Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal: To use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop.

Success Rate: 100% success rate this week!

The Week: Well, this past week I was home for Thanksgiving and shockingly did not do ANY shopping.  This is highly unlike me, but I was busy with family, friends and homework.  Although I don't have much to report about my own reusable bags, I did notice that my parents have started to use them!  This was so awesome! I hadn't even talked to them about how great they are for the environment!

Lessons Learned: I learned that I don't think I give my parents quite enough credit.  While I was home and I did my photo essay on how Grand Forks is going green I realized that my household has always been pretty green.  My dad is the light master of the house, always turning off every light before we leave and only using the necessary lights in the house.  Ever since I was a kid we've been religious about recycling.  They're even on the ball about the reusable bags, which is something that's even relatively new to me!  Wait to go Scott and Jan! 

Next Week's Plans:  I think I'd like to keep my goal the same.  Only one more week, hope I can make it a success!

My Parents in Edinburgh at the Royal Museum of Scotland

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

 I love the idea of a photo essay.  It's personal, which makes it more interesting!  My first thought was to try and make homemade, non-toxic cleaning products and use them on my kitchen and bathroom; however, I've been home the past 5 days and my mom is some kind of cleaning Nazi who keeps our house looking spotless and immaculate (as you can see from a picture of my bathroom).  Since there is no point in cleaning what's already clean and even less of a point when I'm trying to prove the effectiveness of non-toxic cleaning products I came up with a new idea.  Take a green-tour of the greater Grand Forks area!

In 1997 Grand Forks and East Grand Forks suffered through a huge flood.  The water rose 54 feet out of the banks of the river and broke through sandbags and makeshift dikes.  It ended up destroying many homes, businesses, and other buildings. Piles of contaminated garbage, appliances, and the guts of houses lined the streets for months.  What a huge waste of materials! Since then, these two towns have done a lot to improve our community and build it up even better than it was at first!  In these two pictures I am on opposite sides of the river standing next to what now acts as a flood wall to contain the river if it ever decides to rise again.
 This picture illustrates the record high water level in 1997 along with other flood years. 




Now days along the banks of the Red River we have something called "The Greenway".  It was originally 1200 acres of floodplain, but has now been created into something useful!  There are over 20 miles of bike and running trails, 2 Frisbee golf courses (one on each side of the river), a dog park, numerous playgrounds, sports fields, and more. 
 

In this picture you can see a biker enjoying the use of the trails across the river.  I'm standing next to the statue with the water levels on it as I took the picture.  In 1997 the river was covering the road on the bridge just to give you an idea of how high it was.

<-- Here's one of the Frisbee golf courses.

Here is an information pillar in the Greenway.  It contained a map of the bike paths and "Fitness trails".    -->

There are solar powered street lamps that line a good portion of the trails, which solve the problem of getting electricity to a flood prone area along with really staying true to the idea of a "Greenway".













Along the Greenway is this town square.  It holds farmers markets every weekend during the summer and growing season.  You can buy all kinds of locally grown and organic produce along with other goods!  There is even a stage for music and other performances!

Something that East Grand Forks (EGF) has created since the flood is what we call our "Green Site".  Each resident of EGF is given a card that opens up the gate to the green site and people can recycle all kinds of things like yard wasts such as grass clippings, leaves, and tree branches.

 

 

Just doing some recycling at the Green Site!

Paper only!

Recycling is easy!

 

But please, no dumping.

Something that was new on this home visit to even me was our windmill!  A wind mill was recently constructed on the edge of town.  Wind energy is a green, renewable source of power.  It doesn't require the use of fossil fuels, or create water or air pollutants.

 

Lastly, there have been changes in how we recycle.  I don't remember a time when we didn't recycle at my house.  Everyone on our block did and we had to separate everything!  I remember dragging each individual bin out to the end of the driveway before school.  Glass, cans, plastic, and another bag for paper and cardboard!  Now the city has issued everyone a standard garbage can and recycling bin.  You can throw all of your recycling into one container and hull it out to your curb!

      

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

What is the Issue?

My issue addresses the use of tobacco products by minors.  They are not legal to use these products and the products have many negative consequences on health.   Healthy People 2010 has been moving towards its target of reducing adolescent tobacco use (grades 9-12 ).
 

Here is a piece of current legislation proposed to address the issue:
H.R.1432:To reduce youth usage of tobacco products, to enhance State efforts to eliminate retail sales of tobacco products to minors, and for other purposes.

Who is Affected by the Issue? 


