Make your own snowflakes!

Celebrate Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day! We used to do this in elementary school, but this activity can provide fun for all ages.

First, you need paper. Here’s a fun twist: snowflakes you can take outside. We don’t get a lot of snow here in western Washington, so for those wishing for some of the fluffy white stuff, this option is for you. This can’t be just any paper, however. What happens when it rains (like it often does here in the Pacific Northwest)? Regular paper turns to mush and all the work and time spent crafting those snowflakes is wasted. Not if you use Rite in the Rain all-weather paper.

The RITR all-weather copy paper or loose leaf paper is perfect for this activity!

Next, find some fun-looking scissors and get to work. Fold the paper as many times as you’d like and begin cutting shapes out. They say no two snowflakes are the same, so use your creativity here.

We’d love to see what you come up with! Post your photos on here or on our Rite in the Rain Facebook page.

Happy snowflake making!

Recycle

Since 1997, Americans from coast to coast have been celebrating America Recycles Day on November 15, a day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. Recycling and sustainability go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that the purpose of this day is to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling to encourage more people to join the movement to preserve the environment and natural resources.

Here are some interesting statistics courtesy of about.com.

In 2007, the amount of energy saved from recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging was equivalent to:

·         The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year

·         29 percent of nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. in one year

·         7.9 percent of U.S. electricity generation from fossil fuels in one year

·         11 percent of the energy produced by coal-fired power plants in the U.S.

·         The energy supplied from 2.7 percent of imported barrels of crude oil in the U.S.

·         The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year

Many events are held throughout the nation to increase awareness of recycling. To create a new event or to join an existing one, visit www.americarecycles.org for more information.

We are proud to manufacture a 100 percent recyclable product. This is what sets us apart from synthetic or poly-coated papers. Our all-weather paper stands up to the rigors of the outdoors, but also helps preserve natural resources. Our unique "Polydura" cover and reference card substrate contains post-consumer recycled materials such as recycled milk and shampoo bottles and is recyclable.

The process involved in the manufacture of Rite in the Rain paper was designed to have ultra-low impact on the environment. The water based coating process emits only steam and all mill off-cuts are recycled back into the paper-manufacturing stream. All printing plates and processing liquids are recycled. 100% of printing inks are soy based. The modern facility and equipment are designed to be energy efficient

Rite in the Rain all-weather writing paper is a patented substrate created for use in outdoor writing situations. Since this paper is designed for use in extreme conditions it is manufactured with the most durable yet recyclable components available. Recycled content pulp, as a result of the repulping & reprocessing involved in recycling, produces a "weaker" substrate due to the shortened fibers. This inherent weakness reduces the field-durability of paper and as such is not used in the manufacture of Rite in the Rain paper. It is one of the rare instances where virgin fiber adds significantly to the end-product function. Papers designed for "office or indoor" uses do not require this strength and as such can contain recycled fiber. This all being said, the wood fibers we utilize for Rite in the Rain are purchased from FSC Certified sources. By doing this it insures our product is manufactured with high environmental and social standards and practices.To learn more about recycling Rite in the Rain paper, click here.

Rainforest Day

With the amount of rain we get here in Washington, it’s no surprise our Evergreen State is home to a temperate rainforest. The Hoh Rain Forest one of the only protected temperate rain forests in the Northern Hemisphere and is found on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula where moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean brings an average of 140 inches of annual rainfall. If you are in the area, you can visit the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center for hiking and sightseeing galore. 

Are you the type that likes to record your findings from your adventures? Well, then you definitely don’t want to be without your Washington-made Rite in the Rain notebook on this Washington adventure. Check out featured user Melissa Fedrigo’s story about working in a tropical rainforest in southwest Uganda under the heading “Tropical Biomass” in our ‘Cool Stories’ section.




Photo Credit: BluePlanetBiomes.org

 

October 19^th is Rainforest Day, an annual holiday that raises awareness about the importance of rainforests around the globe and the plight they are facing. The unique ecosystem rainforests provide are critical to the balance of nature. In fact, more than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. However, this natural habitat is constantly disappearing due to commercial logging and other human activities.

Here are some interesting facts:

·         Today, approximately six percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by rainforest

·         More than half the world’s animal species and plants are found in the rainforest.

Have you ever been to a rainforest or do you have plans to visit one? What did you like most/what are you most excited about?

Salute a farmer this harvest season

As harvest gets underway, we want to salute the farmers who work hard 365 days a year to ensure we have enough to eat. Their job is no small task. It usually involves getting up before the sun and not getting to sleep until the wee hours of the night. Later if the livestock get out. Unlike many other professions, business on a farm can’t just stop and resume a week later after everyone has taken a vacation, especially if there are livestock involved. Those livestock need fresh feed and water daily. Just like you do. Farmers spend a lot of time ensuring their animals are healthy. In fact, many animals see a veterinarian more than most people see a doctor.

