December 2015 | Issue no. 1 by green paper leaf

GREEN PAPER LEAF DECEMBER 2015

ISSUE NO. 01

WISH YOU WERE HERE A NEWS ARTICLE DISCUSSES CURRENT OR RECENT NEWS OF EITHER GENERAL INTEREST OR OF A SPECIFIC TOPIC

NOEL STEIN

A TRAVEL STORY THROUGH THE LENS OF OBSCURA USA

Dedicated to The memory of Dr. Igor Kusyszyn

He helped students unleash their creative side

GREEN PAPER LEAF Editor in Chief Design Editor/ Promotion Manager

Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer

Ishita Ahluwalia Atishi Ahluwalia

Kelly Corbishley Brittany Turner Sunanna Bhasin Sarah Burnell Jacki Cammidge Cassie Jahn Liana Vanwynsberghe Masoumeh Shabani Ellie Williams

Contributing Photographer Contributing Photographer Contributing Photographer Contributing Photographer Contributing Illustrator

Selena Ramirez Kimmy Juan Ashley Branson Warisha Nawaz Suhajini Srikumar

Contributing Design Editor

Stephanie Marie

Green Paper Leaf Bloggers

Kelly Corbishley My passion lies with healthy living, which includes what I put into and onto my body, what I do for exercise and what influences me on a day to day basis. If you are interested in more information about how I choose to eat for a healthier, happier life, follow my blog. www.littlehummingbird.edublogs.org

Sarah Burnell I started Flourish & Knot in 2013 which runs the gamut of make-it-yourself: crafts, recipes, home improvement, decorating, sewing, gardening, floral arranging, and entertaining. If I can do it myself, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair game! If you are looking for some fun DIY projects, follow my blog. www.flourishandknot.com

Cassie Jahn I am the author of a DIY blog devoted to living life to the fullest on a frugal budget. DIY Jahn began to help me to stick to my plan to aggressively pay off my student loans, in hopes to inspire others to do the same. Find tips on saving money, paying off debt, earning money online, yummy recipes, and DIY projects www.diyjahn.com

Dinner Was Delish

Liana Vanwynsberghe I am a part-time farmer, wife, and mother of four. I enjoy cooking healthy gluten free meals for my family that taste great and look amazing. Most of the time I just hear; Thank You, Dinner Was Delicious!! If you are looking for some delicious gluten free recipes, follow me on my blog. www.dinnerwasdelish.com

Brittany I started DIY Just Cuz with my cousins, where we, ,write from around the world about crafting, cooking, organizing and more! We all share a passion for creative ventures and personal improvement. If you are itching to see easy & fun DIY tutorials for those on a budget who love recycling and repurposing? Follow along with us on our blog. www.diyjustcuz.com

Sunanna Bhasin Create to Enchant is a student-run blog dedicated to providing opinionated and informative articles on the latest trends in entertainment, and ways to optimize your travel and food experiences. It was built on the premise that it would cater to the interests of a diverse group of people.. Follow our blog for more fun stuff. www.createtoenchant.wordpress.com

Jacki Cammidge I am a Rustic Artisan, Certified Horticulturist and Webmaster of six websites, all on gardening topics. if you are looking for fun ways to help the environment, then check out my website Blue Fox Farm. www.bluefoxfarm.com

GREEN PAPER LEAF

CONTENTS 01

Editor's Note

Carbon Footprint

Green Education

DIY: Nautical Wall Art

Pixelating Landscape

DIY: Menu Board

Food: Roast Chicken & Bone Broth

Poem: What Matters Most

Food: Lentil Soups

DIY: OmbrĂŠ Pincones

Eco Friendly School/Office Supplies

Poem: Standing Here Just Listening

DIY: Cork & Twig Reindeer Ornaments

Poem: Polluted Air

Green paper leaf DECEMBER 2015

issue 1

EDITOR's NOTE Everyday our life seems to work in mysterious ways. One minute we are complaining about all the things that are wrong in our own rooms the next minute we are given the chance to actually do something about it. That is what happened with me. I used to always become bothered by how carelessly people were damaging the environment in ways such as leaving the litter on the ground, throwing whatever they want even if it is not supposed to go in that place and using enormous amounts of products. For example, the extremely excessive amount of AXE and spraying it in the air as if it is some kind of a transparent firework that branches out and can be viewed from every direction. I just could not understand why they needed to use that much of AXE body spray. They just focused on the smell rather than actually taking the time to consider that hey, maybe it could hurt someone or even that it could be harmful to the animals or Earth.

We as humans are supposed to be the ones looking out for each other not harming each other and our only home; this beautiful planet that is going from being luscious green to deforestation and wildfires.

As far as I can remember, I have always wanted to do something good for this planet, something that would benefit everyone; the people, the animals and especially Earth. There is an excessive amount abusing of pollution, deforestation, and overuse of natural products.

