This is the last post to be done for the class. It seems very strange because I have been blogging so much for this class that it is normal for me to check my blog all the time.
Week 13: During this week we went to Goodwill and got a tour of the company. It was very interesting to see behind the scenes. I did not know that they provided so many disabled people with jobs. By doing this they sacrifice efficiency for humanity, and I think that is a wonderful thing. Another interesting part of the tour was to see how they crush mattress springs into bundles so that a place can take them and melt them down.
We had to do a blog post to our political representative about the bill we choose for the advocacy project. I thought it was very helpful to learn how to write a letter to a representative to advocate for something.
This was also the last week for my eco-chic lifestyle change. I think over the past five weeks I have accomplished a lot with my lifestyle change. It is still now always easy to shower that fast, but I still try because I know the impact I am having on the environment.
Week 14: This last week we presented our junk projects to the class. I made a serving piece out of a candle holder and 2 trays. I used gorilla glue to glue it together. Here is a picture of it.
We had to create on online activity about the bill we are advocating for. Then we had to complete all the activities in our web groups. I really like doing this because it was very short, but I learned a lot of information just from doing everyone's activities.
Overall Reflection: This class has been the most eye-opening class that I have ever taken. The documentaries that we watched were very powerful and never failed to change my thinking about the topic. The video "Tapped" had the most impact on me and I refuse to ever buy a plastic water bottle again. I will continue to advocate for reusable water bottles. I really liked doing the eco-chic lifestyle change because I got to actually change the way I was impacting the environment. The most important thing I learned was about my ecological footprint. It is still crazy to me that I alone, use about 3.6 Earths of resources. I never thought that I had that big of an impact on the Environment, but now that I do I am going to continue to try to reduce the waste I produce and lower my impact on the environment.
Sarah asked us to use Google Transit to find three places we go to a lot. I put in the directions for those places to get alternate routes by either walking or the bus.
I looked at School, Work, and the Grocery store. To get to those places I usually walk or get a ride with a friend. Since I always walk to school and work I did not put them into google transit. I did look up the route for the grocery store. It will take me a total of 8 minutes to get the number 12 bus to take me to the grocery store. I will definitely try to take the bus next time, because it is an easy change to make and hardly takes any time at all.
Occupational Hazard Crossword: Samantha
Sam made a cross word puzzle for us to do. We had to search for the answers. Answers for crossword:
Across: Down: 3. lead 1. inhalation 5. blood 2. decades 6. symptoms 4. wash 7. work
What surprised me the most was that lead can stay in your bones for decades. I also did my advocacy project on lead, so I already knew all of these answers and did not have to go searching for them, but I still really enjoyed doing the crossword puzzle.
The Effects of Smoking: Kristy
Kristy had a few fact sheets for us to read. After we read them she had us take a survey that she created on Survey Monkey.
I thought this was a really good way to learn the information because it was like studying for a test!
Water Vocabulary Match: Calista
Callie created a memory game about water infrastructure. We had to match the definitions to the word. I thought this was a fun activity to do. It also helped me learn a bunch of new definitions.
Understanding Emissions: Adam
Provided fact sheets about emissions and air pollutants. He also had us calculate the amount of emissions we create. I was very happy to see the after calculating my emissions my total annual pollution from road transport was better than average.
Three things I learned from the fact sheets are: 1. Emissions from cars are the greatest when engines are cold. 2. Maintaining vehicle property is the best way to reduce emissions of pollutants. Dirty air filters, broken air pump and a stuck choke all increase emissions of carbon monoxide. 3. Lung functions of healthy people were limited when they exercised in the presence of smog.
Breathe-Freeville Mystery: Sonny
Sonny created a detective game. The town of Breathe-Freeville was getting sick and we had to look at a suspect she provided and answer the questions. 1. Suspect: PM2.5 or PM Fine 2. Crime: Particles travel deep into the lungs and cause respiratory damage. Also can cause damage to the hear and cause cancer 3. Cause: PM Fine comes from burning fuel in powerplants, factories, cars and trucks. It also can come from the dust off of roads, fields and construction sites. 4. Lock'em Up:To help reduce PM Fine or to not get sick from it, avoid strenuous activity where PM Fine levels are high. There are also programs that put a cap on emissions from powerplants. You can also find out if your area is a non-attainment area which means that it doesn't meet the EPA national standards for air quality. 5. Case File: From this activity I learned what PM Fine is; I have never even heard of it before. I learned that it comes from emissions and can cause a lot of damage to the lungs.
