Reflection: Weeks 13-14 and overall Course

In the last two weeks I have learned quite a bit! I enjoyed taking the tour of goodwill, I'd never been there before this so it was a good learning experience. I had no idea how big of a facility it actually was! I feel as though many people benefit from goodwill and can reuse many of the things others deem not useful anymore. I also thought our junking projects were a fun creative way to try and reduce waste by reusing things we already have. My project consisted of an old pickle jar, left over garland from last year that we weren't using, some leftover lights, and a fabric pouch that was used to keep all my girl scout patches in. I just used them to make a simple Christmas decoration. You can't see the lights as well in this picture and the garland kept moving to cover them up but it looked better to begin with. Finally I found the learning activities to be very informative and fun! I liked how Jamie and Lauren included physical activities that allowed us to actually get up and do the activities hands on. I learned how much CO2 my vehicle emits, about waste-to-energy, and more about renewable energy.

Overall in this course I have learned so much I don't even know where to begin! I found doing our read n' seed books was very beneficial for me. I read a book about the water crisis, I didn't know much about this topic prior to reading it so it was very informative and helped me to change aspects of my lifestyle to try to help out. Although I am only one person I believe that if I do these small things others around me might be encouraged to do them as well.

I also really liked all the documentaries we watched. I was aware of some of the issues we covered but not the extent of each. Tapped really got me thinking about wanting to do something to make a difference. I started noticing people who bought bottled water, noticed myself drinking less bottled beverages because I wasn't really big on drinking bottled water to begin with. I also noticed at work there are boxes to recycle paper but none for plastic bottles. I then started to encourage people to put them in a bag and I would bring them back to the plastic's bin at the back of the store when it gets full. Some people still throw away their plastic bottles but there are also some who leave them in the bag for me.

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Dani: Waste-to-Energy Crossword Puzzle.

 This was a fun and interesting way to learn about turning waste to energy. I haven't done a crossword puzzle in quite a while so it was refreshing to do one, however it reminded me how little patience I have! haha I found it interesting that there are ten waste-to-energy facilities in Minnesota. I also found it cool that we can produce electricity from waste. There are so many things we can do to reduce our fossil fuel consumption, we just need to take the time and resources to do so. Hopefully more of these facilities will continue to spread so that we can reduce landfills altogether!

Elly: How Big is your footprint?

With my 2008 Pontiac G6 I got 19,312.128 km. = 4.12 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year. However there wasn't an option for anything newer than 2007 so I just had to select that. I know my car isn't extremely Eco-friendly but I had no idea just how much pollutants it was emitting. Some changes I can make to reduce this are to make more use of the trips I do take. When I drive into town from home make sure I am getting everything I need so another trip isn't necessary later. I have thought of switching over to a more efficient car, however I just purchased this vehicle a little over a year ago so switching now isn't very practical. Some changes I would like to see in our current environment are more bus routes and better upkeep of the sidewalks. This would help to encourage people to be more environmentally friendly when choosing methods of transportation.


Katie: Obesity and your everyday life:

My BMI came up just short of the average of 18.5. Since my weight is a little less than the average for my height. I think this is a decent way to estimate body fat however some people are taller than average or shorter than average and that can throw off your score. It was interesting to find out that being overweight can cause sleep apnea. I had no idea weight had any effect on your sleep. My Pyramid plan suggested I eat 6 ounces of grains, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of milk and 5.5 ounces of meat and beans. This was based off a 2000 calorie diet. It also suggested that I am for 6 teaspoons of oils per day. From doing the calorie burning activity I learned that from doing just some of my everyday routine activities I burn 291 calories. This included 10 for brushing my teeth, 21 for doing my hair, 63 for cooking, 97 for bowling and 101 for driving my car. I wasn't quite sure how I burned the most calories from just driving my car however. My favorite activity is probably bowling. Although I'm not so good it is a fun way to burn some calories and have fun with friends. I was surprised it only burns 97 calories however.

Kara: Energy Dustbin Game!

     

      1. My score was 27 the first time I played, I tried again and got 31.

2. I had no idea that Albert Einstein was an innovator for renewable energy. It surprising to see how far back the history is on this. I was also very surprised to find out that enough sunlight touches the earth in an hour to to meet the demands of the world in just one hour! Its unfortunate that we have no way to properly obtain it like the article says. I think sunlight would be the most efficient source just because its so readily available to us.

Jamie: Get Fit! 

 I scored 36 on the fitness quiz. According to the website I'm on the right track but there is always room for improvement. Most of my answers were pretty close to many other respondents that took the quiz. For the fitness section of the quiz I found I either fell within the range for my age group or somewhat above it for all the activities. I know I don't work out as much as I should, hopefully i can get into a routine of squeezing it into my schedule by setting a goal for myself and reporting on it each week like we did in class. That seemed to be very beneficial. Great activity Jamie!

