Meet Doug and Kristine 'Kris' Tompkins. Together, the couple started as outdoor adventurers and entrepreneurs and are now active conservationists leading the Tompkins Conservation. As it turns out, before focusing on conservation, both Doug & Kris impacted each and every one of our lives.  Doug founded The North Face in 1964 and Kris is the retired CEO of Patagonia. Together, they have conserved nearly 2.2 million acres across the Patagonia region. They have also won national park status for 3 parks that they started in Argentina and Chile. They have not only invested money in the property, but also tackled huge legal and political obstacles to forever conserve vast amounts of land.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-17/patagonia-dreaming-kris-tompkins-works-to-build-the-best-national-park#p3

154CM: An American made premium grade stainless steel originally developed for tough industrial applications. Known for its best all-around qualities, it offers great corrosion resistance with good toughness and edge quality.

154CM is a steel made with these additives.

Carbon 1.05%

Chromium 14.00%

Molybdenum 4.00%






440C: A high-chromium stainless steel with a terrific balance of good hardness and corrosion resistance. 440C takes a nice edge and is fairly easy to resharpen. An excellent value priced steel for its performance.


440C is a steel made with these additives.
Carbon 0.95/1.20%

manganese 1.00% max

silicon 1.00% max

phosphorus 0.40% max

sulfur 0.03%

chromium 16.00/18.00%

molybdenum0.75% max

Both of these knives are crafted using the best technology available CNC machines are used to cut the blade out of sheet metal before being assembled and sharpened by hand!

One of my favorite candies are Skittles- they are small, sweet, and make any day better. As I tried to make mental notes throughout the day of everything I was using and then throwing away, I came to the realization that anytime I consume a bag of skittles I have a wrapper to throw into the trash. Like any other snack, the serving size is individual and the amount of trash I create every day is greater because I am buying "snack size" products rather than larger bags that require less energy to produce and, I would assume, conserve more paper wrapper in the long run. Looking deeper into my day than the skittles, I threw away many many paper towels, over 5 powerade bottles, 2 soda cans, a cereal box, a bag of cheez-its, a Zaxby's food box & drink. 

On any other given day, I may also throw away things like computer paper, a milk carton, an empty shampoo bottle, a used toilet paper roll, an energy bar wrapper, a shopping/grocery bag, etc. Through this assignment, I have come to 
the realization that I take the amount of trash I throw away into higher consideration. Almost
 everything that I do throw away could be recycled, re-used by me. As mentioned previously, I would also like to start buying  larger quantity items rather than so many snack size items. If I could be throwing away one large skittles bag a week rather than 2 small skittles bags a day, then why I am not? 

As a class, let's join together to conserve our trash and color the rainbow. 

Wealth, Its in the eyes of the beholder. This may be a very true statement but I believe that most humans have a needs that are met with money. These needs have changed with the times but never the less humans in the world we live in have need the need for money. There are people that will claim riches don't make one happy or that its not necessary. I have to agree with these claims however driving through the rain a new Mercedes doesn't really hurt or make someone wish they had nothing.  We live in a world and society where money has and demands power, you may ask your self if this is the type of world you wish to live in. However I remind you that we have no choice and this is the hand that we have been dealt. So in reality no matter how much we wish money didn't have the power and value that it has today, there's nothing to do but make sure you don't get left behind. Because of the constant drive for money that pushes our world, things are forgotten, overlooked and just not cared about anymore. As sad as this is money not only has power, it consumes time! In the end I think its clear that money does indeed have value and worth any way you look at it.

One of the places to travel on my bucket list is Ibiza. I decided to study the history of this fascinating place to discover what made it into the city that it is today. Here’s what I found:

            Ibiza is one of more than 50 western Balearic Islands. Ibiza has had many inhabitants throughout history as “many tribes saw the beauty of the island, its minerals, and its strategic position” (Ibiza Inside). The first settlers to the island were the Phoenicians in 654 BCE. The Phoenicians had a trading culture with their main source of income coming from the production of dye, salt, fish sauce, and oil. From the time of the Phoenicians until modern day, Ibiza has been known for exporting a salt known as “the white gold”. Following the Phoenicians, Ibiza became inhabited by the Carthaginians who further exploited the salt beds of the area making Ibiza a major trading route of this period. In 123 BCE, the Romans took over Ibiza naming it Ebusus. In 707, the Arabs occupied Ibiza and remained there for over 5 centuries. The Arabs greatly influenced the architecture and culture of Ibiza and created a trading connection between Ibiza and the Spanish mainland. The area was eventually reclaimed by the Spanish and experienced many rough times trying to remain a part of Spain. In the late 1950’s, Ibiza was populated by “hippies” who brought along their free-thinking to the city. These liberal thinkers, including musicians, artists, and writers, fled the Spanish mainland due to the fascist ruler of the time bringing a new flare to the island. This “hippie movement” ignited the formation of many big clubs and markets hence turning Ibiza into what is now known as the “party capital of the world”.

Interesting Fact about Ibiza: “There are no ‘dangerous’ animals on the Island: no poisonous snakes, lizards, or spiders.”

http://ibizainside.com/inside-ibiza/history-of-ibiza/history-of-ibiza.html

http://wallpaprezt.com/ibiza-spain-city-in-beach-hd-wallpaper-picture-for-desktop/

http://www.ibiza4all.org/all.htm

Bermuda is a place that has always interested me, its one of those elusive islands way out in the Atlantic!

Bermuda was first discovered in 1505 and was later found and partially settled by the lost colonist of the Virginia company. Since the 1500's there has been over 400 shipwrecks on and around the island. today Bermuda is a top destination on vacation list all around the world, known for its fishing and  the claim to fame for having the most golf courses per square mile than another place in the world. With Modern comforts now Bermuda has developed tremendously over the past 100 years. I want to know what it takes for a island paradise such as Bermuda to survive. With there being no fresh water on the island itself  sustainability becomes a real concern. With an growing population of 64,806 would Bermuda be even semi self sustaining if cut off from the main land? Known for beautiful water and beaches one might begin to wonder if there's any worries in paradise.