Minors along with the tobacco industry are both affected by this issue.  The CDC estimates that 20% of high school aged kids smoke and that 1,000 new persons under the age of 18 become regular smokers everyday (CDC).  It's hard to say who wins and loses because it depends on your stance on the issue.  From my perspective, since I think adolescent tobacco use is a negative thing, adolescents are losing when the tobacco industry targets them with marketing or when the clerk at a convenience store doesn't check an i.d. They are losing their health, and often gaining negative social stereotypes and stigmas.  The tobacco company are the winners in this situation.  They are making money off of those who are not even of legal age to purchase their products, and on top of that they are trying to make loyal customers out of these minors.

What are the Consequences?

The are many obvious health consequences related to using tobacco products, which many of us are well versed in by now. Although most individuals our age know about the dangers of using tobacco products, this isn't always the case with minors.  Also hooking younger and younger kids on smoking and creating more and more life-long users is a drain on our health system.  After all, tobacco use is the single most cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S (CDC).  Worldwide, smoking is the cause of over 5 million deaths a year (CDC).

What are the Social and Economic Impacts?

I touched on the economic impact a tiny bit when I talked about smoking being a drain on the health system.  It is estimated that annually $96 billion in health-care spending is attributed to tobacco use (MIT).  This cost doesn't even cover another important economic issue.  That being a loss of productivity.  That cost is somewhere in the neighborhood of $97 billion (CDC).  There are other related costs as well that are easy to forget.  Take the billions of dollars that are spent each year on smoking cessation aids like over-the-counter and prescription medications, counseling, and clinical treatments. The tobacco industry is also spending money, and a lot of it is spent on advertising.  In 2005, tobacco spending in advertising and promotions reached 13 billion dollars (CDC).  
Something that is responsible for 1/5 of the deaths in the U.S. each year has a colossal social impact (CDC). Those deaths not only represent smokers, but those who died from second hand smoke as well. Second hand smoke exposure is actually responsible for an estimated 49,000 deaths each year (CDC).  Second hand smoke has also been linked to SIDS.  For these and many other reasons our society has been making changes and moving toward more smoke free public environments.  You can no longer smoke in many bars, restaurants, or work places.

 

What are the Barriers?

The tobacco industry itself is the largest barrier on this issue.  It's an immensely wealthy entity and with great wealth comes great power.  They have lobbyist who can pay politicians huge sums for their campaigns and in return these politicians make decisions that bode well for the tobacco industry.
Another barrier to success is human behavior.  It is very hard to change human behavior and smoking is one of the most addictive behaviors you can think of.  Minors often begin smoking thinking that they will be able to stop at will (MIT).  These minors may end up to be life-long smokers and some of the tobacco industries loyalest customers.  An estimated 40% of smokers try to quit each year, but few are successful (CDC).  It's estimated that as low as 8% of smokers successfully quit long-term (MIT).

What are the Resources?


If you check out the CDC website there are a lot of cool resources.  you can find tons of information and facts about smoking in general, along with smoking risks for specific populations.  You can also find cool links to things like the Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC) which give you access to a whole bunch of ads and other campaign materials.  The MCRC basically helps you develop a media plan that will be taylored towards your specific audience and localize advertising materials. 
There are endless amounts of resources of smoking cessation.  Look online. look on tv, look on a billboard and you will see them.  Here is a few really unique anti-smoking ads: click here!  Here is a really graphic ad campaign ran in Australia: check it out


Who are the Allies and Opponents?

The tobacco industry is the largest opponent. Although there are laws against advertising to minors they get away with it using Internet marketing on sites like Facebook and Myspace that are primary geared towards younger users.  The tobacco industry also has a lot of power and influence because they have to available funds to buy protection.  They buy protection from politicians when they give them campaign money insuring their best interests.
Politicians, those who have been elected to represent what "we the people" want and who are in charge of making changes for the better are supposed to be our allies. And yet states have billions of dollars available to them (from tobacco taxes) for preventing and controlling tobacco use and over 95% of it goes untouched (CDC).  In 2004 $24.9 billion was available to the states from taxes and settlements and only 3% was used (CDC). 

My Recommendation: 
 

My recommendation would be to support the piece of legislation proposed at the top of this blog.  It may be a small step towards eliminating the use of tobacco products by minors, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight"

A few months later and I can say that I'm completely finished with "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight".  The fourth quarter of my book consisted of pages 286 - 356 which contained 10 chapters.

I mentioned in my other posts that the book was split into three basic sections.  In the first section the author talked about what's happening to our world and where we're at today.  This included discussing all of out worldly issues like over-population, famine, war, global warming, the oil crisis, etc.  The second part of the book was about how we got this way.  This section covered a lot of historical aspects for how we've gotten to this critical point.  Lastly, the third section of the book is about what we can do to start to reverse of of this damage or at least stop it's continuation. 

The main idea that I got from this last section of reading was that there is no end-all be-all cure for the earth's current predicament.  The author offers many ideas of ways we can start to change things.  This includes "renouncing the destruction of life" meaning we have to understand that every living thing is just as important as the next and we are not the dominators of all life. Other ways we can change the path we're on include turning off the t.v., changing the focus of how we use technology, putting more belief into intentional communities, reinventing our daily life rituals, and transforming culture through politics. 