When we first decided to create an ecofriendly online magazine to assist students on campus, there were many things going through our heads. We had so many questions such as being able to cover various parts about being environmentally friendly, and having enough topics to talk about, whether or not we will be able to express the importance towards saving Earth. We even worried about having enough contributors that would write articles, which actually turned out to be the easiest part. But still we all jumped at the chance to make a unique magazine that would cater to students written by students, bloggers and almost everyone who has something to say about the environment.

Green Paper Leaf magazine has been an overall emotional ride for every single one of us as there were a lot of precise decisions being made throughout the magazine and it was a lot of fun getting to see how people see Earth differently. Photographs, artworks, DIY projects, recipes, poems are a great way to talk about environmental issues and what needs to be done. This way people will be able to see the little details that they might have never noticed before.

I would like to thank all the contributors that have made this magazine possible. We would not have been able to do this without you, your passion, and your enthusiasm.

Ishita Ahluwalua

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Layers Photographs by Atishi Ahluwalia

Carbon Footprint Calculator Our daily activities such as commuting, sheltering, eating, shopping, even watching tv each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing harmful climate change. However, there are many things each of us can do to reduce our carbon emissions. The choices we make in our daily life, our travel, the food we eat, what we buy and throw away all influence our carbon footprint and can help ensure a stable climate for future generations if we realize the importance and effect of these activities.

Carbon footprints influences include population, economic output, and energy and carbon intensity of the economy. These factors are the main indicator of individuals and businesses in order to decrease carbon footprints. The most effective way to decrease a carbon footprint is to decrease the dependence on carbon emitting fuels but in order to do so first we need to know what activities cause what and what we need to decrease or improve on.

This is something that can easily be done by using the calculator. We as individuals, nations, or organization's carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking an emissions assessment or other calculative activities denoted to calculate carbon accounting. This requires people to answer more or less detailed questions about their diet, transportation choices, home size, shopping and recreational activities, usage of electricity, heating, and heavy appliances such as dryers and refrigerators, and so on to calculate. The calculator then estimates your carbon footprint based on the answers to these questions provided. The mitigation of carbon footprints through the development of alternative projects, such as solar or wind energy or reforestation, represents one way of reducing a carbon footprint and is often known as carbon offsetting and to make low-carbon choices.

Carbon Footprint calculator is an ideal tool to help raise awareness, measure carbon emissions, reduce harmful effects and engage people in the carbon management process.

The proper use of calculator will help reduce or decrease the consequences of climate change, protect habitats and the natural benefits they provide that produce measurable benefits to the atmosphere. Understanding where we stand and what harms our activities cause is the MOST important to plan for the future and to save the remaining resources.

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To Calculate your Carbon Footprint Visit : www..myclimate.org

A whole new degree Photographs by Atishi Ahluwalia

GREENÂ EDUCATION We all are members of this precious earth, which is why everyone should take their responsibilities as a part of its habitants seriously. In order to reach an advanced stage of achievement for the environment it is beneficial to get ourselves more educated on how we can make a difference. We should be able to learn more about the different resources that exist due to the natural products of the earth such as the fact that on earth there are variations of plants, naturally produced food, and the oceans and rivers that play an important role in regards to the water.

For those who attend York University, it is evident that the bottled water consumption is phased out due to the fact that there an action has taken place. For example, the York community members are asked to bring in their own reusable containers to use the hydration stations available on campus. In a way, by doing this we are supporting the growth of our natural resources as we are reducing the cost of manufacturing millions of bottles and the cost involved in the recycling process. Educating people about the earth and all the resources that we waste, with the aim of only doing good things to our earth will make us proud, make it more visible for us to see just how much of an impact every single makes on this earth. As it would become clearer that we the humans waste things by overusing them to the maximum, abuse them and then just keep asking for more when we run out of it. Similarly, if we all start to focus more on creating more greenery by planting more produce like fruits and vegetables as well as plants and trees in general, maybe we would be able to help the environment, and our selves by wasting less money. This way we would be reducing the amount of tress being cut to make the boxes or the labels for the produces sold at grocery stores. It would also allow us to understand more about the correlation between health and the socioeconomic impact.

The green education practices are incorporated to benefit and reminds us of our commitment towards creating sustainability. In order to have a healthy community it is also good to create and continue to promote new assistive inventions.

Just remember that WE CAN CREATE A CHANGE and IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE CHNAGES.

GREEN PAPER LEAF

ATTIC

FROM

TRASH

NAUTICAL

JANUARY 2016

TREASURE:

WALL

ART

BY BRITTANY TURNER DIY BLOGGER WWW.DIYJUSTCUZ.COM

So, you’ve found yourself some old and ugly wall art decorations and you are trying to figure out what the heck to do with them to make them into “your style”? We understand, we have been there. Brittany from www.diyjustcuz.com stumbled upon a similar predicament when she was gifted some wall art from a local thrift store. They weren’t at all her style, but because she is a lover of reusing, reducing and recycling she knew that with a little bit of elbow grease, they could become something she’d love: When I first got these items I honestly had no idea what to do with them. I played around with the idea of turning these metal moth/butterfly art things into busy boards for my nieces but I wasn’t inspired by that idea. I wanted to create some wall art for my room that was my favorite style – nautical - and that’s what I set out to do!

