Let's talk about Trolls, some more.

It's been awhile. Well, it's been awhile for a few things, but we're focusing on the Trolls for today ;)

But Midsummer 2016 is quickly approaching. And they are getting quite excited. Well, as excitable as a Troll can get. I mean Skoggs is always down for a party, but Berg and Siku. Not so much!

And since the Trolls will be making a much bigger appearance in this years collection I thought I'd put out some sneak peeks to help get everyone excited and on board with the Trolls. These are not your lurky, creepy internet trolls. Real life Trolls would really appreciate it if maybe you could come up with a different term for people who lurk online, or better yet if you lurkers would just go away.

I'll be releasing a handful of little mini books, that will all come together to make up a full printed book, to be released in June. And we're going to start things off with one very big Troll misconception....

Continue Reading...

Happy Polar Bear Day!

So all week we've been celebrating all things Arctic as a lead up to today. Today we celebrate all things Polar Bear. Because it's International Polar Bear Day. WooHoo!

I have to admit when it comes to arctic creatures, the Polar Bear is actually low on my list of favs. Right there with Grizzly and Black bears as animals I really kind of hope I never see (especially after seeing The Revenant...) Don't get me wrong, they have become the poster animals for the arctic for some very good reasons - they are very incredibly majestic animals, the top predators in the Arctic which makes them a most powerful symbol of strength and endurance in a harsh environment. Plus two thirds of the polar bears population lives in the Canadian Arctic, I think that gives us a special relationship with the big bears. But as for me, they are best read about and seen in pictures.

Want to see how the Polar Bears are spending their day? Watch the live cam...

What can you do for the Polar Bears? Join the movement. There are tons of ways to help support Arctic causes and spread information. I'll continue to give tips on the blog on little life changes we can all make to lesson our impact, but there is also some great initiatives out there to help make spreading the word FUN - like the WWF's National Sweater Day, Earth Day and Earth Hour! Stay informed

Continue Reading...

Heart the People of the Arctic

First off, this post is a day late. It just happens sometimes. A weeks worth of posts was a lot of work. Some things didn't get scheduled. But the good news is that means an extra post tomorrow for the Official International Polar Bear Day!

If you haven't seen the documentary This Changes Everything you should go watch it (it's available on itunes, Google Play and Amazon). It's based on Naomi Kleins book of the same name (which I'm slowly getting through...) and it although it's about climate change, it's not about Polar Bears or melting glaciers, it's a tough look at the financial reality and impacts climate change is having on real live people. Really shakes up what you think you know about what is happening to our planet and our people.

This is why I wanted to talk about Arctic communities. In my Canadian travels I haven't been so far North yet, but there might just be a trip to the Yukon coming up this summer, so I've been researching the area the peoples and am really hoping the trip will happen because the area is slowly creeping up to the top of my travel must list! I talked a bit the other day about the Sami, but today we're bring it back to home turf (well my home turf here in Canada) and the effects the warming temperatures are having on their livelihoods. It's already tough to live in the Arctic, what with the insane prices they have to deal with on goods that are shipped up North, the lack of government support and the intense weathers. Now their way of life is being threatened.

How?
- Changing temperatures result in changes to wildlife migration patterns, which in turns results in a decline in the ability to hunt for food. On top of the fact that we are seeing a decline in wildlife populations
- The warming ground results in essential foods thawing out throughout the summer months in traditional food cellars dug deep in the permafrost
- Northern communities rely on sea ice to travel to neighbouring communities to trade goods. With warming temperatures comes less months of ice to safely travel over and less opportunities to trade goods
- Excessive flooding is also cutting off road access to Northern communities, which they rely on to ship in necessities
- An increase in invasive insect species is starting to impact local vegetation

These Northern communities are finding ways to adapt to their rapidly changing environments in creative and inspiring ways (check out this great story about the community of Arviat who built a greenhouse to be able to grown their own vegetables) but it makes me wonder - what could I be doing to slow down the effects on their communities. It's not just about me and you, it's about all of us as one whole community.

This Changes Everything really did change everything for me.

Take a Hike. No seriously, put those legs to good use. Leave the car at home. Try it one day a week. It's an hour/15min walk home for me but I relish those days. Some people I tell consider this a waste of my time. I don't really care about them ;) Walking for me is the best time to let my mind run wild and think out ideas, plus I don't drive so it's a break from the insanity of transit. But if walking isn't your thing, ride your bike, or if you're a car person take transit. One day a week won't kill you.

Continue Reading...

Winter Camping Part deux

Um, ok. I have a confession to make. Our Winter Camping trip isn't exactly working out as originally planned. We're still going into the forest in a week, but we're just not tenting anymore. Turns out we got access to a Yurt, and if you get unexpected access to a Yurt, you Yurtin' take it!!!

I love Yurts. As much as I was ready to brave the elements in that tent, I am VERY excited to now be setting out on a Winter Yurt Adventure. The last time I was in a real yurt was right on the Arctic Circle and learning all about Sami traditions and yummy foods and meeting some ridiculously adorable reindeer. This time around we'll be in Algonquin Park and if the forecast holds there will be lot's and lot's of snow to frolic in! And Amy's making chilli.

Sami yurt just outside of Rovaniemi, Finland and my Reindeer pal

All Northern Communities are being affected by the warming temperatures in the North right now, but since we're talking Yurts and Sami and reindeer I thought I would touch on this for todays Heart the Arctic post. Nordic and Scandinavian cultures have long been a source of inspiration and wonder for me and that includes the beautiful Sami culture.

