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  • From: Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>
  • To: Permaculture ibiblio <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Top Five Gifts Not To Buy
  • Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:55:59 -0400

/*Snipped from:
http://www.planetfriendly.net/gifts.html
Thanks, eh?
K
PS I'm sure we can think of a few more.....?
And the gifts TO buy / make / grow...etc?

Top Five Gifts */*Not */*To Buy*/

*Perfume*. Many perfumes contain chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions. Perfume is increasingly cited as a trigger for asthma, allergies and migraine headaches, including potentially serious reactions. Anyone in your building or vicinity can be affected. There is no mandatory disclosure of perfume ingredients. "Natural" perfumes, including "essential oils" are not necessarily any better. There are plenty of other ways to make oneself attractive, rather than falling for marketer's appeals to our fears of inadequacy, vanity and discomfort with our own bodies. Many other products also contain perfumes -- buy unscented products whenever possible. For an excellent article this topic, see Natural Life Magazine's "Spraying Yourself With Toxic Chemicals is Not Sexy": www.life.ca/nl/87/perfume.html <http://www.life.ca/nl/87/perfume.html> www.ourlittleplace.com/perfume.html <http://www.ourlittleplace.com/perfume.html>
www.google.com/search?q=perfume+%22health+risks%22 <http://www.google.com/search?q=perfume+%22health+risks%22> , www.planetfriendly.net/health.html <http://www.planetfriendly.net/health.html>
www.planetfriendly.net/health.html#enviroillness <http://www.planetfriendly.net/health.html#enviroillness>
http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Alternative/Non-Toxic_Living/

*Clothes That Need Dry Cleaning.* Most cleaners use a controversial chemical called perchloroethylene. It is potentially harmful to their staff, customers and neighbours. It's also a waste of time and money. So stop trying to keep up with the Jones and wear something more healthy! www.google.com/search?q=%22dry+cleaning%22+health <http://www.google.com/search?q=%22dry+cleaning%22+health> www.planetfriendly.net/health.html <http://www.planetfriendly.net/health.html> www.planetfriendly.net/living.html <http://www.planetfriendly.net/living.html> http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Alternative/Non-Toxic_Living/

*Battery-Operated Toys.* The ingredients of batteries are highly toxic. They should be disposed in a toxic waste site. Most people don't bother -- this can lead to contamination of drinking water and crops. For the most part, there's simply no need for it. There are often more healthy, creative and intelligent things for kids -- and adults -- to do without batteries.
http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Alternative/Non-Toxic_Living/
www.google.com/search?q=battery+toys+alternatives <http://www.google.com/search?q=battery+toys+alternatives>

*A New Car.* Cars are traps: they are bad for your health, your finances -- and your children's chances of survival. The average Canadian spends over $7,000 per year on personal automobile transportation, all expenses included. The time you spend working to pay for your car, maintain it, insure it, etc., is a waste of your life. For urban dwellers at least, there usually are better alternatives, even in today's car-dominated society. Be creative: try a combination of public transit, walking, cycling, car-sharing, car-pooling, renting, telecommuting, flex-hours, job-sharing. Work as close as you can to where you live, and choose or create recreational activities in your area. If more of us did this, lots of alternatives would arise as the market began to respond. www.planetfriendly.net/living.html#transport <http://www.planetfriendly.net/living.html#transport>

*Television.* Televisions sedate people. They turn brains to tapioca, bellies to mush. They turn entire lives into missed opportunities. TV's are a cheap escape, a controlled hypnosis. Like any addiction, the more we do it, the worse things get and the more we feel we "need" the thing we're addicted to. Things that once were natural for us to enjoy -- reading, conversation, exercise, thought -- no longer are. Even in small doses, TV alters one's perceptions and behaviour and steals time from the more important and enjoyable aspects of life. It's not so much a matter of the quality of the programming. The medium itself is hypnotic, non-interactive and socially unbalanced. Tired? -- sleep. Bored? -- read a book. Stessed? -- take a hot shower. Energy to burn? -- go for a walk. Lonely? -- call a friend, or make plans for tomorrow. There's almost always something better than TV ...if only you don't turn it on! Do not give a television to anyone you wish to see thrive and grow. www.adbusters.org/metas/psycho/tvturnoff/ <http://www.adbusters.org/metas/psycho/tvturnoff/> www.tvturnoff.org <http://www.tvturnoff.org> www.whitedot.org <http://www.whitedot.org> www.turnoffyourtv.com/tv.links.html <http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/tv.links.html> http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Activism/Anti-Media/ www.dmoz.org/Society/Activism/Anti-Media/ <http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Activism/Anti-Media/>

--
Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 335-0383
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
Impeachment: It's not just for blowjobs anymore.
Switch to Solar Power the Easy Way
http://www.jointhesolution.com/KeithJ-SunPower
http://www.PowUr.com/KeithJ-SunPower
Blog: http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com/
also Patterns for Abundance Design & Consulting
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/design/Designconsult.html
also Association for Regenerative Culture
also APPLE-Bloomington (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) It's a
small world after oil.
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington
also Bloomington Permaculture Guild




  • [permaculture] Top Five Gifts Not To Buy, Keith Johnson, 09/16/2007

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