CENSOR THIS! VOLUME 7 ISSUE 6 APRIL 16, 2012
OUR GREEN ISSUE
Have you hugged a tree today? WWW.KSS.SD23.BC.CA/?PAGE=CENSOR
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6 Locally Grown 8 Renewable Energy 12 Hippies 2012
Inside This Issue:
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Global Warming The 3 R’s Fuel Cells
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The Pros and Cons of Being Green Interior Health Killing Us Slowly
On the Cover: Pictured on the beach are Brooke Laboucane and Kaylee Payne. Lyndall Huber hugs a tree in honour of Censor This!’s Green Issue. Censor This! would like to encourage everyone to “hug a tree” meaning we encourage you to get outside and appreciate what is around you! Photo credits: Mary Bunka
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Art From KSS Dear Daisy Horoscopes
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19 Horoscopes
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14 Asbestos Editor’s Message... Welcome to the 2012 Green Issue of Censor This! Inside you will find all kinds of articles on going green. These aren’t your usual “use a metal water bottle or else” stories, however. (Well, some of them are.) You’ll also find articles on the pros and cons of going green, Humanitarianism vs. Environmentalism, Tweaking, and more. Horoscopes have also gone green for this April issue: they’re “treescopes,” continuing an ancient Celtic tradition. This is a busy month at KSS. Be sure to check out our theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also, don’t forget that the grads are presenting their MAPs on Wednesday the 18th, which means an early dismissal for everyone else! Now, on to the fun part. Because this is the Green Issue of Censor This! we thought of some things you could do with your paper once you finish reading it.
Use it to make gift bags. Steps can be found online, and they are great for any writer or Censor This! fanatic in your life. If you soak your (painted) fingernails in rubbing alcohol, then press your favorite story on to your nails, you’ll have newsprint fingernails, which look cooler (and costs less) than getting a manicure. And finally, make a kite out of it. On not-so-windy days, fans can be found in any of the science rooms (ask first) to help you fly it. Enjoy your issue of Censor This! And keep an eye out for our next issue on May 14! *Editor’s note: Daisy, author of Dear Daisy, is on a short break. For this month, we have replaced her with a sarcastic, bitter, English person. Enjoy.
Who is Censor This?
Mary gium. turned thanks
Bunka at the Leopold Canal in BelThe KSS Battlefields Tour just refrom their trip to Europe. Many to all the teachers who came along!
General Editor: Mary Bunka Journalism Crew: Marantha James, Lauren Boyd, Jennifer Kudelka, Kolby Zinger-Harris Caleigh Davis, Renee Berger, Carleigh Gunning, Kaite Hollingsworth, Janele Lajoie, Lex Hill, Amina Egeh, Kailee MacISAAC, Michael Roberts, Emilie Berthiaume, Mr. Manderioli CENSOR THIS
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Environmental Fever Is it too Late to Stop Global Warming? by Renee Berger
Global warming, we’ve all heard the term sometime in our life and we all know what it is. Although we are all familiar with global warming, do we really know the effects of it? Big changes are coming to our planet; maybe it’s time that we put a halt to our destructive ways and focus more on the future. It is too late to stop some of the effects but with a few changes we can still save our planet. There are many changes that have already started occurring and will continue until we change our ways and become ‘greener.’ The first effect is increased average temperatures since 1880 by 0.8 degrees Celsius. As well as that, the rate of global warming is also increasing. News.nationlgeographic.com says that the last two decades were in the hottest in 400 years and possible the warmest in the past millennia. Due to the dramatic increase in temperatures the arctic is rapidly decreasing. Scientists predict that it will have its first ice free summer by 2040. As well glaciers and mountain snows are melting and coral reefs are dying off. There has also been an increase in wildfires, heat waves and strong tropical storms. These effects are pretty harsh and if we don’t change our behavior there could be worse events in store for us. Global warming is undoubtedly caused by our behavior, and if we don’t change soon then big changes are going to be facing our planet. First, the sea level could rise between 7 and 23 inches which means parts of Southeast Asia would be flooded. Also, many of the world’s people are located in coastal cities which would affect them greatly. Also, glaciers around the world could melt which would also make the sea level rise; this just creates an even bigger issue. Another issue is that many natural disasters are occurring more commonly around the world and from this we may see the growth of deserts, which leads to food shortages. The last problem is that millions of species are facAbove; earth depicted as a melting icecream cone ing extinction because of the changing environment. What makes us think that we’re not among these species? Changing our ways now won’t have any immediate effects because many of the dangers have already begun to take effect. Although becoming environmentally friendly seems pointless, it will help in the long run. As individuals though, we can’t make drastic changes to our planet on our own, but we can still do things to help. Try doing little things like carpooling or walking to work, recycling and composting. Every small thing counts; we might still have a chance to save our planet!
