Discover the world !

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by Solène, Belgium

“Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.” Albert Szent Gyorgi

Discovering the world and living in the country are a good way to learn about how the country and the people are, but travelling (sometimes alone) is also important in the discovery of the world.

The independent people from Brazil.

Visiting another country is good for our personal growth because some countries are very different from our home countries, so we can see the differences about the other population from ours and we can reflect about ourselves, who we are and what we have. We can also be glad about our chances to be in the other country because it’s not possible for everyone. Sometimes, when we’re thinking about this, we realize that our happiness is made by ourselves and not by the others.

Water lilies from Amazonia.

Doing the traditional activities and celebrations in the country is very enriching. Like here, in America, the famous tradition after Halloween and Christmas eve is Thanksgiving. It’s very popular and important in the USA, so it’s good to be here and share the cultures. The most important think, in Thanksgiving, is to be thankful for what we have and who we are.

The famous Ms Turkey from Carpinteria.

Travelling alone is also a good way to make new friends and be more confident in ourselves. It pushes us to be independent and to fend for ourselves. And being alone can be the moment to think about what we want for our future.

Travelling from Belgium to USA.

Enjoy every moment on your life! You are free to be who you want. Be thankful for what you have. And the most important, you deserve to be happy!

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Education First Annual International Day March 8, 2019.

Should animals be used for scientific and commercial testing? by Stella, Germany

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General information:

An estimated 26 million animals are used every year in the US for commercial and scientific testing including mice, rats, fish, birds, guinea pig, farm animals, cats and dogs.

They are used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of  medications, check the safety of products destined for human use.

In additon, to the torment of the actual experiments, animals in laboratories are deprived of everything that is important and natural to them.
They are confined to barren cages, socially isolated and psychologically traumatized.
Most of the torture is legal.

Legal tests include: burning, poisoning, starving, forced, smoking, mutilating, blinding, electrocuting, drowning and dissecting without painkillers. They also get cut open without any painkillers.

The reality is that the majority of animal experiments do not contribute to improving the human health.


AGAINST the scientific and commercial testing

Many organizations try to follow the three R rules to improve the torment of the animals using for scientific and commercial testing:
Replacement
replacing animals with non-animals tests
Reduction
using fewer animals to do research
Refinement
emphazies the fact, that if companies are going to use animals for your research, they have to make sure that those animals are treated at the highest (ethical) level

Alternatives to replace animals in science:

  • in vitro (test tube) test methods and models based on human cell and tissue cultures
  • computer models and simulations
  • stem cell and genetic testing methods
  • microdosing (in which humans are given very low quantities of a drug to test the effects on the body on the cellular level, without affecting the whole body system)

Why is replacing animals in science much better than using animals for testing? Are there any advantages in non-animal testing?

Yes, replacing animals in science with different alternatives has several advantages.
It is cheaper, faster and companies can test more chemicals.
It is not only more effective for science, but also more reliable and more human.

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PRO the scientific and commercial animal-testing

  • Animals themselves benefit from the results of animal testing
  1. If vaccines were not tested on animals, millions of animals would have died from rabies, distemper, feline leukemia, infectious hepatitis virus, tetanus, anthrax, and canine parvo virus.
  2. Treatments for animals developed using animal testing also include pacemakers for heart disease and remedies for glaucoma and hip dysplasia.
  3. Animal testing has also been instrumental in saving endangered species from extinction, including the black-footed ferret, the California condor and the tamarins of Brazil.

 

Carnival All Around Brazil

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By Maria Antonia Lopes, Brazil                                                                                                                Rafaela Reblin, Brazil                                                                                                                            Laura Franco, Brazil

 What is Carnival?

The Carnival is celebrated in Brazil every year, 46 days before the Easter festival. The word “Carnival’ is derived from “carnelevare,”which means the removal of meat. The roots of the festival are believed to be in tradition of Roman Catholics when they abstained from meat and alcohol on certain days as a method to drive away bad things from their lives. Back then, followers of the Roman Catholic Church would indulge in a last day of dance, fun, alcohol and sex just before the start of the abstinence period of alcohol and other sins.