I think the most significant idea that I'm going to take a away from this section is that true change is not a simple process.  The author says that in this book he "presents as a solution something that many may think couldn't possibly be a solution because it seems unfathomably difficult:  change our culture, beginning with yourself."  This is so much harder to do than it seems on the surface.  I mean how do you change something that you've been submerged in since the second you were born?  It's ingrained in us and we're surrounded by it in every aspect of our lives.  It's what we eat, it's what we wear, it's where we sleep, it's how we speak, it's there when nothing else is around us.  Although this may be the hardest thing to do, it's the most crucial thing if we are going to change the outcome of the planet. 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal: To use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop.

Success Rate: 100% success rate this week!

The Week: Not too much to talk about this week.  I was at work everyday except for one since my last eco-chic update so I only ended up going shopping once.  I did a little grocery shopping late Thursday night after my shift at work.  I just like to pop in my ipod and walk around the isles!  I almost forgot my bag in the car, but grabbed it at last second!  I ended up having to carry a few items because my bag ran out of room, but I'm alright with that!

Lessons Learned: I learned that it's easy to succeed at your goal when you don't have anytime to shop.  I guess it saves plastic bags and my bank account.  It's what I like to call a Win/Win.

Next Week's Plans:  I think I'd like to keep my goal the same.  I plan to do some shopping for Christmas gifts when I'm home for Thanksgiving so I'm going to have to remember to take my reusable bags with me and I urge everyone else to take reusable bags with them as they shop this holiday season!  That kind of sounded like one of those "The More You Know" commercials that you see on NBC.  Check it out: http://www.themoreyouknow.com/ 

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Reflection: weeks 9 & 10

Weeks 9 and 10 were a little different than past weeks in the way that instead of doing eye-openers we have been working on our advocacy projects. 

In week 9 we started out by learning about advocacy.  We did this by getting into groups and teaching the class different topics related to advocacy.  This was an interesting way to learn and an interesting way to teach as well.  Most groups did some kind of skit to illustrate their point.  I learned that advocacy is not a service and that it doesn't always have to be really confrontational.  It was interesting learning about the barriers to advocacy because they all made sense.  I think I'm most guilty of not knowing enough about an issue, but that is something I could totally change if I just took the time! 

We also found our political leaders online and all of their contact information.  Something that surprised me about this was they that they did their email.  Most representatives didn't have an actually email address, but more like this blank form you would go to their site and fill out.  I guess it makes sense considering how many emails they must get, but I was kind of just expecting to find an email address like any other individual would have. 

In week 10 we watched the first section of a documentary called "Unnatural Causes".  The section was called "In Sickness and In Wealth" and was about health and how it seems to be directly correlated to wealth.  It's pretty upsetting to see how life expectancy goes down with level of income.  It was also a really big eye-opener to see how much stress is put on people who earn less, or people who are in less control at their jobs.  I never expected that.  When I think about stress, I definitely was thinking that the hospital CEO must be under a lot of stress, way more than a janitor.  It was crazy to find out that that's not the case.  My book kind of ties into this as it's talking about how we are constantly stressed because we are constantly working for security.  I guess I can see that a CEO with more security than a janitor would have less stress.

 
We also discussed the upcoming photo essay.  This is a pretty cool idea!  I can't wait to see everyone's ideas.  Photo essays should be used for more projects in more classes.  It's way more interesting to not only the person completing the project, but also for those viewing it!  I plan on making naturally cleaning solutions out of things like baking soda and vinegar and testing how well they clean! Pretty exciting stuff! 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal: To use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop.

Success Rate: 100% success rate this week!

The Week: This week I did not use any plastic bags!  I went shopping a few different times, but I was always prepared because I bought one of those fold up Superone bags that I now keep in my purse, and I also carry two reusable bags in my car.  Me and a friend went shopping at the thrift store and the grocery store and we were sure to use our reusable bags each time.  We also went to Caribou where I noticed they have those bags that fold up into themselves and look like hacky sacks!  They were like $9 so I think I can find one cheaper if I keep my eyes peeled.

Lessons Learned: I learned that it's easy to succeed at your goal when you come prepared and it feels good too!

Next Week's Plans:  I think I'd like to keep my goal the same.  I'm also still looking for cute bags for my mom and sister so if anyone sees any around town let me know!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

I looked under the goal "Reduce illness, disability and death related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke" and used the Healthy People 2010 objective 27-2: To reduce tobacco use by adolescents (grades 9 -12).

