I really like all the plants and beautiful flowers and everything green. And I like the green toilets that save water and everything that is eco-friendly in all the buildings.”
— Michellle Turner, sophomore nursing major

More activities on campus, more fraternity things to do and more things to do. A lot of college students are lounging more than they are being active and APSU is trying to get them away from lounging.”
— Ladarius Davis, business management major

A negative is parking; there is none of it after 9 a.m. and most of it is packed. And if you manage to find a spot, you have to fight others or get in an argument and it is aggravating.”
— Nickolaus Willis, junior chemistry major

I really like the planting of the flowers and noticing the green on the campus and seeing the effects and changes on the environment.”
— Heather Yeaney, sophomore psychology major

Definitely the flowers they are placing everywhere. I think it opens people’s eyes, like when they are walking around the campus there is actually color instead of a dull campus.”
— Ariel Griffith, freshman pediatric nursing major

Designated smoking areas; it conflicts because people still walk across campus still smoking, which still affects the students that don’t smoke.”
— Kenneth Brown, graduate health care specialization

There seems to be quite a few ridiculous stories related to air travel lately.

Last week there was a guy in LAX International Airport who decided he didn’t really need secondary screening of his luggage and just went on his way through the terminal.

TSA agents must have turned their backs for quite a while to let him just book through, especially since they took so long to find him.

According to the story on CNN.com, all the passengers in the terminal were told to stop where they were and just wait. All the air traffic was halted from the terminals, too, so no one missed their flight.

I just don’t get it. How can a passenger just get away like that? I know LAX is a pretty busy place, but I’ve never seen it so packed that someone can just disappear.

And then there was the Qatari diplomat who decided it was a good idea to smoke in the airplane bathroom. He was on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Denver on business and apparently just couldn’t take it anymore. According to the story from CNN, he was in the lavatory for an extended period of time before they busted him.

Airline employees got a little freaked out because “initial reports that he may have attempted to set a shoe on fire — a report that may have stemmed from what one U.S. official called an ‘unfortunate comment’ by the diplomat,” according to the article. Luckily, he was just lighting up and nothing more. Once the flight landed, they let him go and he got to go on with his business.

It’s getting so ridiculous these days to fly. Everyone gets profiled for something it seems and most of us lose out.

When I come home next month, I can only bring one carry on bag thanks to the kid who thought it was good idea to light his shorts on fire. It’s almost not worth the hassle for people to travel anymore. If there were still reliable boats and it were still cool, I’d take a cruise back to the States then catch a train back to the west coast.

I’ve been trying a little harder to follow the news lately. When I’m not following the air travel updates, I read the other news.

But this next story really got my attention. A mother from Bedford County, Tenn. adopted a 7-year-old Russian boy, brought him home, and then sent him back to Russia, according to CNN.

The adoptive mother, Torry Hansen, said the child showed violent behavior and Russian officials didn’t warn her about it. What if they had? Would she have just not taken him because of the challenge? Children born to their parents don’t get to just go back when they cause trouble, why does this get to be different?

Now that it looks like all I did was read CNN this week, I’ve got a few recommended to me by friends.

Last week I got a story from a friend about a guy who got a parking ticket. We all know someone who has gotten one, maybe even on campus. But this guy did it up good. He wasn’t even parked for a minute when the cop started writing him up.

The guy decided to write the City of Melbourne a letter stating why he thought he shouldn’t have to pay for the ticket. Since it was clearly ridiculous he got it to begin with as he only parked, went to the trunk to get his money for the meter then noticed the parking officer.

I guess the city agreed with the man and withdrew his ticket. The story is on the Huffington Post website. And you can read both letters and see the ticket.

And I guess my Facebook stalking has gotten pretty good lately. I wasn’t even tagged in a photo, nor was it shared with me, but there was a comment on a picture of ExtenZe Male Enhancement drinks and one comment said I should write about it.

Well, I am. It’s one thing to have these “supplements” to enhance, um, parts. But it’s something completely new to make it just as easily attainable as a buzz.

Put it in a can, take a few sips and enjoy the night? Well, I think that’s what they’re going for. I wanted to do a little research on the product before ripping its ridiculousness, but the website that bears the products name has no information beyond the home page.

It does, however, tell the drink’s tag line: “Drink … enjoy … and enjoy again.”

Instead of living an era of fast cars and smaller, more frustrating electronics, we seem to be thriving in the era of green.

Every product that is on the market has a green quality, it is earth or environmentally friendly. Being wise to the environment is cooler than being rich in today’s world, so it goes to say the wealthy are driving smart cars and drinking out of reusable bottles.

Even huge corporations are cutting back on waste and emissions. Many bottling companies are using thinner bottles while others are cutting costs and waste to help the local communities.

One hugely eco-wise company is Frito Lay, specifically their SunChips. This company has done experiments for nearly four years and has created a bag that will decompose in 12 to 16 weeks. While these tests were done in compost piles, it is still a feat that no other bag can compare too. That is simply outstanding.

Who hasn’t seen the same piece of garbage sit on the side of the road for months, driving past it every day? This new invention could change an industry.