“Increasingly, the world around us looks as if we hated it.” -Alan Watts
above; a sign on a KSS garbage can
above; a triptic deviant art
“They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers.”-James G. Watt
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” John Muir
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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”Gandhi
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Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain, For strip-mined mountain’s majesty above the asphalt plain. America, America, man sheds his waste on thee, And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea. ~George Carlin
“The Earth has a skin and that skin has diseases, one of its diseases is called man.”- Friedrich Nietzsche
Don’t blow it — good planets are hard to find.”Anonymous
Environmental Fever
Earth Hour by Michael Roberts
Earth Hour is an event sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature that was started in 2007. At that time, it was an event exclusively in Sydney, Australia. This event was observed by 2.2 million people, and it is estimated that the electricity saved was 10.2 percent lower during the hour than it would have normally been. The following year saw the event’s spread worldwide, with 35 countries around the world, and 400 supporting cities. According to an online survey, 36 million people participated in the 2008 event. The event has only grown since, with 90 million Americans participating in 2010, and millions more besides. This year’s Earth Hour has the aim of going beyond, with the launch if the “I Will If You Will” campaign,which invites people from around the world to challenge others to do something environmentally friendly, with them complet-
“Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone They paved paradise and put up a parking lot” - Joni Mitchell
ing an objective if their challenge is met. This year’s Earth Hour took place at 8:30 pm on March 31st, 2012. Around KSS, it was a mixed result, with just as many observing the event as people who completely forgot. Some even observed the event to a degree. “I watched the Canucks beat the Flames in pitch darkness, but I did not have the heart to turn off the TV as well...” admits Marzio Manderioli, our Journalism teacher. Around the world, however, was a different story entirely. This year, social media played a huge part in uniting cities around the world, with an estimated 15 million people participating. With such a positive trend, it’s clear to see that Earth Hour is, and will continue to be a positive force to save the environment. Above: an advertisment for earth hour
”When a man throws an empty cigarette package from an automobile, he is liable to a fine of $50. When a man throws a billboard across a view, he is richly rewarded.”-Pat Brown
“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.”-Henry David Thoreau
“The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.”–Ayn Rand
“Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left.”-Aldo Leopold
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” -The Lorax, by Dr. Suess
“On spaceship earth there are no passengers; everybody is a member of the crew. We have moved into an age in which everybody’s activities affect everybody else.”-Marshall McLuhan
“You know what happens when windmills collapse into the sea? A splash.”- Bill Maher
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“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” -John Muir
“Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us.”-Henrik Tikkanen
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5 of Change The Three R’s
by Mara James
Recycling could almost be considered an obsession of our generation. Almost 85% of Canadians recycle and I’m not saying this is a bad thing. Commercials are aired about the importance of returning bottles and throwing cardboard and paper in the recycling instead of in the garbage. New garbage, recycling and yard waste bins were distributed across Canada in late march of 2009. The problem is that’s all we do. We’re so focused on recycling we tend to miss more beneficial (and sometimes easier) methods of helping the environment. The three “R”s are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, in that order. For example, if you’re thirsty, the best thing to do is reduce waste and drink from a fountain or a glass. If that’s not available the next best thing is to buy a bottle that you can reuse, not a plastic cup. If you don’t want to carry the bottle around, or you opted for the plastic cup, the last option is to recycle it if possible. Recycling-guide.org.uk agrees with me, they say “Reusing is easy, plastic bags can be reused in the shops or as garbage bags around the house. Paper bags make useful wrapping paper and twist ties can be used to secure loose items together, such as computer wires.” The website goes on to list about ten more everyday items that are easier to reuse than to recycle. It feels to me as though the government is putting too much energy into supporting recycling and not enough into spreading information on better ways. For example, composting (only about 27% of Canadians compost.) Few people realize that when you throw biodegradable materials in the trash, sitting on top of that mass of garbage slows their biodegrading process by years. The government needs to get the point across that there's more we can do to help. Factories should be required to reduce their packaging as much as possible and make it reusable when they can, not just make the large amount of packaging that they are using recyclable. If just 25% of U.S. families reduced their use of plastic bags by ten per month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year! And you don't have to just save the environment; you can save money too by doing simple things such as insulating your attic. (This reduces the amount of energy loss in most houses by up to 20 %.) We can make a difference and we can do it in more ways than just recycling. This earth is our home and it's about time we treated it as such. (These stats are based in Canada –with one marked exception- and are not specific to B.C. or any one province.)
Buying Local
by Renee Berger
We all do it, buy something and not give a single thought to where it came from. Do you ever stop to think that buying certain products could be harming the environment? Do you even know where your food comes from? My guess is that it comes from across the country, maybe even another country! Buying internationally doesn't have to be a bad thing though. Some things just can't be grown locally and you get more variety when choosing to buy non local food. In the long run though, buying locally is better for the environment. Local means something different to every person. For some local food is the food they grow in their own backyard. For others it's food grown in their community or in their region. Some people would go as far as to say that food is local as long as it's grown in the country you live in. That could be true if you lived in a small country, but for Canada that is not the case. Personally, I believe that the definition of local is a small region that contains a few cities and towns. Buying local supports your local environment by enriching the soil, protecting the air and water quality and minimizing energy consumption. Believe it or not, as much as 40% of the energy used in the food system is used for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. When dealing with the local food business, it’s easy to check and see if the food has been grown naturally and safely or if the animals were treated cruelly or not. As well, the fossil fuel and energy use for transporting and packaging global foods puts tremendous stress on our environment. Food processors use large amounts of paper and plastic to preserve foods while it travels great distances, and most of the time this material is non-recyclable. Most of the factors dealing with global food are not environmentally friendly; have you ever considered that? Local food is both rewarding and delicious. You get fresh food and the knowledge of knowing where it came from, and how it was produced. Along with these benefits to you, local food also helps the environment. It reduces the amount of fossil fuels, non-recyclable products and the amount of pollution sent into our atmosphere. It is a great advantage for everyone. You really can’t go wrong with buying local. I suggest you make the switch today!