Although Carnival is celebrated in other cities throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro is considered the Carnival’s capital city. One of the best-known parties in the world, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is also the largest carnival celebration in the world. It’s filled with music, parades, drinking and people having fun. The carnival, a national holiday in Brazil, runs from Friday night to noon of the following Wednesday. That’s the official length, but many Brazilians turn it into a 10-day holiday. It brings
in about half a million foreign tourists each year.

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Carnival in Rio de Janeiro 

The festival is organized by various samba schools in Brazil which are sometimes involved in community services as well. A major parade is made with beautifully dressed samba dancers on the top of decorated moving vehicles that go around the Sambadrome stadium. Often wearing masks and colorful costumes, they dance to the beats of drums and music, Samba is the main form of dancing there. Also, there’s a competition held in the end of the festival, when the crowd has to vote for the best costume, the best vehicle and the best samba school.

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Each neighborhood in Rio has its own Carnival Street Party. There are around 300 of them in Rio every year. The street parties are also called “blocos”, and the atmosphere is just full of life, and everybody who parties is dancing in the streets, singing out loud, and making sure they have a really good time. Anyone is allowed to participate in streets a festival, that’s why it’s so special. There’s no segregation, literally, the whole world is invited.

Carnival in Salvador

Salvador is a city in the northeast of Brazil that has a lot of beautiful beaches and every February the Carnival happens. The Salvador carnival is the most fun one. If in Rio, you are a spectator of the parade, in the Salvador Carnival you are the show.

The event lasts officially for six full days: it starts on a Thursday, then follows the usual five days of carnival ( from Friday to Wednesday at noon).

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The parties have a special name, “Bloco”, and it happens behind the “Trio eletrico” that is basically a big truck moving really slowly loaded with sound equipment’s and with a famous band or a famous singer singing on the top. The Salvador Carnival has some tradition singers like: Ivete Sangalo, Daniela  Mercury and Preta Gil. Contrary to what most people think, carnival is not only about samba, it has funk too and at the moment, the most famous singers of funk are: Anitta and Pablo Vittar.

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Each Bloco sells a different T-shirt called “Abada”. This T-shirt is your entrance ticket and allows you to get inside the rope area. If you enter the V.I.P area of the event, you can see a lot of famous people with the “Abada” totally stylized.

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Carnival in Olinda

The old colonial town of Olinda, a few miles from Recife, became a popular carnival spot in 1977, where every street corner has a band following their own routes. Children, parents, and grandparents all party together. Political and social causes are common themes that are well presented through costumes and music.

One of the main attractions of the carnival in Olinda is the giant puppets made from papier-mâché. The “Homem da Meia-Noite” or “Man of Midnight” is the most famous puppet that officially opens the carnival in Olinda every year; a tradition since 1932.

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For most people here, Carnival is this magical time when it’s totally ok to dress up weirdly, fill your hair and face with glitter, become friends with total strangers and start deep love affairs that last the time of two “frevo” verses.carna10

If you like partying and want to immerse yourself in this rich culture, you should definitely spend Carnival in Olinda. You’ll hardly find a similar event somewhere else, with all the joy and excitement that takes hold of anyone that’s part of it. But truth be told, it takes a good deal of strategy to enjoy everything this party has to offer. So here are some tips for those who will go for the first time:

– Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe, comfortable and not too beloved shoes – after all, it’s likely they will be destroyed by the end of Carnival.

– Eat well before leaving home, since drinking on an empty stomach is not advisable, but try to avoid heavy foods.

– Take an old cell phone with you instead of your “real one”, if possible.

– Avoid walking against the flow of the “blocos”. It’s easier to wait for them to pass, or to simply follow them.

– Avoid going alone, it’s more fun and safer to go with friends or family.

 

The diversity of being a make-up artist

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by Jill Stauffer, Switzerland

A makeup artist is an artist whose medium is the human face and body. He or she applies make-up or other items to create certain effect. The great thing about this job is that you have so many different options to express your creativity. There is a wide range of employment possibilities such as for television, filmmaking, fashion, magazines, weddings and so forth.  The most important thing is to be creative and brave because when it comes to make-up artistry there are no limits. Only if you push through the boundaries and are not afraid to try out new ideas, there’s a chance that you will make the big business. As the more skills you have, the more options you have when it comes to jobs. In this article I would like to tell you more about this amazing job and it’s different ranges.


