Welcome to Waitangi Day

A shot from earlier this year, at Omaha beach

Well, I didn't officially make it to the Lantern Festival, but I did take a stroll through Albert Park Monday morning before all of the lanterns were taken down! I'd say that counts for something, no? I celebrated the Super Bowl on Monday with a crowd of American tourists at a sports bar in down town Auckland. The live coverage began at noon. Unfortunately the commercial breaks where occupied by NZ ESPN commercials as opposed to the American ads. Anyway, I did my best touch down dance to celebrate the last minute victory of the New York Giants (New York being my future home and all!). Who were you cheering for?

I also went canyoning this weekend.  It was about a four hour trip in the Waitakere ranges, fondly known as the Waitaks, just out of Auckland. There's a little dirt car park just off the road... from there you walk down a fairly steep trail for about 15 minutes, and then up another steep trial for another 30. Then its downhill from there! There's a stream that runs through the Waitakeres with lots of little water falls that you jump into : ) There are about 10 jumps and in between you hike down the stream. Then its another half hour hike back up the mountain to the car. It was such an incredible trip and I had to stop and take a minute to soak it all in. The forest in the Waitaks is incredible and when you stop to look around its almost surreal. Pictures were taken, but with a friend's waterproof camera. I'll see if she can email them to me so I can share : )

On Sunday I went to a barbecue all afternoon, because that's just what kiwis do ; ), but it also happened to conveniently coincide with Waitangi weekend. Waitang iday (last Monday) is the New Zealand equivalent of the fourth of July. The day, however, is met with far fewer celebratory fireworks, and far more protests. If you don't know a lot about New Zealand politics, take a minute to look up the Treaty of Waitangi. It's very controversial, as some believe that the treaty is part of New Zealand's history and should not play a role in modern NZ government, and others believe that the Treaty should still be strictly adhered to. It's quite a complex issue that is surrounded by debate.

I've been thinking a lot about politics lately, especially considering the fact that I will be able to vote in the 2012 presidential election. I've been following the Republican primaries and reading up on the candidates, as well as doing more research into what President Obama has done during his term. Frankly, there's not a single candidate who I can whole heartedly endorse. There are so many issues to consider as well as the candidates' general character. It could be the slanderous efforts of each candidate's opposition, but does it not seem that each and every one of them has some kind of smudge in his record? Is it too much to ask to have the opportunity to vote for someone who has not cheated on his wife, worked for a questionable organization or paid a lower tax percentage than he required of his constituents? Of course we all have our flaws, but a little moral and ethical excellence couldn't hurt when there is such an important job on the line.
In the end, I know that my views on each and every issue will not be embodied by one "perfect" ; ) candidate, so I'll just have to apply the principle of the saying "you vote with your dollar." I heard a friend say this over the weekend and the truth in the phrase is really dawning on me. In a move to apply it to my life, I spent quite a lot of time in the grocery store yesterday considering my purchases.

Food is just one facet of the principle (others include clothing, electronics, energy etc.), but it is also a relatively simple one that can truly make a difference if you take the time to do research into the things that you buy. So, lets take a minute to talk about chocolate. I just a read an article on the CNN website about ethical chocolate production (similar video here). It turns out, that unless the chocolate product features a Fair Trade or Rain Forest Alliance symbol, it is almost certainly produced with cocoa that is harvested using child slavery in Africa. As I browsed through the chocolate section at the grocery store I found that some companies certify some, but not all of there products and that there are FAR more products that are uncertified than are certified. Some companies didn't even have any Fair Trade products (Note: these symbols will be prominently displayed on the front of the package.) My favorite dark chocolate sea salt chocolate bar didn't make any mention of the issue on their packaging. However, a similar 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar was both organic and ALL of the ingredients were certified Fair Trade. In addition to this, the chocolate was wrapped up in recyclable packaging. And, here's the kicker... the bars were the same price! Of course I chose to support the company that cares for its ingredient suppliers and the environment. And as an added bonus- the chocolate was great. Also, did you know that any chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or above is actually considered a health food when consumed in moderation? Its so rich, its unlikely you would feel the need to eat excessive amounts anyway, unlike chocolates with very low cocoa content whose number one ingredient is most often sugar. I would really like to encourage everyone to pay attention to how their chocolate is produced, it is such a simple change that can actually change lives.

