Tag Archives: eco-friendly

WWOOFing

Cuban, Environment, Food, Gay, How-To, Lesbian, Organic Farming, Queer, , , , , , ,

wwoofing
I think having a goal, and a relatively fabulous goal at that, is an important motivating force in achieving the ever elusive “success” I desire. I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week. The goal not only has to be fabulous but also realistic, which is more complicated than you may think. My goal when starting Mushpa y Mensa was solely to be able to live and work for myself on some gorgeous beach. While this is an amazing goal to have, there are no specific steps to take besides achieving success. I need more than that to motivate me. I need a “road map” to get there. What I mean is I need smaller goals to get to the big one. Then it hit me yesterday, WWOOFing!

Let me explain. I have been wanting to go WWOOFing for the last few months. Mensa had mentioned us going awhile ago and when I was younger my friend Tatia and I used to dream of living this way right after we graduated college. It never happen then, but now I know it will.

Some of you may not know what WWOOFing is so let me break it down…

WWOOF (Working Weekends on Organic Farms, as it stood for then) was born in 1971, when Sue Coppard organised a trial weekend for herself and three other Londoners on an organic farm in East Sussex. Sue arranged a deal with the farmer: they would help out with work that needed doing on the land in exchange for food and accommodation. The weekend was so successful that it became a regular trip, every third weekend.

News gradually spread of ‘Sue Coppard’s Land Army’, and other organic farms got in touch, all keen to offer their hospitality in exchange for help from willing volunteers.

Today, WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms: a truly global phenomenon with over 6,000 hosts in 100 countries.

WWOOF UK became a charity in 2008.  With well over 560 hosts in the UK and membership rising sharply year on year, it can’t be long before the verb ‘to wwoof’ makes it into the Oxford English Dictionary. [source]

First part of goal done, thinking of a goal, WWOOFing. Next where to WWOOF; a pretty obvious choice, the Mediterranean, Spain, France, Italy, Greece. Next, what do we have to do to get ourselves onto an organic farm? The answer, we must contact the host farmers off of a list you have access to online once you become a member of each country’s WWOOFing chapter. What I realized is if we are going in a year we need to start to get everything set up now. It is like 30 Euros for us to dual register and like I said they are all separate, yearly memberships. That actually works perfect as if we are really going in a year we will have to contact the farmers ourselves a few months in advance and we won’t want to have to pay $160 again to get the latest list off their sites. Next, how long will we WWOOF for? I thought 2 months, Mensa said 6. The site says people usually only do it for 2 weeks. I think once we get the membership and reach out to the farmers we will have a better idea of how long we will go. I am sure there are multiple farms in the Mediterranean region of Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. I guess we could do 2 weeks at 3 farms per region. :] Ah, I forgot to mention there is no money involve, so you need to save money for fun and necessary products. Once, we find out where we are going and what is really included (room and food), we should be able to come up with our budget and then save this year. There is also insurance the hosts have for you, but remember it is only if something happens to you on the farm. If you are injured off the farm it’s on you, so you may want to have additional insurance if you don’t already.
Mediterranean
On Spain’s WWOOFing site they give this advice,

Insurance for wwofers registered at WWOOF ESPAÑA just covers accidents or illness (and death) direct consequence of an accident while helping in the farm. But for example you are not insured while outside the farm or even in the case of an appendicitis (because it´s not resulting from an accident). The amount insured is small: between 3000 and 6000 euros as maximum compensation). If you get injured, just contact us, you don´t need to do anything special, because you are already registered with us in our insurance policy.

Unfortunately in 2008 we had a sad incident in which a wwoofer died while taking a bath, outside the farm. We all got shocked by the sad accident of Adrian, but upon all the grief, we sadly confirmed the insurance did not cover that case and the expenses of reparation were very high. We never think about these fatalities, but they do happen. Please be responsible.

As a wwoofer I highly recommend you look at www.oveuropa.com. In their special insurance for wwoofers, they have additional clauses and it´s very convenient for the price, this could be on top of your own insurance. [source]

This is an attainable dream and seeing it here in front of me I know it is not only possible, but not that complicated. I want to travel, I want to learn more about organic farming, meet new people, escape a desk job and really just live the way I want to and I’ve found a way to do it, so why wouldn’t I?

