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4-7 Pretty Doesn’t Always Hurt
8-9
Earth Momma
10 - 13 Feeling Vegan
14 - 15 YUM!
16 - 19 Generation Green
20 - 21 BEE-ing the Change
22 - 23 Bike Austin
24 - 27 Living Waste Free
28 - 31 Contributor Page
Table Of Contents 3
PRETTY DOESN’T ALWAYS HURT Resolutions to Our Damaged Cosmetics Industry By: Chloe Brown
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A year ago, Lara Sweets was just a customer at Lush looking for products to clear up her face. Inspired by an employee who helped her find the right cleansers, she applied for a job at Lush in Austin, Texas, and has been working there ever since. Over the course of her employment, she has not only learned about all the lotions, soaps, and bath bombs, but also the positive environmental impacts her company advocates for. “[W]e definitely need to be reducing our waste,” Lara Sweets explains,”because there are giant landfills and toxic, toxic stuff going on -- not cute at all!” About 80 percent of Lush’s black pots -- the wholesome, recycled-material containers used for various lotions -- are returned to the stores, which means the program is influencing their customers’ lifestyle. Lush’s source of recycled material is from their company trucks in Vancouver and Ontario that pick up people’s trash from the curbs. If customers do not wish to bring back containers, they are also recyclable, as advertised all over the black pots and Lush’s storefront glass. “I think for the most part, everyone that knows about the program participates and we are very active about telling people about the program.” This program’s purpose is to encourage any customer to refill containers with any products that can be bought there.” Sweets said. “Anywhere between 10 and 20 customers a day will bring in their black pots to recycle them. We at Lush have a recycling facility where we recycle the black 4
Lara Sweets holds a handful of Lush’s most popular bath bombs, including Lords of Misrule, Frozen, and Fizzbanger, at one of their stores, located in the Domain, Austin, TX)
pots because they are a type of plastic where they’re not recycled everywhere, so it’s just another way that we can help reduce the waste,” she added. The protection of Earth is one, if not the, most important aspect of Lush. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 56 percent of trash in the United States is put in landfills. National Geographic reveals that 91 percent of the world’s plastic is not recycled. Because almost all of our daily goods come in any kind of plastic packaging, Americans may be discouraged to give up their favorite brands and products to save the environment. Lush’s packaging ideas make a portion of the transition into an eco-friendly lifestyle easier.
“One of our big environmental things is called naked products, so that means basically anything in the store that you see without packaging is naked,”said Sweets. By completely scrapping the packaging, customers can use as many solid conditioners, shampoos, and other soaps as they want without adding to the global trash accumulation. Another innovative packaging solution that Lush introduced is knot-wraps: stylish, patterned cotton that is wrapped around a product and tied. Yet again, this packaging is meant for reuse. “We have a lot of different values, like no animal testing for example,” This is one big mission of the company, Sweets explains. For over 30 years, Lush has been fighting animal testing by creating a policy where all products must be tested using alternatives, such as human volunteers. The company also recognizes that resisting is not enough, which is where the LUSH Prize comes in. This nearly $300,000 reward is given to projects that have addressed alternatives to animal testing, which helps keep this sector in science alive and kicking. At another corner of the globe about seven years ago, Mazzi Peled, an officer in the military at the time, and Erez Peled, a photographer and her husband, were packing up in Israel and leaving for Austin, Texas, to pursue their new careers.
“There are giant landfills and toxic, toxic stuff going on -- not cute at all!” - Lara Sweets “My mother is in aromatherapy and a beautician so she has been making some products of her own and she learned how to make soaps,” Peled explained.”She was making those for her customers and her friends and family. So I kind of grew up knowing about aromatherapy all the time when I was little. The soaps were very nice, but the look of them was always kind of the same brown and green, and at one point I wanted to make the soaps but make them look prettier, so that’s what inspired me to start creating these different designs,” Peled recalled. Peled’s cosmetics business, Latika, started its roots in Israel, although the initiative wasn’t to spread environmental awareness. It sparked when a young daughter took inspiration from her mother’s organicallymade soaps and wanted to make them look prettier. Peled started to sell her colorful button and ice cream-shaped soaps to her friends and family and the demand started to grow. Soon her soaps were popping up all over Israel television shows and magazines; Peled realized she had to make a decision. In 2010, she moved to Austin with her husband, Erez Peled, to officially start her new, official business: Latika. “Our line only had our designer soaps in them, and we don’t even have them anymore: cupcakes and chocolates and buttons and popsicles...the main idea was the way they look, and as we developed, we decided to make creams and we decided to make lip care; we also decided that we are not compromising on the quality of the product, and at that point...it is very easy to take your business that direction,” Peled explains the initiative taken to make various changes in ingredients and manufacturing, ”You don’t compromise on the quality and most of the time it means that you go with natural ingredients.”