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Style... Tweaking an Outfit... would you do it? by Lauren Boyd What happens to all the clothes we toss out? The outfits we don’t give to thrift stores or charities usually go in the trash, but some people are making a stand about that waste with something commonly referred to as “Tweaking.” Tweaking is when you re-use old apparel and turn it into something new and spunky. It is becoming all the rage to revamp your old clothes and, if done properly, it looks good too. One popular idea for tweaking Clothes is making a summer dress out of old buttoned-up men’s shirts. This dress will turn out beautiful and takes practically five minutes to complete. All you have to do is button the shirts together, tuck in the sleeves and voila you have a stylish summer dress. You can add “ribs” to the back or an old shirt by simply working some magic with scissors; add patterns or frills and whatever else you can think of. Not only can you re-use old shirts and pants, you can re-use shoes as well. Just think of all those old trashed shoes that are sitting on the shelf in the thrift store or closet. You could breathe new life into them by simply throwing them in the wash and slapping on some acrylic paint. If the shoes were too small in the toe area you could make a cut, add some slack then tie them up with a fancy ribbon or other material. Not only do you have a nice pair of hand-crafted shoes made to your liking, you can be proud of them, too.
Top: An easy “rib caged” look done with scissors and braiding.
Left: Mistaya Arthur, a grade ten student, wears a tweaked David Bowie shirt.
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Recycling Watch What You’re Drinking! by Mary Bunka Suppose someone sat you down at a table and told you that you were going to play a game. Suppose they handed you three cookies and told you to place them under a table cloth. Now they tell you that once you lift that cloth, there will be one new cookie underneath the table cloth, and you can eat that one instead of the three. Now, even a preschooler would know that that was a crappy deal. So why don’t North Americans? Alright, so it isn’t actually cookies. It’s water. And it takes three times as much water to produce one water bottle as it does to fill it. Yet bottled water is the 2nd most popular drink in North America after carbonated soft drinks. It takes 17 million barrels of oil to produce water bottles yearly... enough to fuel one million cars for a year. No wonder there’s an energy crisis. The truth is there is almost nothing redeeming about drinking out of plastic water bottles. Many people assume that plastic water bottles are more convenient. They can keep one in the car, bring one to class, and buy another if they need to. But this supposed “convenience” is incredibly expensive- up to 10,000 times as
expensive as using a metal water bottle. It means that you will actually save money by purchasing multiple metal bottles, one for the car, one for school etc. Many people also do not factor in that plastic bottles are designed to be used once. After one use, studies show that they begin to leach harmful chemicals into the water- and sometimes they start leaching during the first use! I suggest investing in a Watergeeks™ Filtered bottle because they are environmentally friendly, made with non-leaching stainless steel #201 (so you can avoid potentially harmful nickel) and are BPA, PVC and Phthalate free, they have a sleek design in many colours, and they filter your water while you drink. They are available with or without the filter and cost $16.99 and $11.99 respectively. The bottle pictured includes the filter. Why would anyone choose to drink out of a plastic water bottle when they are economically, and environmentally unfriendly and potentially hazardous to your health? When so many other choices are available, it’s really beyond me.
Fuel Cells in our Future? by Kailee MacISAAC Everyone has heard of solar power and hydroelectricity but the new thing that could be the face of the future is using fuel cells. In case you don’t know, fuel cell is just a fancy term for a special type of battery. How a fuel cell works is that fuel is fed into the battery and then it creates electricity that can run continually as long as more fuel is being supplied. Unlike many other forms of power supply, using fuel cells is virtually pollution free and is very efficient with up to 80% of the fuel being converted to energy. In other words, there is little to no waste created. A common source of power for a fuel cell is hydrogen and oxygen and the only by product is water. The cell converts the energy that is created from the chemical reaction into electrical energy. As long as these two reactants are being supplied, power will continually be created. Some problems arise with this however because hydrogen does not naturally exist on Earth and must be produced from hydrogen compounds and can be very expensive. Work is being done to incorporate these types of cells into vehicles, emergency power systems and even smartphones and laptops. Its use in vehicles is becoming more common with special hydrogen fueling stations being built throughout the world with 85 in the United States. Apple is also beginning plans to build a power plant that generates all its energy from hydrogen. Fuel cells may not be the best alternative to the power sources we use now but they are a great advancement and are a gateway to the future. Above Right: A basic fuel cell. Below Right: How a fuel cell works in a standard vehicle.
