Healthy and Green Living

Ah, college. I’m sitting here right now, on my bed, which is quite high off the ground (that’s where I work � I’m not really a library person). In fact, my two friends Hannah and Mollie are sitting right here with me. This is where we spend most of our time. And we are never (or, at least, rarely) seen without our trusty macbooks on our laps. Whether it be for essay writing, sudoku, facebook, a housing search, online tv, or writing blogs (that one only applies to me), we are constantly here with our laptops inches above our uteri (uteruses?).

But, I mean, my desk is really messy � my laptop barely fits on it. It wouldn’t work out so well to keep my laptop off my lap. Plus, my desk chair is quite hard and unappealing. I can’t really sit on it, because there’s a pile of about 20 books on it �

Point being, college students rarely use their laptops anywhere else but upon their laps. They’re called laptops for a reason, after all. But oh, our poor uteri. Hannah, in fact, believes that her uterus has been so burned by the electromagnetic radiation emitted from her evil laptop that she is not sure she has any eggs left. They’re all disintegrated. Your lap gets hot after a while, with your computer’s hard drive two inches from you. You can’t help but feel as though your reproductive organs are burning away.

So what’s the validity of this? Can your laptop actually make you infertile? Well, the answer seems to be yes. Laptops and other electrical appliances emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) over a distance; as the distance increases, the amount of radiation decreases. So at a distance of zero inches? Laptops are basically emitting EMFs at their greatest power directly at your reproductive organs, not to mention a huge amount of heat. This can, in fact, cause some pretty intense issues. Infertility is a definite possibility: this added heat has been shown to kill sperm and leave men infertile. Women should watch out, too; while the science isn’t crystal clear yet, EMF radiation has been linked to cancer (in particular leukemia), birth defects, damage to reproductive organs, tumors, stress, miscarriages, and heart problems.

Well, learning this, I have been driven to buy a lap shield! Made by Winston Technology, these lap shields supposedly shield 99.9% of radiation from laptops and only cost around $25. I just received mine today and am already feeling much less of the heat radiated from my laptop. It straps onto the bottom of my computer and is very un-burdensome and not unattractive at all. I’m a fan.

Note to self: don’t want to be infertile. Use lap shield at all times.

MORE ADVENTURES OF GREEN GIRL
The Adventures of Green Girl

Splat! Green Girl whacks air fresheners

Green Girl zaps flying fridges

Green Girl’s secret power? Tea

Green Girl: Neti pot conquers congestion

Green Girl Waxes Tea Kettle Electric

Green Girl Creams Facial Cleansers

Green Girl Looks Behind The Masc(ara)

Green Girl Fights Food Coloring

Green Girl Turns Her Nose to Perfume

Green Girl Pans Plastic water Bottles

Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.