Show your creativity

A good way to show your creativity in this job is through body painting and/or airbrushing. Bodypainting is a kind of body art. It means painting something temporary, painted onto the human skin. Most of the artists combine body painting with airbrush make-up. Airbrush make-up is a make-up sprayed onto the skin using an airbrush gun instead of brushes, sponges, fingers or other methods. Airbrush make-up is also used as wedding make-up because it lasts very long. To do a full body painting can take up to seven hours or more. Each year the best body painters of the world show off their skills during competitions at the world bodypainting festival.

The fascination of SFX make-up

SFX make-up also called special effects make-up and FX prosthetics is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, modeling and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects.

 Special make-up is often used to transform someone into a totally different character or to create realistic injuries.The options range from are full body transformations to just small parts like a scar or a cut. The most important thing for a realistic result is to study detail of the end result you want to reach. For example when you have to do an injury you have to know how it happens and when it happens. A bruising looks different on the first day than on the fifth.  

  

 

 

Be the one who makes a bride’s day perfect

To make someone happy is the best feeling you can have. Especially brides are so thankful and it is a great experience to accompany them on their way to getting married.  A bridal make-up is maybe not the most creative one but it’s also challenging. It’s all about organization. A very important thing is to do find out what the bride’s wishes for and will be wearing so you can find the perfect make-up for her.

Make-up artist and hairstylists

It’s also highly probable that you are not just doing the make-up but also the hair.  Maybe just an easy braid or some waves but as more skills you have the more jobs you get. But most of the time there are special artists which are trained just in hairstyling. Then you work together as a team, someone does the make-up, someone the hairstyling and also stylists choosing the right dresses.

 

It is the combination of teamwork and the skills from the particular that makes the perfect picture, editorial, film, runway look or whatever. To meet this entire people is also a big part of this wonderful and exciting job. It’s more than just apply some colors onto the skin. It’s the creativity and the diversity of all the people in this industry what makes it interesting. To be a make-up artist is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle.

Utrecht: my hometown

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Evie de Graaff, the Netherlands

It was 50 years before the Common Era (BCE) when the Romans decided to build a fort called Traiectum. This was the moment the city Utrecht was born. Now, more than 2017 years later Utrecht is one of the famous cities in whole Europe. And I am so glad the Romans build that fort because otherwise I would never have grown up in such a great and beautiful city.

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History of Utrecht

Around 50 years BCE the Romans built the fort Traiectum. They built this fort as a border for the Roman Empire. Around 270 years CE the Romans abandoned the city. After that, several nations where located in Utrecht. Around 1122 the city got their official documents and Utrecht was officially born. In the 16th and the 17th century, Utrecht was important for the art development. A few famous painters are Jan van Scorol, Cornelis van Poelenburch and Jan Both. In the 17th century the famous University of Utrecht was created. Today more than 30,152 (2014) are joining this fantastic university. According to Shanghai Jiaotong University’s university ranking in 2014 it is the 57th best university in the world.

Geography of Utrecht

Utrecht is located in center of the Netherlands. Utrecht is the capitol and most popular city from the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 338,949 and counting. Utrecht is famous for her old history, her beautiful channels, the dom tower and of course Miffy. It’s the city where I live. The city Utrecht is a part of the ‘Randstad’ which is part is of the area with the most important cities where most of the money is generated.

The most important train station of the Netherlands is located in Utrecht: Utrecht Central station, because it is located so central, every train to almost every location depart from the train station of Utrecht.