Background:Lead is a toxic substance that can be found in many places. It is important to know what could contain lead so that children will not get lead poisoning.Safety at home website says that lead poisoning in children remains a big environmental concern in the U.S. According to the EPA, children can be exposed to lead before they are born. Also, children that may seem very healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies. It is important that people are aware of the health effects of lead, where lead is found and how to prevent lead poisoning. Most people think only of the paint in homes as containing lead, but this is not the case. There have been many other products that contained lead based paint out in stores. The CDC says that lead-based paint and lead contaminated dust are the main sources of lead exposure for U.S. children. Instructions:
Find three recalled item (preferably in the past year).
Tell me the name of the product and how long it was out before it was recalled.
Then go to the EPA website page on lead, click on the "What you can do to protect your family" link and list three ways you can prevent lead poisoning in your home.
Watch the short video below on lead Poisoning and give a short reflection on what you have learned or what surprised you overall from this whole activity.
I hope this activity is not too tedious! Good luck!
While I was working I noticed that we had the same chips that we had for a snack on Monday. The brand is called Sensible Portions. The snacks are in healthy portions and according to the website, still taste great! I thought the straw snacks we had were really good. Their products are all natural and gluten free. If you want to see more of their products, check out their website!
My SMART goal: I will shower for 5 minutes everyday for the next 5 weeks. This week I did pretty well in achieving my SMART goal. The week was about half; with me achieving it 4 times.
Successes and Challenges: I was successful for half the week. I used my phone to set an alarm so I would turn off the shower at the right time. When I needed to shave I turned the water off. It was still really challenging to shower in 5 minutes. I did go over that a couple of times but overall I did better than last week.
What Feelings did you experience? I felt pretty good the whole week. Even though I didn't always make my time I still was always under ten minutes at least so it felt good to save water.
What did you learn this week? I learned that the more you practice a behavior the easier it is to change that behavior into a habit.
What are your plans for next week? This project is done this week but I will continue with my SMART goal.
Review of entire process:
My SMART goal was: I will shower for 7 minutes everyday for the next 5 weeks. I changed my SMART goal once from 7 minutes to 5 minutes.
The things that helped me to be successful were using an alarm to time myself in the shower so I knew when I had to get out. Also, just knowing I had a goal to keep made me shower faster. It was challenging at first to shower for only 7 minutes but once I got used to it, it just became habit. It's still hard for me to shower for 5 minutes. When I needed to shave I just turned off the water so I wouldn't go over my time limit.
From this project I learned how easy it is to change a behavior if you really try to change it. I learned that I used to take showers that were way too long and I save gallons of water just by showering for a shorter amount of time. Behavior changes have to be worked on; they aren't something that is going to happen overnight. For a behavior to change, you have to keep trying to change the behavior until it becomes a habit.
The environment benefited from my project because I saved tons of water from being wasted. By conserving water I helped to reduce water pollution. I also saved energy that is used to heat the water.
I will continue this behavior because it has become natural now for me to shower for only a little while. However, I will probably shower 7 minutes and not 5 minutes. I think it's important that I keep conserving water by lessening my shower time.
For anyone making a lifestyle change, I recommend that they pick something that they really want to change or something they really care about. It's so much easier to make a lifestyle change if you really want to. I would also recommend to keep trying if it doesn't work at first because it's very likely that the change will not happen right away. Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain
December 6, 2010 Sen. Barb Goodwin U.S. Senate 650 Sullivan LN NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421
VOTE YES ON S.RES.650.ATS: National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
The proposed national prevention week will help educate the public on lead poisoning in children and teach people about prevention. By designating one week to prevention of lead poisoning, this bill ensures that the public will be aware of this issue and take action against it. As a current Health Education student from Minnesota, I believe that there should be a week each year designated to childhood lead poisoning. This will keep the public aware of the issue so that steps can be taken to eliminate blood poisoning levels in children.
The prevention week will help educate the public on the dangers of lead poisoning in children. According to the CDC, lead poisoning affects nearly every system in the body. There are often no symptoms for blood poisoning, thus it can go unnoticed. Children under the age of 6 are at the most risk because they put their hands and objects in their mouths more. Also, children at and below the poverty line are also at more of a risk. It would be ideal to completely eliminate blood poisoning as a health issue, but until that comes about a program for prevention once a year is needed to help increase awareness.