As of the midcourse review use of all different kinds of tobacco (cigars, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco) has moved toward the target goal of change by 68%.  Black non-Hispanics have the best rate.  White non-Hispanics have the worst out of the group (with a 50-99% disparity from the best group).  Hispanics are in the middle (with a 10-49% disparity from the best group).  There is no data on other races.  Females were listed as the group with the best rate and males were listed as having a 10-49% disparity from the best group. 

 Although progress has been made towards the goal there are still some emerging issues.  Smokeless tobacco was listed as an issue.  This may be because sometimes these products can be seen as less harmful then other tobacco products.  However this is untrue because these products are known human carcinogens and they are still addictive and harmful to your health.  Another emerging issue is the use of the internet to market tobacco products.  It is very hard to police the internet and many sites use weak or non existent age verification methods.  This has set back the goal of reducing the proportion of adolescents and young adults who are exposed to tobacco advertising.  If that goal has setbacks it adversely affects the success of my goal. 


H.R.1432: To reduce youth usage of tobacco products, to enhance State efforts to eliminate retail sales of tobacco products to minors, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] (introduced 3/11/2009)      Cosponsors (4)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major Action: 3/11/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Recommendation: Vote YES for H.R. 1432
My Political Representative(s):

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third Quarter of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight"

The third quarter of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" had a different feel than the first half of the book.  I read pages 192 to 285.  This incorporated about 12 chapters.

In the first part of the book the author discussed all of the issues that earth and the world's population are facing such as the oil crisis, lack of clean accessible water, famine, war, deforestation, global warming etc.  In the second part of book the author describes how we got to this critical point on the verge of destruction.  Finally, in the third part of the book the main topic was what we can do about it.  

This third section of the book is probably my favorite.  It's much more upbeat than the other two for obvious reasons.  Instead of talking about the downside of our situation, it talked about what can be done to try and reverse what's happening.  It addressed more spiritual and cultural things we need to address verses tangible things.  One thing I learned is that we are all connected by something called  a "morphic field".  It's hard to explain, but as I understood it it's kind of like this huge collective unconscious.  This means if individually we start to change our way of thinking it can echo out in the larger world.  When enough people learn to think differently there will be a snap or shift and our culture will change.  The interconnectedness of all things is something I find somewhat difficult to grasp, but I love the idea of it and I want to believe that it's true.  The author also talked about practicing "small acts of anonymous mercy".  These have a synergistic effect.  The more random acts of kindness performed, the more people will be inclined to act in a kind manner.

The idea of the interconnectedness of all things gives me a feeling of equality to all living things.  Some humans believe that we are superior to all other living things and that it is our right to dominate over all of nature, but what does that mean?  That we have a right to use everything, in any amount, and however we would like with no thought or question as to how it effects other living things or future generations?  I believe that we are the earth's stewards, not the earth's tyrants.  I recently read a chapter out of a book called "What Color is Your Parachute" in which the author describes life as individual moments in which you have the power by the decisions you make whether or not to bring more gratitude, more kindness, more forgiveness, more honesty, and more love into this world.  Everyday we live these moments whether we are conscious that these decisions are being made or not.  I feel that if everyone believed that with each decision they made they had the chance to bring more or less love into the world we would all try a little harder.  I feel like this is sort of the point that the author of my book was trying to get across as well.    

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal: To use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop.

Success Rate:  I would give myself a 90% success rate this week.

The Week: Well, it would have been a perfect 100% but I went to the grocery store last night with a classmate because we have to bring snack to a class.  We took her car and I didn't even think to grab reusable bags.  She didn't have any either and we got quite a few items so we each ended up using a paper bag.  However, we each cut down on the amount of bags we might have used by carrying the jugs of juice instead of using another bag.  This was the only time I went shopping within the last few days.  I have noticed that now that I have a couple of reusable bags I tend to find a bunch of different ways to use them!  For instants, I will be carrying the snack for the health 4000 class in them.  I also use them as gym bags, laundry bags, and carrying my school stuff! 

Lessons Learned: I learned that the biggest barrier in successfully completing my goal is not having a bag on hand.  I keep a fold up bag in my purse now, but not in my backpack, which was why I was not successful this week.  It would be worth it to buy another fold up bag to keep in my backpack so I always have one on hand. 
Next Week's Plans:  I think I want to keep my goal the same (since I've only been successful once or twice).  However, I did have a brain storm here that I really want to get my family members using reusable bags.  I know my mom would totally be into the idea if I got her a cute little fold up one for her purse and my sister loves purses and bags so I think I could get her to use them at the grocery store!  Looks like I'm on the hunt for some cute bags!    

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

<--way cute

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President Obama  -   Democrat  -  http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500   

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
You can fill our a form to email the president, but no email address is listed. 

Jim Oberstar - House Congressmen- Democrat - http://oberstar.house.gov/ 

 http://oberstar.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_LIST&SEC={AF74BAFF-6820-45D4-81A6-E450E544722C
The above website has all of Jim's contact information.
You can fill out a form to email him.  