A display of Lush’s “Naked” packaging soaps at their store located in the Domain, Austin, TX. (Chloe Brown/2017)
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make sure their customers are 100 percent satisfied with their purchases, and finally, to make each individual feel beautiful, pampered, and pretty. Latika strives for wholesomeness, from their story to their business practices. “The customers love what Latika does and how good the products are, but they also love the story behind it, they love the fact that it’s a family-owned business, which I think is really nice to know that people appreciate that we make sure that the line is wholesome, which means that every aspect of it is the best that we can do, so the quality needs to be really, really good. A good story is not enough, good looking products is not enough, it needs to function well, it needs to have something behind it as well,” says Peled.
Mazzi Peled makes a Latika product using chamomile at their factoryin in Austin, TX. (Erez Peled/2017)
Latika, like Lush, is cruelty-free, natural, handmade, paraben free, and is made from U.S. ingredients. It is nearly vegan; the exceptions being beeswax and honey. Peled says that Latika stands firmly behind those ingredient choices. Because bees are suffering from Colony Collapse Disorder -- from reasons unknown, although it may be partially from pesticides -- beekeeping is needed more now than ever.
In the heart of Texas during 2006, Alissa Bear opened milk+honey, an urban day salon and spa located in downtown Austin, named after Cleopatra’s simple and natural milk and honey baths. This minimalist ideology is present all throughout the company, from the practices to the ingredients.
“We use beeswax and honey. That’s the only thing, the only thing that is an animal byproduct, and I would stick to that because I believe that beekeepers really help to keep the bee community alive,” said Peled.
“A good looking product is not enough, it needs to function well, it needs to have something behind it as well.” - Mazzi Peled Latika is not just a company for environmental improvement -- it strives to buy ethically, to provide enough time and resources for their workers, to 6
A Latika employee displays the Milk and Honey bath bomb, made by Latika in Austin, TX. (Erez Peledi/2017)
“We have always stuck to these founding principles,” Marisa Tom, the Marketer of milk+honey salon, explains,”one being to create modern and relaxing spa experience for our clients, to take care of our employees, to commit to the cleanest, most organic products we can possibly offer within our services and our retail shelves, and then finally to give back to our community.”
without the use of pesticides. “We had to literally put like queen bees in each hive and through organic practices, so there was absolutely no pesticides being used, so that there’s less risk of them dying off. We currently have about 13 hives, so we’ve grown, like a little bit, and we just harvested our first batch of honey.”recalls Tom. BEES also offers an apprenticeship to all their workers that allows employees to learn how to take care of the bees themselves from more experienced beekeepers. This way, a hairdresser or an accountant can explore a whole different side of their field and raise awareness for a good cause, all which makes a spit into the sea of bee conservation. The statistics can be intimidating. Euromonitor reports that in 2008, the cosmetics industry created 120.8 billion units of packaging. According to the United
A bee lies on a yellow flower behind a portable at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX. (Gaelila McKaughan/2017)
The spa and salon is a cruelty-free, organic, natural, and nearly vegan company. But like Latika, milk+honey stands with the beekeepers. Enter BEES by milk+honey. “We launched the beehives about two years ago, and it was a response to the decline in the honeybee population, and our founder and owner Alyssa Bear wanted to do something even if it was just a small drop in the bucket. She wanted to do something that would potentially help make the beehive population repopulate,” said Tom. The program was started to help the bee population by providing 10 small hives around Austin, even if it was just a small contribution. Since it’s founding in June 2015, BEES has collected 150 jars of honey from ten beehives located all around Austin just this past September. The queen bees have even produced royal jelly, which is a sign of healthy hives. In addition to having little experience, milk+honey’s staff faced the ultimate challenge of placing all the queen bees in each hive
Garden outside milk + honey salon in Austin, TX. (Chloe Brown/2017)
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), hundreds of thousands of animals are used in testing every year. Seventeen percent of colonies were lost from January to March of 2017, according to a survey by USDA. These issues can impact our lives in very serious ways, which is why naked packaging, alternative testing, and beekeeping are all positive and innovative ideas, but it is only when we pay attention to the problems occurring on earth and pay attention to those with creative solutions that we can truly help our planet. 7
Earth Momma Beauty hacks for the modern Earth Momma By: Maricarmen Marquez
1) Face Mask
Crack open and egg and separate the whites and yolk, using only the whites put in one teaspoon of lemon juice. Optional. half a teaspoon of honey Leave on for 10 minutes, then wash away with warm water
3) Makeup Remover
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Equal parts baby soap and water with two teaspoons of olive oil; soak on a cotton pad then apply to face
2) Eye Makeup Remover
Plain olive oil! Its great to get tough eye makeup off and helps your eyelashes grow
4) Hair Mask
Cut up an avocado and mash up with a few splashes of olive oil; leave in hair for 20 minutes then wash out
Who can be an
Earth Momma?
