Proposed to the United Nations by Slovenia in 2017 and observed ever since on 20th May, World Bee Day promotes the role of bees and other pollinators that help keep people and the planet healthy, highlighting the challenges they face. 20th May hold’s a special meaning in Slovenia as it’s the birthday of Anton Janša who pioneered modern beekeeping or apiculture in 1794. 2022 theme is Bee Engaged: Celebrating The Diversity of Bees and Beekeeping Systems.
Why a United Nations day for bees?! Bees along with bird and bats help pollinate nearly 35% of the world’s crops! 3 out of 4 crops world wide are dependant on pollinators. No bees, no life! Out of all the pollinators, bees are the number one pollinators and major global employment recruiter. They provide millions of people with jobs ranging from agricultural, food and hospitality industries, cosmetics and skincare industries and pharmaceutical industries to name a few!
This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest in Our Planet and I might get a little soap boxy. Just warning ya.
Earth Day has been celebrated globally since 1970 and is held on the 22nd April each year to promote awareness and demonstrate support for environmental protection. To be honest I think this message has been lost with the rise of influencers posing in fields of flowers, backdrops of mountains, beaches saying oh how we should protect this earth with using my discount code for xyz sponsor. Earth Day isn’t about the influencer, the main focus of those photo. It’s about the fields of flowers being the focus, tall majestic mountain ranges, the blue oceans and seas. They’re the focus. They’re the ones paying the price for human consumerism. I’m guilty of it, the buying into items! I’m not perfect. However every 22nd of April I roll my eyes at the wanna be influencers, made it influencers, brands with never gave a crap to start with suddenly caring about the environment. Honestly I check out of it. The message has been lost.
Materials courtesy from nature so humans can have fun parasailing!
So many of us can’t fight corporations, the big money, however we can with the choices we make with our money. I know it’s not easy. Goods still need to be transported and that requires lorries, trucks, shipping both by air and sea. That I don’t think will change. The type of fuel for them maybe. Sometimes I don’t think this is taken into account purchasing items. Sometimes look local before buying online. The shipping will have been less in terms of destination. Items still need to be shipped and people needs jobs. I always think if I really need the item before ordering online. Could I get it locally, do I really needed it, what’s my mood today? Is it a quick fix to feel good? I think this way regardless of it’s from a sustainable brand or not. A sustainable brand still wants you to buy its item, they still need to market it attractively, it still needs to be shipped, it’s still part of consumerism. Just because it’s sustainable, doesn’t mean you need it.
I think you get the idea of Invest In Our Planet with money. Do research on brands that line with your ethics. I love beauty products. They are often my most used plastic consummation. I’m always trying to reduct the amount of plastic I use which I share here on natjtan with Recycle Less finds. Food and beauty items being the top plastic consumption.
Sometimes you don’t realise how much you take something for granted until it’s gone. Like when the water pump in my building fails and left without water for an afternoon.
‘Agua no potable’. Non drinking water
That means no flushing the toilet, no washing hands, no drinking water, no cups of tea, no washing up, not even boiling a pan of water to cook vegetables. Just a feeling of feeling dirty, how much you rely on water out a tap on demand and to be honestly helpless. Now for those just in case afternoons which have only happened 3 times in the last few years, I have a 6 litre water bottle just in case stored away. I should probably learn how to filter water too as a survivalist. Those moments of not having any water make you think about how you’d survive without water or electricity if you didn’t have clean water skills or knowing how to build fires to cook and be warm or even a generator. I wouldn’t survive long!
However I’m always trying to save on water. More so for the environment. The water bill followed. That’s risen so much in the last few months as energy costs have soared in Europe. I don’t even want to talk about the electricity bill. I’m using the same amount of electricity yet it’s approx €63 more a month. Now I for sure unplug the toaster and kettle when not in use.
The past few years I’ve been using the following tips that have now become second nature. They do save, yet it doesn’t help the hot water takes so long to come through!:
When shampooing and conditioning my hair I turn off the shower. This saves quite a lot of water. Yes, might be chilly in the winter but honestly you get used to it.
When cleansing my face in the shower I again turn off the shower while applying cleanser.
