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Post by AK on Aug 17, 2007 0:58:16 GMT -6
Small actions on our part are enough to make a difference.In this thread, share your ideas on what you did (or could do) on your part, for the betterment of your own or someone else's life. It could be anything that shows your commitment or your quest for improvement and positive change. For example - "I stayed away from junk food today." Or any good habit of yours, like "I don't use plastic or polyethene bags while shopping." Or, "I use rechargeable batteries."
We'll record all our daily actions in this thread. Thus we can inspire and encourage each other to "be the change" and share all possible everyday actions that can help improve our lives and our world for the better. So let's get started guys!
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Post by AK on Aug 17, 2007 1:01:44 GMT -6
My action for today - I spent quality time with my granny. Both of us felt so great! I learnt that our elders need us and we should not neglect them, we ought to make them feel loved and valued.
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Post by darkme on Aug 17, 2007 9:01:11 GMT -6
how about this one: to save energy like whenever u go to the bathroom to just wash ur hands and the sun is still up don't open the lights... it really helps cuz u just go inside for a minute or so... I dunno it's very simple! but I'm starting to do it... LET'S BE GREEN PPL well, that's my input of the day! hope it helps! great thread AA!!
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Takako
New Member
Ambassador from Argentina.
Posts: 107
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Post by Takako on Aug 17, 2007 9:24:06 GMT -6
^ that was great Noor! I think the same. At the moment there aren't lights in my house wasting energy because the sun is up! anyway is difficult to convince my family... I think the same about if you have two televisions or computers, then just keep one of them a time. Saving energy is easy and important, and we all can do a difference!
Karma for you AK, nice thread!
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Post by alyssamilanofan on Aug 17, 2007 14:01:08 GMT -6
yeah I agree by the way Noor your suggestion is better for the enviorment and your wallet We try to never leave the lights on in rooms we're not in at the moment (same for other electric things, don't leave em on why you don't use it (not on stand bye either cause it still uses electricity when you leave it on standbye) ), it's really small things that you can do that can help.. especially if we all do it...
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Post by Zach on Aug 17, 2007 14:48:07 GMT -6
Very cool thread Anu Today, I helped plant a garden at my neighborhood's Urban Ecology Center, where it's like a retreat from city life
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Post by AK on Aug 18, 2007 2:18:18 GMT -6
Thank you for the responses and the karmas guys! Here's my action for today: Arrange all your eatables and drinks in an orderly manner, in specific sections of your fridge, so that you don't have to stare into an open fridge for a long time trying to find or figure out what to eat. Keeping the fridge open wastes energy, so make your choice quickly! In addition to saving energy, it will also save your time, prevent hassles (of trying to find what you want) and make your mom happy as well! Small action, but it will help for sure!
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Post by alyssamilanofan on Aug 19, 2007 11:59:20 GMT -6
My action for today - I spent quality time with my granny. Both of us felt so great! I learnt that our elders need us and we should not neglect them, we ought to make them feel loved and valued. yeah and they got lots of things to teach us i went to a home for elderly people for school it was really rewarding i really enjoyed helping them and listening to them most of the time i went and just kept one woman company she was a lot of fun to hang with hahaha.. i actually went a couple of times extra when it wasn't necessary for school.. it's a lot of fun and they're so thankful when it's really not a lot of trouble to do.. spending an hour of your day, 2 times in the week with some one and still they're so thankful and appreciative..
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Post by ViCtoria* on Aug 19, 2007 19:23:26 GMT -6
Hey this is a really great thread! Another karma for you, AK ! During the next month I am going to visit the elderly with my school like you, Jen! We need to have some CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) hours for the IB, and I've always worked with kids and girls about my age, but I did not really like that. I have always wanted to work with the elderly, and this Thursday will be my first time, I'm excited for CAS for the first time! Lol! I guess I also feel empathy with them, as I do not have such chemistry with people from other age groups... My action today was "finishing my Anthropology critique". Yay! Hope it's perfect as it's due for Tuesday but my teacher asked for a second draft for tomorrow.
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Post by alyssamilanofan on Aug 19, 2007 20:57:43 GMT -6
cool anthropology seems really interesting! A part of me would like to study it, I'm really interested in how other cultures work and anthopology teaches that.. But I'm not sure if I'd: A be able to do it, B could make a living out of it.. Maybe I could study after I finish all of my school, like a hobby or something.. But yeah elderly people are generally really nice and caring and they;re really cool a lot of them have great insight in live as they've been through a lot, in all the years they've been here.. I like hearing their stories about their past and stuff, this woman I visited was really interesting her parents went from the Netherlands to Indonesia which used to be property of the Netherlands, but she and her mom came back and she told me how she lived (early years of her life until she was about 7) in Indonesia and how her father stayed behind.. She has a form of Alzheimer though, but she doesn't have it very severe she always knew who I was, she just asked me the same questions after a while (like 3 or 4 times during the conversation) which I didn't really mind (I'm history freak anyway ) I think I'll go visit her as soon as my knee is better.. I also love to hear my own grandmothers stories she's lived a very eventful life.. She lived in WW2 and in the north of our country ( I live in the South but my grandmother used to live in the North) there was terrible poverty in the winter of 1944 (the entire war and aftermath was full of poverty until we got the Marshall act) so she lived through that people didn't have any food and they had to eat the roots of flowers and stuff like that.. And further on in her life she experienced horrible things but she still manages to be so witty and she always tells us about all the fun stuff she experienced, horrible things happend to her but she still looks on the bright side of her life.. She's really a cool grandma.. I love to go to her place.. she used to live on this camping side and we'd go there every christmas and summer and on birthdays and was always so much fun.. now they live in a city ten/ twenty minutes away from us.. which is a lot easier..