Opponents might say that levels have decreased significantly in the past and that there is no more need for blood lead prevention. However, there are still cases of childhood lead poisoning. There have also been many toys and other objects recalled because of lead. Although companies in the U.S. may not used lead based paint, toys and other objects imported from other countries may contain lead based paint. The problem is still there and must continue to be addressed until it is eliminated.
We appreciate the past support of the bill and hope it continues to get passed each year. As a health education student, I hope you realize the importance of educating the public on blood poisoning in children. Vote yes to S.RES.650.ATS: National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Alyssa
Fact Sheet
How do children get lead poisoning? Older homes can contain lead-based paint. Painted toys may contain lead as well as some drinking containers. Children who put toys, containers are suck on the windowsill in an older house may get exposed to lead. If they eat paint chips or soil containing lead they may also get exposed.
What are the symptoms of lead poisoning? Sometimes there are no symptoms. When there are symptoms, they are like other illnesses. Loss of appetite, tiredness, irritability, weight loss, and reduced attention span.
What are the affects of lead poisoning? If not detected early, children with high blood levels may have damage to their brain or nervous system, slowed growth, hyperactivity, behavior problems, headaches, and learning problems.
How can you prevent lead poisoning?
Learn about where lead is found
Keep the home dust-free
Wash children's toys frequently
If you have an older home get it tested for lead
Make sure there is no cracked or chipping paint
Have your kids wash their hands after playing outdoors
More information: For more information you can go to the CDC website or EPA's website.
As always, these past four weeks have been eye-opening.
Week 9: During this week we started our Eco-chic lifestyle goal. I learned how to create a SMART goal to use for my lifestyle change. I also started the Advocacy project. I had to look up all my political representatives. This was good to do because I actually learned who to talk to advocate for issues.
Week 10: This week we watched a video called "Unnatural Causes." This video was about the effects of social class. We had to look at different bills for our advocacy project. This was interesting to learn about all the different issues out there. The second week of my lifestyle change went pretty well; it was fun to challenge myself.
Week 11: We watched a video called "Story of Stuff." It was about what it takes for us to get products. It was interesting to learn how we are able to get products so cheap. I also learned that people usually only keep stuff for 6 months and then throw it away. The junk project was introduced this week. We looked at different junk items and had to think of ways they could be used or transformed. This was also the third week of the lifestyle change and I decided to make my goal more challenging.
Week 12: This week I didn't do so well on my lifestyle change. It was more challenging but I thought I gave it a good try. For this week we had to do a photo essay on the environment. I took pictures of paper and plastics bags. I found that there are a lot more places starting to put out plastic bags recycling containers.
Overall, I think I learned the most about different ways that I can be an advocate in or for my community. I'm learning to look more at junk as a potential treasure and not just junk. Right now, I think I will just be an advocate to my family; I hope I can start getting them to make some changes for the environment. It's almost the end of the semester! I can't wait to see everyone's junk project!
I found a great website calledgreenhome.com: the environmental store. This online store only sells products that are environmentally friendly. The website also offers articles and information on the environment. There are a ton of interesting articles on here. It also has a Toxipedia, which gives you definitions and explanations for environmental terms. On the home page of the website, you can put in your zip code to find your nearest local organic food, find where you can recycle and compost, and see your home's energy usage. It's a really neat website, go check it out! Maybe you'll find some idea's for Christmas presents. :)
My SMART goal for this week was: I will shower for 5 minutes every day. I did not do very well in achieving this goal this week.
Successes and Challenges: I only had success one day. It was really hard to only shower for five minutes. I don't think it's enough time. I usually would shower for 6 minutes. I tried to shower really fast but it's hard!
What feelings did you experience? I felt a little frustrated because I was able to shower in 7 minutes last week but this week it was more difficult to do in 5 minutes.
What did you learn this week? This week I learned that 6-7 minutes is the perfect amount of time to shower.
What are your plans for next week? Even though this week was hard, I still plan to try to shower in 5 minutes. I think it is possible, I just have to try more. I want to be a little more successful with this goal in the next week.
For my Read'n'Seed I read about paper and plastic bags so I wanted to show some pictures of bags. I also wanted to show some changes that are being made to lessen the waste.
I took some pictures of people using a bunch of plastic bags at the grocery store. Some are kinda far away because I was trying to be discreet.
I also took some pictures of the plastic bags we had in my house.
At my house, plastic bags are kept in the hanging thing (I don't know the name for it) usually until they are used for something that is thrown away. So we don't recycle plastic bags at my house.