Anybody! Earth Momma’s respect all environmental advocates no matter their gender.
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Always remember to drink lots of water! Water helps with e-very-thing!
Sources: https://www.realsimple.com http://www.findhealthtips.com https://www.walmart.com designs and photos taken and created by Maricarmen Marquez
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By: Dylan Hernandez
What is the BEST vegan or vegetarian in Austin?
Feeling Vegan 10
A vanilla soft serve ice cream in a waffle cone topped with rainbow sprinkles. (Valerie Ward/ 2017)
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egan and vegetarian restaurants have been on the rise. The demand for these types restaurants growing fast. Especially in the higher populated, more modern cities like Austin, because being vegan or vegetarian is becoming more of a trend. Also more and more people becoming consciously aware about what they are eating. There are a lot of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Austin. Each one has its own thing that makes it special. I have found 3 of the best vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Austin and have interviewed with some of the workers and a regular at the restaurants. After the interviews and some research I have found what makes these restaurants so good and so special. Austin has a ton of vegan and vegetarian restaurants each with their own thing that makes them special. I have found three of the best of them and have interviewed and researched what makes them good and stand out from other restaurants. The first restaurant I interviewed was a small womanowned ice cream shop called Sweet Ritual. Sweet Ritual is owned by two lovely women, Valerie Ward and Amelia Raley. It is located on Airport Blvd in north Austin. It has been up and running for 6 years on December 15th, 2017. What makes Sweet Ritual special is that all their ice creams are handmade and vegan. Sweet Ritual’s ice cream is “unlike anything else,” says Valerie. Valerie said their reason for Sweet Ritual being a vegan/vegetarian ice cream shop was because, “It’s healthier, more ethical, and better for the planet,”.
“unlike anything else” - Valerie Ward 11
They “use a lot of different ingredients…[such as] coconut milk, cashews, peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seeds, and avocados,” to make all their ice cream flavors. A couple of their most popular ice cream flavors are “The Peanut Butter Cup and Rocky Road… and The Sunflower Chocolate Chip,”. “ We also have an amazing vanilla soft serve that goes well with our homemade sauces,” says Valerie Ward. Sweet Ritual is a great ice cream shop to go to if you have allergies to dairy. Although “A lot of [their] customers have no problem with dairy ice cream, [they] still choose [their shop] because they love the way it tastes”.
Sweet Ritual’s classic birthday cake ice cream in a waffle cone. (Valerie Ward/ 2017)
The second restaurant on the list is Veggie Heaven. Veggie Heaven is a little business located on W 5th street. Veggie Heaven once was opened at a different location and unfortunately closed down but recently reopened due to popular demand. What makes Veggie Heaven special is it’s amazing vegetarian comfort food and hospitality. I interviewed Julie a server at Veggie Heaven to learn more about what makes the restaurant so amazing. Veggie Heaven is a place where “the food is good, and people like to come in,” says Julie.
Inside of the new Veggie Heaven restaurant. (Dylan Hernandez/ 2017)
A couple of their most popular dishes is the “Thai Chili Cauliflower Wings and the Protein 2000”. Another one of their popular dishes is the “Curry Fried Rice”. Another great thing about Veggie Heaven is that all the ingredients for the food come from local farms and other places. The last restaurant on the list is Mother’s Cafe. Mother’s Cafe is a sweet little cafe located on 5215 Duval st. in north Austin. Mother’s Cafe has been opened since the 1980’s. I interviewed Nadine Del Gallo a regular at 12
A classic waffle cone filled with a sweet strawberry ice cream topped with sprimkles. (Valerie Ward/ 2017)
the restaurant. Nadine Del Gallo is a freshman at McCallum High School. She has been a vegetarian her whole life and is on the path to becoming a vegan. She goes there every weekend for lunch with her mother because, “the people there are so nice and the whole aesthetic of the restaurant is beautiful,”. Nadine loves the idea of being a vegan because that means no animals will be harmed. She loves vegan/ vegetarian restaurants cause they are perfect just for her. Nadine Del Gallo says, “I really love Mother’s Cafe because the people there are always so nice and the food is delicious… [also] all their ingredients are locally grown, so it also helps out some of the small business owners in Austin.” Nadine Del Gallo says, “I really love Mother’s Cafe because the people there are always so nice and the food is delicious… [also] all their ingredients are locally grown, so it also helps out some of the small business owners in Austin.” “My favorite thing to get is the Deluxe Nachos. It is tortilla chips loaded with black beans, jalapeño, onions, jack cheese, tomatoes, black olives, guacamole and sour cream.”. “My second favorite thing to get is the Peasants Meal. It is a serving of brown rice with your choice of black beans with sour cream, pinto bean chili with jack cheese, or black eyed peas with green onions,” says Nadine Del Gallo. Each of these restaurants has their own thing that makes them unique from only using locally grown food to making ice cream out of food items you wouldn’t typically think to put in ice cream.