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Post by waed89 on Aug 20, 2007 3:05:47 GMT -6
My ever lasting action is telling friends not to leave trash behind ... it makes humans look like animals! It is like we will be walking and having a snack one wud finish and the trash can is a way so they wud put it somewhere and just walk! I will go crazy and tell them to take it and keep it with them giving them lectures about how such things need a long time to decompose and such! so I became the environment patrol! some of them became really afraid of that so that whenever they wanted to do any thing as horrible as that they will look at me and say : see I am not gonna do it! * said reluctantly though * I also try not to leave lights on my self and also the TV sometime i get the feeling that we leave it on for the couches to to watch what they want Another Karma for miss Anu for this nice thread ;D
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Post by AK on Aug 21, 2007 3:37:05 GMT -6
My action for today - I spent quality time with my granny. Both of us felt so great! I learnt that our elders need us and we should not neglect them, we ought to make them feel loved and valued. yeah and they got lots of things to teach us i went to a home for elderly people for school it was really rewarding i really enjoyed helping them and listening to them most of the time i went and just kept one woman company she was a lot of fun to hang with hahaha.. i actually went a couple of times extra when it wasn't necessary for school.. it's a lot of fun and they're so thankful when it's really not a lot of trouble to do.. spending an hour of your day, 2 times in the week with some one and still they're so thankful and appreciative.. Very true, Jenny. The elderly do have a lot to teach us. Nice to learn about your experience. And congratulations on a thoughtful action! If only more people thought like you! We just need to spend a little time with them, whenever we can and do little things - like chat with them, bring them a flower or send them a greeting card. These small gestures can add a lot of brightness to a lonely person's dim existence. They're always very thankful and appreciative, as you rightly said. @ Victoria - Thanks for the karma! CAS sounds cool! Please tell me more about it, I'd love to know! @ Jenny (again) - It was heartening to know about your grandma and the struggles she had to go through. Your grandma is truly cool and I salute her for her grit, will-power and determination to brave all odds. Equally nice to know about your interaction with the woman at the old age home. You seem to have shown patience and concern in dealing with that lady. And that's really great! It shows that young people do care! @ 'Miss' Waed - Thank you for the karma and the compliment. You're right, throwing trash and wastes anywhere does make humans look like animals! The sight of empty packets, wrappers and cans strewn all over the roads and in parks looks ugly and of course, unhygienic. Great to know you've become an environment patrol and that you try to make people aware through your lectures! Keep it up! (BTW, call me Anu, no need for Miss!)
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Post by AK on Aug 21, 2007 4:17:00 GMT -6
My (family) action or rather habit - My father ripped out the written on pages from the used notebooks and old examination answer- sheets, collected the remaining unused paper and got the (similar-sized) sheets bound again to form new notebooks. After binding, the small pages (from notebooks) gave us another notebook and the large pages (from answer-sheets and registers) formed new registers or long notebooks. Also, I think we need not have new school supplies every year, if the supplies from the previous year are still in a good usable condition. Finally, use the chits or bits of scrap paper for grocery lists and making up weekly menus and such. In short, keep using something as long and as much as it can be used! Do not just discard something after partial use. Use your divergent thinking abilities and think of as many uses as possible for any given commodity. This will be good for your brain as well as the environment!