Before

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ATTIC

JANUARY 2016

THE DESIGN I am in love with my Silhouette Cameo electronic cutting machine, I use it any chance I can get. It only made sense to use it somehow with this project, so the first thing I did was design my art in the Silhouette studio. (PS: a Silhouette cutting machine is not required! Freehand the design and cut it with scissors for the same effect – great for those on a budget). I settled on my favorite quote for one: “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” for a few reasons. First of all, I think it’s a really inspiring quote…life is hard, but perseverance through those times makes you stronger and, if you let it, a better person. Second, my long time and amazing boyfriend is a sailor, and I really love all things nautical. I also love mermaids (thanks, Little Mermaid!) so I had to incorporate them somehow. Nothing too crazy, just a few small touches here and there, and what better place than on the wall?! Here is the basic concept I came up with:

Unfortunately the paper was slick (like a sticker) and though I used a lot of paint, it wasn’t covering. I started freaking out and primed the other one, only to realize that I was using glass paint. Oops!! I tried again with the all-purpose paint and it worked like a charm! I had already primed the second one, but honestly there isn’t much of a difference between the two.

SUPPLIES • Metal wall art OR any wall art/canvas/pallet you’d like to makeover • Multi-surface craft paint • Paint brushes • Vinyl / Scrapbook Paper + Glue • Primer • Stencils PAINTING & VINYL In an effort to save time, I skipped primer, and went right to painting…big mistake! These little metal pieces have a thin layer of paper on them (the actual design). I tried removing the paper from one of them, but it wouldn’t come up easily at all and I didn’t have the patience (or time!) to continue to try to remove it.

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I started by painting the background on each of the pieces, and then went to stenciling. Let me first start out by saying that this was my first time stenciling, and I definitely 100% did this wrong. It wasn’t until about halfway through my stenciling that I realized that I should really tape the stencils down.

This resulted in a tiny bit of bleeding, which I had to go in and fix with a tiny brush after the stencils dried. One by one, I stenciled the braided rope, and on the second I stenciled the scalloped pattern on the whole thing. Helpful (obvious?) tip: Wait for your paint to dry completely before continuing the stencil. Again, this should have been obvious to me…and resulted in a little smudging. It wasn’t the end of the world and was pretty easy to fix but who wouldn’t rather get it right on the first try?!

I wanted the words to be really precisely placed, so I lined my cut pieces out the way I wanted, and applied the transfer tape on top of that. I then peeled the backing off of the vinyl, placed the tape and vinyl onto the metal, and rubbed it firmly so the vinyl would adhere correctly. After pulling the transfer tape back, I stood back and admired my new pieces of art! It really is that simple! If you have an idea, it doesn’t matter what type of canvas you begin with, you can always transform trash into treasure using a little bit of creativity (and paint…lots and lots of paint!).

I used foam pouncers to dab paint onto the stencils until I got the coverage I wanted. After my two pieces were stenciled, I applied the vinyl. After cutting out my designs and carefully weeding them, I used transfer tape to apply my vinyl to the painted metal.

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HOME

Our home, our Earth

THE BOULDERS / US We are destroying our home

THE LIGHT Let's learn from our mistakes and save our HOME

By Ashley Branson York U

PIXELATING LANDSCAPE I haven’t travelled much, so when I went to British Columbia this summer, I was in heaven. But while there, I couldn’t help being a bit pessimistic while thinking about the future of such a breath-taking place. Would the trees soon be replaced by buildings, and the mountains covered in garbage? Would the Pacific ocean become Lake Ontario? Would beautiful images have to replace ugly reality?

As I saw the amount of people photographing the landscapes with their cell phones and tablets, I also started to think about the accessibility of photography and how it would affect the future of painting, specifically observational painting. How long would it be before the analogue processes of image making would be undermined by digitally produced images? I created this painting, with a photograph as a reference and photoshop as a sketchbook, to respond to my own troubling thoughts. Although the initial idea was to use fluorescent colours to paint straight edged squares that lay flatly on top of the landscape, I decided against it. GREEN

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POSTMODERN PAINTING. Stella alternately paints in oil and watercolor

By Tasneem Dairywala Artist/ Writer www.tasneemdairywala.com

The pixels are now similar colours to the colours of the landscape, with wobbly edges, bordering on organic, and there’s overlap between them and the landscape.

“I want to believe that there’s an alternative to the bleak scenario”

I changed my mind halfway about how to paint the pixels because I want to believe that there’s an alternative to the bleak scenario described above. There’s always a possibility that our future will have technology that takes us beyond the impossible, bring us larger than life digital and analogue images… as well as technology that will help preserve the natural, wild, free beauty of our planet. I want to think of a future in which the old and the new are in harmony rather than in a struggle to overtake each other. And this painting is a depiction of that hope.