Lauren: Workout Plan! 

According to the quiz I am 10% fit. I kind of expected this being I never really work out. I don't eat a specific diet because the things I eat don't have much effect on my weight. So overall I wasn't really surprised with these results.

1.Which of the following moderate activities did you do for at least 10 minutes at a time without
stopping during the last 7 days? Walking fast (3-4 mph) 
2. During the last 7 days, on how many days did you do a moderate physical activity for at least 10
minutes at a time without stopping? 2 days.
3. On those days that you did moderate physical activities, how much time did you spend on average
doing the activities? About 20 minutes per day.
4. Which of the following vigorous activities did you do for at least 10 minutes at a time without stopping during the last 7 days? Running.
5. During the last 7 days, on how many days did you do a vigorous physical activity for at least 10
minutes at a time without stopping?  1 day.
6. On those days that you did vigorous physical activities, how much time did you spend on average
doing the activities? 45 minutes per day.
7. Compared to how physically active you have been over the last 3 months, how would you describe
the last 7 days:Less active
8. Yes No a.  Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do
physical activity recommended by a doctor?
Yes No b. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
Yes No c. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical
activity?
Yes No d. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness, or do you ever lose consciousness?
Yes No e. Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your
physical activity?
Yes No f. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood
pressure or heart condition?
Yes No g. Do you know of any reason why you should not do physical activity?  
9.  I intend to become more physically active in the next 6 months.
10. What are the 3 biggest reasons why you would consider increasing your physical activity? Improve my health, lower my stress feel good about taking care of myself.
11. Would any of your family, friends, or coworkers encourage you or help you get regular physical
activity, perhaps by helping you take care of some of your other responsibilities? Yes. My family can all help me by reminding me or offering to work out with me.
12. How confident are you that you could increase your physical activity if you decided to do so? Somewhat confident.

Advocacy Project: Calculate your auto Emissions!

Calculate your auto Emissions!

The purpose of this activity is to inform us as consumers just how much emissions our personal vehicles actually release into the environment. From here you can be make better educated decisions when choosing to use alternative modes of transportation when traveling.

Background: Emissions from an individual car are generally low, but in numerous cities across the country, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter. This is because emissions from millions of vehicles on the road add up. Driving a car is probably a typical citizen's most "polluting" daily activity.The power to move a car comes from burning fuel in an engine. Pollution from cars comes from by-products of this combustion process and from evaporation of the fuel itself.  Did you know that SUV's put out 43% more global-warming pollutants and 47% more air pollution than the average car? For these reasons alone we need to start thinking of alternative modes of transportation. Think of how many pollutants could we prevent from being released into the air. Cars not only require much more energy and product to produce than bicycles they also use less, and are in general a much healthier mode of transportation. Using a bicycle to commute four days a week for four miles saves 54 gallons of gas annually. We all are always looking for ways to save gas and our money, try biking any short distances you need to travel. Not only will you save money but you'll feel better knowing you didn't contribute to the pollution and also did something healthy for your body. Finally, just to give you a sense of how serious of an issue CO2 emissions are from transportation alone take a look at this statistic. Carbon dioxide emissions from personal vehicles in the United States equaled 314 million metric tons in 2004. That much carbon would fill a coal train 55,000 miles long, long enough to circle the earth twice!

Instructions: Use this calculator to calculate how much your vehicle emits into the atmosphere. If you don't have a personal car use your parents or even roommates. If you really wanted to go above and beyond, compare your vehicle to your parents/roommates etc. Your results will give you the total pounds of CO2 released, total CO2 MT emissions, and your total CO2 credit cost. I've included my results so you can at least compare them to mine if you have no one else to compare to. 10,426.44 lbs is how much my 2008 Pontiac G6 emits, hopefully some of you get better results than I did!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Final Weekly Review & Overall Project Reflection

1. My SMART goal was to eat 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the next 8 weeks. I still did exceptionally well in my goal because I tried to diversify the vegetables I was eating. Doing this really helped me enjoy my goal because I wasn't getting sick of eating the same things over and over and was still eating things that were good for me.
2. My successes were being able to not only achieve my goal but also had a few extra servings of vegetables without even thinking about it. The strategies that helped me to be successful were pairing the vegetables with my dinners and eating different vegetables each time. The challenges I faced were mostly not eating vegetables while I was at work. The biggest problem is still forcing myself to pack a lunch, I remembered one day but then forgot the next. Its really not a tough task but when I get into a hurry or forget to pack one the night before its always just easier to order something at work. This will be something I'll need to further work on. Maybe next time I go to the grocery store I will just grab some pre-made meals that I can quickly throw in a cooler and go.
3. The feelings I felt during this weeks goal was just overall being more awake and more productive because I wasn't so full of greasy fatty foods. I felt this usually right after I was done eating.
4. This week I learned I need to work extra hard on remembering to bring my healthier lunches to work with me so I can continue my goal without interruptions of fast food.
5. My plans for next week are to basically keep the same goal but to increase my intake and broaden which vegetables I eat by taking away the green part. So my goal for next week will be to eat 2 cups of vegetables 5 times per week for the next 7 weeks.