“The food is good, and people like to come in.” -Julie from Veggie Heaven
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YUM!
the best spots to eat vegan in Austin Dylan Hernandez
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1. Counter Culture 2337 East Cesar Chavez Vegan comfort food
3. Mr. Natural 1901 E. Cesar Chavez St. and 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. Vegan comfort food and desserts 5. Concious Cravings 1311 S. 1st 78704 Modern plant-based
6. Arlo’s 900 Red River at Cheerup Charlie’s, 1700E. 6th at The Grakle, and 2908 Fruth at Spider House
9. Sweet Ritual 4631 Airport Blvd, Suite 125 Non-dairy and allergen friendly treats
2. Vegan Nom 2324 E. Cesar Chavez 78702 Vegan Taco truck
4. Bouldin Creek Cafe 1900 South 1st St. 78704 Wholesome vegetarian
7. Veggie Heaven 1611 W 5th St. Suite 135 Asian inspired vegan food
8. Mother’s Cafe 4215 Duval St. 78751 Great vegetar-
10. Citizen Eatery 5011 Burnet Rd 78756 Bright healthconscious cafe 15
Students from Austin schools snorkel at Barton Springs Pool at the annual Barton Springs University, an event created by the Save Our Springs Alliance in Austin, TX. (Photo courtesy of the Save Our Springs Alliance).
Generation Green How Austin teenagers are committing to helping their environment, and how they can continue to. 16
by Gaelila McKaughan
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he arctic cap is melting. In a chain of reactions, the effects of climate change are becoming difficult to ignore, as catastrophic events all around the world continue to occur in higher intensities. However, this summer, what was once just a thing in the news has hit close to home for people in Texas with hurricanes such as Harvey and Irma hitting us head hard, and others like hurricanes Maria, Katia, and Jose coming close.
including the famous Austin locale, Barton Springs. “People don’t really realize how vulnerable our Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer are,” says Pat Brodnax, managing director of the organization, on the importance of Austin’s natural environment. “We have a natural bottom spring in the middle of our city that there’s nowhere else in the world,” she says. “And it’s being threatened by pollution and over pumping daily, by development over the recharge zone in the hill country and by over pumping in the aquifer.”
Although many like to say the opposite, scientists have been consistently predicting this increase in tropical storm intensity, and have related it to the rising temperatures of ocean waters. These events have become so dangerous that even Texas cannot ignore the effects of climate change any longer. As the world continues to slowly lean towards an precarious scenario, the world look to a future generation of young adults who will have to handle the effect of their ancestors mistakes and create a better future for humanity. We are forced to wonder: how can we as a community ensure a better future with such high stakes.
Brodnax has been with the Save Our Springs movement since day one, beginning with the hearing against the Barton Springs Planned Unit Development --- PUD for short. Twenty-seven years ago, more than 900 Austin citizens attended an all-night meeting against the building of a huge conglomerate over the Barton Springs watershed, in a complete show of Austin’s cultural obligation towards its environment. Two years later, the group now known as Save Our Springs emerged from a loose coalition of citizens, who desired to protect and give back to the rare and diverse habitats and culture that the Austin environment provides. Brodnax was one of them. She confides, “I attended the city council meeting that night. Everybody showed up and spoke. That’s what inspired me.” That’s how Brodnax got started in the movement.
In a state known for their immense contributions to world waste and global carbon emissions, Austin strives to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Although the Austin city government places wellworth efforts into reducing city-wide waste, it is mostly through the actions of the community and environmental organizations that change is made. The people of Austin are known for their activism and environmental efforts, especially by working to maintain their own region’s natural ecosystem. The Save our Springs Alliance is a perfect example of the Austin community’s abilities to do so. The goal of the Save Our Springs Alliance, also known as the SOS Alliance, is to protect the Edwards Aquifer and all of its connected streams and reservoirs,
“We’re all responsible for ourselves and what we do.” - Clarissa Melendez Since then, Brodnax and environmentalists in Austin have worked to promote a city lifestyle that continues to protect the city’s natural land, as well as integrate the education and interaction between Austin’s environment and its people. The Save Our Springs Alliance continues to advocate for the protection of 17
cleaning up trash, planting local flora, and pushing for an environmentally conscious school and campus at LASA. However, teens in Austin are active and vocal in her communities in more ways than just one. “I do my best to always like be aware of what I’m doing and how I’m doing it and what I’m using,” says Melendez, and
Students from Austin schools snorkel at Barton Springs Pool at the annual Barton Springs University, an event created by the Save Our Springs Alliance in Austin, TX. (Photo courtesy of the Save Our Springs Alliance).