Amy Klobuchar - Senator Congresswoman - Democrat - http://klobuchar.senate.gov/

 http://klobuchar.senate.gov/contactamy.cfm
The above link has like 10 different addresses and phone numbers in 10 different locations you can reach Amy at.  You can fill out a form to email her.

Toll free number:      1-888-224-9043

Al Franken - Senate Congressman - Democrat - http://franken.senate.gov/


http://franken.senate.gov/contact/
The above website contains Al's contact infromation and a form you could fill out if you'd like to email him.

Governor Tim Pawlenty  - Republican-  http://www.governor.state.mn.us/ 

Mailing Address:

Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Other ways to reach our office:

Telephone: (651) 296-3391
Toll Free:    (800) 657-3717
Facsimile:   (651) 296-2089
E-mail:        tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

Legislators   -   http://www.leg.state.mn.us/

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/housemembers.asp
The above link has all the names, phone numbers, party information, and emails of the members of the house members.
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_list.php?sort=a&ls=#header
The above link has all the names, phone numbers, party information, and emails of the member of the senate.

St. Louis County Board    -   http://www.co.st-louis.mn.us/slcportal/SiteMap/HomePage/ContactUs/tabid/552/SiteMap/HomePage/Departments/CountyBoard/tabid/554/Default.aspx

The St. Louis County Board does not list anyone as their president, however the board includes 7 members which represent the 7 different districts in the county.  Those board members contact information can be found on that link including name, address, phone number, and a link to email them. The site also includes times and dates that the board meets.

Mayor of East Grand Forks MN - Lynn Stauss -  http://www.ci.east-grand-forks.mn.us/city/mayorbio.php

600 DeMers Ave • P.O. Box 373 « East Grand Forks, MN 56721
218-773-2483 • 218-773-9728 fax

This was the most information I could find on my hometown mayor.  I couldn't find an email address or a political affiliation.  The website I provided is a lackluster attempt at a biography.  Oh, small town politics!  However, I do know where he lives (a few blocks from my house) and it wouldn't be hard to find his home phone number in the yellow pages I'm sure.

Reflection: Weeks 7 & 8

Weeks 7 & 8 brought up some very interesting subjects that I hadn't really been exposed to.

In week 7 we watched a video called "Green".  The video concentrated on cities that sat on the banks of the Mississippi in the southern part of the states, a place dubbed "cancer alley".  It received this nickname because of all the huge chemical production plants that also situated themselves on the Mississippi.  These chemicals are leeching into the water, and into the air, and dramatically decreasing the quality of life for the members of the communities surrounding them.  These communities face higher rates of cancer, asthma, and other negative health effects.  The people affected cry out for help from their local and state government, and from the companies producing the problems, but are ignored.  Their very legitimate concerns are pooh-poohed, and dismissed with hardly a thought.  Why?  Because the companies are making a profit, because the companies have the power, the wealth, and the voice, because they think of these communities as expendable.  Well I think these communities are people like everyone else and no one can put a price on a life.  No one can make the decision that a certain population is disposable.  This documentary highlighted environmental racism, that is the idea that those of lower socioeconomic status and living in minority communities are more exposed to harmful environmental afflictions.  This is in part because rules and regulations are loosely enforces at best for this industries of pollution.  This documentary really lit my injustice light.  How can these things be happening?  And on top of that, how can these things be ignored?

After the movie we were put into two groups: those representing the chemical production companies, and those representing the affected communities.  I was placed on the side of industry.  It was hard to do but when I started thinking as if I were in their shoes it's easy to see why they do it:  they get away with it, they aren't affected by it, and they make a profit.  I would think at some point morality and ethics would set in, but clearly that is not the case.  It's just so hard to change this cycle of injustice.  What can anyone do?  I feel just as powerless as those communities.  I honestly believe that before anything changes, our culture has to make some big changes.  Anyway, the video gave me a lot to think about, and a lot to be thankful about as far as the quality of air I breath and the quality of water I drink, things I would normally take for granted.

