I drink green, I see green and I feel green

Most students don’t have the money to afford $15 dollar vodkas much less $35 dollar organic vodkas. Towson student, Katie Barrett is a bartender at Luckies at Power Plant Live and she sells Tru Vodka cocktails.

“Since we get the bottles of vodka for less money because we buy in bulk, we sell call drinks and top shelf drinks for about $7-$10. So if they are interested in trying out something new, they don’t need to buy an entire bottle,” Barrett said.

Barrett said that there was a big Tru Vodka promotion at Luckie’s and the promo girls were giving out free samples. The cocktails were screwdrivers which are Tru Vodka and orange juice. They were put in shot glasses and given to customers free of charge.

“Organic vodka is a new thing so people are unsure of how it’s going to taste. The promotion was a great turn out because it turned out that the customers were giving back great feedback. It tastes just like vodka, I’d say the only difference is that it may taste a little stronger than the average vodka,” Barrett said.

The promo girls were giving out t-shirts and bead necklaces that had Tru Vodka’s name on it. They were trying to put their name out there so that people will start to recognize Tru Vodka as an everyday top shelf vodka.

“I’d warn students to try to not drink Tru Vodka too fast. Since you’re mixing the vodka with juice, it can sneak up on you and you can become very drunk very quickly,” Barrett said.

It’s safe to say that Tru Vodka has gotten approval from the public and that organic vodka may become the new Grey Goose. It’s definitely a bang for your buck.

Green Vodka

When I think of vodka, I think of the powerful clear alcohol that students love to drink. So then what is green vodka? It isn’t actually green, but it is organic. What that means is that the materials used to make the vodka needs to come from organic farms. There are no pesticides used in the grains of the alcohol and no nitrogen or chemicals were used to distill the vodka.

Tru Organic Vodka

The most popular organic vodkas are Square 1 Vodka , Rain Vodka, Tru Vodka and Vodka 14. By drinking these vodkas, whether it’s straight or in a cocktail, it is cleaner to drink. Organic vodka has become popular due to the trend in greener goals for the environment. The producers of the vodkas believe that if it’s helping the earth a little bit by using less chemicals and pesticides then it is worth it to make an effort. Since the use in organic foods has become a trend, it only makes sense for companies to start producing organic alcohol. It isn’t hard to sell and they have become popular among hotels. A couple of big name chain hotels started carrying organic alcohols for their bars and they are the Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton.

Although the prices of organic vodka may be a little steeper than the average Smirnoff or Grey Goose , it is worth the money. It’s a cleaner taste for a cleaner environment.

Chrys Wu Q&A

I e-mailed Chrys Wu a couple of weeks ago to ask her some questions I didn’t get to ask in class and here are the responses:

>I am the student that is applying to law school and you said that was a smart move, I was wondering why you said that.I remember you mentioned that you took the LSAT’s as well, did you want to pursue a law career?What skills do you find the most useful?What do journalism jobs look for when it comes to skills?<

A little bit of everything, really, and a lot depends on the job. Here’s a roundup of places that list journalism jobs:

Most hiring editors I know say the skill most important to them is newswriting ability, whether it’s in the form of blog posts, articles, multimedia features, or video/audio scripts.

If you’re going to work online, you’ll need to at least know some HTML and CSS, and basic Photoshop editing (cropping, color correction, sharpening, exporting a Web-optimized jpeg).

If you’re looking to become a video journalist, you’ll have to develop skills in recording and editing sound and video. If you want to really get into it, you might want to learn motion graphics software too.

If your interest is data visualization and information graphics, you’ll want to have a solid grounding in statistics, and know how to really use Excel. Also helpful, if you want to go that way: knowledge of Javascript, ActionScript 3 and Flash, or R (it’s statistical analysis software used by mathematicians, but also used by newsroom specialists to make really interesting static and interactive graphics — search for Amanda Cox on http://nytimes.com some time to see examples).

>My last question is do you love what you do and why do you love it?<

I like turning ideas into reality. I like helping people feel like they’ve done something good for their organization and for the people who depend on them for information. I like thinking about big questions and seeing what kinds of answers I can come up with. (For example: What are the coming trends in information consumption? How does any company meet the needs of its various constituents and make money at the same time?) I like the technical part of the job as well. And I like that I’m always finding new things to learn and really interesting people to talk to.