Pumpkin Soup with Red Lentils and Ginger Recipe on p. 12

DIY MENU BOARD By Cassie Jahn DIY Blogger www.diyjahn.com

Photographs by Cassie Jahn

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Last Monday I had an extraordinarily long day. Have you ever had a day like that? Where you spent the entire day out-and-about with nearly no time to sit and rest? It seems as though days like these are becoming more and more common. Whether you are taking classes, working, or both, there is hardly any time to simply be. So, on this extraordinarily long day I began work at 7:30AM and remained out-and-about until around 10:30PM. A little tired would be an understatement. I was not just fatigued; I was absolutely exhausted. I walked into my apartment and sat my keys on the counter, slipped my shoes off, and let my backpack fall to the floor. That’s when I realized something: I was starving. As busy as I had been, I must have forgotten to eat for most of the day. I opened the fridge to see if there was anything I could throw together to eat. I bet you won’t be surprised to hear that there wasn’t. I peered inside: a bowl of crusty noodles from my flat mate, an expired gallon of milk, some cookie dough leftover from the chick flick last night, a drawer filled with veggies far past their prime, and to my disgust, a pan of leftovers covered in thick, fuzzy, green mold. At this point in their decomposition, I could not even tell you what these leftovers once were. YUCK!

I quickly tossed the veggies, the milk, and the noodles in the trash bin. Fun fact: statistics show that about a third of all food is wasted each year – that’s around 1.3 billion tons! How could I help it? Sure, it was horrible for the environment, but I didn’t have time to deal with that. I was starving, remember?

What You Will Need: • Used Canvas or Wood

– Roughly size 11x14

• Empty Macaroni Box (or box of similar size)

– A thick ribbon and a thinner ribbon

• Ribbons

• Index Card Book • Paper & Access to a Printer • A Pen

I opened the freezer and found a stock of meats and veggies, but because I was starving now and these would take time to defrost, I settled on other ventures.

• Many Flat Wooden Sticks or Popsicle Sticks - Approx. 4-5 inches in length • Sharpie • Scotch Tape • One Thumb Tack

What was I going to eat? Well, fast food of course. I slipped my shoes back on, grabbed my keys, and hopped into my car to grab some McDonald’s before they closed for the night. I brought my food home, sat on the couch, and devoured the greasy, salty, lukewarm food that sat before me. I hated days like these.

• Yarn • Stapler • Paint or Markers • 3M Strip • Duct Tape

Step 1: The Board The first step to creating a stylish menu board is painting the back board. Take

The thing with fast food is, it’s never as cheap as they make it seem, it’s never satisfying, and it’s terrible for the environment, but what was I to do? I was tired, hungry, and had no food to eat. That’s when I decided it was time to create a menu board. Not only are stylish menu boards easy to create, but they are budget and environment friendly! Menu boards help you to create a weekly menu so when you get home late after a long, hard day, you always have a plan and ingredients for dinner. Your budget will certainly be happy when you stop splurging on fast food! Not only that, but by utilizing a menu board, you cut your food waste down about 2/3 – and we all know that less food waste means a more environmentally friendly household.

your 11x14 back board (either canvas, wood, cardboard, or another sturdy surface) and paint or color it with markers.

Create a neat pattern or paint it all one color

– whatever is appealing to you!

Step 2: The Box Take your macaroni box and cut off the bottom two inches to create a small, cardboard pocket. Be careful to keep the edges straight so they look nice.

Attach your box to the lower right hand corner of your back board using a 3M strip. Be sure to press it down firmly to ensure it will hold the weight of the meal sticks. This is where you will store your meal sticks when your menu board is complete.

Once your box is cut and attached, you can either paint, color, or cover it in ribbons to decorate it.

Step #3: The Ribbon Cut a strip of thick ribbon to around 17 inches and place it vertically on the left hand side of your back board. Wrap it around to the back and duct tape it tightly.

Place the thinner ribbon over top. Depending on width, you may want 1-2 strands. Cut these to 17 inches as well and attach on the back with duct tape. Remember, this is the piece that will hold your meal sticks in place so be sure that these strands are nice and tight across the front.

On the example shown, we use two strands of thin ribbon to hold our sticks in place. Feel free to get creative and make it your own!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

NOMADIC

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Step 4: The Fonts Now, take some time to go to your computer and find a font that you absolutely love. Type out and print the following words in a size that you determine will look best on your menu board. Use the photos to assist you if you are unsure.

Print and cut out the words. Using scotch tape, attach them to your menu board along the edge of your strips of ribbon leaving space for your meal sticks in between. This will be your guide for each day’s meal.

Step 5: The List When you’re planning your meals, you will certainly want a place for your shopping list. That’s where your index card book comes in handy!

Place your thumb tack near the upper right hand corner and hang your book, using the provided hanger, to the tack.

Sunday

Monday Tuesday WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Friday Saturday

Clip your pen to the spiral binding and you have a great place for a shopping list that you can easily tear off and bring along when you’re headed to the store.

Step 6: The Meals This is the greatest part as you get to continue to work on it for as long as you eat meals (which will hopefully be for a very, very long time)! We used wooden sticks, but you can also use popsicle sticks, straws, or anything else of that length that is easy to write on.