I did notice many different ways some places are trying to be more green with their bags. Some places have recycling for plastic bags and sell reusable bags.
I took a picture of my family using reusable bags shopping. However, I didn't see anyone else using reusable bags.
Plastic and paper bags are a big environmental concern. People are starting to take little steps to use eco-friendly bags. Reusable bags are being sold at many places now, however I still hardly see anyone using them. I hope more people recycle paper and plastic bags if they don't have reusable ones.
My SMART goal: I will shower for 7 minutes everyday.
Successes and Challenges: I was successful this entire week. I didn't go over 7 minutes showering in the past week. I didn't really have any challenges.
Feelings I experienced: I felt really good about myself because I was able to achieve my goal. It is becoming easier and easier to shower for a short amount of time.
What I learned: This week I learned that it is easy to shower for less than ten minutes. There's no reason to stand around in the shower wasting water!
For next week, I think I will modify my goal. I am going to try to shower for only 5 minutes! That should make it a little more challenging but I think I can do it.
Introduction: The issue is elevated lead blood levels in children. The bill S.RES.650.ATS Designating the week of October 24 through October 30, 2010 as "National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week"has addressed this issue by making one week a national lead poisoning awareness week.
Who is affected by the issue? Children who are exposed to lead through the environment in which they live and parents who don't want to harm their child. Nobody gains from this issue. Children lose this issue because their health is affected by how much they have been exposed to lead.
What are the consequences of the issue? Individuals are affected and can suffer from damage to the brain or nervous system,learning problems, and headaches. Families of those affected will have to deal with the heath issues that it brings to their children.
What is the economic impact of the issue? IQ scores are lower for those exposed to lead, this is valued in forgone earnings. Lower IQ scores affect earnings and therefore the economy loses money. Not eliminating lead exposure has a big cost to foregone earnings.
What is the social impact of the issue? Those living in older homes might still have lead based paint. Also, immigrant children may be at an increased risk.
What are the barriers? Education, foreign made toys and money.
What are the resources? Education on lead poisoning. Will need companies who buy imported products on our side.
What is the history of this issue? The number of children with lead poisoning has decreased 4.7 million since 1978. Lead based paint has also been reduced which decreased the number of homes with it from 64 mil in 1990 to 38 mil in 2000. Many imported products have also been recalled.
Allies and Opponents: Parents of children would support this issue. Those who would oppose the issue would be companies that still use lead as a base. To involve both in advocacy efforts I would point out that if children are getting sick from their products then people are going to stop buying them.
Your Recommendation: I want policy makers to vote yes on this issue.
I know I just did a share'n'voice about an event coming up, but I just found out about another one today that I think people might be interested in. On Saturday November 20th, theDuluth Farmer's Market is having "Festival of the Seasons." It is from 10 a.m. til 3 p.m. There will be wreaths, Garland, Ornaments, Crafts and more. All items are made by local artists and craft people! It is located on 14th Ave. East and 3rd St. Go check it out!
I don't know if you all saw this or not, but there is an event coming up on campus called "Sustainability: The New Business As Usual." Chris Paine, a filmmaker, will be presenting a talk on electric cars on Tuesday November 30th. There will be presentations throughout the afternoon on the 30th about sustainability in businesses and on our own campus. Paine's first documentary "Who Killed the electric car?" will be shown at 3.
My SMART goal for this Lifestyle change is: "I will shower every day for 7 minutes." I think I have done a good job achieving this goal so far.
Successes: Overall, I think I was successful in my goal. I even showered in less than 7 minutes one time. I set an alarm on my phone for 7 min from the time that I turn on the water in the shower. This helps me shower faster since I know that I am being timed. I also do not want the alarm to wake up my roommates in the morning, so I get out of the shower right when it goes off so I can turn it off.
Challenges: This goal is challenging for me because I like to take my time in the shower; especially now that it's cold out! I get up early in the morning to shower, so it is hard to make myself move fast in the morning. If I do not put the volume on my phone on high then I do not hear it and accidentally shower a couple minutes longer. To deal with this I just put the volume on high, which makes me move faster because I don't want to wake up my roommate with my loud alarm.
Feelings I experienced: I usually feel good about myself when I managed to get done in the 7 minutes. It feels like I accomplished a lot! I only really get frustrated if I hear the alarm go off and I'm not done showering.
What I learned: This week I learned that it is possible to shower under 20 minutes.
Plans for next week: For next week I will keep my goal the same because I did go over the time limit by a minute or so a couple times. If next week goes well then I will modify my goal to make it more challenging.