In week 8 we watched another documentary called "Thirst".  This film shed some light on the privatization of water issue that's taking place around the world.  I had no idea this was even an issue until this past Monday.  Although the video gave us a good idea of what's happening I still have so many questions!  How can anyone "own" the water supply?  Whose is it to sell off in the first place?  Why dose the world bank have their claws in EVERYTHING?!  It really sucks that water privatization is happening in the states, but it's even more under handed that it's happening in places like India.  How is it that companies like Coca Cola, and Pepsi are draining water right from under homes in India and then selling it back to them for profit?  Water being more expensive for these people than milk is out of control.  I just loved how the video showed individuals in higher positions saying things like "We will sell the water at affordable prices".  How do they determine what is affordable for some of the poorest people on earth?  I just get so ticked off when I see all these big figure heads from the world bank and such places making these decisions.  I mean they live a pretty cozy life, so they don't stand to lose anything from the decisions they make about water rights and rather are bound to make profitable gains.  I found a really comprehensive article on water privatization and in it, it says, "Fortune magazine has predicted that "water is the oil of the 21 century" and corporations are rushing to invest in the water business."  It also stated that, "The World Bank predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will suffer from lack of clean and safe drinking water."  I think we all better start standing up for our right to water for life and not for profit before we have to pay an arm and a leg to boil macaroni noodles, or make kool-aid!  My favorite quote from the film was by the man from Bolivia. He said "The people united will not be defeated."  Considering the water crisis that may be in our near future these seem like appropriate words to take to heart. 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

My SMART goal: To use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop.

Success Rate: If I had to put a percent on it I would say that I was 80% successful this week.

The Week: I had a few challenges this week among the successes.  The challenge was running out of room in my bags.  I only have 2 reusable bags currently and I went on a colossal grocery store journey this weekend.  This wasn't a problem until I was trying to fit everything I bought into two bags.  Needless to say it was mission impossible and I ended up needed to use 2 paper bags, darn :( At least it was a bag-your-own-food kind of store so I had the option to use as few bags as possible and we do often reuse paper bags at our house to contain our massive recycle pile so I know this bags will be put to use!  As far as successes go, I bought a new pair of boots and I made sure to tell the cashier that I could just carry the box so that's one less bag floating around out there!

Lessons Learned: This week I learned that it doesn't hurt to have a few extra reusable bags.  I'm still on the hunt for a fold up bag that can fit in my purse.  I also learned that sometimes it's okay to use paper bags if you have another purpose for them. 

Next Week Plans: Well, for next week I will continue on with this same goal.  I don't plan to modify it.  However, if anyone knows where to find a cute reusable fold up bag just send that information my way!

Just a little side story:  When my roommate Hailey and I lived in England for those 9 months we would often go get our groceries using our huge backpacks we used for traveling (pictured below).  It was easier to handle one backpack then several bags on the bus and much easier when you had to carry all those groceries for about a mile after you got off the bus!  Total bag savers!  

 Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Part 1: Definitions
Antique - any piece of furniture or decorative object or the like produced in a former period and valuable because of its beauty or rarity
Antiquing - Any method used to give a surface an aged or antique look.
Junk - trash: dispose of (something useless or old); "trash these old chairs"; "junk an old car"; "scrap your old computer"
Flea Market - A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent. ..
Thrift Shop - A shop which sells used goods (especially clothes) at low prices
Upcycling - Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products.
Resale Shop - All shops which sell gently-used goods are resale shops

Part 2:  Q & A
What do the terms above have to do with environmental health?
Well, they are helping to support good environmental health.  They represent the idea that there are many uses for any one item and reusing is recycling, and recycling is reducing, and reducing production is saving resources.

Identify at least one local resource for each of the terms above...provide name, location, contact info, and link to website or blog.

Antiqes - Father Time Antiques

395 S Lake Ave

Duluth, MN 55802-2303

Get Directions

(218) 625-2379  (no website) 

Flea Market- I couldn't find any in Duluth, but I found a website that lists a bunch of Minnesota Flea Markets  http://www.fleaportal.com/FleaMarketPortal/_criteria/_Minnesota_flea-markets.aspx

Thrift Shop - Goodwill  

www.goodwill.org

700 Garfield Ave

Duluth, MN 55802-2695

Get Directions

(218) 722-6351 

Resale Shop - Plato's Closet

www.platoscloset.com

5115 Burning Tree Rd

Duluth, MN 55811-1876

Get Directions

(218) 733-9455

Upcycling - I couldn't find any resources here in Duluth that directly say "Upcycling" but through my search I found out that the term was coined by a German chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough in the book they wrote called "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things".  

Identify whether you do any or use any of these things. Why or why not?

I do use some of these things.  I mean I occasionally shop at places like Savers and Goodwill (especially for some good cheap books).  I also go to flea markets and atique stores from time to time with my friends.  However, when I go to these stores it's usually for something pretty specific like books, or an end table for the living room or old jewelery in the case of antique stores.  I don't like to shop for clothing or shoes at many of these places because it's so hit or miss.  Also, places like Plato's Closet aren't always that much cheaper than places like target.

Part 3: Getting my junk on!

Project 1 -  Railing turned ladder, turned shelf!

I really liked this project because I thought it was very innovative and I loved the old "antiqued" look of the chipped paint on the railing.  Also, the main message in this project was that sometimes you have to keep turning an object around before you can find a perfect use for it, which was totally the case with this old piece of railing.

