tips from no impact man

about a week ago i arrived at my new apartment - and it is awesome! It's about twice the size of my old one and the windows actually let natural light in! amazing!
as i was packing and unpacking i was analyzing all the stuff i have and... i have a lot of stuff. not only that, but i have a lot of stuff i don't even use! I kept extra blankets in the winter in case people wanted to crash at my house, i save my plastic bags (in hopes that i'll never take another one again from the market, but that collection somehow keeps growing), and i have a ton of stuff that i need to get rid of. i've noticed that the products in korean stores are packaged to protect them in case of nuclear attacks (not seriously- i just mean there's a lot of plastic). if i were to buy some sushi at homeplus (the tesco owned mega store), it would have an outside layer, individually wrapped sushi pieces, and the plastic from the sauce packets and garnishings; most of the product's weight isn't edible. all this said, i've also been reading the no impact man blog and discovered a list of things that would greatly cut down on the waste that we produce. for those who've read that blog in the past are probably familiar with some stuff on this list, but for those who haven't... check it out. apparently the average american produces 4.5 pounds of trash per day. if even a few of these tips are taken to heart i think this average would drop immensely.

*for the actual blog by no impact man click here*

1. No soda in cans (which means we’re probably less likely to get cancer from aspartame).
2. No water in plastic bottles (which means we get to keep our endocrines undisrupted).
3. No coffee in disposable cups (which means we don’t suffer from the morning sluggishness that comes from overnight caffeine withdrawal).
4. No throwaway plastic razors and blade cartridges (I’m staging the straightedge razor comeback).
5. Using non-disposable feminine-hygiene products that aren’t bad for women and are good for the planet.
6. No Indian food in throwaway takeout tubs.
7. No Italian food in plastic throwaway tubs.
8. No Chinese food in plastic throwaway tubs.
9. Taking our own reusable containers to takeout joints (except that now we’re eating local so this tip is out for us).
10. Admitting that we sometimes miss Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
11. Hopping on the scale and celebrating the loss of my 20-pound spare tire since I stopped eating bucketsful of Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
12. Buying milk in returnable, reusable glass bottles.
13. Shopping for honey and pickled veggies and other goods in jars only from merchants who will take back the jars and reuse them.
14. Returning egg and berry cartons to the vendors at the farmers’ market for reuse.
15. Using neither paper nor plastic bags and bringing our own reusable bags when grocery shopping.
16. Canceling our magazine and newspaper subscriptions and reading online.
17. Putting an end to the junk mail tree killing.
18. Carrying my ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle (which is a glass jar I diverted from the landfill and got for free).
19. Carrying reusable cloths for everything from blowing my nose to drying my hands to wrapping up a purchased bagel.
20. Wiping my hands on my pants instead of using a paper towel when I forget my cloth.
21. Politely asking restaurant servers to take away paper and plastic napkins, placemats, straws, cups and single-serving containers.
22. Explaining to servers with a big smile that I am on a make-no-garbage kick.
23. Leaving servers a big tip for dealing with my obsessive-compulsive, make-no-garbage nonsense, since they can’t take the big smile to the bank.
24. Pretending McDonalds and Burger King and all their paper and plastic wrappers just don’t exist.
25. Buying no candy bars, gum, lollypops or ice cream (not even Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter cup) that is individually packaged.
26. Making my own household cleaners to avoid all the throwaway plastic bottles.
27. Using baking soda from a recyclable container to brush my teeth.
28. Using baking soda for a deodorant to avoid the plastic containers that deodorant typically comes in (cheap and works well).
29. Using baking soda for shampoo to avoid plastic shampoo bottles.
30. Using the plastic bags that other people’s newspapers are delivered in to pick up Frankie the dog’s poop.
31. Keeping a worm bin to compost our food scraps into nourishment that can be returned to the earth instead of toxins that seep from the landfills.
32. Switching to real—meaning cloth—diapers which Isabella, before she was potty-trained, liked much better.
33. Not buying anything disposable.
34. Not buying anything in packaging (and count the money we save because that means pretty much buy nothing unless it’s second hand).
35. Shopping for food only from the bulk bins and from the local farmer’s market where food is unpackaged and fresh.
36. Forgetting about prepackaged, processed food of any description.
37. Being happy that the result is that we get to eat food instead of chemicals.
38. Giving our second-hand clothes away to Housing Works or other charities.
39. Offering products we no longer need on Freecycle instead of throwing them away.
40. Collecting used paper from other people's trash and using the other side.
41. Using old clothes for rags around the apartment instead of paper towels.
42. Talking with humor about what we’re doing because making a little less trash is a concrete first step everyone can take that leads to more and more environmental consciousness.

the father of korea

here is an article that i wrote for the korea sun magazine. it's about one of my favorite korean folk tales...

If one looks just beyond the first appearance of this modern industrialized country they would find a wealth of cultural treasure. The stories of Korean heritage date back thousands of years and are greatly contribute to the contemporary culture of today. Arguably the most famous of these tales is the story of Tan-gun, the legendary founder of Korea. Although it can be told in a number of ways, here’s my rendition of the story.

Legend has it that Hwan-in (who was the god and ruler of all) sent his son Hwan-ung to earth to build a new country in the east. He was given three divine assistants: the clouds, the winds, and the rains. Hwan-in also gave his son the souls of 3,000 others, an entire race, to help him in his task. They descended to Mount Taebaeksan (now called Baekdusan), and Hwan-ung named this place Shinshi, “City of God”.

Not far from Shinshi was a cave that housed a tiger and a bear. Both animals witnessed the happiness of the humans under Hwan-ung’s rule and prayed to become human themselves. Moved by the animal’s prayers, Hwan-ung gave them instructions to follow in order for their request to be granted. He told them that becoming human requires great patience and perseverance. He said “you must stay secluded in your cave for 100 days without sunlight, and eat nothing but these 20 garlic cloves and this bundle of mugwort. If you can persevere through this, then you will become human.”

The tiger and bear agreed and followed Hwan-ung’s instructions. After a number of days living in these conditions, the tiger gave up and left the cave. However, the bear persisted and stuck to the challenge. As the dawn broke on the hundred-and-first day, a beautiful young woman emerged from the cave. The bear-woman was so stunning in fact, that Hwan-ung proposed to her. Soon after their marriage the bear-woman gave birth to a son and named him Tan-gun, meaning “high priest” or “founder”.

When Hwan-ung departed from Earth in 2333 BC, Tangun became the first great ruler of Korea. He called the land Choson, which means “Land of the Morning Calm”, and here taught his people about government, agriculture, worship of God, and other important matters.

This story has been passed down through generations for thousands of years, and occupies a special place in the heart of Korean culture. Although there are some who take the story as a literal truth, and some who make their own interpretations. Personally, I see the story as a narrative describing the character and struggle of the Korean people. The bear and tiger were representations of the different tribes. It was the perseverance of the bear tribe, as opposed to the strength of the tiger tribe that, led to survival through these very harsh conditions. Also, the name Tan-gun might just be a title, as this label had been given to kings of old, expressing how their rule was divinely blessed.

However this story is interpreted, one thing is for certain; the history of the Korean people is rich with beauty and sorrow, successes and failures, victories and defeats: it all depends on how you view it.