The city of Utrecht is divided into 10 city quarters:

  1. City center
  2. East
  3. Leidsche rijn
  4. West
  5. Overvecht
  6. South
  7. North- East
  8. South – West
  9. North- West
  10. Vleuten- de Meern

Sightseeing

Utrecht is a very popular city for tourists. Most of the tourists are coming from Japan, China, Germany, Spain and the U.S. There are beautiful places where you can discover the beauty of Utrecht. Here is a list from the most famous highlights of Utrecht:

  • The Dom tower: The Dom tower is the symbol for the city of Utrecht. The tower is 112,5 meter tall and has a beautiful history.
  • Oude gracht: The Oude gracht is the most famous street in Utrecht. It is located in the center of Utrecht with beautiful channels and bridges. This is also the biggest shopping street in Utrecht.
  • Botanic Garden: The Botanic Garden is located next to the main building of the University of Utrecht. Is has beautiful unique flowers, plants and my absolute favorite, the butterflies.
  • Tivoli Vredenburg: Tivoli Vredenburg is a very famous music building in Utrecht. A lot of famous artists and bands have played here.
  • Soccer team FC Utrecht stadium: This is the stadium of the national soccer team of Utrech: FC Utrecht. There is capacity for 23.750 spectators.
  • Gerrit Rietveld museum: This museum shows the art of famous designer and architect.
  • Nijntje museum (Miffy Museum): I believe Miffy is the most famous creature of Utrecht. The little bunny is a creation of painter Dick Bruna who has lived all his live in Utrecht. Especially the tourists from Japan and China love Miffy.
  • Aboriginal Art museum : Located at the Oude gracht this museum has a small exhibit of Australian Aboriginal Art.
  • Railroad museum : This museum shows the history of the Dutch railroads.

 

 

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Oude gracht

 

 

The Dom Tower

The Dom tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. The tower is 112,5 meter tall. The Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city. The tower was part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin of Utrecht, also known as the Dom church. The tower was built between 1321 and 1328. However the cathedral was never finished because there was not enough money. Unfortunately a part of the cathedral was collapsed in a heavy storm in 1674. From that moment the tower became a free standing tower. It is very popular to climb the tower and enjoy the beautiful sight of the city.  If you want to do this you have to be able to climb 465 stairs, but I can tell you that it’s totally worth it.

In 2015, the 102th edition of the Tour de France started in Utrecht. The first game of the teams was in the center of Utrecht. All the members of the teams biked next to the dom tower, it was so much fun!

 

Tour de France in Utrecht

 

Miffy

Miffy (in Dutch: Nijntje) is a female little bunny in a famous series of books for children created by Dick Bruna. Miffy was created in 1955 by Dick Bruna after he told his son bedtime stories. What I find so special and funny is because the drawings of Miffy are so easy but it tells so much. When I was a little child I had a stuffed animal from Miffy and it was really a part of my childhood. Bruna has made more than 124 stories about Miffy. The books of Miffy are translated in more than 50 languages, and over 85 million books have been sold all over the world. Dick Bruna has won many awards for his creations about Miffy. In 2005 Miffy celebrated her 50th birthday. In 2006 the museum about Miffy was opened, called the Dick Bruna House or ‘Het Nijntje museum’. It’s located in the center of Utrecht.

Dick Bruna

Unfortunately on the 16th of February this year Dick Bruna passed away at the beautiful age of 89, but I know for sure Miffy will always be popular.

 

Famous people in Utrecht

Because Utrecht is a very popular city in the Netherlands with a lot of great opportunities it is almost logic that there are famous people who live in this amazing city ;). Also in the past, a lot of great and important people lived in Utecht. Hopefully, in a couple of years I will also be on this list!

  • Pope Adrian VI (1459–1523) – head of the Catholic Church
  • Louis Andriessen (1939) – composer
  • Marco van Basten (1964) – football player
  • Dick Bruna (1927-2017) – writer, illustrator (Miffy)
  • H.D. Buys Ballot (1817–1890) – meteorologist
  • Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931) – painter, artist (De Stijl movement)
  • Paul Fentener van Vlissingen (1941–2006) – businessman and philanthropist
  • Anton Geesink (1934–2010) – judoka, first non-Japanese worldchampion Judo
  • Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) – designer, architect (De Stijl movement)
  • Dafne Schippers (1992) – sprinter/heptathlon Olympian

 

 

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Dafne Schippers 

 

Fun fact: The King of The Netherlands, Willem- Alexander der Nederlander was born in Utrecht in 1967 in the same hospital I was born!