the Edwards Aquifer, especially in Austin. “It’s very important for our local natural resources that we protect them, especially with all the development we have here, and all the people moving here,” Brodnax says. But how can we protect our environment? “It all boils down to education,” says Clarissa Melendez, a sophomore at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. “As long as we stomp out ignorance in our community and make sure people know what they’re doing, they can make informed decisions to be environmentally conscious, participate in activism and do what they believe in.” Melendez currently attends high school in Austin. As a part of her community, she advocates for her environment in her daily life. “We all come from this one town that strives to be as environmentally conscious as possible,” she says about her current home city, “but still I think we could encourage a bit more of that so that we could really, really focus on maintaining the environment.” She does this through her school’s environmental club, a group devoted to “make the changes students can with the power that they have.” They do so by 18
“People have to show up. People have to be proactive.” - Pat Brodnax she’s not alone. A multitude of young adults in the city advocate for the environment in the regular aspects of their daily life by being conscious of the effects the make on their surroundings. Just by recycling, composting, saving water, encouraging friends to consider environmental aspects in their life, and being vocal in their communities, they’re actively working to make their city more conscious and to make Earth a better, healthier planet. But not everyone in Austin is so open and aware of the challenges facing the environment. “There are people here who go about completely disregarding everything they do in relation to the environment,” says Melendez about her campus. “Each individual person can actually do things to help this issue, and a lot of times, people aren’t taking those opportunities because they think ‘oh, somebody else could do it,’ when really, we’re all responsible for ourselves and what we do.” People continue to be unaware of the threats to their surroundings, and make decisions that harm their environment. Older generations contribute to many of these mistakes. “Older people have gotten accustomed to doing things a certain way and don’t think too much about the impacts of their everyday choices,” says Eric Paulson, Operations Manager at Ecology Action’s
The Environmental Club and administration at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy work on projects to create and sustain a healthy natural environment on campus in Austin, TX. (Gaelila McKaughan/2017).
Circle Acres Nature Preserve. He invites young people to think of what they can do to combat this. “It is important for young people to continually challenge older people about simple choices they make in their everyday lives, like using refillable cups, recycling, not dumping chemicals down the drain, not fertilizing their lawns, etc.” But Melendez believes the real answer to this problem lies in the heart of our society: our education system.
It takes plan, commitment and action to achieve meaningful change.” - Eric Paulson
As a younger generation, teens are constantly made to believe that they do not have a role in their future and the effects of their society. Yet, they will be soon filling in the seats of business workers and politicians, making the decisions that decide the future of the planet and humanity. However, teens can begin to make a Eric Paulson is part of the Ecology Action of difference in Texas, an organization for the betterment their community and restoration of Texan environments, like Circle Acres. (Photo courtesy of the Ecology starting now! Action of Texas). “You can still write the city council,” says Brodnax. You can write to them and educate yourself on what happening so you can take action.” The most important thing to do, knowing this, is to be present. “People have to show up,” says Brodnax. “People have to proactive.” You have to fight for your environment, your beliefs, and to reach your goals for a better a future. Join local communities. Be conscious of the decisions you make. Inform yourself, and educate others. This is the advice of local activists, people who try every day to make our world greener and better for generations to come. There are solutions out there for many of our problems, but it takes a plan, commitment and action to achieve meaningful change,” says Paulson. It’s never too late to start making that commitment.
“We have to promote more education in that department so that people may be more conscious of themselves and contribute to their communities in a positive manner.” Even with the lack of environmental An advice to young adults: be the change education, there’s still so much more young adults can you wish to see in your community. do.
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WHAT IS CCD?
(Colony Collapse Disorder)
BEE-ing the Change
The growing phenomon in which 50-90% of bee colony population in the U.S. has
DISSAPEARED.
THIAMENTHOXAM
and other pesticides have shown affects a bee’s homing ability and weakens their immunity. Other pesticides worsen wing viruses in infected honey bees. Habitat loss and global warming are also likely causes.
WHY?
This is mostly a result of adult bees leaving the hive to find pollen and never
returning.