Some other things I noticed on my shopping trip were that companies whose food is organic are more likely to have more efficient, recyclable packaging. These products were generally a bit more expensive that their competition, but not always. I bought a package of organic whole wheat crackers for just five cents more than the price of the non organic type I usually buy. The crackers I purchased came in a recyclable paper package (which was printed with soy ink!), while the other brand's product was wrapped in a double layer of non recyclable plastic. In these situation where the price is comparable, obviously make the switch to organic! Even if the organic product is a bit more expensive that the non organic product, purchase the organic if you can afford to do so. By doing this, you will be supporting an environment whose soil, water and air is burdened with fewer chemicals. (Note: the benefit of organic products is almost solely environmental. Research has shown that the only organic food products that are more healthy than their non-organic counter parts are milk and tomatoes.)

Another consideration is where the food you are buying comes from. Was it made locally or shipped from half way across the world? Consider the fuel that was used to ship that item to your local grocery store and perhaps opt for something that was produced locally. Not only will you be reducing the amount of fuel that was used, but you'll also be supporting your local economy, which can only benefit you.

I also looked at the free range/ grass fed/ cage free/ organic meat, eggs and other various dairy products while shopping. I used to consider these phrases to be trendy labels that made the buyer perceive their purchase to be a more healthy option... however, in reality, they typically denote a company that is environmentally friendly and that supports the ethical treatment of animals. (Note: its important to research the specific company to ensure their practices are legitimate and you're not paying a higher price for misleading advertising.) Though I realize it is not feasible to sustain the consumption of products such as free range eggs globally, every bit helps.

Considering every penny you spend as a "vote" of support for what you believe is an idea that goes beyond the grocery store... Many companies, especially large ones, support political agendas. For example, I just read an article about a boycott of Starbucks coffee and was interested to find out that Starbucks, along with a number of other companies  including Nike and Google, are supporting an upcoming bill to legalize gay marriage in Washington state. If you are in support of gay marriage, you may want to make your next pair of running shoes Nike. If you're not for gay marriage, perhaps you'll make the decision to drive past the neighborhood Starbucks and take your coffee money to the nearest Bigby.

So, in conclusion, find out how the things you buy are produced, where they are produced, how the company treats its workers, what environmental protection policy the company has in place and what causes/ political candidates/ government agendas the company supports. Do your research and be an informed voter, because unlike the presidential election where you can only choose from a limited number of options, you have complete freedom as a consumer to support whatever companies and causes you want. It takes a bit of extra time and thought, but in the end you can feel good about knowing that your money is going to support your viewpoints, whatever they may be.

Ok. Rant over : ).  I've just been finding this topic really interesting in the past few days (don't get me started on extra virgin olive oil!). It's my hope that you might put a bit of thought into it as well.

In other news, the big change that I hinted to last week is that I'm moving again. The move will take place this Saturday and I'm actually really looking forward to it. I'm optimistic that this will be a positive change, and I'll certainly talk more about it later.

Please forgive the fact that this post is completely devoid of pictures (and also execptionally long)! I will do my best to find something interesting to photograph this week, amidst my usual schedule of class, work and sporting activities. If you've got a minute, like I did this morning, hop on your iTunes account and take a look at iTunes U! I was so excited to download the full "introduction to psychology" lecture series by a Harvard professor (and a number of other lectures... I just couldn't stop clicking "free download"!) Can you believe that you can "take" a Harvard University course for FREE from anywhere? What an amazing thing the Internet is. I also went on a bit of a downloading spree, purchasing songs like "Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton and music by Tracy Chapman, The Monkees and Cat Stevens that I remember listening to on cassette in the car with my dad when I was young.

I hope you're having a good week!

Lots of Love,
A