I’m glad I’m taking the opportunity to go to law school because I think that it is a great experience to have and it’ll give me some time for the economy to get better. If I decide that journalism is my route then I’ll pursue it, but until then I’ll gain some more knowledge and skills so I can keep my options open.

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Organic Yummies

Organic food has become a new trend within colleges. Trying to eat healthy has become a goal for many Americans since we are known in the world for being one of the most unhealthiest countries. So what exactly is organic food? Organic foods are produce or meats that do not use pesticides, insecticides and or herbicides to maintain them.

Because organic food has become so popular lately, supermarkets other than the popular organic supermarkets like:Wegmans,Whole Food’s andTrader Joes, regular supermarkets have started putting up organic food sections.

AtSafeway, Shoppers Food Warehouse and Super Fresh are among the many grocery stores that have started to carry organic foods. I went to Super Fresh the other day and noticed that their big organic section was fruit, specifically apples.

Apples are among the many fruits that have gone organic.

 

I’ve noticed that besides supermarkets, restaurants have started to incorporate organic food in their recipes as well. In the Baltimore area there are numerous organic restaurants to choose from. Cafes like Flying Avocado in Owings Mills provide the most natural and organic food to their customers. A variety of food ranging from salads, wraps and sandwiches, Flying Avocado incorporates healthy ingredients in their healthy foods. Even nice restaurants like Woodberry Kitchen uses organic meats from local farmers to give the utmost deliciously clean foods.

For Want of Water

I read the Online News Association General Excellence Award winner Las Vegas Sun’s project on the water issue in Las Vegas.

“For Want of Water” was a great article to read about, it talks about Las Vegas running out of water. The desert is soon going to run out of all kinds of water, Lake Mead is predicted to dry out by 2021. There is a countdown on the website of when the water will run out. It counts down the days, the hours, the minutes, the seconds and even the milliseconds of when Las Vegas will be completely dried out. The countdown is scary, it’s a reality to see every millisecond of getting closer to a water-less city. The map on the website shows where Lake Mead is in relation to Las Vegas. The article tells how the region is getting dryer and dryer by the day, that the climate change and huge reliance on Lake Mead is making the chances of keeping a “wetter” land is becoming slim to none.

My favorite thing about the project is the interactive video. When you play the video it explains the facts of the problem in the region. When the video talks about a specific area, the map below the video moves to where the video is talking about. Then the video goes onto talking about facts by showing graphs. Then you hear from people who are being effected by the dry problem.

All of the multimedia that is used in this project is incredible. It really helps you understand why Las Vegas and the southern Nevada region is becoming dry and what people are doing to fix the problem. It shows how global warming is a scary thing and that in only a few years, Las Vegas can become a really different place.

When I read this article, it got me thinking…is the Bellagio Fountain show really necessary? Or is it a big waste of water?

Picture taken by Lily Lee of the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas might not be the Las Vegas we think of today in 2021.

Picture taken by Lily Lee in Las Vegas.

Healthy Green Eats

As a marathon runner, I’ve met a ton of people that are very healthy. When I run a good 13 miles, I like to eat a cheeseburger…but Christine Allen likes to eat healthier organic foods.

When I asked Christine why she decided to become a marathoner, she told me that she wanted to find a way to stay healthy. It is pretty cool to say “hey, I ran 26.2 miles today, what did you do?” I think that running 26.2 is enough for me to stay healthy rather than always thinking about all the great nutritious things I should be eating. Christine’s favorite grocery store is Wegmans because of their large selection of organic foods makes her an avid customer.

“My favorite thing at Wegmans are their organic apples. It’s nothing like running a few miles and coming home to snack on a crispy, clean apple,” Allen said.

She said that because there aren’t any access chemicals that were used to grow the apples, she felt healthier about it. Not only that, but she said that she felt safer eating things knowing that there weren’t any chemicals involved in the growth of the product. She said that she wants to feel like she’s exercising and eating healthier so that she can live a longer life.

“I drink water, I eat organic foods and I run because life gets better when you feel better about yourself. I love feeling healthy, it makes me feel lighter. After all, if you’re running 20 or more miles you want to feel as light as possible,” Allen said.