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Doing it Right Are Environmentalism and Humanitarianism Similar “isms?” Are we environmentally friendly- or just selfish?
by Kolby Zinger-Harris When it comes to environmentalism, many tend to turn their backs on what they think is an unimportant movement. People often suggest that global climate change does not and will not affect their lives and that helping the environment won’t improve day-to-day life for humans. This is not the case, however. Perhaps people who doubt the significance of environmentalism need to think of it as humanitarianism instead. Any environmentalist would agree that his or her goal is to save humanity from global climate change. While helping the environment is often inconvenient, it is imperative to ensuring the survival of humans on Earth for years to come. This is difficult to grasp, as many people see these inconveniences as proof that environmentalism is unnecessary and in fact makes life more difficult for humans. In other cases, people are aware that we are abusing the planet, but do not believe the consequences have a direct impact on human life. This is not true, however, and many signs are already presenting themselves. Residents of the Okanagan are already experiencing a variety of consequences of climate change. For example, the pine beetle, which is able to survive so easily now because of changes in the climate, is killing many natural forests which store oxygen and sustain animal life. Furthermore, odd weather patterns can be noticed. This winter was surely a bizarre one, having received downfalls of snow in November and virtually no snow in December and January. Yet now that is springtime, the Okanagan is getting random bouts of snow and rain. In addition, skiers will have also noticed that Big White hasn’t been getting the best snow for the past few years. These are not coincidences; Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have exceeded the safe amount for sustaining human life. There has never been this many humans on the Earth at one given moment in history and we are facing environmental phenomena that can only be cause by human activity. Ultimately, it must be understood that everything is connected to the environment. In the end, we cannot cure any of the problems humanity faces until we address climate change. The time for making excuses is now over. It’s time for people to realize that helping the environment means helping themselves.
Going green? More like going broke! by Lex Hill I must disagree with my exceedingly clever title, it may cost many dubloons to install a kickin’ rad solar panel system, but they will pay for themselves almost immediately. The initial installation price of a system is about 40,000 dollars, which is bloody expensive. The average cost of electricity each month is about 200 dollars, and
if a solar panel system is added the resident can save about 80 dollars and up,
making the final monthly cost 120 dollars on average. These figures change frequently but the baseline is that if you do install a solar panel system it will put a painful dent in your wallet, but the long run it will pay for itself.
Solar panels are not only environmentally friendly, but they also reduce monthly bills. Photo from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Solar Statistics - It would take only around 0.3 per cent of the world's land area to supply all of our electricity needs via solar power. - Solar and wind power systems have 100 times better lifetime energy yield than either nuclear or fossil energy system per ton of mined materials. - The area of roof space available in Australia is enough to provide all of the nation's electricity, using solar panels. - The Earth receives more energy from the sun in an hour than is used in the entire world in one year. - Wind is a form of solar power, created by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface. - In 2008, Europe leads the world in development of offshore wind power. Information from energymatters.com
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Doing it Right Environmental Direction by Kolby Zinger-Harris
It has been several years since environmental activism became a global movement. Movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” that came out in 2006 gave the world a major wakeup call. Global Warming is a very real and terrifying truth we have been faced with. The question is, have we risen to the challenge of saving our planet? The answer could be argued either way. According to bikeroute.com, we have not been good to our planet. An estimated 2000 trees are cut down every minute in the Amazon alone, (7 football fields a minute) resulting in 80% of the world’s forests disappearing. The US has less than 4% of its forests left, and 40% of American waterways are undrinkable. Around 75% of global fisheries have been fished beyond capacity, 100,000 synthetic chemicals are used every in global production, 200,000 people a day are moving from cities that environments can no longer support them and food with the highest contaminants is mother’s milk. US industry produces 5 billion pounds of toxic pollution every year, and the average American creates 4.5 lbs. of garbage per day. The US has 5% of the world’s population and 30% of the waste. Despite all these horrid statistics, we have however been improving our lifestyles to help stop global warming as well. Yahoo.com says that many people are now becoming vegetarian due to the abundance of rain forests being destroyed from raising cattle, also due to the animal’s inhumane treatments. Several companies are also turning away from hard copies (i.e. paper) in order to conserve trees. Environmental protection laws are day becoming more common and more stringent (no littering, toxic runoffs). Recycling the use of post-consumer goods in products has become very common (e.g., fleece is often recycled plastics). Many towns and cities are shutting down major centers to traffic to decrease air pollution. Soil and environmental testing are now often mandatory in many areas when new developments are proposed in order to keep certain ecosystems safer from eradication or harm. Wind power has also become a popular alternative energy source. There might be hope for the end of global warming, if citizens become more conscious and make simple, yet effective life style changes that are environmentally friendly. It has been a long road, but we have definitely made some improvements. We can only hope to continue from here.
It is estimated by 2050, 70% of polar bears will have disappeared due to the shrinking of Arctic ice caused by global warming. Photo from futuretimeline.net
Common pollution in urban areas. Photo from dailygalaxy.com
Harper Appears Anti-Green by Kolby Zinger-Harris
While some governments across the globe are choosing to take more environmental action within their countries, it would seem Stephen Harper's Conservative Majority Government has little to boast for when it comes to green efforts. Considering Harper is a strong supporter of the Keystone XL and Enbridge pipeline, is reportedly reducing habitat protection from the Fisheries Act and is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from Environment Canada spending, it's clear that Canada doesn't have the greenest Federal Government. As the Conservative Party sits on the right side of the political spectrum, it's no surprise that environmental action isn't at the top of the party's priorities. However, when inspecting the Conservative 2011 platform, it's easy to miss the small section designated to environmental protection. The "Here for Canada" plan focuses on five key priorities, none of which involves stopping climate change. In fact, of Stephen Harper's 65 page long platform, only two pages cover the preservation of Canadian habitat. For anyone who is environmentally friendly, it is very frightening to have such a government in control of the country. If any real progression in green activism is to take place, responsible leadership must be present first. So, what can be done? It's important that voters become aware that all national issues, including economy, are ultimately related to environment. Political parties need to start promoting ways of improving both the environment and the economy simultaneously. That is perhaps the most important thing which needs to happen in order to help protect the environment. Instead of seeing economy, healthcare, and environment as completely separated, governments should focus on improving these issues at one time.