Take your sticks and your sharpie and write your favorite dinner meals on them. For example: Pizza, Lasagna, Grilled Cheese, Tuna Melts, Lentils and Rice, etc. Try to stick to the right side of the stick and leave room for your ribbon to cover the left side. Don’t forget you can write on the front and the back!

Sticks can be stored in the box attached to the menu board when not in use for easy access to plan your menu at the beginning of each week.

Step 7: The Yarn To hang up your menu board, you need to attach the string. Get out your yarn, stapler, and scotch tape. Staple the yarn to the back of the board and add some tape over top for security. Your yarn should make an arch at the top of your board to make it easy to be hung on any nail, 3M hook, or fridge clip!

Utilizing the Completed Product Once you’ve finished these seven steps, you’re done with your menu board! Hooray! It’s time to utilize your board: spend some time thinking about what you want to eat this week. Place your meal sticks into their spots under specific days of the week. Don’t forget to plan what you’ll need for ingredients and write them on your shopping list. By utilizing this stylish menu board, you’ll never be forced to eat fast food again (of course, you can still eat it if you want to). Your menu board can help you create new and exciting meals, save money by not splurging on fast food, and never waste food again!

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–

FOLIAGE

Photograph by Kimmy Juan

Slow cooked Organic Roast Chicken

Bone Broth

FOLLOWED BY A HEARTWARMING

By Kelly Corbishley Food Blogger www.littlehummingbird.edublogs.org Photographs by Kelly Corbishley

Ingredients One whole, certified organic chicken

1 tablespoon of coconut oil or organic butter

Herbs and spices of your choice, I used: 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of

Christmas is approaching and fast, the budget is getting tighter than usual. To spend a lot of money buying food seems so extravagant and such a waste that I find myself searching for recipes to make using nutritious ingredients. The food can be used for more than one meal, is satisfying and versatile, take into consideration the impact on the environment, isn't time consuming to make, match my philosophy around food and don’t break the bank, just to name a few! I couldn’t really look any further than the simple roast chicken and using the left over chicken frame to create a bone broth. Late there is a lot of hype in the health realm around bone broths and how consuming bone broths have gut healing properties. I decided to do some research and read up on this bone broth stuff for myself.

Himalayan salt, 1/2 teaspoon of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary

Optional for the chicken cavity cloves, salt and pepper

– lemon, garlic

Bone broths have been consumed for many years, probably since my great grandmothers time. This would be because of the health properties, how cheap bone broth is to make, the quantity that can be made to feed large families and what can be made with the bone broth. For example, the bone broth liquid can be used to make and enhance meals such as soups, gravies, and stew, poached eggs, for poaching vegetables and poaching meat. Some of the health benefits of consuming bone broth is known to improve digestion and immune health, the bone broth is full of minerals, supports joints and the brain, it also improves hair growth and strength. The best bit about making bone broth is, how easy it is to make. I find the easiest way to cook broths and roast meats is in my slow cooker. Now I don’t have a super expensive or flashy slow cooker. Really it isn’t necessary to spend a lot of money on one, but my basic requirements when purchasing one was to fit a whole, organic chicken and enough water to make bone broths. The slow cooker also has a crockery bowl that is pretty heavy, cleans well with a light scrub after use, holds the heat well to slow cook the food and is economical to run compared to the electric oven. Don’t buy Teflon/non-stick coated cookware to cook food in; the chemicals released during cooking are toxic, therefore bad for the environment. When roast meats are slow cooked instead of oven roasted, all of the juices are contained within the slow cooker and this liquid can be later used in a bone broth or gravy. Now some of you might be saying that you have known about this cooking method for a long time and you cook your meat this way all of the time, but I had never heard about this method until earlier this year and decided I just had to give it a go. The first time I tasted meat cooked in the slow cooker, was when a really good friend of mine cooked the most amazing roast lamb, the meat just fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. There was not a drop of liquid added to the slow cooker to start with either. I always thought I had to have liquid in the slow cooker if you are going to cook in one. I decided I had to try cooking a roast chicken dinner in my slow cooker and I followed a very simple recipe to get me going “How to Slow Cook a Chicken” from The Wellness Mama. She has an amazing website with loads of information too.