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Chloe Brown
Researchers have found several possible causes...
HOW CAN I HELP? If you buy honey, research your brand’s treatment of pesticides and the way they handle bees in general. You could also buy locally sourced honey that uses pesticide-free methods.
supporting our buzzing and fuzzy friends
You could also try to build your own beehive, grow bee-friendly plants, and even contact your congressmen-- currently, research funding for bees is very critical!
HOW DO BEES AFFECT ME? Bees are responsible for pollinating fruits like apples, vegetables like tomatoes, beans and seeds like coffee beans, and flowers like orchids which produces vanilla. Without bees, these foods would likely dissapear. We would also loose a source of oxygen. If that isn’t enough, bees account for more than $15 billion a year in U.S. crops.
Sources: Cruelty-Free Kitty People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals The Humane Society of the United States The U.S. Food & Drug Administration Neavs
It is estimated that more than 115 million animals( including mice, rats, and rabbits) are often killed in laboratory experiments per year around the world. Many of these experiments are used to test the safety of makeup, skincare, shampoos and even some toothpastes. This is known as
ANIMAL TESTING. The FDA says that manufacturers must establish safety for new products by testing, but supports safe alternatives such as models based on human cell and tissue.
ALTERNATIVE TESTING BENEFITS:
The results are more reliable than traditional testing The tests are practical and more inexpensive The cruelty-free products are more enivornmentally It is completely humane!
One way you can make a difference in animal testing is by shopping crueltyfree. That means the product you buy has used alternative testing instead of traditional testing.
SOME CRUELTY Too Faced FREE COSMETIC Lush Smashbox COMPANIES:
Kat Von D Elf Lakita
friendly
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
L’Oreal with exception Anastasia Beverly Hills 21 Fenty
bike AUSTIN Here is the ultimate guide to biking in Austin. Learn more about the benefits of biking and more! Gaelila McKaughan
Why Biking as Transportation? Healthier For You
Cycling to work lowers your risk of dying early by 40%, and of dying from cancer by 45%.
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40%
45%
Lowers Air Pollution
80% of carbon monoxide in atmosphere comes from motorized vehicles. Bikes contribute zero pollutants to the atmosphere, which is healthier for the
image source for Earth: images.google.com Information acquired from a study at the University of Glasgow
Austin Best Recreational Biking Locations Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail The Butler Hike and Bike Trail offers a beautiful, natural landscape in the very heart of Austin, where you can interact with a vibrant community of people for a full stretch of 10 miles! source: images.google.com
Barton Creek Greenbelt There are many wonderful things about the Barton Creek Greenbelt, including its beautiful limestone bluffs, refreshing swimming holes, and its biking trail! You can take your bicycle on a vigorous mountain biking trail or an easy trail, the perfect start to a sunny weekend in Austin. source: images.google.com
Biking Essentials
Wear a helmet for protection
Pack a cellphone for emergency contact
Use a bike light, bell, and lock to keep you and your bike safe
Bring a water bottle to keep hydrated
all other graphic designs created by Gaelila McKaughan
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Living “Waste Free” for a Week A personal essay on an average freshmen’s attempt at living “Waste Free” By: Maricarmen Marquez
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Yellow flowers sway in the wind outside the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, in Austin, TX. (Gaelila Mckaughan/2017)
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andfills are filling up and multiplying; plastic bottles are flooding the ocean, aluminum cans are filling parks and roadsides. The more people there are on earth the more, the more trash that is being produced, the more it’s hurting ecosystems and the creatures living in them. Living waste free is supposed to be reducing your waste is critical, composting is your holy grail, reusing your old trash and turn into something new. Could living residue free be the future lifestyle? I am going to try to live waste free for a week and for someone who has a lot of trouble understanding what goes into the recycling, I can already know that this isn’t going to be easy for me. I’m going to try to implement the waste-free lifestyle into my life; I am going to start things like composting, gardening and excessive recycling into my life and see if I maybe learn something new that I can keep. I want to try to do this to see how people that have this lifestyle how they manage and I want to know if it is as hard as many perceive this lifestyle to be. I am going to this experience trying to see if this is needed and if the excessiveness of the lifestyle is helpful towards the
Earth’s health. First Day The first day started off with a couple of bumps because my mom packed my lunch and used two Ziploc bags and a sheet of foil, which made start living waste free very rocky. The school day went better than the morning, but what I noticed was that I kept forgetting to recycle my waste and I also forgot in general that I was doing this challenge. During lunch I made sure to put all of my food scraps in a bag to take them home to put them in a freezer. (I learned that when you don’t have a compost you can freeze your food scraps until you actually make your compost bin.) Second Day The second day was terrible because all the food my parents is pre-package and as a 14-year-old who lives in their parents’ house, I can’t control things what my parent have already bought. Like the first day I did have a lot of bumps throughout the day, but everything eventually finally got better because I persisted through it and cut myself some slack by only focusing on the things I could do. 25
in non-recyclable containers. But other than that it was alright.