Review the entire process:

1. My SMART goal was to eat 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the 10 weeks. It didn't change a whole lot throughout the project except increasing my intake or changing which specific vegetable or vegetables I was eating.
2. The things that helped me to be successful was to keep reminding myself in the beginning that these foods are good for me and I do like them I just need to remember to eat them. The things that got in my way were not eating as healthy while I was at work or school and being in a hurry and not having time to prepare healthier choices when fast food was much quicker.
3. I benefited from this project because now eating vegetables isn't so much a chore now as much as it is something I just do with most meals. I learned that I can eat healthier foods and actually enjoy them. What I learned about behavior change is that it can be done you just need to get yourself into the routine of accomplishing your goal each week and adjusting it to make it more attainable or more challenging to fit your needs.
4. The environment benefited from me changing my behavior because I was going out less and eating less meats and more vegetables.
5. I will definitely be continuing this behavior, now its more just a habit than something I have to remember to do each day. I like to eat many of the vegetables I've been including in my goal so its not too difficult for me.
6. I would recommend to others to start out smaller in the beginning because you can always modify it later. Choose something that is really important to you also because otherwise you wont have as much ambition to keep up with it. 

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

Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet

PART ONE:

December 6, 2010

Steve Kagen, Democrat.
700 E. Walnut Street
Green Bay, WI 54301
(920) 437-1954

Vote Yes on:  S575IS: Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act (Introduced in Senate - IS)

Dear Mr. Kagen, 

The proposed funding of the Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act is a very critical issue. We need this bill to be passed so we can get onto the right track of moving towards better modes of transportation to increase our air quality. If this bill were passed it would help to develop  plans and targets for States and metropolitan planning organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and for other purposes. This is a very serious issue due to the fact that more than half of the people in the U.S. live in areas that failed to meet federal air quality standards at least several days a year, and around 80 million Americans live in areas that continually fail to meet these standards.

If passed, these changes would improve the air quality all around us. Everyone would be affected because we all breathe in the air. The fossil fuel combustion associated with transportation results in emissions of pollutants that cause damage to human health, agriculture and sensitive ecosystems, and contribute to global climate change. CO₂ emissions from U.S. cars & trucks totaled 314 million metric tons in 2002. That's as much as would be released from burning all the coal in a train 50,000 miles long enough to circle around the world, twice. Transportation can also contribute to the degradation of urban environments, with loss of quality of life and economic productivity from the delays and frustration caused by congestion and stress from traffic noise. The opponents of this issue are those who don't feel they should have to pay extra taxes, but I think we can easily show them that the little amount they would be paying would help to make a huge difference to our environment. If we had funding for alternatives we could have employers providing transportation for employees to pool to work. This would be very beneficial to those workers who want to save money on parking, commuting, car maintenance, etc. This could be a step in the right direction for us to improve air quality and limit the amount of vehicles releasing these toxins into the environment. I appreciate your support on this very important issue.I hope you take into consideration all the information I have portrayed for you and vote yes to pass S575IS.

Thank you for your time,


Ashley

PART TWO: Facts about Improving Air Quality through alternative modes of transportation:

 Using alternate modes is less expensive:

• The average American who lives in an area that’s walkable and has transit, spends only 9% of their income on transportation, while a person living in an area that requires driving spends more than 25% of their income each month on transportation.

Using bicycles as a mode of transportation is much better for plants and animals in our environment:

• "A rider exhales about 250 cubic feet of slightly CO2 enriched air that is used by plants to complete the cycle that allows life to exist. A car going the same 100 miles, on the other hand, creates 13,000 cubic feet of exhaust, which is enough to fill the cabs of more than 150 cars and kill all the occupants."

 Air pollution from vehicles is dangerous. 

• According to a German study, people who breathe in the fumes of heavy traffic regularly have higher chances of getting hardening of the arteries, which is associated with the risk of heart attack.   

You should be careful where you're exercising:

• A Scottish study has shown that jogging with traffic around results in reduced blood flow to the heart. This is particularly dangerous for people with stable heart disease, because it can trigger off cardiac arrhythmia or even a heart attack.