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Opinionated Interior Health needs Medical Intervention by Kaite Hollingsworth
Deviant art by Macabre & Horror
I’d like to say we have a good health system. I would be lying. In my recent experience with the health system, I can say without a modicum of doubt that Interior Health needs to change its overall attitude and treatment of patients. At the end of February I was scheduled for surgery on my nose and throat. I was nervous for this, but I kept my calm and went into the hands of the Summerland Health Center to have my operation. When I awoke from the procedure, I was burning from the inside out, and began coughing on what seemed to be my own tongue. In my gasps of air, I told the nurses that I could not breathe. Instead of aiding in my pain, the nurses talked about their lunch special that day, and it wasn’t until I said it for the umpteenth time that the nurse asked me if I would like some water. No, she didn’t bring me water, or something to soothe my pain, she asked me and waited for my response. After this, I was wheeled into the recovery room. The time was about 12:30pm. In the recovery room, I was supposed to have an hour of aftercare with the nurses. However, this did not happen. The nurse in that department kept talking about lunch, and wondering ‘where the heck’ the doctor was to give me an examination. Once the doctor came to examine my throat, she immediately asked me to get changed. This was incredibly inappropriate as I was having a reaction to the codeine in my medicine, and could not even stand up straight, or keep my head erect. Nevertheless, the hungry nurse wheeled me into my vehicle and sent me on my way by 12:45. My estimated 2.5 hour surgery plus recovery time was shortened to about 55 minutes. Clearly, I was not impressed with Interior Health. To further my awful experience, that night I was having abnormal reactions to the medication, and began vomiting up buckets of blood, as this was not normal, it was not a huge issue as the blood from my throat drained into my stomach. However, the acid from my stomach on the wounds in my throat caused my cauterization to break open and bleed. This was serious, and we were told that in this event, we go directly to the emergency room. So, as directed, my mother and I headed to the Kelowna General Hospital. At the KGH, we were immediately called up to have our issue written down. Yet, we waited in the emergency room for 4.5 hours. Let me explain why 4.5 hours was specifically significant in my situation. I was post operation, which meant my immune system was weakened. This did not seem to cross the minds of the doctors, as I was sitting in an emergency room with people coughing, puking, and sneezing. It wasn’t until my mother explained to the volunteer Tiffany, that we had been waiting for 4.5 hours and I had just had surgery that afternoon. After talking to the doctor they cleaned the only room they had for nose, ear, and throat problems and wheeled me in. When the doctor saw us, we were told that because I was a post-op patient, I would have been put on priority to see the doctor. This was not only a lie, but it was almost as if the doctor was trying to cover up the fact that there was a post-op patient in the waiting room for 4.5 hours. He proceeded to tell us that if the issue was significant I would have been brought in earlier. With this in mind, we were told that the bleeding of a surgery wound was serious, and should not be taken lightly. Obviously, I did not have the optimal experience with Interior Health, and I strongly advocate for those who have shared a similar experience.
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Above:deviant art by NormalBoy
left:Operating Room Photography by ShutterSprire
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Right:Deviantart by SAlvation Series
13 Opinionated Has Recycling Gone Too Far?
Hippies of 2012 by Marantha James
by Micheal Roberts
I’ve believed for a while now that the process of recycling products has been too forced, and I’m not alone in this sentiment. While I agree that our landfills are becoming crowded, finding new ways to make recyclable products expends a large amount resources and energy, which has a greater impact on our environment than just throwing them in the garbage. According to an article from an independent journalist, the energy used and pollution generated from recycling plants is double what comes from factories, trucks, byproducts etc. Also, the process of recycling products can be very costly. The average cost of a recycling plant is in the range of 115 million dollars, with cost overruns being paid off by the taxpayers. Other associated maintenance for those plants can cost even more to us. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest statistics, residents of the US throw away 4.5 pounds of trash daily, compared to 2.7 in 1960. They have also stated that of the 250 million pounds of trash generated yearly, only approximately 33.2 percent is actually recycled. So all I’m saying is I know it’s important to recycle, and to buy recycled items. But maybe instead of relying on recycling exclusively, we need to rethink our strategies. Reducing the amount of waste we produce is difficult, but it can be done. Reusing products, such as bottles, containers and jars is another step we can take to ease the burden on our landfills, and our budgets.