Project 2 - A new job for an old widow

I think why I like this one so much is because it's something that I've helped a friend of mine do who is all about antiquing and turning out things into usable objects.  This window frame is something you could probably find at a garage sale or maybe you even have one lying around your house already.  It just totally give it new life and purpose! Just awesome! 

Project 3 - Vintage Redesigned Jewelery

This was by far my favorite project! I love jewelery and most of all I LOVE old jewelery.  What is great about this is you kind of get to piece together your own!  I mentioned early that why I like to go to antique stores is to look at jewelery; I never thought that I could take all the little trinkets I find and make them into my own pieces.  I am really excited to go to some antique stores and look for pieces I can make into my own jewelery!

Share & Voice: Having an Eco Friendly Period

So, it never occurred to me until my Women's Health Issues class last Tuesday how much waste is accompanied by our monthly periods.  We went to the Women's clinic in Duluth where our speaker was talking to us about birth control methods and how it can seem unnatural to have something way up next to your uterus (Nuvaring, IUDs). This is an understandable barrier that some women face before deciding on a certain type of birth control.  This brought about the conversation of periods and how many women use tampons, which we don't really see as unnatural.  However, our speaker brought up the point that tampons really aren't naturally.  Often they are made with synthetic materials (the applicators), pesticides are used in the growing of the cotton, and lets face it, they're white because they are bleached.  I mean we've come a long way since the 1930s when toxic shock syndrome was a serious concern, but we still have to be concerned with the amount of waste we're producing. I found this statistic: In your life, you will probably use around 11,400 tampons (5 days X 5 tampons X 38 years).

Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to tampons and pads: (click on them to learn more)

Our speaker also mentioned something she called a Tulip that was kind of like the keeper and the Divacup, but it closed up like a tulip when you pulled it out, therefore less mess.  I wasn't able to find it on line anywhere, but it sounded like something worth looking into! 

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second quarter of "The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight"

The second quarter of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" was much different than the first.  I read 7 chapters from pages 91 to 191.

The first part of the book was more about what's going on in our world with our environment.  It talks about the oil crisis, and deforestation, and climate change.  In the second quarter of the book the author is more focused on how we got to this point in the history of the world.  It's a lot of history involving more westernized cultures swooping in and taking over native cultures (such as the Inca's, and Native Americans).  The other main topic is younger cultures verses older cultures.  Again, that would be more like westernized cultures that seek to instate dominance over other cultures.  Pretty much these "younger cultures" gain by consuming the lives' of others.  They feel that they have a right to everything and that humans are superior to all other creatures and that everything on our planet was placed here to serve humans.  Older cultures on the other hand are the cultures that believe we are a part of the world, not rulers of the world, and that we are supposed to cooperate and live in peace with the rest of creation.

 I learned a lot of history in these chapters.  I learned quite a bit about Christopher Columbus.  He was a rapist, a murderer, and a thief who took advantage of primitive cultures by enslaving them and stealing their wealth.  There are so many misconceptions about Christopher Columbus and the fact that we give him credit for discovering American, teach this in schools, and have a day named after him is a bunch of bologna (in my opinion).  This is kind of a side tangent and has little to do with the environment, but it was in my book, and it was shocking and eye-opening, so I wanted to include it.

More relevant to this class I learned a number of things.  I learned that our population growth is out of control.  Here is a little scale of population growth from the book:
In 1960 there were 3,038,930,391 humans on earth.  That year the earth saw the addition of 40,622,370.
1961 - +56,007,855
1962 - +69,393,370
1963 - +70,987,231
If this many more people are born each year than die we are adding to our population dramatically.  This was about 50 years ago. In about 40 years we had doubled earth's population.  Each person who is born requires a certain amount of resources - 3 meals a day, a couple gallons of water, a certain ration of oil.  These are resources that won't last forever.

The implications of what I learned is basically that we don't really think about ourselves competing for resources in our day to day life, but we are.  We are competing everyday with the 6.6 billion other people who share this planet.  Our resources are far more scarce than we could imagine.  We are running out of oil, we are running out of forests, we are draining our aquifers.  We always think of America as the land of plenty and it is in comparison to many other places...but for how long?  We have a scary future ahead of us if we don't start getting realistic with our quickly disintegrating resources.

Share & Voice: Enviro-Cool Blog Award

I received the Cool Blog Award from Danielle for my Share & Voice entitled Worry About More Than Just your Water Bottles.  Basically a woman who owned a health store came in and talked to us about supplements and herbal products.  She also talked to us about cosmetics.  She raised many issues that I'd never even thought of, opened my eyes to safety issues, and cleared up some of my concerns and uncertainties regarding some of these products.  It was really interesting and important stuff so I'm glad I could pass it on to everyone!  Thanks for the award Danielle!

