A Promise To My Readers:
I will never, ever, ever allow advertisements on this blog (with the possible exception of links for charities…which would be completely free-i.e. I would make no money from them). I promise this for several reasons:
1. How can I encourage you to consume less and then place ads created solely to encourage the opposite? Hypocrisy sucks, and I do not endorse it.
2. I want you to know that any time a product is linked to, reviewed, or otherwise promoted that it is because I sincerely feel it should be. You should be able to feel confident in the knowledge that my opinions are genuine and not the result of earning money.
3. Ads are web-page clutter. I know that large websites and blogs need to advertise to survive (i.e. Treehugger). And that’s okay because they generally provide a service that without advertising revenue they couldn’t afford to. But this humble little blog is a labor of love. It’s my contribution to the discussion, my little effort to make a difference by showing others how to make a difference. If it ever got too big for me to handle solely with unpaid, free-time then I would either retire, enlist other writers, turn the blog completely over to a worthy heir, or ask readers to donate or perhaps have paid subscribtions. If it ever gets that big then you can bet I’ll be surprised/thrilled/overwhelmed/grateful/and so on!
So there you have it. My promise to you.
You’re welcome.
PS- If WordPress ever changes their “no banners policy” I don’t know where I’ll move to…but I’ll figure something out.
A No-longer Secret Desire:
I want a decent blogging network. Deep inside my green heart is a little gnome yelling “Trade links! Trade links!” But how little gnome, how?!
I apologize for the somewhat disturbing imagery there…sometimes one can be a bit too original. But seriously…I want to promote my blog. I think I have something to offer here. I don’t think I write Pulitzer material. Heck, I don’t even do a good job proof-reading this humble little blog. But I think I have some worthwhile things to say, and I know I provide a good crossroads to the blogs and websites of others with worthwhile things to say. I must admit I’m amazed that, to date, 152 people have viewed Eco Elly’s. That’s a little over three times as many views as there are posts. So I guess I should be satisfied that such a young blog has gotten that much traffic. But what blogger doesn’t want to see more readers visit their site?
I suppose I should just start adding blogs to my blog roll because they’re worth the time to visit them…but that’s what my links page is for. I’d like to reserve spots on the blog roll for blogs which in turn add me to their blog roll. But I’m not sure how to go about organizing such a network. I’m not about to go pester every eco-blogger I admire to add me to their links. As big of a fan as I am of this blog I can’t realistically expect everyone to feel as equally warm and fuzzy about it. On the other hand…would it really be that much of a nuisance to others to receive a note from me? After all, they’re free to decide for themselves whether or not to grant my request. What say you, oh readers?
My other thinkings go something like this: “I really wish I could get a bunch of other green blogs to trade links with me…but the people who probably read their blogs and would click through don’t need to hear green preaching as much as the average bloke or blokette…how could I convince the author of an unrelated blog to link to mine…and who should I even approach, if anyone…the only blogs I read tend to be eco-inclined, or at least about simple living (which is inherently eco-friendly), except maybe a few craft blogs…but I wouldn’t consider myself a loyal reader of any blog (unless you count Treehugger)…and as much as I want non-environmentalist blogs to link to me, I don’t want to link to a bunch of unrelated blogs because I want my readers to be secure in the knowledge that all my links are relevant…” and so on.
Readers, what do you advise? Do you have a blog you’d like to trade links for? Do you know someone who does? Do you think I should just e-mail the eco-bloggers I like and ask them about linking to each other? How should I go about finding some more good earth-friendly blogs? And, perhaps most importantly…how do I get non-hippies and those of pale shades of green to take a look here? “The whole need no physician” after all. I want all those good people out there who just don’t know any better to learn about all the different (and often easy) ways they can help save our planet.
