Links Grow on Trees – And So Does Good Food!

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Earth and Money by Earth and Money

This weekend, I want to let someone else do the talking. Birke Baehr is an 11-year old kid, but he’s got the wisdom of a 40-year old and he wants to tell you what he thinks about our current food system. This is a short video, about 5 minutes, and its well worth the watch!!

I particularly love his quote that you can either pay for good food now or pay for hospital bills later. I plan to do some more talking about the food system in future posts, but if you’re interested in learning more, you could check out some of my past posts on food issues. I also want to share with you an update on the issue of triclosan – the environmentally toxic anti-bacterial agent that I wrote about back in April. A new study has been released showing that triclosan impairs muscle function in animals and human tissue. The evidence supporting the restriction of triclosan just keeps piling up but governments aren’t moving very quickly. If you are purchasing household sanitation products, remember not to buy anti-bacterial or anti-microbial products – they are no better than soap and water.

Last week’s articles were featured in a number of carnivals and link roundups this week:

Ethical Mutual Funds – A Better Way to Invest? was featured in:

Finance Carnival, hosted by Wealth Artisan
Carnival of Money Pros, hosted by Aaron Hung
Yakezie Carnival, hosted by The College Investor

Investing to Save the World was featured in:

Carnival of Financial Planning, hosted by Cult of Money
Personal Finance Happy Hour, hosted by Canadian Personal Finance
Personal Finance Week in Review, hosted by One Smart Dollar
Favorite Blog Posts, hosted by Modest Money
Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Investing Answers
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie, hosted by My University Money
Favorite Posts of the Week, hosted by The Outlier Model

Thanks to all the bloggers and carnival hosts who linked back to me this week! As I bid you adieu for the weekend, here are some great articles that I was reading in the blogosphere this week:

Ed Rempel at Million Dollar Journey evaluates whether or not equities are dying…again. An interesting read for you investing junkies
Staying on the investment track, My Own Advisor asks how many dividend stocks are enough for a self-directed portfolio. I’m looking to start doing some more hands-on investing in the future, and this is something that I have definitely been asking myself.
Speaking of local food, Marie at Prairie Eco-Thrifter outlines her attempt to grow fruit in her backyard and how the squirrels are spoiling her efforts. I sympathize completely - squirrels are among my worst enemies.
See Debt Run raised some interesting strategies to deal with that one question that gets asked in every job interview – “Do you have any questions?”. A worthy read for those on the job market.
Teacher Man at Young and Thrifty looks at the cost of owning and maintaining a family cottage. As we get down to the end of summer, I’m sure we’ll be soaking up the last chances to go to the cottage and asking ourselves again in the Fall if its really worth the cost of not using it all winter.
Steve Zussino at Sustainable Personal Finance reminds us that keeping an old refrigerator may be costing more money than its worth. I know beer tastes better cold, but its not worth the premium!
Big Cajun Man at the Canadian Personal Finance Blog voices his frustration with Telus and their cell phone department. All the big three, Robellus as I call them, will gouge you for every penny they can unless you know how to work the system.
and lastly, Jeremy at Modest Money looks at the pros and cons of switching careers. I’m in the middle of a career change and its a scary thing to do, but if you believe in yourself, it will work out in the end!

Did you watch the video? What do you think of Birke’s ideas and thoughts?

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How to Deal with a Bad Landlord

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Earth and Money by Earth and Money

Angry Portrait | Source: jenschapter3 on Flickr via CC BY 2.0 Licence A few weeks ago I posted about some of the reasons why renting may be a better option for some than buying a home. There’s one big reason though why buying can be better than renting – the bad landlord. Does anyone actually like their landlord? I’ve never had a landlord that I liked. Even just the name, ‘landlord’, predisposes me to not like them. I don’t like that they are the ‘lord of my land’. I don’t live in the middle ages. I don’t plan on mounting a revolution to reclaim my land. I just want to rent an apartment. So why can’t landlords just be property managers and manage their properties with ethics and standards. Is that too much to ask?

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A Productive Nine Weeks!

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Earth and Money by Earth and Money

Finish Line | Source: jayneandd on Flickr via CC BY 2.0 Licence On June 7th, I launched myself into a 9-week productivity challenge. The challenge was to complete 9 tasks in 9 weeks. I wasn’t sure that making the list would motivate me but I figured it would give me some goals for the summer. Last week marked the end of that 9 weeks, so I thought I’d take a moment to recap how I did.