 

ARE YOU READY TO LET A TRIP CHANGE YOU?

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Lucia Tartagni, Italy

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Can travelling alone make us happy and free? 

Can a woman travel alone?

 

We try to find out!

 

I am a woman and I love to travel alone. I will try to show you my experience.

There are a lot of positive aspects when you travel alone, but don’t forget the negative ones and the preparations that will take a lot of time:

  • Before departure remember to complete all the documents required by the country you are visiting;
  • Prepare in advance a list of emergency contacts: police, hospital, fire fighters…
  • Because you are alone you can’t share your ideas, how you feel, your mood with other friends;lucia3
  • Take a paper map with you every time ;
  • Every day you have to plan your trip, the place you want to visit or where you want to sleep;
  • Last but not least, especially for a woman, don’t turn into dark places in the evening and don’t be provocative with someone you don’t know.

 

Don’t be afraid! After finishing these small and simple steps, you will look forward to starting your trip. Try to have faith in experiences! You will be filled with adrenaline to the point of not being able to sit still a minute.

 

lucia2I think that everything I have listed will become positive aspects of all my trips to introduce me to the best view in the culture of the various countries. In a solo trip you don’t have any commitments, distractions. You are alone and you must listen to yourself. There are only your own requirements that take you to capture the happiness of being with yourself. Every fear builds a path of growth and change. To do this you will need to face your fears and difficulties. You must not be afraid of the changes and challenges that you encounter, but only with your personal power will you find ways to overcome them.

“If you don’t allow the trip to change you a bit, you might as well stay at home”    (Nicolas Bouvier)

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You are alone, you can do what you want, you can go and sleep where you want, you can change plans as often as you want. You will take a trip with  people as well as within yourself. You must respect their culture, you will go into their home. Every person and every culture you meet will teach you something.

 

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So what are you waiting for?

Are you ready to dive 360 degrees in the culture of a country?

Are you ready to change your way of thinking and dealing with what happens to you?

 

Embark! Try it but don’t go back at the first difficulty, that’s where the road to happiness begins!

Travel alone video

 

Get to know the Dutch

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Anouk Slijkerman, the Netherlands.

Get to know the Dutch

Cheese, tulips and riding bicycles. This is what most people think of when they think about The Netherlands, but there is so much more to know about this small country with almost 17 million inhabitants. It’s a very successful country with a lot of history. The Netherlands has a lot of traditions most people never heard of and food that you can’t buy in any other country. Such as drop, stroopwafels and poffertjes.

Netherlands or Holland?
To begin with, I would like to tell the difference between the Netherlands and Holland. Most people are very confused by this. Sometimes when I say, I’m from the Netherlands people don’t immediately know what that is, but when I say Holland, almost everyone knows about the small country. So to explain this difference, we have to look at some history. The netherlands as we know nowadays came into existence after napoleon in 1830. The kingdom also included Belgium and Luxemburg. Later, Belgium and Luxemburg became independent countries. Nowadays, the Netherlands has 12 provinces. Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North-Holland, South-Holland, Zealand, North Brabant and Limburg. hollandSo, Holland is basically North-Holland and South-Holland combined. Holland was famous during the Dutch golden age, the 17th century, because of their many ships who tried to establish the trading routes. The Netherlands didn’t exist back then, so the sailors referred to their city state, South-Holland and North-Holland. So, Holland refer to the Netherlands as a synonym, but this is not true.  

Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a Dutch tradition for small children. Not every citizen likes this tradition, some people consider it as racist tradition because of ‘Zwarte Piet’.