The Environmental issue that I chose from Healthy People 2010 are Toxics and Waste.
Objectives:Eliminating Elevated lead blood levels in children
The Progress Quotient chart shows that over half the targeted change is achieved with it continuing to move in that direction.
Progress towards Healthy People:The targets for reducing exposure of populations to lead were reduced.
Opportunities and Challenges: Eliminating lead blood levels is a challenging environmental issue. There needs to be no use of leads in children's toys, eating utensils and medicines. Some challenges for elimination are that some state budgets have been reduced which affects performing medical and environmental case management. Environmental health agencies can educate physicians on and about child lead poisoning and prevention.
Emerging Issues: Health issues with toxic substances are not always resolved after initial intervention. Some people may have ongoing issues that need to be addressed by case management.
Bill: S.RES.650.ATS Designating the week of October 24 through October 30, 2010 as "National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week." (Agreed to Senate) Title: Same as above. Sponsor: Sen Reed,Jack(RI)(introduced 09/27/2010) and Co-sponsored by Sen. Collins, Sen. Cardin, Sen. Whitehouse,Sen. Dodd,Sen.Menendez, Sen. Boxer and Sen. Johanns. Latest Major Action: 9/27/2010 passed/agreed to in Senate. Status: Submitted in Senate, considered and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble in unanimous consent.
Recommendation: Vote yes for expanding S.RES.650 "National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Weeek" Act for the next ten years.
Hey everyone, I found this video on youtube called Going Green. It's more of an entertaining video than educational, but I think it has an important message.
We are learning a lot in this class about being environmentally friendly, but I think it's important to remember to act on what we learn. I think some people feel that because they recycle they are "green." While recycling is good, it's just one of many things that we can do to help the environment. The point is,remember everything we learn and actually do something about it. Make some lifestyle changes. I just thought this was a funny video with a good message. Enjoy!
For the next 5 weeks I will be changing a behavior. I will make a SMART goal for my behavior change.
My SMART Goal: I will take 7 minute showers everyday for the next 5 weeks.
Why it's Eco-Chic: This goal is Eco-Chic because I will be conserving water. By conserving water I will decrease energy use, save gallons of water and reduce water pollution.
Why I chose this behavior: I chose this behavior because I take a long time in the shower...usually 20 minutes! This is important for me to change because I use a lot of water and I need to be less wasteful. I do not need to spend the amount of time in the shower as I usually do. Image from Morgue File Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 hosted by Amy@AmyintheRain
County Board President (Ramsey County):Tony Bennett Ramsey County Board Office Room 220 Court House 15 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102 651-266-8362
City Mayor (New Brighton):Dave Jacobsen 2539 Robin Lane New Brighton, MN 55112 651-775-1837
In the past four weeks I have learned a lot about the food we consume. In class we have watched a couple videos and I have continued to read my book. I have gotten used to the idea of blogging now. I check it a lot and am comfortable with posting and linking on my blog now.
In class we have talked a lot about food these past couple weeks. We watched two videos. One was about patenting seeds and genetically modified seeds,I believe it was called "Future of Food". This video really opened my eyes to the farming industries and I felt very sad for regular family farms that were having trouble with these big companies. It is scary to think that we use all these pesticides on our food and genetically modify them without really knowing the health risks. We also watched a video called "Fresh." This video was also about food. We did a couple of eye opener activities about the food industries that really made me rethink everything I eat. After learning so much about how this affects not only the environment but also the people, such as farmers, I am definitely going to try to buy more fresh products locally.
I finished reading my book by Dan Imhoff called "Paper or Plastic:Solutions to an Overpackaged World." I learned so much about how much plastic we waste in packaging. Companies package their items in too much. When items are in a box, is it really necessary to put plastic wrap over it too? The main thing I learned from this book was that the only right answer to the question "paper or plastic" is neither. Paper has just as much waste as plastic. We might not be able to stop the companies waste but we can help the environment by using usable bags,water bottles, coffee mugs,and by buying locally.
This last week in class we watched a movie called "Tapped." It was about the bottled water industry. After watching that video, I do not want to ever buy bottled water again. I knew it did not make sense to buy water when you could get it for free, but after seeing the affects it has on communities, people's health and the environment I definitely will stick to reusable water bottles.We just started learning about junking in class. I personally love looking through antique shops and resale shops for things. I always feel twice as accomplished when I find something good at a thrift shop vs. if I get it at any old store. I'm very excited to see what people come up with when we do the junk project. We are getting new blog groups, so I'm ready to read from some new people!