1. Trade plastic bags for a reusable shopping tote. 2. Swap one-time-use water bottles for a stainless steel one... - Isabelle Chapman The Liberal Arts and Science Academy is a high school in Austin, TX . (Gaelila Mckaughan/2017)
Third Day The third I finally started to get in the mentality that I was doing this it started to get more comfortable, and I began to look forward to waking up and do something productive with my life. Each day I would learn something new about living waste free; I learned that before you open anything that is packaged, to always read if the package is recyclable before you begin/use it. Fourth Day The fourth day was very stressful because I had already gotten to the middle of the week and I had a lot of homework, making it very hard for me to wake up early pack a perfect waste free lunch. This day was probably the worst because I was really stressed with school which made me very cranky because I couldn’t snack on anything throughout the day.
Seventh Day The seventh day felt very bittersweet because I was excited to go back to hamburgers and chips, but I was still sad that I was done on my journey of living waste free. I learned a lot from this experience like eating healthy can really improve your mood and improve your overall state of mind, I noticed that was a lot happier than normal and I had a higher self-esteem because I felt like I was doing something positive to change the world for the better. Many people live waste free now because increasing problems with the environment caused by pollution and a flux of garbage; Isabelle Chapman states that average American generates 4.4 pounds of trash every day, creating more landfills to fill up. Hearing these facts such as landfills filling up and debris ending up in the ocean made me want to try to live waste free and how in the long run, it can have significant effects. For example, the
Fifth Day The fifth day was a lot better than the first making me a lot happier. I was able to pack a lunch that was fit the waste free requirements; while learning a new recipe for chicken noodle soup. I was able to empty out my compost bin, into the larger one that was conveniently given to us my our local government which made living waste free way easier. Sixth Day I had a very good day, I really enjoyed having such healthy lunches that were always really well prepared and were eco-friendly. I did have some trouble that day because I wasn’t able to eat any of the takeout that my 26 parents brought for dinner because they all came
Recycling and trash dumpsters outside the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX . (Gaelila Mckaughan 2017)
more you can reduce and cut the more self-reliant you become, you are also helping cutting down with unneeded plastic that can’t be
It’s better to just ingrain a lot of those aspects of a wastefree life onto your lifestyle. - Gaelila McKaughan recycled or reused, and you aren’t wasting food scraps. Living waste free can help you lead a healthier lifestyle because to get things unpackaged you go to like, the farmers market that is local and fresh goods, unlike highly packaged foods that have to heavily processed. So many of the products we buy are harmful to the environment. Gaelila McKaughan says “We use so many products when we already have so many in existence and those products just go into waste facilities.” Although there a lot of positives to living waste free, going residue free for just a week is tight. When I first started, I had to remind myself not to pick anything that couldn’t be recycled or composted. I also had to tell myself a lot when I packed my lunch to put everything in reusable, where usually I opt for a Ziploc bag. I also had to remember to compost all of my food scraps and make sure that I was storing them correctly in the freezer so they wouldn’t be entirely unusable. Implementing these pieces into my daily life was frankly difficult and straining to my routine. McKaughan understands these feelings. “It’s good to recycle, to compost and to reuse,” she says, but she creates a different conclusion on the importance of a waste-free life. “I probably wouldn’t commit to it because I feel like it’s not worth it. It’s better to just ingrain a lot of those aspects of a waste-free life onto your lifestyle.” After that week I don’t think I am going to be able to live a waste-free life because it is just terrible to be 14 with no money nor control for what is bought in a house and to still try to be waste-free. I had a lot of trouble this week because I didn’t know what I could accept or what I had to refuse. By accepting the existense and constant use of these uneccesary and wasteful products, am I indirectly contributing to a terrible cause? For example, if someone would offer me some chips from a bag of chips
I wouldn’t know if I was allowed to because I would’ve partaken in making trash. I also had a lot of trouble distinguishing what I could do with a waste-free life. I tried to read a lot of instructions, but I had a lot of different opinions on what was considered waste free. During my project, I followed a very group general guidelines, made by Isabelle Chapman, a journalist for CNN: 1. Trade plastic bags for a reusable shopping tote. 2. Swap one-time-use water bottles for a stainless steel one. 3. Pick up a set of reusable utensils that you can take with you on the go. 4. When you order a drink, ask for it without a plastic straw compostable, use sustainable toothbrushes instead of plastic ones.” Following these guidelines made it way easier to be able to do this for a week, and they were beneficial to me, mainly because they were made for people that were just starting to ease into the lifestyle. In conclusion, this experience was enriching for me, in the end, to see that I accomplished something like that was eye opening. Although I didn’t commit completely to the lifestyle, I feel like I’ll take a lot of these parts into my own life! Living waste-free for a week just made me notice how many things are already packaged and come highly processed; it opened my eyes to be more conscious on how people live with lifestyle and how, in a way, they have to think about every action they take because it could affect the way they think and their surroundings.