Shaving my legs, again you guessed it I turn off the shower!
Turn off the tap/faucet while brushing teeth.
Turn off the tap while washing hands. It doesn’t need to be on the whole hand washing sequence. I know however with older turn/compression taps as opposed to lever taps this is tricker to impossible.
Welcome back to another Weekend Friday Favourites! I think sunny spring will be here a few days. The grey skies are making way light grey white blue skies!
Anyways, Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week. In no particular order;
I’m not really museum person. I appreciate them however my attention span isn’t too great if wandering around indoors unless I’m visually engaged. I can manage an hour before I’m missing the sun and the fresh air! That said, I stumbled, literally stumbled upon a few months ago on the MOCO Museum. A contemporary art museum recently opened in El Born . Every now and then it’s nice to cycle or wander around the Born. To be honest it was the bright pink gift shop, pink balloons outside and Minnie Mouse that isn’t sculpture by Kaws in the courtyard that enticed me in. It looked busy so I said another day. Getting my days mixed up this week, not sure what to do and realising once the zoo hours change next week and the tourist season starting it was my last chance to visit while it wasn’t busy.
Guillermo Lorca, Little Garden. I have no idea what’s going, yet the detail!
Twinning with the main museum in Amsterdam, Moco Museum Barcelona takes you on a journey through modern, contemporary and up and coming artists. Downstairs showcases 80’s artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, up and coming arts before heading upstairs to Banksy and Guillermo Lorca. I wouldn’t say museum is the right word to describe it, more art gallery however taking in the account the flow of the space as it finishes with NFT’s and light installations perhaps museumish.
Banksy Home Sweet Home. I’ve no idea why I laugh out aloud when I saw it
The entrance fee is steep at €17.50 outside of off peak hours however around 17.45 the entrance fee drops to €14.50 as they close at 19.00 (I think the entrance fee is so much to cover the insurance on all the pieces). One hour is plenty to see all and I left feeling inspired. While I didn’t understand the concept of Guillermo Lorca’s paintings, his artwork is amazing. Banksy’s cheekiness had me laughing out aloud and Kaws use of colour was amazing! The building where the museum is housed, the courtyard is out of fairytales with a rich history behind it. That’s the charm about EL Born past its dark, stinky alleyways, so many doors open up to amazing courtyards and architecture.
Diamond Matric . Studio Irma. Hundreds of led diamonds changing colours in a mirrored room where everywhere you looked diamond travelling for infinity. With the music it was kinda peaceful.
This week I’ve noticed Here Begins the Sea, don’t throw throw waste/residue down popping up in the city centre, like I noticed in California and Hawaii. Maybe someone in the Barcelona council was inspired by a USA trip!
Welcome back to another Weekend Friday Favourites of things that have made me smile or caught my eye this week!
I hope your week’s going okay. Spring’s saying hello both in its sunny days, slightly warmer temps and its rainy grey day as winter’s whispers it’s see ya laters. I’m just finally used to writing 2022 or 22 and not 2021/21. On third of the year’s already passed!
I featured in a recent Beauty Finds, Karina More’s 21 day facial massage, facial exercises and postural exercise to help lift the face without botox, fillers or plastic surgery in a way to help Ukraine through skin care. This week she released via Instagram her book The Marathon*. It was meant to be a bound book however the current war in Ukraine has stopped this. She’s offering a PDF format form as little as €1 although I personally think she should have the minimum higher. She said she can’t accept money without offering something in return to help Ukraine. For now it’s purchased in PDF format via Google Drive. I was going to repurchase The Marathon as I wanted to check after a year I’m still doing the exercises correctly. With the book you not only get written explanations and QR Codes for the exercise videos, you get all the science behind how our faces age, how massage works which is also want I was looking for. I’ve downloaded it on my phone, iPad, printed it out as I don’t always want to look at a screen and for sure when it’s physically printed in traditional book format I’ll buy it again!
*As she’s the biggest Ukrainian influencer she wants to use her platform for the world to see what’s happening in Ukraine so in-between the facial exercises you may see posts of shelling etc.
natjtan 