Above: A Banksy artwork
Do you remember the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s? Long hair, big pants, wild ideas, living in times that were a changing-the hippy years shaped our culture dramatically. Apart from the fight against war and the introduction and overall take-over of woman’s rights, the ideals and morals introduced by the disco chic were some of the first steered in the direction of the environment. These people had strong faith in their beliefs and they weren’t the type to be silenced. When large companies were tearing down forests with little to no regard for the consequences if and when they inevitably went too far, some hippies--individual and group--tied themselves to the trees and warranted themselves the nickname of tree huggers. They forced the populace to see the errors of their ways; they spread the word of Mother Nature and of a more pure way of living. “It was an April day and I went out into the garden and it had been raining during the night. I had the feeling that I saw the earth and the beauty of nature as it had been when it was created, at the first day of creation. It was a beautiful experience! I was reborn, seeing nature in quite a new light.”- Albert Hofmann, creator of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Now, the bellbottoms and LSD may be gone but the morals and strength of character are there. Many important figures of our time are still headed in the direction of change. Obama for one based his entire election campaign on change and moving towards a better future. David Suzuki is another man focusing our world in a greener, cleaner, happier direction. Some shows too, such as Daily Planet, are helping to educate children and the everyday man about the beauty and importance of the wondrous world around us. And it’s not just the big shots aiming for a better earth, there are those people wandering our halls, holding strong to what they believe is right and doing what they can to keep our world green. Look around, this world is bound to fade if we don’t hold tight to it, like a dream we can let it slip away. What we have on this earth is not a privilege and it shouldn’t be treated as such. “Only after the last tree has been cut down…the last river has been poisoned…the last fish caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”- Cree Indian Prophesy One person, one step at a time we can build this world up to something it should be. Hippies of 2012 unite! Come together and give yourself a voice! Our time has not passed, the world still needs us. Every one of us has the ability to help, every little thing we do helps to put things right and to keep our world a place we can all happily and safely live.
avove:an evironmental t-shirt design
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APRIL 16, 2012 13
World at Issue Industry Dies a Slow and Painful Death by Amina Egeh
A few years ago, construction workers were quietly stripping schools in SD23 of a hazardous material while teachers we re still in the building. It turns out that asbestos, a fibrous mineral that was once used widely in construction projects, but is now banned for use in many developed nations, was still in use in schools like KLO. The strange mineral was once considered a miracle product because it is resistant to fire as well as rust and rot. Today, however, people around the world pay thousands of dollars to have the risky material removed from their homes and workplaces. The problem with asbestos is that when the fibers get loose and become airborne, they are easily inhaled. At a certain point of exposure to asbestos inhalation, a person becomes at high risk for scarring of the lungs, lung cancer and even mesothelioma, which is a rare and deadly form of cancer that affects the chest cavity. Thankfully, it seems that the industry that mines asbestos may finally be grinding to a halt in Canada. Late last year, the only two asbestos mines still operating in Quebec stopped production. Until a few years ago, Canada was the world’s second largest-exporter of asbestos after Russia. Of course, we didn’t sell the stuff to Canadians for the most part. As more and more people have started ripping the material from their homes, the asbestos industry started shipping the mineral to developing nations. In nations with exploding populations, like India, companies still eagerly purchase the product and utilize it without any consideration to the long term effects on construction workers. Despite the market in places like India, however, Canada’s
asbestos mines have struggled financially and some say they have only managed to survive the recession thanks to government intervention. Public Works Canada has spent a fair bit of money over the last few years clearing out asbestos from both Parliament Hill and the Prime Minister’s residence. And while Canadians hold their noses at the thought of using loose asbestos in construction today, our government still actively defends the industry. The same government funding those removals on Parliament Hill has been adamantly against the United Nations Rotterdam Convention, which would declare asbestos a hazardous substance and require exporters to label the product accordingly. It’s a classic case of not-in-my-backyard syndrome. It really makes me wonder if most Canadians are even aware of what our national position on asbestos is. In early March, the community of Gillam, Manitoba started receiving attention from the media when residents became upset because they found out that their town dump was an asbestos disposal site. The residents said that their town council had a duty to inform them when asbestos was brought into their dump. Town Council responded with the fact that their website did have a notice on it. The notice read, “The Town of Gillam council made an informed decision to accept non-hazardous waste into the Gillam waste disposal ground.” Canadians have to realize that we can’t have it both ways. If we want our government to label asbestos as hazardous so we can protect ourselves from it at home, our government has to be willing to do that on the world stage as well.
Killing Us Slowly?
Prime Minister Harper and Industry Minister Christian Paradis stand by the claim that asbestos can be used safely.
Many Canadians that have lost family members to mesothelioma actively protest Canada’s export of the product.
A lung afflicted with mesothelioma.
by Lauren Boyd The world is here for us to use. We can eat all the fish in the oceans and rivers, cut down all the forests to build things and farm, fill the Earth with plastics and trash and nothing will happen to humans. This is how most human beings think things happen, what goes around doesn't come back around, and that is that. It's the same as hitting someone and not expecting them to retaliate. Humans are part of the environment and what we're doing to it will affect us too. This isn't a new idea, but have we really started to think about this? Peter H. Gleick, an environmental scientist, said "By the year 2025, as many as one-third of the world's projected 8.3 billion people will suffer from water shortages." What will happen then? The countries with more water will have to share. The problem with that is some greedy people will think of it as a business opportunity. Is it ethical to sell water though? It isn't fair to have to pay in excess for a necessity. Then the people with water would have to think about running out of water then too. Oil won't last forever either in fact, "the books suggest somewhere between 2020 and 2050." Oil is a big industry giving work and profit to many people all over the world; these people are going to have to start thinking about finding a new source of income soon. "The lack of respect for the environment, in which we live, may result in our demise. We may be killing ourselves as well as other species." according to nacwcp.org. This is a staggering statement. Scientists gloat that our medical system is improving every day yet cancer cases and serious illness stats keep getting higher. Cancer is now affecting, on average, one in three people in Canada. Cancer was extremely rare before the Industrial Revolution and scientists only discovered two cases of the disease in all the mummies of the ancient world. Professor Rosalie David at Manchester University says "There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. It has to be man-made…" This is our time to get moving on helping the environment; we aren't just helping the world, we're helping everything on it including ourselves. There are now thousands of endangered and extinct animals from all over the world and this number is growing constantly. River Monsters host Jeremy Wade recently stated that “the day the last monster dies is the day the river dies too. And when that happens, we’re not far behind.”