-Mushpa

Re-potting and Re-loving your Plants

DIY, Environment, Green, How-To, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I must admit. I need to be better about taking care of our house plants. So today I got serious! I decided to re-pot them, mix the soil around, add new soil and a little home-made plant food.

The How To’s:

1.Making the Plant Food:

Since we recently started composting, I figured that instead of buying any plant food from the store, I had to put our compost to good use.

image(7)

In a blender I added some coffee grinds, a couple of eggshells, and some compost (which included apple cores, carrot peels and other goodies). I added a healthy amount of water and blended it.

A word about plant food:

Many home made recipes call for a mixture of  Epson Salts, baking powder, regular salt, and household ammonia. Whatever rocks your boat. Personally, adding ammonia, which is considered to be a toxic substance, to anything seems a little crazy to me. Its a natural and organic compound produced and used for growth of many plants, but having a jug of ammonia in the house does not seem like the best and most eco-friendly solution. (If it gets in our water ways it can be extremely harmful). So sticking with all-natural, non-toxic, home-made plant food seems like a better solution to me.

image(5)

2. Mixing the soil

I took old soil from plants that had died due to extreme heat in our kitchen (whoops) and mixed it with new soil in a bucket. I tossed it and added a bit of the juicy plant food (mostly the water part) to moisten the soil. I added more water to the mix in order to have the soil thoroughly moist.

3. Re-potting your plants

***The most important thing I did through out this whole process was talking to my plants! Call me crazy, but I really felt like they needed to know what was going on. Imagine being pulled out of your warm comfy home and abruptly placed in a new pot! So as I did this I explained the process, was really gentle, made them feel more at ease, and made ME feel like I knew what I was doing (even though it was my first real re-potting experience!)…So it helped us all : )

-Start by having everything ready and clean. I made a mess, so cleaning as you go is definitely recommended.

– Prep your flower pot with a little dirt at the bottom. If there is a hole you can cover it using a shard of an old broken pot making sure you don’t cover the hole completely. Add a bit of the plant food that you have prepared.

image(6)

-I took my first plant and flipped it gently until it loosened and came out of its pot. I dug a little around the edges and it helped to get it out. I untangled the roots a bit and watered them slightly and placed it on the pot.

-I covered and filled the pot with dirt and half way through I added a bit more of the plant food. Then I covered it completely, making sure I stayed at least half an inch from the rim (if not when you water it, it can overflow).

-Use a spray to clean the leaves of your plants if they have dirt on them, so they can breathe!

Tell your plants that they are awesome and that this is for their own good even if they hate you… ; ) Sun, water and love will make their day!

Now they will grow stronger than ever and produce beautiful blooms and strong green leaves!

-Mensa

A Little Bit of Self Promotion Never Hurt Anyone

Art, crafts, Cuban, DIY, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Homemade, Jewelry, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Small Business, Stuffed Animal, Twitter, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mushpa y Mensa

We write a bunch of blog entries about this and that, but I want to focus a bit on our baby Mushpa y Mensa today. I am going to send out fantastically positive energy to everyone to want what we have to offer.

Listen, I want to make it, not just for us realize, but for all the other artists, inventors and nerds who desire their freedom from a job they’ve never really loved. For all those who want to believe that it is possible to be happy in what you do. I want us to be that example where people say, “See anyone can make it if they do the work and believe.” Seriously, that is all anyone needs to do and we will prove it!

Here is my shameless self promotion below.

Mushpa y Mensa Etsy Store –  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MushpaYMensa
Mushpa y Mensa Blog – http://mushpamensa.wordpress.com/
Mushpa y Mensa Twitter – https://twitter.com/mushpamensa
Mushpa y Mensa Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/musphamensa/mushpa-y-mensa-we-are-two-crafty-chics/

Go check out our sites and buy one thing, maybe an amazing tablet case, or plush sweet pigs who think they are elephants and aliens who have no name, and there is even a gorgeous handmade, clay necklace!!!