A person holds soil created by compostinng. (http:// www.incirlik.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/301150/earth-day-a-reminder-to-protect-environment//Anthony Sanchelli/2017)
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CONTRIBUTORS
layout editor
Dylan Rothell-Hernandez Hey peeps! Welcome to the Good-Natured buddies first magazine! I’m Dylan, a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, Texas. Being a part of the Good-Natured magazine has been an amazing experience and has taught me a lot of useful skills I will most likely need one day. I love that I was able to work on such an amazing project with equally amazing people. We chose our magazine topic to inform people why it’s important to keep the earth and yourself healthy, and ways you can do so. In writing my article for this magazine it made me want to be healthier and make healthier choices and I hope that other people get the same experience as me. At school you can find me walking around with my friends, sitting outside on the bleachers, or in the art room working on our latest assignment. My hobbies include eating food, drawing, watching netflix, and hanging out with my friends. On my downtime I enjoy long walks to the fridge, sleeping, and playing with my dogs. I’d like to thank Ms.Giulietti for not giving up on me even though I turned almost everything in late. I would also like to thank the Starbucks on Westgate for providing me coffee everyday to keep me woke.
copy + content editor
Chloe Brown
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Hey there! I am Chloe Brown, and I am a writer for the Good-Natured magazine. I am (unfortunately) only a freshman at LASA High School in Austin, TX. I have been a tree-hugging hippie for my whole life and I have a strong love for animals. The Graphic Design class, casually known as E-zine, sparked my interest the moment I walked in because it allowed me to convey my inner flower child through the art of computer graphics. Immediately after being assigned to my fantastic group, we knew that we should definitely focus our magazine on the environment, as we all had a passion for the well-being of our planet. Luckily for me, my group was also fixed on making amazing layouts, which also meant that sometimes, we had to tell each other what we didn’t like about one another’s work (yikes)! Other than being a huge environmentalist and perfectionist, I also love to listen to indie artists and getting one hundreds on my report card (the latter is a rare occurrence)! I want to thank my group members for being honest, supportive, and for keeping me very entertained. Last but definitely not least, I want to thank Mrs. Giulietti for the wonderful tricks she has taught me through Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and the delicious oreos on
feature editor
Gaelila McKaughan I am super excited to present the finished first edition of Good-Natured Magazine to readers! I currently attend the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX, as a freshman student, and working on this magazine with my Good-Natured buddies has been one of the best experiences of my first semester. I wrote these articles to try and reach out to readers on the importance of caring for your environment with all the power you have to do so, and I hope that my writing inspired others in some way as working on this project has inspired myself. Through my Graphic Design (E-Zine) class, I’ve gained a new interest in graphic design, and a larger skillset in once complicated computer programs. Other than being overly nitpicky about layouts and annoying my friends, I also enjoy eating plantain chips, being at the beach, dancing spontaneously, cold weather, taking photos, and drinking tea. I’d like to thank Ms. Giulietti for her endless supply of tea bags, which have helped me successfully pass her class and have something to look forward to. I’d also like to thank the GoodNatured Buddies for being a fantastic group and support system through all the stressful yet fun moments in this class.
photos + graphics editor
Maricarmen Marquez Hello readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to open up our magazine and reading all about how to be an Earth Momma. I currently attend the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX, as a freshman. Working on this magazine with my friends has truly been the highlight of my freshmen year. I was super excited to write all about conserving the environment and how to be one with nature. Through all of this I have learned that there is nothing better than making a magazine with your friends. I am super proud of all the things I have learned and all of the new skills that I have gained through this class and through making this magazine. Other than hanging out with my friends and dancing awkwardly in random hallways, I also love to eat Takis and pretty much any foods that will kill my stomach, listening to music, scrolling through Instagram for hours, wearing hoops and checkered vans, and being overly loud. I would also like to thank my parents for giving birth to me, and Ms. Giulietti for always answering my questions, even if they’re really dumb. I also want to say thank you to my Good- Natured buddies for always being there for me from ugly cover pictures to badly constructed layouts. Thank you queens!
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XOXO, the Good-Natured Team 30