14 APRIL 16 2012
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World at Issue
What Does 4:20 Tanning Is In? Really Mean?
by David Orriss 4:20, 4/20 and Four-Twenty all are in cahoots to a date, which is of course, the 4th month and the 20th day, April 20th or more conveniently any day at either 4:20 am or pm. Where does this all come from? What does it all mean? Well the tales about the history of 4:20 and 4/20 are countless but some ideas are generally more accepted than others. Educated scholars and high level thinkers believe this time celebration traces back to a group of high school skids called ‘the Waldos’. Back in 1971 they would congregate at 4:20 pm after school to burn one at their school’s Louis Pasteur statue. This is confirmed with dated police records of these. This spread from high school to high school and then more high schools continued the legacy. With the Grateful Dead culture passing this phenomenon through more skids or “Deadheads,” the craze of 4:20 madness encapsulated the whole continent. However that just covers the yarn of the time 4:20 but the history of the celebration of the date 4/20 is more current. April 20th was showcased as a day of celebration starting in the mid 90’s. Before that April 20th was mainly remembered as Hitler’s birthday, but realistically I don’t think he was very 4/20 friendly. In 1995 under the guidance of the great ganja god Marc Emery like-minded folk met at a park beside his Hemp BC office to celebrate some toke time all through the day with music. Although this decadent event was a revolutionary concept, it planted the seed for change and on April 20th, 1995 with some 200 people and live music where everyone had a lovely time, the first celebration of this day occurred. The hype built and now there are hundreds of special 4/20 celebrations worldwide. The most spectacular event still happens in Vancouver with a huge festival hosting roughly 10,000 people in a much larger area outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery. This mammoth festival of love comes with food vendors, live entertainment and booths where you can get your favorite British Colombian goodies. Why is this so popular? Well an estimated 250,000,000 are a part of the cannabis community across the world, in every community. It is one day a year where people let loose and accept themselves for what they love. But come to school that day and do your homework.
Vancouverites celebrate 4/20 in their own way
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by David Orriss As usual for this time of year, everyone is getting ready for the summer. Whether that means eradicating the barbeque cover or trading your snowboard in for your bike, either way you want to look good and feel even better. In Kelowna we are so heavily influenced by the beach culture that surrounds us. It’s hard not to feel pressure to be attractive and tanned. Unfortunately, the warm days of the beach aren’t quite here yet. However, there is an answer that even Sarah Palin chose to use in her Governor’s mansion. Yes, indoor tanning is that answer. Contrary to what has said recently, tanning indoors has many benefits that some might say, outweigh the negatives towards this friendly service. For starters, tanning indoors combats stress with an impressive 96% of people feeling better after entering a tanning bed. Fact! Indoor tanning is a source of Vitamin D. Fact! It is a convenient way to have the luxury of indoor tanning with Kelowna being infamous for cloud cover. Let me level with you, I’ve been tanning personally on and off since the age of fourteen and I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s always nice to get a little sun on a miserably cloudy day. Surprisingly most of the clients I witness are middle aged, working class men who are wearing steel toed boots, who just want to get a little glow. What is wrong with that? Now I know what you are thinking and it is all going to go back to the C-word. Is that even a valid argument because what doesn’t give you cancer these days? Poor diet and lack of exercise, family history, tobacco, real sunlight and ionizing radiation are just a few of the common causes of cancer as well as alcohol. Interestingly enough, alcohol has been linked to breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, larynx, liver, mouth and pharynx cancer. Does that mean we are going to start a pledge for an alcohol free graduation too? Good luck! Why can we have one but not the other? Why does society stigmatize one thing that leads to cancer but accepts an alternative? It’s all about what makes you feel good inside and if being tanned makes you feel beautiful then who cares? Make your own mind about tanning and don’t let me or anyone else tell you what to do. It’s your body; it’s your choice. Grad 2012.
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Beauty in A selection of art from
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our halls 13
Mr.Greedy’s gr.10-12 classes
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APRIL 16, 2012 17
Editor’s Note: Daisy is away this month, so to cover for her we have brought in a highly qualified sarcastic, bitter, English person. Daisy will be back soon!
Dear Daisy
Dear Daisy, I am dating this boy but our relationship has been rocky from the start, we fight about the smallest things and everyone in my group of friends hates my boyfriend. I really want to be with my boyfriend but my friends are putting a lot of stress on me. I tried talking to them about it but they refuse to be civil to him! I feel like I’m trying to please everyone! Dear I’m-trying-to-please-everyone, From my years of relationship experience and watching a lot of Dr. Phil, some relationships can be more stressful then they are worth. Sometimes when somebody is in love or thinks they are in love they tend to overlook problems or make them seem non-important, whereas a friend or someone on the outside may see any issue as clear as day. My advice would be to talk to each of your friends and try and find out what they have against your boyfriend, then you must think with an open mind and decide what is best for your future. Dear Daisy, I am conflicted! I am in a relationship right now, but I have developed feelings for another guy! My current boyfriend is such a sweet guy and I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t help how I feel!!! What do I do? -Both Ways Both Ways: Stop messing around with your boyfriend and decide: him or this other guy. It’s cruel and unfair to lead people on and you are a despicable human being to do this to two poor gentlemen. If I had my way you would not be with either of them, because you are obviously too immature to handle a relationship. My advice: grow up. Pick one (it’s probably best to stay with your boyfriend,) and stop being selfish.