Antiques: "In the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old fashioned." Junk:"An old or discarded material, as metal, paper,or rags." Flea Market:"A market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise,etc." Thrift Shop:"a retail store that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices." Upcycling:"The process of converting an industrial nutrient into something of similar or greater value, in it's second life." Resale Shop:"The selling again something purchased."
Part 2:
The above terms are all about reusing products and giving stuff that other people don't want a second life. The terms are about making someone else's junk your own treasure. It's about reusing things that might have otherwise just been put in the trash and wasted. All these terms are ways in which we can save and limit waste;thus improving environmental health.
Local Resources: Antiques: Old Town Antiques and Books 102 E Superior St. Duluth,MN (218)-722-5426 This store doesn't have a website, so the link will just tell you where it's located.
Upcycling:I could not find anything on Upcycling in or by Duluth.
Thrift Shop: Salvation Army 215 South 27th Avenue West Duluth, MN 218-722-7934
I have used many of these. I used to work at a resale shop in high school. I worked at Once Upon a Child which is the same thing as Plato's Closet but it's for little kids. I always bring old clothes and items to goodwill when I don't want or need them anymore. I do this because I don't like to just throw away stuff that's still usable. It seems like a waste. I go shopping in antique stores a lot because I LOVE antiques. I also occasionally going thrift store shopping. I love when you find something nice for so cheap! I don't really go to flea markets because I guess I never really know where one is.
Part 3: Tag Maker Tote: I think this is such a neat idea! An old Film case made into storage!
Junk Picture Frame: I really like the antique look of using old barn windows as picture frames!
Vintage Redesign Jewelry: This is by far my favorite. Using an optical lens for a necklace and putting something meaningful to read on it is genius. I really want to make something similar to this now!
This week I'd thought I'd share a website that I actually stumbled across freshman year, when writing my research paper. The website is called Slow Food. Slow Food is a non-profit organization started in 1989 when 15 countries signed the Slow Food Manifesto, to counter fast food and fast life. The vision of slow food is: "We envision a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet." Their mission is to promote good, clean, and fair food for all. Their definition for their mission, taken from their website, is: "Slow Food's approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept of food quality defined by three interconnected principles:
GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture;
CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health;
FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers." You can read all about the different projects,activities, and events that Slow Food holds around the world. Here is a link to the USA national chapter of Slow Food, for more close to home events. I looked up the local chapters in Minnesota and there's a chapter in Minneapolis,Fergus Falls,Rochester, and DULUTH!
I recommend looking at the first link at the top of the page because that one takes you to the Slow Food International website; it's interesting to look at how big this association is,their philosophy,and what they do. But if you have time, check out the other links too!
For the last quarter of my book I covered eleven chapters, pages 108-157. The main topics of this quarter were on bioplastics, Ideas of Global reviving on the economy and tips for what individuals can do. I'm going to break it up into 3 sections based on the main topics.
Bioplastics: Bioplastics are plastic packaging made out of plant materials that can decompose. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been promotingbiofineries as a national renewable resource strategy. Biofineries are mills that produce fuels, power, heat, etc from biomass. There are 3 categories of bioplastic engineering in the U.S.:converting plant starches and sugars into plastics, producing plastics inside microorganisms via fermentation, and genetically modifying crops such as corn and rapeseed so that they actually GROW PLASTIC! I'm not sure how I feel about that one. Bioplastics look like a good solution on the surface but we would need a lot of corn to produce the 30 million tons of plastic polymers consumed in the U.S. every year. Agriculture will have to change radically from how it is now. The author doesn't believe that bioplastics will fix the packaging problem. He writes, "rather than changing the core of our convenience-oriented society by offering deep systemic solutions, bioplastics seem to offer a plant based techno-fix to our existing consumption habits."
Global Revival of Local Economies: This part of the book was about the consumers role in packaging. Getting coffee consumes up to 100 million throwaway cups, lids, and sleeves in a day in the U.S. alone. Just by using a reusable cup, you can reduce the amount of energy, water use, air emissions, water pollution and solid waste by 85-99%! People can also help their economies just by the food they buy. Farm-in-a-box or Community-supported-agriculture, is a movement that unites consumers with nearby farmers with the concept of locally grown, seasonal produce. People pay an advanced agreed upon fee to farmers before the season begins, and in return, during the season, those who pay receive fruits and vegetables each week. It is a good approach to food distribution, consumption and packaging. Another way to look at food is through something called Food Miles. This Measures the distance an item has traveled between the field and dinner table. Today, the average a food item travels in the U.S. is 2,000 miles. The next solution is called The Buy local Campaign. This is an organized national coalition in the U.S. These campaigns address the issues surrounding faraway food production. One campaign challenged people to buy $10 worth of produce from their state farmers each week because this could pump $100 million into the regional farm economy.