Allen said that eating green, organic things is important because not only are the products free of chemicals, but those chemicals aren’t polluting the air. Organic food does more than one thing, it’s healthy for the body and the environment.

Christine Allen on the right with two friends at the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Marathon.

Maps Maps Maps

I was waiting for Chrys Wu to respond to my e-mail but I haven’t gotten a response yet…so I’ll talk about the maps on 10,000 Words . The maps that were on the website were really effective.

As the economy deteriorates, jobs have been lost and it has taken a huge toll on people’s lives. The Geography of Jobs was the most powerful in my opinion. It showed where people have lost their jobs and where people have gotten jobs. If I looked at this map in 2004, I would immediately move to Southern California, Southern Florida or stay in the Baltimore area in order to find a job. But it’s interesting to see that in 2009 the places where you gained the most jobs, you’ve lost them. I think it’s smart to add a map into blogs because it makes the information more effective. It’s easier to imagine it rather than reading facts.

The H1N1 FluTracker is a great map to look at lately. Since the whole swine flu outbreak has happened, parents all over the world are freaking out about this epidemic. Where are the most outbreaks? Where do we need to stay away from. Since swine flu is a world-wide epidemic, everyone is curious to see where the flu has spread to. You can see on the map numbers of people who have gotten the flu. It’s an easier way to read data.

Track The Money is a great interactive map. I love this map because you can click on the different states and different data pops up for every state. On the data box there is a key so you can understand how much money the state has in grants, loans and contracts. It’s informative to those who are interested in the financial data of the states.

All in all the data on the maps are useful and it’s easier to understand the information. I think it’s a smart way to show your audience what your purpose is.

Carrying Green For Less Green

I’ve noticed this trend on campus, where water is the new thirst quencher. I used to see soda and coffee all the time but now it’s water. Not only are students trying to stay healthy but the bottles they are holding are eco-friendly.

Towson University is a big commuter school and Deer Park water company happens to be in Maryland. Not only is it affordable to buy 24-packs but that 24-pack is helping the environment.

Shawna Sogluizzo, a student at Towson is an avid Deer Park drinker.
“I noticed that the bottle changed…maybe last year and on the back of the label it says that it is an Eco-Bottle. Not only is it cheap, I like the taste of Deer Park. It’s refreshing and it doesn’t have that weird after-taste like Nestle Water does,” Sogluizzo said.

Sarah Zuckerman, a student at University of Pennsylvania has a Sigg bottle that she had bought when she was a freshman.

“My mom has always been really eco-friendly and I guess I got that from her. The Sigg bottle is great. I bought a Brita and the bottle which cost me about $50. If I bought packs of water I’d be wasting a lot more. Not only am I helping the environment, I get a cool bottle to carry around,” Zuckerman said.

I am also a Deer Park drinker and I noticed myself that the bottle is light weight. I personally like Deer Park compared to other waters. It’s cheap and it’s from Maryland. I can be proud of carrying my green, recyclable refreshing water around.

Deer Park's Eco-Bottle of water

Green Water

When I think of green water, I think of the water in the Inner Harbor…however the water I’m talking about tastes a lot better than Inner Harbor gunk.

I’m talking about water that comes in a bottle. Since the world has noticed our earth deteriorating, we’ve started to make an effort to make a change. Companies that sell bottled water like Deer Park and Aquafina have decided to change the look of their bottles to make them more eco-friendly. So what does that mean exactly? Deer Park made their bottle easier to hold and lighter which means there was less energy used to create the bottle which reduced CO2 emissions. The label on the bottle is smaller, the bottle is recyclable and easier to crush and is made with 30% less plastic than the average bottle. Aquafina designed a bottle with 50% less plastic than their bottle in 2002. Their website makes people aware of their goal to go green. They have different pages to encourage people to recycle, to get invovled in the community and to feel the difference.

Besides buying bottled water, you can always opt for buying one bottle for your water and reusing it. There are new bottles every year, but sometimes the “green” bottle may cause a ruckus. Time Magazine had an article about the Sigg water bottle that is claimed to be one the most eco-friendly bottles. However the Sigg bottle was not bisphenol-A free. BPA is a chemical that hardens plastic but it is a controversial chemical that can be linked to diabetes and reducing sperm count in men. Although Sigg has promised to trade their bottles for BPA-free lined bottles, the “green” bottle has gotten a bad reputation.