Harvest is a special and sometimes stressful time. A farmer’s crop is a significant investment; one that is affected by the weather and other elements out of their control. The drought of 2012 devastated many family farmers, especially those without crop insurance. Farmers feed the world. This is a huge and important job.

Farmers day is October 12^th. This is an excellent time to thank your local farmers for their dedication and commitment to producing quality food each and every day for you and your family. There are many farmer bloggers online that love to talk with the general public about what they do and why they do it, including Wisconsin dairy farmer Carrie Mess and Arkansas cattleman Ryan Goodman.

When you see tractors or other farm machinery on local roads, please slow down. Farmers do not try to inconvenience anyone. They are trying to get their work done just the same as everyone else is. Most tractor drivers will pull over to the side of the road if they see a line forming behind them. Those farmers spend many, many hours out in the fields during harvest season to produce food for local families.

Better yet, tip your hat to every farmer you see. They will appreciate it!

Do something nice today

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone did something nice for someone else? Well, today is the perfect time to start. It’s ‘do something nice’ day. This ‘holiday’ is celebrated on October 5^th every year and is a day to just do something nice for someone else. This can mean smiling at a stranger on the subway/bus or surprising your significant other with breakfast in bed. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it’s genuine.

What nice things are you doing for someone else today?

Thank you, thank you!

Today, we just want to say thank you to our users, our online fans and everyone else who has helped make Rite in the Rain what it is. We enjoy hearing about your adventures with RITR and how our products have helped you in your work and play in the great outdoors. We also enjoy hearing your feedback on our products and suggestions for new products, so keep those coming!

Our wonderful staff works hard every day to produce a high-quality product for our users and we couldn’t ask for better people to work with.

Our dealers insure our users have access to their favorite RITR products in their local communities.

We are very grateful for the support over the years and we look forward to serving you for many more years.

Today is also national thank you day, so don’t forget to say thank you to someone at least once today. What are you thankful for?

Think Positively

Attitude is everything. Did you know your thoughts directly impact your mood and behavior? This goes for both negative and positive thoughts. Why be in a bad mood when you can be in a good one? By making small, simple changes to the way you think about things, you can be in a much better mood. It’s basically glass half full vs. glass half empty. It’s your choice what kind of mood you want to be in.

Start by recognizing negative thoughts and letting them pass. Reframe the thought to be positive. Over time, the negative thoughts will be less prevalent than the positive thoughts and you will be in a much better (and brighter) frame of mind.

So, how can you think more positively?

This blogger has some great tips.

1. Meditate or do yoga.

One of the first things I did was head to a yoga class. It took my focus away from my thoughts and brought my attention to my breath. Yoga is also very relaxing which helped ease my mind. Yoga helped me stay present to my experience so instead of jumping to what could happen, it brought me back to the now—the only moment, the most important moment.

2. Smile.

I didn’t do much of this during the weekend so I literally had to bring myself in front of a mirror and force myself to smile. It really does help change your mood and relieve stress. I also felt lighter because it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown.

3. Surround yourself with positive people.

I called a friend who I knew could give me constructive, yet loving feedback. When you’re stuck in a negative spiral, talk to people who can put things into perspective and won’t feed your negative thinking.

4. Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive.

For example, instead of thinking We are going to have a hard time adjusting to our living situation, replace that with We will face some challenges in our living situation, but we will come up with solutions that we will both be happy with.

5. Don’t play the victim. You create your life—take responsibility.

The way I was thinking and acting, you would think I was stuck. Even if our living situation becomes unbearable, there is always a way out. I will always have the choice to make change happen, if need be.

6. Help someone.

Take the focus away from you and do something nice for another person. I decided to make a tray of food and donate it to the Salvation Army. It took my mind off of things and I felt better for helping someone else.

7. Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward.

It’s easy to dwell on your mistakes. I felt terrible that I acted this way and that I wasted our weekend. The only thing I can do now is learn from my mistakes and move forward. I definitely don’t want to have a weekend like that again.

8. Sing.

I don’t remember lyrics very well and it’s probably the reason that I don’t enjoy singing, but every time I do sing I always feel better . When we sing, we show our feelings and this provides an amazing stress relief.

9. List five things that you are grateful for right now.

Being grateful helps appreciate what you already have. Here’s my list: My cats, health, a six-week trip to Asia, a new yoga class that I’ll be teaching, and for my mom’s biopsy coming out clean.

10. Read positive quotes.

I like to place Post-It notes with positive quotes on my computer, fridge door and mirror as reminders to stay positive.

Today is Think Positively Day. How will you celebrate? Did you turn a negative thought into a positive one today? Improve your mood? If you have other tips, we’d love to hear them.