The history of Sinterklaas starts in Turkey. Sint-Nicolaas (original name of Sinterklaas) was the bishop of Myra, a town in Turkey. Because of all the good deeds Nicolaas did, such as giving money to the poor, people professed him as a Saint. A lot of legends started to follow about this man and all his good deeds. So Sinterklaas is originally a Catholic tradition. Sinterklaas hassinterklaas helpers called Zwarte Piet. People aren’t sure where Zwarte Piet originally came from but there is a suggestion. People say that Sinterklaas  helped them from escaping slavery, and as an reward they kept helping Sinterklaas. Nowadays, Sinterklaas gives children presents on December 5th. Every year, he arrives in a big boat with his helpers in Holland. Mostly on November 11th. Children put their shoe under the fire place, and every once a week Zwarte Piet comes through the chimnpepernoteney to deliver a present in the shoe of the kid. Some people suggest that this is why Zwarte Piet is black. During Sinterklaas we eat pepernoten. Pepernoten stand for the money that Sinterklaas gave to the poor. They are small cookies made with dutch cookie species and a lot of sugar.

Koningsdag
King Day, or Koningsdag how the Dutch call it. This is a day where we celebrate the birthday of the King. Kingsday originally started as ‘prinsessendag’, princess day, which was the celebration of the birthday of princess Wilhelmina. This was on August 31th 1890. 5 Years later, when her daughter Juliana became queen, princess day became Queens Day and was hold on April 30th, the birthday of queen Juliana. Queen Juliana her daughter, who became queen in 1980 decided to keep Queensday on Juliana her birthday in honor to her mother. When King Willem-Alexander, the current king and son of Beatrix became king in 2013, he decided to change it to Kingsday and moved it to april 27th, his birthday.koningsdag.jpg

On Kingsday, most schools, stores and businesses are closed in The Netherlands, so everyone can celebrate the birthday of the king. In the morning, streets are covered with orange decoration and there’s a flea market on every street where people can sell their used stuff. People also play Dutch traditional games. One of the game is Koekhappen, Koekhappen is a game where people have to catch cake dangling from a string in their mouths. In the afternoon, there are big parties in every city and there are a lot of festival with famous DJ’s such as Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren.

 

Dutch food
So this were 2 of the Dutch Holidays. Sinterklaas and Koningsdag. But what about the food? There are a lot of typical Dutch dishes. During winter the Dutch love to eat hot, home prepared meals for dinner. One of them is ‘hutspot’ (which can be roughly translated as “shaken pot”). The main ingredients are carrots, boiled and mashed potatoes and onions.  All the ingredients are mashed together and it’s mostly served with ‘rookworst’. Rookworst is a smoked sausage.hutspot

 

There are also Dutch sweets and cookies. Stroopwafel is the most popular kind of cookie in the county. Stroopwafel are two waffles glued together with caramel. The waffles get hard but the caramel stays soft. You can buy different types of them. You can buy fresh made ones on the market, but you can also buy them in the supermarket. You can even buy them at Publix, but these are way more expensive than the ones you can buy in the Dutch supermarket.stroopwafel

So I hope you learned a lot moreabout this small country. Are you planning on visiting this country? Come during koningsdag or Sinterklaas. And are you hungry? Go to a restaurant and ask for Hutspot with Rookworst. Maybe you can explain to a Dutch local what the difference is between Holland and the Netherlands. Because there are even people in the country self, who don’t know the difference. The next time you hear a person say, I’m from the Holland. You can ask them, North or South Holland. If they say an other part. Correct them and say no, you mean the Netherlands.

Zero Waste Lifestyle – Why and how to reduce your waste

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By Luara Garcia

Understand the importance of reducing waste

First thing: waste doesn’t start in your trash can. It starts before arriving at your home: at the markets, stores, shops, wherever you are shopping.

We are using too much stuff and to have all of these things we are using many resources and quickly running out of them. In the past five decades, more than 1/3 of the planet’s resource base has been consumed. 80% of the world’s original forests are gone.

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The United States takes up 5% of the world’s population, and uses 30% of the world’s resources and also produces 30% of the world’s waste. If everybody consumed at the U.S. rates, we would need 3 to 5 planets.

2

In the production process, industries mix toxic chemicals to make our products, and also create a lot of pollution. When we discard our trash, it is dumped in a landfill, which is a big hole in the ground, and most of the time, it is burned and then dumped in a landfill.