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Post by Zach on Aug 21, 2007 8:17:23 GMT -6
Coool. That's a great idea Anu! Yes, I do that too for random lists I make, reminders, etc. Something you can also do is cut off stamps (that have already been used). My church collects them for an organization, but I don't know the exact name (I'll get it from my pastor and get back to you). The organization saves the stamps for ten years, and then sells them to stamp collectors. Then, the money made goes to buy seeds for poor African farmers. Another thing you can do is, instead of giving lots of presents, is get your loved one a animal from Heifer International. Heifer Intl, instead of giving food or water, gives people animals (with training included). Every animal is different; some give milk, some have many new borns, some give pulling power. It's one of my favorite organizations that are dedicated to the "If you give a man a fish" quote. You can give chicks, llamas, heifers, tree seedlings, cows, waterbuffalos and more! If your interested, you can go to heifer.org
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Post by Zach on Aug 21, 2007 8:18:58 GMT -6
Oh yeah. Here's me thinking too big again, but we could put some of these suggestions and acts into a article for the magazine which could introduce The Green Dream project.. What say? ;D
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Post by waed89 on Aug 22, 2007 3:14:13 GMT -6
My (family) action or rather habit - My father ripped out the written on pages from the used notebooks and old examination answer- sheets, collected the remaining unused paper and got the (similar-sized) sheets bound again to form new notebooks. After binding, the small pages (from notebooks) gave us another notebook and the large pages (from answer-sheets and registers) formed new registers or long notebooks. Also, I think we need not have new school supplies every year, if the supplies from the previous year are still in a good usable condition. Finally, use the chits or bits of scrap paper for grocery lists and making up weekly menus and such. In short, keep using something as long and as much as it can be used! Do not just discard something after partial use. Use your divergent thinking abilities and think of as many uses as possible for any given commodity. This will be good for your brain as well as the environment! I kinda do that in a less ordered manner! I just take out the papers and do maths on them!!! My family does another thing ,... not with papers but with the yard! ;D we plant stuff in it! Like this summer we planted tomatoes , cucumbers, okra , hot chili and sunflower! My grandparents do that all the time! We do not have a big space but it is both fun and healthy and well it keeps u green Things taste a whole lot better ! We have figs trees , apple trees , lemon trees , olives and lots of grapes! We used to have peaches, pears and cherries around the house but they were cut down when we did some reconstructions but we planted other stuff instead!! Do try it guys use any space around the house to plant anything whether u r going to eat any of it or just enjoy a bit of green around the house
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Post by AK on Aug 22, 2007 6:05:02 GMT -6
My action for today - Try to provide grains and fresh water to birds (in your garden, on your terrace or in the neighborhood park etc.). This would help prevent bird deaths due to starvation and dehydration, plus you feel so fulfilled and happy when you see birds flocking to drink water from the dish you put out! I, my brother and my cousins love to do this. We put some grains or pulses or some water in a dish and place it in our garden or on the terrace, then we go inside and observe from the window. It's a great sight to see those cute pigeons, parrots or sparrows feeding themselves. We had peacocks last year, and boy (!) the sight was awesome! You should see the way the birds move their little necks and beaks while picking the grains. At times, a flock of birds even starts bickering for the grain and they try to push each other with their beaks! It is a good action - we do a good deed and even indulge in bird-watching! Fun and fulfilling at the same time. @ Zach - The stamps idea is cool! @ Waed - We do that too! We have (according to seasons, of course) planted chillies, spinach, corn, brinjals, carrots, radishes, lady's finger, peas, a mango tree, a lemon tree and a guava tree in our yard. Home grown things really do taste a lot better!This one's a very good and healthy action!
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Post by AK on Aug 22, 2007 6:06:23 GMT -6
My action for today - Try to provide grains and fresh water to birds (in your garden, on your terrace or in the neighborhood park etc.). This would help prevent bird deaths due to starvation and dehydration, plus you feel so fulfilled and happy when you see birds flocking to drink water from the dish you put out! I, my brother and my cousins love to do this. We put some grains or pulses or some water in a dish and place it in our garden or on the terrace, then we go inside and observe from the window. It's a great sight to see those cute pigeons, parrots or sparrows feeding themselves. You should see the way the birds move their little necks and beaks while picking the grains. At times, a flock of birds even starts bickering for the grain and they try to push each other with their beaks! It is a good action - we do a good deed and even indulge in bird-watching! Fun and fulfilling at the same time. @ Zach - The stamps idea is cool! @ Waed - We do that too! We have (according to seasons, of course) planted chillies, spinach, corn, brinjals, carrots, radishes, lady's finger, peas, a mango tree, a lemon tree and a guava tree in our yard. Home grown things really do taste a lot better!This one's a very good and healthy action!
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Post by alyssamilanofan on Aug 22, 2007 8:49:23 GMT -6
thnx Anu, I agree those small things can make huge changes in their lifes and really they deserve it, most of them have seen horrible things in the wars this planet has seen and still they're often great people and fun to be around...
By the way Zach, oxfam does that as well.. You can buy animals online and they'll sent them to countries that need them most, you can also buy books and musquito nets for babies those type of things.. I bought something from oxfam this christmas (school books and a musquito net), as a gift to Alyssa for her b-day and christmas (19;th december), it's what most Alyssa fans do every year for her, they give money or do something for a charity and send a story and pictures of it to her, someone collects them and forms a book and gives it to her because she prefers that over a 'regular' gift send to her.. I couldn't enter the book things this year so I did that on my own..
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Post by darkme on Aug 22, 2007 9:04:44 GMT -6
hey, great ideas everyone. and I think we should definitely arrange something and put these green ideas in the magazine! like we can do something like 'from the YFCI boards come these green tips' ok that sounds kinda lame but u get the idea... we can also use tips from the thread 'suggest solutions'
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