Please, do us a solid and send an email to all your friends, family, enemies we don’t care who, just do it. It will take two seconds and you will be helping two people who in turn will help millions. You help us and the Universe will help you. I promise!!!!

Until next time…

-Mushpa

The Case of the Tablet – Part 2

accessories, Art, craft, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Gay, Green, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Small Business, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Asus Glamorous

Mensa asked me the other day why what is inside our new tablet case is the best choice currently on the market. She also wanted to know if there was any ethical consciousness involved in my selection, which of course there was!!! :]

Here’s the breakdown on why my new Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is the best out there! Firstly, it has an android system, open source love, the best screen and processor, and it is lighter than an iPad. It’s also fast as lightning and reasonably priced.

Next, the company is Taiwan-based. Free China. Taiwan is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press, health care, public education, economic freedom, and human development. I’m just saying. :]

Also the environment is another factor for me,

Asus even developed a special proprietary chip, the EPU (Energy Processing Unit), in order to coordinate and manage power usage in all of a computer’s major components. In fact, all Asus notebook computers are designed to be Energy-Star compliant. Furthermore, when it comes to the materials used to make Asus products, Asus has made a special effort to be green. There is a company directive that restricts the use of certain known hazardous materials in Asus products, and the list is actually more restrictive than that imposed on manufacturing by the European Union. In recent years, Asus has been developing hardware that can be more easily recycled, as well as offering its own take-back and recycling programs. (source: http://www.roc-taiwan-hn.com/asus.php)

The best part though is how cute it looks its new, glittery case!

Thank you Mensa!

<3

– Mushpa

The Case of the Tablet – Part 1

accessories, Art, craft, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Small Business, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is our most recent creation. A tablet case. Wooden buttons, hemp string and felt made from recycled plastic bottles! Perfect… Except for the tablet that could potentially goes inside…image(1)

I will let Mushpa (aka IT Phenomenon) take over on what makes tablets and other technological goodies a choice of ethical consciousness.

I have been guilty of buying into the Apple craze, but my iPod did not come from the best of the environments, and the workers that made my little music player work, have not been treated too well either…

So Mushpa, do you mind filling us in on why it is that inside this new case there should be, according to current research, the best choice of tablet currently in the market?

image

Meanwhile, check out our new product at our Etsy store,  and remember, we can always custom make you case with your colors of choice!

-Mensa

Compost This!

Green, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, , , , , , , , , , ,

Compost ItIt isn’t just about what we make, but also how we live. Por ejemplo, Mensa and I were trying to figure out a way not to put food waste in the garbage as to not attract flies or create a nesting site for said flies. We also didn’t want to have to bag up food everyday and throw it out. Then amidst the great obvious we realized we should compost. :] The next question is how to compost in a Brooklyn apartment. Let’s find out!!!

First off what can we compost? For us it will be food based only, but if you have land there are things you may compost from your garden you just need to do some research on exactly what. Okay, back to metro composting…

Things you can compost are:

  1. fruit and vegetable scraps
  2. coffee grounds and tea bags
  3. manure and bedding from animals that ONLY eat plants
  4. cut or dried flowers
  5. houseplants and potting soil
  6. sawdust and wood shavings (from untreated wood)
  7. stale beans, flour, and spices
  8. feathers
  9. breads and grains
  10. egg shells
  11. nutshells
  12. corncobs
  13. food-soiled paper towels and napkins
  14. shredded newspaper.

Some tips to good composting are add an equal amount of greens and browns to your compost bin, cut your food trash for faster composting, always maintain a top layer of browns. I said it. :]  Keep your bin moist, but not wet.  Lastly, stir well to aerate the food waste you love to call your compost.

Here is what you MAY NOT compost:

  1. meat or fish scraps
  2. cheese and dairy products
  3. fats, grease or oil
  4. cat or dog feces, kitty litter
  5. colored or glossy paper
  6. sawdust made from pressure-treated plywood or lumber
  7. coal or charcoal ashes
  8. non-compostable materials such as plastic, metals or glass
  9. diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/soil
  10. biodegradable/compostable plastics

Now where to store it till we take it to a NYC drop off location? Ms. Mensa bought us a sealed, cubed container at the Dollar Store. Boom!