Get married with a minimal amount of stress. Result: DONE! I took her finger and I put a ring on it, on budget, in a sustainable way and with minimal stress as planned. It turned out to be one of the best days of my life!
Finish the first draft of my thesis by mid-July. Result: DONE! It was a slog, but I finished my thesis on time, and now I defend today! Continue reading →

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Links Grow on Trees – Defending Like an Olympian!

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Earth and Money by Earth and Money

Swordplay | Source: eschipul on Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence Tuesday is the day! On Tuesday afternoon, I’m defending my Master’s Thesis, the product of the last 16 months of my working life. I feel inspired by the Olympics to defend. Seeing all these athletes come out with intensity and passion has been fuelling me to cut down my academic committee on any question they can come up. For those unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works. Two weeks ago, I gave my academic committee (made up of my supervisor and two other professors at the University) a final copy of my thesis manuscript. They have spent the last two weeks reviewing it, poking holes in it and trying to find mistakes. On Tuesday, I have to give a 20-30 minute presentation summarizing the thesis, and then they will set about their task of challenging me on every aspect of the document. In response, I have to defend my work. I’ve heard of thesis defences that were quick and easy, lasting maybe half an hour. I’ve heard of marathon defences that go on into the night. Whatever the case may be, I will resist the temptation to break down and curl up on the floor. I will stand tall, I will be proud of my work and I will defend it to the death. OK, maybe not to the death…

Last week’s articles were featured in a number of carnivals and link roundups this week:

Are We Funding Our Own Demise was featured in:

Carnival of Money Pros, hosted by Finance Product Reviews
Carnival of Retirement, hosted by Debt Black Hole
Yakezie Carnival, hosted by See Debt Run
and you’ll never expect to see what you’ll see on Blue Collar Workman‘s link roundup, For the Love of Feet.

The Value of the Corporate Social Responsibility Label was featured in:

Young and Thrifty‘s Weekend Ramblings
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie, hosted by My Money Counsellor
Modest Money‘s Beginning of August 2012 Favorite Blog Posts
Finance Carnival, hosted by Wealth Artisan
Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by My Personal Finance Journey

Thanks to all the bloggers and carnival hosts who linked back to me this week! As I bid you adieu for the weekend, here are some great articles that I was reading in the blogosphere this week:

Boomer and Echo are celebrating their two year blogging anniversary with a big giveaway!
Teacher Man at Young and Thrifty posted an interesting article about hedge funds and how mutual funds are like the minor leagues of investing.
Jordann at My Alternate Life reviewed an eco-friendly, biodegradable dog poop bag that is worth a look if you’re a pet owner!
Shawanda at Fabulously Broke in the City makes a case for living in small spaces. I live in a pretty small space, and the biggest thing to overcome is the accumulation of stuff!
Daisy at Add Vodka gives some recommendations for saving money on road trips. I’m thinking about going on a road trip before the end of the summer, and one of the things I’m looking forward to is the cheaper gas in rural areas.
Daisy also did a guest post at Prairie Eco-Thrifter, highlighting some green, frugal alternatives to going to the gym. Really, unless its snowing outside, all the cardio workouts you do at a gym can be done for free outdoors. Here in Toronto, we now have some parks that have outdoor gym equipment for the public to use.
Squawkfox shared a great idea that has sprung up in her community – a book tree. I would love to see something like this in my community. Maybe I should start it…
Sean at One Smart Dollar shares some ideas for making money at home. This past spring, I got a freelancing photography gig. I’ve been long thinking about maybe trying to sell some of my prints at a local farmer’s market if I can get over the hump of the initial capital cost to make all the prints.

Lots of great articles this week! Happy Weekend Everyone and wish me luck!

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Investing to Save the World

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Earth and Money by Earth and Money

Earth | Source: DonkeyHotey on Flickr via CC BY 2.0 Licence The following is a condensed, less academic excerpt of a paper I recently wrote for my final graduate course. It also represents the completion of Task #3 on my 9-Week Productivity Challenge and the conclusion of a series of posts here on Earth and Money related the social and environmental impacts of our investments. The series began two weeks ago with a look at an emerging type of investment vehicle, community bonds, then introduced how we might be funding our own demise, what corporate social responsibility represents, and whether ethical mutual funds are a better way to invest.

In the environmental health world, decisions are frequently made based on a concept called the precautionary principle. The principle states that in the absence of scientific evidence for the safety of a product or action, we should act on the side of precaution. This can be achieved through four central actions:

“Taking preventative action in the face of uncertainty; shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an activity; exploring a wide range of alternatives to possibly harmful actions; and increasing public participation in decision making.” (Kriebel et al., 2001)

The reality is that this doesn’t apply exclusively to environmental health. In fact, as investors, we can enact the precautionary principle, to make better investment choices that promote a healthier, better world.

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