18 APRIL 16, 2012
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YourTreeHoroscope
Birch December 24th to January 20th If you were born under the Birch sign, the ancient Druids would say that you are highly driven and you like to motivate others. Just like the tree, you are tolerant and resilient, making you a natural leader. You have a softer side, though it is rarely shown. When you do let it out, you bring beauty with you everywhere you go. The Celts believe Birch signs to be highly compatible with both Vine and Willow signs. Reed October 28th to November 24th Reed signs are secret keepers. You love a good story, but can fall into the category of being a gossip if you aren’t careful. Secrets are not always meant to be told. You would make an excellent historian or detective. You are good at making people talk to you, and you are a fantastic listener. You have a strong sense of truth and honour, and match well with other Reeds, Ashes, or Oaks. Ivy September 30th to October 27th Ivies are fiercely loyal to their friends and loved ones. Life can be difficult, but you often beat the odds. You have a perseverance that others admire in you. You are soft-spoken with a keen wit that often gets you out of trouble. You can hold your own socially and academically, a true dark horse. You match well with Rowans and Oaks.
Hawthorn May 13th to June 9th Hawthorns are mysteries. They appear one way on the surface, but are completely different people inside. They are well adjusted and highly resilient. Hawthorns are great listeners, but don’t give themselves enough credit for their amazing insight that stems from the listening. Hawthorns also love humor and have a good understanding of verbal irony- also called sarcasm. Hawthorns are compatible with Alders, Hazels, and Rowans. Elder November 25th to December 23rd You love your freedom, and other signs see you as a little wild. You are a thrill seeker. You have a tendency to be withdrawn because people often misjudge you. In reality, you are a deep thinker, especially philosophically. You are brutally honest, which endears some and casts away others. You make a great match for both Holly and Alder signs.
Willow April 15th to May 12th Willow signs are creative and highly in tune with the mystical aspects of life. Many psychics were born under the Willow sign. You are patient and have a realistic view of what is really going on around you. You have great intelligence and a superb memory, but you also have a tendency to hold back so that others do not view you as overindulgent. When Willow signs overcome this, they will find that they have an incredibly successful life. Willows are best paired with Ash and Birch signs. Alder March 18th to April 14th Alder signs are pathfinders. You’re a mover and a shaker, likely to speak out if something bothers you. You are charming and mingle easily, leading others to follow in your wake. Many people born under the Alder sign are very popular, because all other signs get along well with you. However, many born under the Alder sign are later shunned because they cannot stand superficiality- they see right through it. For many, this can be a good thing- it allows them to make their own way through life. Alders are compatible with Hawthorns, Oaks, or sometimes Elder signs. Vine September 2nd to September 29th You have an unpredictable personality. You are full of contradictions and are often indecisive. It’s because you see both sides of every coin and are sympathetic to both. You are quite sure, however, about what you like. You like the finer things in life. Luxury becomes you. You are charming and classy and love to be admired. It’s a two-way street: people love to admire you too! You pair well with both Hazel and Birch.
Rowan January 21st to February 17th Rowan signs are philosophical. You have a keen mind with high ideals. You are original and creative, to a point where many do not understand them. Be careful- this makes you appear to be very aloof. To the casual observer, you are cool, almost cold. But beneath that exterior, Rowan signs are burning with inner passion, making you incredibly influential while often going unnoticed. Rowan pairs well with Hawthorn, Hazel, and Ivy signs. Ash Feb 18th to March 17th Those born under the Ash tree are imaginative, intuitive, and naturally artistic- often in ways people do not expect. However, you have a tendency to be moody and withdrawn at timesmost artists do. You are inspired by nature, and in turn you inspire others who have lost their connection to the outdoors. Many people believe you to be reclusive, but after taking the time to get to know you, will find you to be enchanting. Ash signs partner well with Willow, Holly, and Reed signs. Holly July 8th to August 4th Hollies are traditionally noble- minded and regal. Careful: because of your confidence in your abilities, many others will see you as arrogant. It is up to you to change their minds. You take on challenges with a specific goal: to beat them. People look up to you because of this and follow you. You are generous to those who treat you well, and are very affectionate. Holly signs look to Ash and Elder signs for a bit of balance. Hazel August 5th to September 1st Hazel signs are gifted when it comes to academics. You are always well- informed and are genuinely intelligent. People may think that you are a know-it-all. It is something you cannot help nor change, so try not to let it get to you. You have an eye for detail and like making rules, though playing by them isn’t your strong suit. You join well with Hawthorns and Rowans, and sometimes with Vines.
Oak June 10th to July 7th You have a special gift: strength. You are protective of those you love and speak up for those without a voice. You’d make a great activist. You are confident without being arrogant and you are also an optimist, helping others to feel better about the future. You have a love and respect for history. Oak signs often go too far to get some control over their lives and may end up unhappy. Slow down, and enjoy the ride! You pair well with Alder, Reed and Ivy signs.
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