Don’t worry, it is made of a plant-based material called polylactic acid (PLA). It is a versatile and compostable polymer made from starch. You might not have even known, they look stunningly similar, the only difference is the ruffling sounds are louder with the new plant based bag.

You might be wondering why they decided to use this PLA stuff. Well, it is because it is made out of plants that grow annually, rather than petroleum.

Though it is new, it has been thoroughly tested and is certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), the only internationally recognized labeling program.

Kathryn Siranosian from triplepundit.com explains other than the SunChips’ 100 percent compostable chip bag, Frito Lay Canada has been working to reduce the company’s environmental impact for more than a decade.

New bags for chips, new bottles for drinks and new energy for cars and houses is the new craze. It seems we are on the verge of achieving the great green habitat we all dream of: a place where cars are electric, all the clouds are white and where we live without books being published on melting icebergs.

The hopes we will be able to undo the damages that have been done to our planet may not be in vain.

These major changes in production will slow the negative effects on the environment and one day we may even find a way to replenish our planet.

Every step we take to help the earth, the air we breathe, and the soil we step on may keep our children living on this earth just one generation longer.

By Chasity Webb
Assistant Features Editor

TOMS Shoes was founded in May 2006 after an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, competed on The Amazing Race and became friends with children in Argentina.

He found they had no shoes to protect their feet. He then decided he would start a shoe business and for every pair of shoes he sold, he would donate a pair of shoes to a child in need.

He derived his company’s name TOMS from the word tomorrow which was taken from the original concept “Shoes for Tomorrow.”

Within the first year, Mycoskie returned to Argentina with family, friends and staff and delivered 10,000 pairs of shoes.

The shoe design Mycoskie chose was that of the Argentinean farmers called alpargata shoes. Just like the originals, the shoes are very lightweight and colorful. Depending on the style one picks, the soles are either made of rope or rubber.

Now that TOMS is so popular, the shoes have been adapted to many styles and designs, and even a lace up version has been added. The shoe’s prices start around $40 and increase depending on style. They can be purchased at www.toms.com or Apricot Lane in Nashville.

Since the business started in 2006, TOMS has donated over 600,000 pairs of shoes.

Another way to purchase them is by attending a TOMS Style Your Soles party which I hope to have on campus next semester. At the party, a person purchases a $44 pair of white TOMS and then spends the party time decorating them any way they wish.

The whole purpose of this company is to help children in need of shoes without having to campaign for donations. This allows TOMS customers to be the benefactors.

It is understandable that being a college student cuts down ones budget to spend on shoes. That’s one reason TOMS has created its yearly event.

On Thursday, April 8, TOMS Shoes hosted “One Day Without Shoes.”

One Day Without Shoes is exactly as it sounds. TOMS asks its supporters to go the entire, part of or just a few minutes out of their day without their shoes to see what it is like to live barefoot.

The Web site onedaywithoutshoes.com says, “One Day Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infections after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.

“The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 8, communities, campuses, organizations and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.”

The Web site then give facts about the effects children face when not having shoes. These facts help people truly face the issue.

Fact one: “In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.”

Fact two: “Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.”

Fact three: “Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.”

Fact four: “In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil. Podoconiosis is 100 percent preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.”

Last Thursday, April 8, I took part in this event by walking to class and elsewhere on campus barefoot. Seeing the event had circulated pretty vastly on Facebook, I assumed more people would take part.

Walking across campus I did not see anyone other than myself without shoes. I heard of a few others and I had quite a few friends from other schools that went barefoot.

I was completely mortified my school did not show support. As I walked I decided no one knew what it was about, which is why I decided to write this article.

I also think it is important to share my experience during my One Day Without Shoes.

That morning I got up and got ready. I had to consciously tell myself not to put my shoes on. That was one sign that I take my shoes for granted.

When I first walked out the door of my apartment building I was thinking, “This won’t be so bad and at least the rain is mostly dry.”

When I finally got to what my friends and I like to call, the “dinosaur stairs,” my feet were already a little sore. Luckily the pavement wasn’t hot, just a little rough. I went on to my first class.

I got out of class early and decided I would head down to the Student Publications office before my next class. This journey to the UC was worse than I could imagine.

I had forgotten the pavement had large pebbles protruding from it. With each step I was brought closer to tears. I know it sounds rather wimpy but it truly does hurt.

After I made it to the office, I thought I would update my Facebook friends on the experience so far.

That’s when my status became this: “So I walked to my first class and it’s already given me an appreciation for what the shoeless children go through.”

“When I walked to the UC, I almost cried because of the stone concrete.”

“I haven’t seen anyone else barefoot yet either. And people keep looking at me like I’m crazy or that I’m poor. Oh well. Suffering for the children.”

I continued the rest of the day barefoot except for two and a half hours of classroom observations.

The thoughts went through my mind were all very heartening. I just cannot imagine what it would be like to live like that every single day, especially when walking miles.

If you missed out, I plead with you to get involved next year on Friday, April 8, 2011. If you need help remembering, feel free to friend request me. I’ll be sure to remind everyone.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the hopeful Governors’ Style

Your Soles party.