:24 +0000

“Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground” is produced by PBS. Journalist Peter Klein goes in-depth discovering the E-Waste burn sites in Ghana, China, India, and Vietnam.

I’ll be looking into this more and trying to find out more information about electronics recycling and dumping. This is quickly becoming an irreparable problem. Do your part and do your research before you get rid of your used and broken electronics.
Also check out this interactive map of various players in the E-Waste war.

Roma Boots

shopusagirl — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:49:09 +0000

Roma Boots is a similar idea to Tom’s shoes, but with rainboots! It’s a one-for-one process. For every pair of boots bought, they take a pair of boots to the most impoverished areas of Romania and Eastern Europe. It’s a newish company (2010). I don’t know where they’re manufactured, but I do know that they’re doing great things with their product. Check them out!

Here’s an introduction video.

It Gets Better.

shopusagirl — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:03:55 +0000

Like so many others, I am deeply saddened by the suicides of so many LGBTQ teens recently. It does get better. For every person trying to shut you down, there are 10 more who are you going to love you and support you.

(I LOVE Dan Savage. And he and Terry are so sweet together)

(Joel Burns is the sweetest. I sent him an email after seeing this to thank him.)

Check out The Trevor Project on Youtube for more videos. It’s really inspiring.

Cosmo sucks.

shopusagirl — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:01:51 +0000

True story.

This was submitted to Post Secret (which, as an aside, is very cool).

And a completely hilarious analysis of Cosmo sex tips by Cracked.com

If you’re looking for sex tips that won’t kill your confidence, aren’t hetero-normative, and won’t put your partner in the hospital, check out Dodson and Ross. They’re sex-positive feminists who actually know what they’re talking about. And I promise they won’t say “Punch him in the balls cause he’ll like it. And lose five pounds cause you’re probably fat and boys won’t want to sleep with you. That’s all that matters anyways.”

My Cosmo rant is far from over. I could go on forever talking about about it hypersexualizes, dehumanizes, diminishes and degrades women everywhere by its sheer existence. (Did anyone see their story on pubic hair??? Ridiculous. At best.)

Please discuss. Anyone. Everyone. I want to hear your thoughts.

Paper Back Swap!

shopusagirl — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:19:58 +0000

Like books? Hey, me too! Want to read a lot of books without having to make the trip to the library or Borders? Well personally, I’m a fan of second hand bookstores (childhood fantasy of having my own library), but Paperback Book Swap is a great option. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up. Once you’re signed up, you can request books from other members on there and they’ll be sent to you at no cost. You can also trade textbooks (college students, get excited), audio books, hardcovers, etc. It’s a great thing, and it eliminates having to buy new books! Cause there’s millions of copies of Jane Eyre already… so instead of buying a new one and spending money and using more paper, just borrow it!

The especially cool part is the “Member’s Savings” page. Members have saved over 21 million dollars to date. That’s something to get excited about.

(Jane Austen… LOVE!)

20 Ways to Love Your Body

shopusagirl — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:12:02 +0000

From Operation Beautiful.

Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.
Create a list of all the things your body lets you do. Read it and add to it often.
Become aware of what your body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.
Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.
Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.
Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style, and that feel good to your body.
Count your blessings, not your blemishes.
Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!
Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy.
Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months. Your body is extraordinary–begin to respect and appreciate it.
Every morning when you wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.
Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.
Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don’t exercise to lose weight or to fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good. Exercise for the Three F’s: Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.
Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.
Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself–without mentioning your appearance. Add to it!
Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”
Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.
Start saying to yourself, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way.”
Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.