The Sami are the indigenous people of the Arctic regions of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway - also known as Lapland. While traditionally the Sami make their livelihood through a variety of means including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding they are most known for reindeer herding. In fact in some of Nordic countries reindeer herding is legally only allowed by the Sami. The Sami people have been roaming and living off the land of the North for well over 5000 years.

When we are talking about Environmental issues in the Arctic and all over the planet, we have to remember that it's not just those fuzzy polar bears at risk. There are thousands of people who's traditional livelihoods are being disrupted as well. Think about how sad the twitterverse gets when Netflix goes down. This is about 10 billion times more important. And since I could go on and on and on about it, instead I'm going to leave you with this little video about reindeer herders and the current situation. PS. No reindeer were hurt in this video despite the snapshot below!

Today's tip... Don't suck up any extra energy. Any piece of electronics in your home or office that is plugged in is sucking up electricity, regardless of whether it is turned on or not. Save some energy and save some money - use a power strip with an off switch or just unplug them all!

Continue Reading...

The Unicorn of the North

So, yeah ok. We are leading up to Polar Day on Saturday, but I'm dedicating the week to the Arctic so we're totally allowed to talk about my favourite. Narwhals. Unicorns of the Sea. Magical creatures.

To a lot of us, the Arctic seems like this dark mysterious place that no one ever goes to. And for the most part that is correct. It spends a great deal of the year in darkness, which lends to it's mysterious reputation. What the heck does life do there during those frigid sunless days? Do they have secret underground dance parties? That's what I think is really up with hibernating animals! The bears play host and all the other animals pop in and out, getting their groove on, catching up on gossip and letting each other in on all the sweet spots for arctic berries.

But where were we... oh yeah, the magical North! I love the peacefulness of nature, even when all the creatures are chatting away, it never feels noisy and crowded. There's a cohesiveness to it. A unity. A simplicity and innocence to it. The North especially has that untouched, as Mother Nature created it feel. And no where else do you see a more grand example of life and rebirth. Most things literally die out when winter hits and then burst back to life at the first sign of spring. If you haven't watched the BBC's Frozen Planet, get on it. It's on Netflix so I just made it so easy for you! David Attenborough will take you through all the seasons (yes there is more than just winter) of both Poles. There are some seriously outrageous things living in the Arctic ocean. All these crazy and interesting creatures, on land, ice and in the ocean, are at risk right now because of the drastic changes in Arctic temperatures. This past January the North Pole recorded a +4º. IN JANUARY. I am aware that this is one of those freak El Nino years, but that is completely off the charts wrong. Even here in Toronto we have been having some intense temperature swings - the last week saw a temp difference of 52º within a 7 day period. Hm. I don't think our hibernating animals are having much of a dance party this winter. And Mr. Narwhal, well let's take a look at him and see what he thinks.

For sure the most magical of Arctic creatures is the elusive Narwhal. Apparently these guys are the hardest to spot, they are quite shy about strangers, which kind of makes me love them even more. Not that I don't love penguins, but they are total hams! Now, not everyone is familiar with the Narwhals which is partly why I wanted to showcase them today. The term "unicorn of the sea" is quite popular these days, but some people still think they are mythical creatures, not real animals. They are real. So very real. I have to admit I don't think I'd ever really heard of, or at least paid much attention to a Narwhal until I saw the movie Elf. You all totally know that part where Mr. Narwhal comes up to say Bye to Buddy... I love that scene. That was well over 10 years ago. So my love affair is strong with the Narwhal now! I would love to see one in real life, in fact it's right up at the top of my bucket list.  But even if I never lay eyes on one, they'll always be special to me.

One of the things we can all do to ease the Arctic melt is to turn our thermostats down a couple of degrees and engage in some good ol' hygge (don't remember our last chat about hygge.. go back and read all about it here) Put on a nice cozy sweater, curl up with your hottie, but on those silly fuzzy slippers your mom got you and drink some hot chocolate!

Continue Reading...

It's all things Arctic

I started reading this great book from the library called Dude Making a Difference and a sentence in the introduction really resonated with me.

The problem is that we have lost touch with our resources. We have outsourced everything, and we don't realize how our actions affect the earth and everything on it.

This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. And I started to notice that there were 2 very common mantras that I was starting to commit to. Patience and Impact. And why I finally decided to get tattooed again.  There are some forms of commitment I'm all for!

I had the symbols tattooed on the inside of my forearms so they would always be within eyesight - if you follow me on instagram you've seen some of the pics of the artwork healing already. Left for the tree and right for the glacier. Symbols only. No words. I know what the images mean to me. Although interestingly not one person has asked me what they mean. For me, if I'm going to permanently ink myself it better mean something important. I know not everyone else feels the same, and that's a-ok too. But since these guys are so symbolic for me I thought I would share them and their meanings with you guys, as we set off on Arctic Week, because those symbols are based in nature for a reason. Which is why we are having Heart The Arctic Week!

International Polar Bear day is this coming Saturday, February 27th, so I thought I'd throw a whole week of Arctic Love here in thunderpeepland. Because we love all things Arctic and snowy and frozen and magical.  And the Arctic is magical, it's a place of true strength and life. Over the course of the week I'll be sharing some stories about why I'm passionate about the region, why it's such a hot debate topic and tips on everyday things we can all easily do to help lesson our impact on the Frozen pole, and of coarse I've got some fun activities, treats and a nice big giveaway to end the week. 

the tattoos are healing nicely!

Continue Reading...