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Method Pour or spoon the coconut oil (it depends on the outside temperature as to whether or not the oil has gone hard, that is also how you can tell if you have a good quality coconut oil or not) or add the organic butter instead of the coconut oil to the base of the slow cooker bowl and melt, if it is needed by turning the slow cooker onto the low setting. Rinse the chicken lightly and pat dry with some paper towel. Make sure there are no innards left inside the chicken cavity. Optional â&#x20AC;&#x201C; place a lemon cut in half, some garlic cloves, salt and pepper inside the cavity, if you would like to add more flavor to the chicken. Place the chicken into the slow cooker bowl, placing the chicken breast side down to help the chicken cook faster. Sprinkle the chicken with the herbs and spices of your choice. Put the lid onto the slow cooker and cook the chicken on the low setting until the meat is falling off the bone and cooked through. To check the chicken is cooked, look at inside the thigh area to see if the meat is pink or not and if the liquid coming out of the chicken is clear. I found that my chicken was cooked within roughly 6 hours, but cook for longer or shorter if needed. I was surprised when I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lift my chicken out of the slow cooker. I had to pull the cooked meat off the bone while the chicken was still in the slow cooker, because the chicken had gone so soft and fell apart as soon as I tried to lift it out. The meat was incredibly moist and delicious! I served the roast chicken with roast vegetables for dinner and the left over chicken meat I added to some salads, bone broth soups and as a snack on its own. After I got the carcass out of the slow cooker and was able to remove the rest of the chicken flesh off the bones, I had about an inch of liquid left in the bottom, which I kept in the bowl to use to add more flavor to my bone broth. The liquid could also be used to make gravy. Save the chicken frame for the bone broth. Either freeze the chicken frame in a plastic freezer bag until you are ready to cook a broth or put it straight into the slow cooker. Zero waste in this meal!

Bone Broth

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Ingredients Chicken bones from 1 or 2 whole organic chicken frames, organic chicken drumsticks and/or organic chicken wings (when I eat a meal that has chicken drumsticks or chicken wings, after eating the meat off the bones I keep the chicken bones and bag them up to store in the freezer, ready to use in bone broths)

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (this is essential to draw out the nutrients from the bones into the broth for you to consume) 1 large organic onion roughly chopped (I don’t add the onion, my body doesn’t agree with or like onions very much)

2 organic carrots roughly chopped

3 organic celery stalks roughly chopped

1 organic bulb of garlic cloves cut in half across the cloves

1 tablespoon of lightly crushed black peppercorns

2 handfuls of organic flat leaf parsley stalks (this is optional and to be added during the last 10 minutes of cooking)

4 litres or 1 gallon of cold filtered water or rainwater

Second Step: This chicken Bone Broth using a recipe adapted from Chef Pete Evans here in Australia. He has some beautiful recipes that are so easy and delicious. Place all of the ingredients, except for the parsley stalks, into the slow cooker and leave the slow cooker to stand for 30 minutes in the off position. After 30 minutes, put the slow cooker onto the low setting and leave the chicken bone broth to simmer for 24 hours or so. 10 minutes before switching the slow cooker off, add the parsley stalks. Strain the bones and vegetables off so you are left with just the golden liquid. I use a fine mesh colander and slowly pour the mixture through this into a jug and then pour the strained off liquid into freezable containers to keep for future use. I haven’t been able to successfully make a gelatinous broth yet but there are still many health benefits to the broth. I leave the fat on the top of my broth and don’t skim it off, unless there is an excessive amount and this usually will occur if I use beef bones, but even then I save the fat for cooking. When I reheat my broth, I choose to leave the fat in the meal. I feel much more satisfied, I feel fuller for longer and the fat adds a delicious flavor to the meal, fat is also good for you! I love serving my bone broth with roasted vegetables for dinner or lunch. Poaching a couple of eggs in it for my breakfast or just having it in a mug to sip on a cold winters day. I will also have a cup of broth as soon as I feel a cold coming on. I find nothing works as well for getting over a head cold quickly. So there you have it, probably 4 or 5 meals just from a roast chicken and then a further 4 or 5 meals making a broth from the bones. The only waste is the cooked bones and vegetables and even these could probably be thrown into a compost instead of the garbage.

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Picture :Pixabay

WHAT MATTERS MOST By Sunanna Bhasin Blogger www.createtoenchant.wordpress.com

What matters most isn’t the money you generate, Nor is it the amount by which business appreciates. What matters most isn’t the big Cadillac you possess, Nor is it the extravagant fur coat in which you dress. What matters most is waking up to the sound of the birds, And falling sleep to the rhythm of the crickets. What matters most is feeling snowflakes on your skin, And watching the local farmer’s sheep graze in herds. What would it look like to see trees barren all year? Can you etch the memory of colourful foliage in your mind Or does it escape you as quick as the glaciers melt? And can you tell the seasons, or did they disappear? They say we have no control over natural disasters, That they do whatever it is they must do: That they destroy, displace, and demolish. Well then, are you not yourself one too? They are the ones, who ruin and wreak havoc, We are the ones who don’t. Blame is such a convenient excuse That keeps us from acting and never won’t. So, we must remember what matters most, Such as the life in the greens and blues of the waters. We mustn’t forget to cherish the life around us We mustn’t make such foreseeable errors. Because what matters most is waking up, And falling asleep. What matters most is feeling, And then acting, loving, living. GREEN

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Illustration by Ishita Ahluwalia York U Student / Blogger

REDÂ LENTILS HOT FOOD FAST!

