APPLICANT: Is Starsha Battrick our Young & Free Alberta Spokesperson?

We officially have a competition! Starsha Battrick is our second applicant. She is 23 years old and lives in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Here is Starsha's video application:

Here is Starsha's current situation:

"Well, earlier this year, I graduated from the University of Lethbridge with my degree in Anthropology – the study of humanity. I hope to go on (once I've paid off my student loans – YIKES! This might take a while!) to do my masters in Photo Anthropology. I've already been around the world to study and do a little bit of research. Earlier this year, I had my first Fair Trade photo exhibition, where I showcased my research and photography to raise money for a group of women in Principal, Ecuador, who are trying to get certified as Fair Trade weavers. Since then, I’ve been doing odd jobs in related art fields, or craftsmen’s fields like flooring.

I’m an accomplished sketcher, oil and acrylic painter, and photographer. I generally do art of every medium! I even spent time this summer doing spray paint art – it’s that art you see done in Mexico and Las Vegas – at a few of the local festivals and fairs.

Oh yeah, I’m also a female pro wrestler. No joke! I wrestle under my middle name as ‘Amazing’ Grace. So generally, I’m fearless! (Which means I’m not afraid to tackle important issues facing us as youth today!) I love to learn, and like to spend my time learning any new trade that comes my way. That video was the first I‘ve ever made, and I look forward to learning better ways and more interesting ways to make them in the future. Summer’s over, though, and it’s time to get a real job to start paying back those loans! I have a lot of creativity and endless energy, and I’m looking for a job that can bring together all the things I love!"

Here is Starsha's blog post:

"Have you ever been attacked by an inanimate object before? Maybe you were walking down the street, minding your own business and watching your feet to make sure you didn't trespass on one of those highly dangerous 'cracks', when something you least expected – like a large building, or a lamp post – jumped out of its way so that you walked right into it. Maybe you were walking across the lawn, looking to clean up those pesky autumn leaves, when that rake you couldn't find was suddenly caught under foot and snapped up and whacked you in the face. (Yes, I know it's from cartoons, but I've actually done it and I bet others have too! Right?) Or perhaps, unsuspectingly, you approaching the cupboard, not knowing the dangers that lay within!

Just moments ago, I came home with a bag of groceries, having forgotten (as always) to bring along the many recyclable fabric bags that I've bought in the past to avoid having to use those little white ones. After putting my groceries away, I went to put the plastic bag up in the cupboard where we kept the others. I should have heard the eerie Hollywood music telling me a disaster was approaching, but as like happens in the movies, I was oblivious. When I opened it, I was rained upon by endless white plastic bags. I bet we have hundreds of them! I was covered with a mountain of bags that made it look like my kitchen was made of white plastic poofy clouds. Plastic take hundreds – up to a thousand – years to degrade. So in the meantime, when they're sitting about uselessly, what do we do with them? This endless plastic resource? Did you know that between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed each year? That means we all have a lot of plastic bags shoved in the random corners of our kitchens. Well, how about a few fun and funky suggestions for these nuisances?

HAVE A PARTY! I'm serious, I've done this one! Throw an anything but clothes, recycle! party! That means everyone has to show up in costumed made from recycled things they've found around the house. (A tip: if you put a piece of cloth over the bag seams and then iron them, you can bond them together! Below is a picture from our anything but clothes party earlier this year, it was a big hit!)

Need another one? With those bigger, more durable bags, you can make yourself a waterproof coat, which I think is wicked original and surprisingly stylish! This way, you're wearing a unique and sweet piece of gear that's sure to get you noticed.

Want some more? This website has tons of cool ideas - the wallets, for example, are pretty sweet. And we live in Alberta, right? What's better than a kite? And failing that, they are recycable if you take them to your local depot and toss them in with the plastics. But it's definetely way sweeter to make them into something fun! Do it on a rainy day, or maybe as a fun and creative little project for your and your sweetheart.

So what do you think? Think you'll give it a shot? Or maybe suggest it to someone you know that has a billion bags hanging around? Do –you– have any ideas that might be fun?

Check out my blog"

Nicely done Starsha!

Jere

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