Cool Bin
Artist Rendering of Our Dollar Store Compost Bin

Another option offered to New York City residents are low cost compost bins, they even have coupons for composting worms here. What???

Next, where do we bring our compost scraps once our bin is full? Here is a list of all Brooklyn drop-off locations and for those outside of the realm of Brooklyn here are food waste drop-off sites in other boroughs.

What you want to be a composting super hero??? Here is your chance to take the NYC Master Composter Certificate Course. Nice!

Alright, let’s do this!

-Mushpa

Vertebral: T-shirt Collection

Art, Clothes, craft, crafts, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Knitting, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Small Business, Stuffed Animal, T-shirts, Uncategorized, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So what can we add to an already awesome t-shit to make it extra nice?

image-4
trippled-yarned back.

Well, how about some vertebral funk!

image-2
a big bow

Yarn, scissors and a little creative juice

makes these the first set of T’s we have revamped with lots of love!

four little bows...
four little bows…

Testing! Testing! so they are not for sale……yet.

Let us know what you think!

❤

-Mensa

Ps. Gracias Mushpa for the absolute patience when trying these on!

“Mama Earth” Soon-to-be Design

Art, Clothes, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Small Business, Stuffed Animal, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SNEAK PEAK:

Starts with a mama and ends with a cure. Que es?! It’s one of our new crazy cool t-shirt designs! We have received our screen printing materials and are ready to star scanning some designs to begin the screen printing process.

image

Hey Mushpa. What do you think about posting soon a how-to introductory screen printing blurb? We want to make art accessible for people, so what do you think about posting  instructions on how to do it yourself? Although, disclaimer folks… it might not be as cheap as a pencil and paper, but it sure will be fun!

All done with much love,

-Mensa

Some Inspiration From New York Fashion Week

Clothes, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Etsy, Fashion, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Moleskin Quilted Emily Coat
Moleskin Quilted Emily Coat with Zip Off Hood

Ms. Mensa and I needed a little fashion inspiration for some new shirts we are about to design, so we thought where better to go then New York Fashion Week!  We choose the Vaute show to start off with, by designer Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, one because it was the first all vegan fashion label to show in NYFW and two because her stuff is mad cute. That’s what we are talking about people! :] Anyway, all her fashions are made from organic, recycled materials. The photo above is the Moleskin Quilted Emily Coat with Zip Off Hood modeled by Mary Kate from Mix.   It’s vegan, eco-conscious, constructed locally in NYC.  The fabrics are all recycled, 100% vegan shell lined with recycled satin liner and engraved tagua nut buttons, which is pretty badass.  Check out the Vaute site to read more on her ethical, eco clothing line.

The show was sponsored by The Humane Society and Badass Brooklyn Rescue, so in the show were fashionable, adoptable furry friends.  The models make-up was all vegan and done by the DeVita team, all vegan hair done by Salon Champu, amazing women’s shoes by designer Monisha Raja of Love is Mighty and the men’s shoes by Joshua Katcher who is righteous as well as fashionable at Brave Gentleman.

Below is the greatest vegan Tiramisu by Vegan Treats. We loved it!

Vegan Treats

Loved the dogs as well…

You can find them looking for love here.

I’m inspired.

-Mushpa

Elephant the Pig

crafts, Cuban, Etsy, Gay, Latina, Lesbian, Queer, Small Business, Stuffed Animal, Woman Owned Business, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elephant the Pig

Hello, my name is Elephant the Pig. I was born with my elephant birthmark which just confirms even more that I am an elephant trapped in a pig’s body. I love to eat leaves and foliage all day long. I am a herbivore through and through. I never met my parents, so who is to say I am a pig and not an elephant? Well, my body says I am a pig but my heart and soul knows different. I am looking for a home with a person, people, family that will accept me for who I am, not who they want me to be, not for whom I seem to be. If you are that person, people, or family then I am ready to come home.

Remember, there is only one of me in all the known and unknown universes, just like you.

Love,

Elephant the Pig

p.s.- I’m made from 100% Eco-fi®, a high quality polyester fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. I’m just saying.