By Liana Vanwynsberghe Food Blogger www.dinnerwasdelish.com Photography by Liana Vanwynsberghe

The end of the term can be crazy with papers and reports due, and exams to study for. Somewhere in there you have to find time to sleep and eat. Lentils, fast, easy and budget friendly make an excellent choice. Lentils are a legume with a mild taste and 16 grams of protein per cooked cup. According to the Environmental Working Group, lentils are the most climate-friendly protein. Lentil's emissions totaling 0.9kg of CO2. This is 7 times less than the carbon foot print of chicken.

The following two recipes call for red lentils, costing about $3.50 for a 2 cup package. After a bit of chopping and cooking these dishes can be frozen in meal-sized containers or zip-lock bags and stored in the fridge or freezer, ready when you want hot food fast. GREEN

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Pumpkin Soup

Red Lentils and Ginger

This soup is almost a whole meal in a bowl. Just add some toast and cheese for an easy lunch or dinner. Ingredients: - 1/4 cup butter - 1 large onion, chopped - 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed - 4 cups carrots, chopped - 3 cups potatoes, cubed - 5 cups raw pumpkin, cubed or 3 cups cooked - 7 cups water - 2 tsp sea salt - 1/4 tsp black pepper - 1 1/2 tsp ginger - 1/2 tsp turmeric - 1/4 cup milk(optional)

In a large pot, melt butter and cook onion over medium heat until soft but not brown. Add lentils, carrot, potato, pumpkin and water. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are

Sweet Red Pepper

and Lentils

This stew made with red lentils and vegetables, is just the thing for a cold winter night.

Served on top of creamy mashed potatoes it

makes a great comfort food.

tender. Add salt, pepper, ginger and turmeric. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in milk and adjust seasonings to taste.

This is quite a thick soup, add a small amount of milk or

water to thin if desired. Option: Winter squash such as butternut, can be substituted for pumpkin.

Ingredients: - 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed - 3 cups tomato juice - 2 cups water - 1 can tomato paste - 1 large onion, chopped - 3 stalks celery, chopped - 3 cups diced carrot - 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped - 1/2 tsp sea salt - 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp. Montreal Steak Spice - 1 tsp potato starch or corn starch mixed with 1 Tbsp. water

Place all ingredients except potato starch and 1 Tbsp. water in a slow cooker, mix well. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Just before serving mix the potato starch and water, add to the lentils and stir till thickened. Serve over Mashed potatoes. For a one dish meal add three potatoes peeled and cubed while cooking. Option: This can also be prepared in a large, heavy pot on the stove top. Simmer over low heat for one hour, until lentils and vegetables are soft. Green paper leaf

6 Parallel

Photographs By Ishita Ahluwalia

Up close beauty Photograph by Warisha Nawaz

OMBRÉ PINECONES By Sarah Burnell DIY Blogger www.flourishandknot.com Photographs by Sarah Burnell

It's always a challenge to inject holiday style into a dorm room or student apartment: funds are low, time is limited, and space is at a premium. I know because it wasn't too long ago that I was a university student myself! My name is Sarah and I blog about make-it-yourself projects at Flourish & Knot. I'm a Montreal-area teacher with a passion for DIY, recipes, home decor, and crafting... all on a budget! Today I'm going to show you one way to add a little extra holiday decor to your desk or table, on a student-friendly budget. Pinecones are everywhere! You can find them on campus, or when you go for a hike or walk. Pick up a few and create a trendy and cheerful holiday centrepiece. What you need: • 7-12 medium or small pinecones • acrylic paint in a variety of colours • small paintbrush • clear glass vase • Optional: satin ribbon • Optional: hot glue • Optional: clear glue or varnish • Optional: fine glitter GREEN PAPER LEAF

Using acrylic paint, easily found in the dollar store,

You don't have to spend much or have access to a

paint the seed scales ("leaves") of your pinecone in

lot of craft supplies in order to add some rustic,

gradient colours, starting from the lightest and

colourful charm to your holiday decor. Crafting

working your way darker. I chose to paint my

is a great way to release mid-exam stress, too!

pinecones in blues because those are my favourite

Pinecone crafts make lovely inexpensive hostess

colours. Holiday decor doesn't have to be red and

gifts or stocking stuffers, and even though you're

green to be lovely! Using less "Christmassy"

a grown-up university student, your mom will

colours adds longevity to your centrepiece. (And of

still love getting a handmade ornament! (True

course, blue and white are the colours of

story).

Hanukah!)

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Colours Photographs by Selena Ramirez

ECO-FRIENDLY SCHOOL AND OFFICE SUPPLIES These products will make it more fun to learn and make you happy to be a part of earth saviours By Masoumeh Shabani York U

Going back to school is already life changing enough. Meeting new teachers, new classmates and even more learning, but what better way to add some colour to brighten up your day than to use products that are good for everyday use and are environmental friendly.