I am passing the award on to Ashley for her awesome post on UMD's Smoking Policy Forum.  She recapped the forum really well and I think it's waaayyyy cool how she voiced her opinion, and was really a voice for many people on campus who feel the same way!  I applaud her courage! Everyone should check it out!

• Leave a comment below so that I know you "picked up" the award.

• Within 1 week, create a Share and Voice post that says you've received the award and indicate who the award is from (be sure to hyperlink).

• Also indicate to whom you are going to pass on the award and why. Be sure to hyperlink the blogger (use main blog URL) and the blog title (use the specific URL for that blog post).

• Copy and paste these instructions at the bottom of your post.

• Publish the post.

• Visit each blogger you've awarded and leave a comment telling them they've won. 
• Continue the process...

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

My SMART goal is to use reusable bags 100% of the time I shop. This week I completely succeeded!

I guess saying that I successfully completed my goal this week is kind of cheating because I was successful only because I didn't go shopping at all.  I mean there aren't really any challenges or issues with using a reusable bag when you don't go shopping!  I guess the only thing I learned is that not shopping at all saves bags and money?  I guess I just don't have a lot to share this week!

I think to help me improve on only using reusable bags I need to look for those kind that can fold up and have that snap on them that keeps them all folded up.  If I had one of those I could always keep it in my purse and would be far less likely to forget it! 

I totally need one of these sweet fold up reusable bags! ^

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

This is a great eye opener because we just had a women come and talk to us about some safety issues involving cosmetics in my Women's Health Issues class. 

This kind of website sparks a lot of curiosity, so naturally I tried out a number of the products I use.  I tried eye shadows, concealers, lotions, and hair products.  The one I want to talk about though is the shampoo I use.  I use a shampoo (and conditioner) from the John Frieda collection.  Although I'm sure it switches, the exact one I'm using right now is called "John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous touch Strengthening Shampoo".  This one was rated a 6, but other very similar shampoos of the same brand were more like 8s.  The only difference would be something like "Highlight Enhancing" or something like that and it would be an 8 and linked to cancer, so at least the one I'm currently using isn't linked to cancer!  When the ingredients were broken down fragrance was at the top with a score of 8 and a 100% data gap.  That really sucks because the main reason I buy the shampoo isn't because I think it does wonderful things for my hair, but because I like the smell!  I also learned that this product tests on animals because towards the end of the page under the section about cancer and developmental concerns they would list a substance and then say something like "One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at high doses."  There are so many things that don't even go through my head as a consumer when I'm at a store picking out shampoos, or eyeshadow. 

What was also really interesting was how they told you what percentage of the same type of product had lower concerns.  Between the handful of products I typed in all of them had a score at a 6 or above and had 60% of products with lower concerns.  How does that happen?  It appears that everything I choose is toxic!  Either I have bad luck, or I'm shopping in the wrong places!  I guess I can no longer be a blissfully ignorant consumer.  At least now with this website I can look into the safety of products before I buy them. 

Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

The last two weeks have been informative to say the least...
During week 5 we watched a movie called "The Future of Food".  This movie really stirred up a lot of questions for me.  Mostly about patents on nature and GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).  I mean honestly, this movie just made me so mad.  There is so much injustice in the agriculture industry and I had no idea.  My dad is a farmer in North Dakota and it just really hit home for me when I saw that farmer from North Dakota getting sued by Manosato.  It made me sacred for the future of my own family farm.  Something else that really grinds my gears is the fact that foods that have been genetically modified don't have to have that on their label.  Where's the LIABILITY?!  How are we ever going to know if these things have negative effects on our people if we aren't tracking them?  Corporations who push modified food act like it's going to solve world hunger when we know full well that it isn't necessarily lack of food that's the problem, but lack of equality.  There are just so many problems with our world today and thanks to this class many more are brought to my attention all the time.  It's just so frustrating.

For week 6 we watched a film called "Diet for a New America".  It wasn't too long, but it was interesting.  The narrator was the son in line to inherit the Baskin Robbins empire; however, he turned it down after realizing the negative health and environmental effects of the corporation (and many just like it).  He turned down millions, maybe billions, of dollars to stick to his beliefs which I think it pretty amazing.  I don't think I could be that strong.  Some things that stuck with me from this video was the part where they were just pulling this fatty white sausage link looking material out of the arteries of the heart.  GROSS!  It really freaked me out.  What are Americans doing to themselves?  I mean it's our culture.  To eat out, and eat whatever is convenient, cheap, and available in a hurry is our lifestyle.  It's going to take a lot of effort to change an entire nation's lifestyle, but still it's very important that it does change.  Something else shocking was the idea that there are 4 cows for every 1 person in America?  This provokes the question: how much cow is each individual person eating?  I mean, I don't have any exact statistics, but jeeze!  This video definitely forced me to take a look at my own diet and examine some things I might like to change.