Being Herbivore
I was, at one time, a pretty devout vegetarian (and working on the whole vegan thing). It started out of concern for animal welfare (especially the poor creatures trapped on factory farms*…which are pretty much evil-see this* and this* as well). My religious beliefs and personal conscience just wouldn’t allow me to continue my omnivore ways. Then, as I did my research I discovered how a vegetarian diet is healthy for me, (also: this & this) and the planet (and this).
But at some point I lost my dedication. I think it happened largely during a road trip to visit my parents, and my in-laws. I don’t like to make people cook especially for me, and finding veg food on the road, while entirely possible, is not always the easiest thing to do. But really, since when did ease become more important than integrity? And, as I discovered, eating meat isn’t so easy…on my stomach that is. I used to get an upset stomach every single morning. I thought maybe it was a lactose issue. So I decided to try soy milk. This was at the same time I went vegetarian. After that, my stomach was normal and happy. No more rushing to the bathroom in the morning. But when I started eating meat again…I started getting sick again. As it turns out it wasn’t a lactose issue at all. Hormone free milk doesn’t make me the least bit ill. It’s meat that upsets my tummy (as well as hormones and chemicals). I’ll be sticking with the soy milk (after all, it’s much, much healthier…plus I’m trying to slim down)…except for special occasions in which case I’ll be buying cruelty-free, organic milk (after all, soy milk just doesn’t taste the same with a batch of home-made chocolate chip cookies).
So my conscience’s and my stomach’s complaints have won me over once more. I’m re-going veg! There are a few things I’ll allow: cage-free, organic eggs, organic, free-range turkey (for the hubby) at Thanksgiving and Canadian Thanksgiving, and “special circumstances.” By “special circumstances” I mean occasions like the one in which we were given half a freezer full of elk meat that a game warden had confiscated from a poacher. I was okay with the elk meat because 1. the animal had already been poached and it would be wasteful to just throw away the meat, 2. the animal was not raised on a dirty, unnatural factory farm, 3. the animal never knew the terrifying smells of a slaughterhouse, and 4. the animal had not been shot up with all kinds of hormones and antibiotics. And, just a note, Mr. E and I both agree that the elk steaks were tastier and more tender than beef (though that doesn’t mean I support hunting…because I don’t).
So, I’m once more on a quest to have a diet that is compassionate, green, and healthy.
PS- I know I already provided this link above…but it’s too good not to suggest again. “For The Environment”
* These facts, images, and videos are not suitable for everyone, particularly children. What’s worse is that it isn’t some fiction horror story…but reality.
“Hippies”
You readers will notice that I use the word hippy a bit. I just want to clarify that I never use it in a way that is meant to degrade or offend. I’m probably the biggest hippy any of my friends or family know. And I’m happy to be one. So all you hippies out there…wear the name with pride!
“Casting on” a New Hobby
You might remember that I was debating whether to get more looms for loom knitting, or get serious and learn traditional knitting. I decided to learn the old-fashioned method. I’m also learning crochet. I haven’t gotten very far with either (thanks to school starting). But I do find it enjoyable….at least, the knitting is. Crochet isn’t quite as relaxing. But I imagine as I get better at it that will change. I do have a little booklet of how-to instructions…but if it hadn’t been for KnittingHelp.com I would still be doing it wrong…not to mention feeling frustrated. The videos saved me from knitting doom. If I can find a similar sight for crochet…that’ll be wonderful.
Yarn is an issue. Wool is often farmed and “harvested” in incredibly cruel ways. Acrylic isn’t the most environmentally friendly material. And cotton, unless it’s organic, soaks the planet in pesticides. And organic yarn is so expensive that you’d generally be better off just buying what you want to make. I did get some cast-off yarn from a friend. And I already had a lot of yarn from when I first started loom knitting. So I should be set for quite a while. But in the future I’ll have to be careful about what yarn I use. I guess I can always recycle old sweaters.
If you’re looking for a good hobby then I recommend knitting. It’s relaxing, and useful. It’s definitely in tune with simple living, and there are lots of charities you can knit for (and check this list too). After all, what good is saving the planet if we ignore the people in need who live on it?