What can you do? Though we can't limit how much packaging companies use, we can do some things to minimize damage on a daily basis. We can support local farmers, carry reusable mugs and water bottles, take time to eat rather than take out, have cloth shopping bags,and write letters to companies to reduce. You can minimize take out packaging by staying at a restaurant instead of eating on the go. Establish a reusable packaging policy in your home, and last but not least, be clear about your ecological footprint.
This book goes over how much packaging waste we have. It discusses the waste not only from the packaging itself, but the costs in energy and resources that we use to make this packaging. The author gives solutions to improve upon the packaging problem and discusses not only how companies can save packaging, but how we as consumers can also save packaging and thus resources.
The three most significant things I learned from this book were:
How much plastic the U.S. alone wastes.
The U.S. seems to care the least about environmental impacts of packaging compared to other countries.
There are some packaging reforms out there, we just need to improve and implement them.
Since I live in the U.S. this book means a lot to me, because our country uses the most waste and seems relatively uneducated about it. I didn't know how much waste packaging created. Or maybe I did, but I never really thought much about it. Seeing pictures of rivers filled with plastic and reading about all the resources we use to make packaging is very eye-opening. It's also frustrating, because you want to change that, but as a consumer can only start with small steps to try to contribute to a bigger change. I would recommend this book, because it is not very long but it contains a lot of information. It not only informs readers about packaging waste, but gives tips about how to minimize the waste. As the author said earlier in the book, it shouldn't be about picking the lesser of two evils. So the next time you're asked Paper or Plastic, I hope you say neither, and pull out a reusable bag.
I went to the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Databaseand searched their database for a makeup product I use. It was really interesting to see what different products were rated at. The rating scale was 0-2 low hazard, 3-6 moderate hazard, and 7-10 high hazard.
The product I looked up was bareMinerals Foundation Fair. The rating for this was a 7! I was very surprised by this because I thought this companies products wouldn't be so bad. It said that ingredients in this product are linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies, and a few other hazards. The ingredients in it that seem to cause the most hazards are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.
After seeing these results, I'm glad that I don't actually use that foundation very much. It was interesting to look up products and see what rating it has. Some brands had lower hazards overall than others. Products always have the ingredients on the back, but I usually don't really know what any of them are. It is nice but a little scary to find out what the ingredients actually are and what harm they could potentially cause.
For this quarter of the book I read 8 chapters which covered pages 54-108. The main topics of these chapters are source reduction and wood reduction.Source reduction is the change in the design of materials and wood reduction is reducing the amount of wood-based packaging. Source Reduction is one of the most effective strategies for businesses to reduce solid waste right away. Packages can be eliminated and products can be redesigned for source reduction. Goals of source reduction are to reduce volume of packaging in the waste stream, reduce amount of packaging used, reduce package weight to save transportation energy, and to support suppliers who recycle waste. Aluminum cans were trimmed down from 21 to 12 grams between 1970 and 1998. The company that makes Clif Bar stopped shrink wrapping the bulk product boxes and saved $445,000 a year by eliminating $90,000 pounds of plastic. Forests are the primary source of packaging materials. Wood-based products are the largest part of the municipal waste stream. This means that forests are under assault from industrial operations that fill wood supplies. We humans tend to forget that intact forests are home to and support the highest levels of biodiversity. "Only 20% remains of the world's original ancient forests large enough to maintain their inherent biodiversity".
We are a society addicted to wood and it's a problem that is ignored. There are only a few public policies that call for an environmentally preferable packaging. The book lists the different types of wood based packaging:
Paper:Paper consumption more than tripled between 1961 and 1998. More than 600 lbs of paperboard are consumed each year per person in the U.S.
Corrugated box materials:Can be recycled just about anywhere, however, boxes dirty with grease, like pizza boxes, usually can't be recycled.
Boxboard:Often used as a secondary packaging for items.
Solid-wood packaging materials:Building these pallets consume 40% of all hardwoods and 10% of all lumber cut in the U.S. each year.