Corn Plastic Solar Power Calculator / $8.20 CAD • These eco-friendly solar powered calculators can act as the saviour when comes to problem solving. • This conveniently lightweight tool is easy to carry and is made up of corn plastic • Corn plastic: plastic created from corn starch instead of the petroleum- based plastic. • It comes in 4 different variety of bright colours • It can also be powered by lamplight. Buy: Amazon.ca Organic cotton based Lunch Bag / $19.50 CAD • These eco-friendly lunch bags are easy to access and contain bpa and lead free lining. • The spacious lunch bags are machine washable and made up of 100% certified organic cotton. • The illustrations that are printed on are created with azo-free dyes and have low-impact Buy: www.fluf.ca

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.Eco friendly Laptop sleeve / $52.24 CAD • The spacious and easy to carry laptop sleeve is eco- friendly 90% biodegradable and natural materials such as Buy: www.buffalonatur.com

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Recycled rubber erasers / $ 5.74 • Eraser made up of recycled rubber Buy: www.buffalonatur.com

Bamboo Ruler / $ 7.00 CAD

• Ruler made up of smooth recycled bamboo Buy: www.buffalonatur.com

Bamboo dry erase board / $ 13.00 CAD • This reusable dry erase board is made up of bamboo • It can also come in stainless and black board type form • Its black board version is created from bamboo with black fabric covering all sides of the board. • Its form includes an easy to remove stand while the stainless dry erase board has in addition letter pocket feature, and foam pad as the base to prevent from making any scratches. Buy: www.threebythree.com

Ecoegg coloring kit™/ $ 9.99 CAD • This eco-friendly colouring kit is safe for kids and made with all natural and organic vegetable & plant extracts with dried vinegar. • Some of its Ingredients are annatto seed, curcumin, purple sweet potato and red cabbage. Buy: www.ecokidsusa.com

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Standing here just listening STANDING HERE JUST LISTENING By Ishita Ahluwalia York U Student/Blogger www.createtoenchant.wordpress.com

Standing here just listening, to the sound of the leaves rustling. A new day has come to dawn, yet a new life on earth seems more like a con. Each day the wind speaks to us, trying to remind us, about the earth and its cause. telling us how we have created some flaws. we we all we

pay no attention, ignore, the wrongs we have done by abusing it more. are partly the reason for this earth being torn.

If we continue we will lose it all, we would not be able to answer this once beautiful earth's call. Of desperation and sadness, trying to reach out for help to get it out and stop all this madness.

Photographs from pixabay.com

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A Hidden Site photoghraph by Kimmy Juan

CORK AND TWIG Reindeer Ornaments By Jacki Cammidge Certified Horticulturist www.bluefoxfarm.com These Christmas ornaments are not only cute as buttons, they're also easy to make with just a few supplies.

SUPPLIES:

The supplies you'll need are wire. I used tire wire which is used for tying rebar together on construction sites, and usually found in hardware stores. No other wire that I've tried has quite the same ability to become rusty, or the flexibility. I used wine corks, and beads which can be found in dollar stores or thrift stores. I found some that are shaped like tiny spools of thread, which work perfectly for the 'heads' of the tiny deer. You will also need twigs, X-Acto knife, and glue. *Optional: Pliers , drill

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the legs out of the wire; two front legs are about two inches to two and a half inches long, leave them straight. The back legs are a bit longer, up to three inches long, which you will pinch in the middle with needle nose pliers, bending them like the hocks of real deer, and then bend one end with your fingers to be curved. green paper leaf l 35

The head and neck is a bit tricky; bend the one end of piece of wire approximately three inches long about one inch from the end. Move the pliers over about one sixteenth of an inch and bend again, so that you have a square U-shape. Then you may have to straighten it out a bit, and thread one end through a round bead for the nose. The two ends, one long and one short, will be pinched together and threaded through a long skinny bead for the face. The piece of wire sticking out the upper end is twisted to pull the wire going through the round bead tight. Then add another long bead for the neck. If all is right, you'll have an 'L' shape, with about 3/4 inch of wire left over. This will be inserted into the cork. With a small drill bit, about the same size as the wire, drill four holes into the bottom of the cork, for the legs. Dip the ends of the wire legs into Mod Podge or another type of white glue, and gently push them into the holes. Turn the body and legs over and make sure it stands up correctly. Trim the wire if necessary, or just bend the back legs to stick out behind it more. In the top front, drill another hole, making sure not to drill too deeply, apply the glue and stick the neck of the deer. To create the antlers, use some tiny twigs to complete the deer. Display in a herd if you can't stop making them, or place them on the Christmas tree.

Polluted Air By Ellie Williams York U

I feel it, I sense it, This is what I see. The earth is losing all its resources. We are the cause of this once beautiful planet’s lack of metamorphosis The people need to come to their senses because this is all real. The changes in the weather, The drastic changes of the wind, As if we are the reason for the changes and creating these sins. The wind it controls, Every motion, every sway, It is as if one minute suddenly the sky doesn’t look okay. The air that we pollute, There is a huge role it plays It affects the weather, The sky, It is partly the reason why somethings no longer exist today. The air, It no longer seems right It is as if the sky is no longer continue its fight Against all the grey polluted air That once used to be pure air, Which would provide oxygen for every species, no matter where.

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What's Different? Illustrations by Suhajini Srikumar

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