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When toxics chemicals (contained in the trash products) are burned, they turn into new toxics, like dioxin, the most toxic man-made substance known to science. Both of the discard processes pollute the air, land, water and change the climate.
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A funny thing to think about is that about 1% of total materials we buy are still in use 6 months after the date of sale. That means that 99% of the stuff we buy is trashed within 6 months.

Each person in the United States produces 41/2 pounds of garbage a day.

These are just some of the reasons why we should stop producing so much waste.

 

Zero waste life style

Zero waste means not producing any trash, not sending anything to landfills, not throwing anything in a trash can.

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This girl in the picture is Lauren Singer. She lives a Zero Waste life in New York. That jar in her hand is all the trash she produced in 3 years.

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She decided to start living like this when she was an Environmental Studies major in college, where she saw this girl taking all her food in a lot of plastic bags and trashing it every day, which made Lauren feel frustrated. Then one day when she got home, she opened her refrigerator and looked at all that plastic. She felt like she was that girl and so decided to cut out plastic from her life.

This was the beginning. Today she composts and recycles; she produces her own tooth paste and other products. She goes into organic markets and places where you can use your own jars and bags to “package” things.

 

Kamikatsu, Japan, is a Zero Waste town. Is it possible?

Well, they are nearly.

Kamikatsu has no garbage trucks, so residents need to compost their kitchen scraps at home. They also have to wash and sort the rest of their trash into 34 different categories, and bring it to the recycling center themselves where workers make sure that the waste goes into the correct bins.

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The town has a store where people can leave their old clothing and stuff and exchange them for others that other people have left.

They also have a factory where women make products from discarded products, like teddy bears from old kimonos, or new kimonos from old flags.

With a population just over 1,700, Kamikatsu recycles about 80 percent of its trash and only 20 percent goes to landfills.

The residents of this city take recycling very seriously. They started in 2003 and actually hope to become the nation’s first zero-waste community by 2020.

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Tips to start reducing your waste

(These tips are not to become a zero waste lifestyle person; they are little things you can do that will make a big difference, but it is not that hard to change your lifestyle. There will be some links at the end of the article where you can find out more about how to become a zero waste lifestyle person)

 

  • Have your own reusable water bottle; bring it with you everywhere so your not going to need to buy one which you are going to trash after the water is gone.
  • Have your own reusable bag for shopping; use it in the markets, stores, so you’re not going to need a plastic or paper one.

  • Only buy things you really need, try to use them until they can’t do their job any longer.23
  • Choose to buy things with less packaging.
  • Recycle.18
  • Reutilize as much as you can.19
  • Prefer to buy organic products when you can; they don’t harm the environment to be produced and you have less to be discarded.
  • Remember: you awlays can do something more.22

 

To know more about Lauren Singer and her lifestyle, here are some links that you might like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYDQcBQUDpw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg

http://www.trashisfortossers.com/p/about.html

To know more about Kamikatisu and its plans:

http://www.odditycentral.com/news/kamikatsu-japans-aspiring-zero-waste-town.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eym10GGidQU#action=share

http://www.techinsider.io/kamikatsu-japan-is-a-zero-waste-town-2016-1

To know more about the world’s situation and production process (all 21 minutes worth it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Interview with Juliette Asselin

Posted on by efsbnews

By Luara Garcia, Brazil

  1. What is your name and where are you from? My name’s Juliette Asselin, I’m from Saint-Lambert, Quebec, Canada.
  2. How old are you? I’m 16 years old.
  3. Tell me one typical food of your country: Poutine, which is fried cheese with sauce.
  4. Do you play any sport? No, I don’t play any sport.
  5. Do like watching series? Which on do you like most? Yes, I like The Hundred pretty much; it has a lot of action.
  6. If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? I’d go to Japan, because is the opposite from where I live (food, life style, etc.).
  7. Why did you choose “Media and Journalism” as your SPIN class? Because it was the funniest one.
  8. Have you ever fall in love? How many times? Just once.
  9. How many languages do you speak? Which? Just 2, French and English.
  10. What do you like most in the United States that you don’t have in your country? Why? I like the beach. Because I like swimming in the ocean, is different from the pool, and I like being under the sun.