Wood Shavings:Used as a filler in shipping containers.
The problem is how much wood packaging is used and that there are no ordinances against it. A product ordered and shipped from the internet comes in a corrugated box, which contains "filler" made of paper, to cushion the item. Then the actual product may come in it's own packaging; maybe a box filled with more paper. Wood based packaging seems to be on the backburner of environmental issues.
The author lists some solutions to the problem. I will name just three of his ideas.
Source Avoidance: Companies pledge to avoid using wood-based products that are sourced from remaining biologically intact forests.
Source Protection: Nations can direct tax dollars and incentives toward long-term conservation of remaining forests.
Perception adjustment:We must challenge the notion that wood is preferable to plastic because it is a renewable source. All packaging production carries impacts. Our challenge is to make the best resource decisions possible for the long term.
I think the biggest challenge is to convince people that just because wood is a renewable source, it doesn't mean that the environment isn't suffering. The environmental impact of paper is just as important as the impact of plastic.
I work at UMD Stores and while putting out food the other day I noticed we got a new product. The product is a little bag of chips and the company that makes them is called Food Should Taste Good. The reason I'm blogging about this is because the back of the bag caught my attention. Next to the Nutrition facts it says this:
All Natural Kosher (OU) No MSG Low Sodium Trans Fat Free A Good Source of Dietary Fiber Not Genetically Modified Gluten Free Lactose Free No Preservatives Cholesterol Free
Since we have been talking about food so much in class, I thought this would be interesting to share. We carry it in the store here on campus and for such a healthy snack it's relatively cheap! I tried the Sweet Potato kind and it was very good. If you go on the Food Should Taste Good website they provide the nutrition facts on all their products. Here's a little bit of what the company does for the Environment;it's taken from their site:
"At Food Should Taste Good® we have taken steps within our manufacturing facilities and offices to lessen our impact on the environment.
Our manufacturing facilities are spread across the country to promote fuel-efficient transportation with less gas usage. Our corrugated packaging is 100% recyclable and made from 65%+ recycled content. Our ingredients are non-genetically modified.
At our main office, we provide employees with plates and silverware that we wash to reduce the use of paper and plastic utensils. We also initiated our own recycling program, use low energy lights, and practice minimal and efficient travel. Our philosophy is that every little bit counts!"
It's a small company, but it looks like they make a big effort to be healthy. I really recommend you try one of their chips.
For the Second quarter of the book I covered 9 chapters, pages 27-53. The main topics that these chapters covered are good and bad solutions to the plastic problem. These chapters are about searching for solutions.
The first chapter talks about bottled water. As you may have noticed, bottled water is pretty popular. By the turn of the century, 22 billion U.S. gallons were bottled and sold; it was just 300 million gallons in 1970. That's 1.5 million tons of plastics per year from bottles. I agree with the author when he says that single use water containers probably emerged because of demand for on-the-go societies. According to the author, 25% of bottled water is traded and consumed outside of it's original country and another 25% is actually tap water. It seems like a big waste of plastic to buy bottled water that you could get out of your own facet.
The book talks about some solutions to reduce packaging. Some activists believe there should be post-consumer content laws, which would require producers to use a given percentage of recycled materials in the bottles they produce. Though there are many ideas,there is at least one solution for single-use bottles and that is "clean water, flowing from taps, water coolers, fountains, and home filtration equipment, and toted around in reusable containers." In other words, don't buy bottled water. Get it from home and use a reusable water bottle. The correct answer to the paper or plastic question is "neither." We want to eliminate, reduce, refill and recycle but even better then that would be to come up with better ways of consuming, producing, packaging and reusing products. Instead of settling for the lesser of two evils (paper or plastic) as the author puts it, we need to change how we live our lives.
This quarter of the book talked a lot about Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR. EPR means that a packages end-of-life is the responsibility of it's manufacturer or distributor. As of 2003, 31 countries adopted EPR or take back laws. The U.S. is not one of them. The EU (European Union) has been strengthening the standards of packaging. The book even said that lawmakers in most countries don't question whether there should be national take-back laws for products but instead question what form makes the most sense. However, the U.S. remains on holdout in adopting EPR legislation and is not included as being one of those countries.
It's nice to know that some places are making a change, however, I wish the U.S. would follow the E.U.'s example. We need to think of better solutions and implement them. I think it would help to have EPR laws. Holding manufacturer's and distributors accountable is something to be done because they are the ones who design, advertise, and distribute the waste in the first place.