Reflection: Weeks 9-12

Over weeks 9-12 I have learned quite a few valuable things. I found doing the THOMAS search and looking at bills for my healthy people goal was very interesting. I'm really interested in seeing the progress of improving the air quality because I think its such an important issue that affects us all. Many other people in my web group had similar goals so it showed the extent of this problem among many of us. Also starting our SMART goals has been very beneficial to me over the last few weeks. I have been able to increase my green vegetable intake by quite a significant amount and actually enjoy doing so.

Watching the video "Unnatural Causes" really made me think about how many people have insufficient healthcare. It was really upsetting to see the problems that many people face everyday. The woman who couldn't even get a job because if she did she would lose her benefits. That seems totally wrong to me, and just goes to show how much we need to reconstruct our system. We need to start creating more awareness and advocate to others so we can make a change. Many of the healthy wealthier people are the ones benefiting from healthcare not the ones who truly need it.

I enjoyed doing the photo essay, it helped me to look at my diet and SMART goal as a whole. I did my essay on what I ate the past week and how environmentally friendly some of these things were. It made me really see that I am increasing the amount of vegetables I'm eating but I'm not reducing the amount of bad fast foods that I eat when I'm in a hurry.

Overall the past few weeks have been very beneficial and knowledgeable. I feel as though doing some of these activities has really helped me not only in the classroom but also in my life outside of class.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

1. My SMART goal was to eat 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the next 9 weeks. I did very well in achieving my goal. I made sure to switch things up and eat salads some days, broccoli another, and also added in green beans on other days.
2. What I was successful with this past week was changing up the vegetables I chose to fulfill my goal. I made sure to use a variety so I wasn't getting sick of the same thing every time. I didn't really face any challenges this week, I thought Thanksgiving might have made it difficult but there were plenty of vegetables to make sure I stayed on track.
3. The feelings I experienced in the last week were that I was feeling more awake than usual. I think getting more foods that were good for me helped me to focus and not be so full on greasy foods I would have otherwise filled up on.
4. This week I learned that making my diet healthier isn't as hard as I figured it would be. Adding in more green vegetables slowly with each week seemed to help really well to build up a routine.
5. My plans for next week are to continue with this goal. I'm working a lot more this upcoming week so I want to make sure I can keep up with my goal even with a busier schedule than usual. So I will stay with 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the next 8 weeks.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

For my photo essay I chose environmentally friendly eating. I kept track of all the things I ate this past week and my results were so so. While I was keeping track of my meals I noticed I tended to eat more foods that were less environmentally friendly when I was eating at school or when I was at work. While at school I drank more beverages from bottles because they were the most convenient. (Don't worry, no bottled water!) While at work I ate more fast food mostly because I either forgot to pack a lunch for the day or simply forgot.

Before school I tended to eat more quick things like cheerios, yogurt, and toast. I recycled the containers from the yogurt, and the boxes from the cheerios so I tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible when eating packaged foods. 

 

For some of my lunch meals, at work and at school, included some fast food items such as Domino's marinara pasta bowls, ( they are soo delicious!)  taco johns, and a cheeseburger and fries from the burger hub. Most reasons I was eating this foods is simply because of convenience. I only eat at school Monday's on my long days and with all my books and computer I already drag along its really discouraging to also bring along a packed lunchbox. Looking back I want to start eating more salads or soups on my long Monday's. 

However, while I was at home for lunch or had more time I chose my healthier, environmentally friendly choices. Such as leftover ham from thanksgiving, fresh salads, and vegetables. I made sandwiches out of the ham we had left over, so even though eating meat still isn't as good for the environment I made sure we were not wasting it by eating the leftovers.

For some of my dinner meals I had spaghetti, beef stew, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and of course for thanksgiving ham. I noticed many of my meals included meat which I was a little disappointed because I never really paid attention to how much meat I consume. I would like to reduce this in the future because its not very environmentally friendly. However, I did consume quit a bit of vegetables, mostly due to my SMART goal, but this made my meals a little more friendly for the environment.

Overall, by keeping track of my diet I realized I really need to start watching what I'm eating. I need to start setting aside time to pack lunches for work or even pack them the night before because that's where I seem to do most of my unhealthy eating. Many other people order lunches while were there so its usually the most convenient. Also, my SMART goal has really been helping me to increase my vegetable intake so I hope to keep up with that.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

My SMART goal was to eat 2 cups of green vegetables 3 times per week for the next 10 weeks. The past week I did exceptionally well in achieving this goal.  I've made a salad with pretty much all of my meals besides one or two which included lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, a little vinegar and oil and lemon pepper. I love salad so it made it easy to keep up with my goal. My successes were being able to quite easily achieve my goal by eating things I really liked that fit into the "green" vegetable category. I didn't really face any challenges this week unlike last week simply because I actually looked forward to adding salad to my meals because sounded so good. I was actually craving salad before I had figured out what I was even eating for dinner. The feelings I experienced was being really happy with myself that not only did I achieve my goal but I did a little extra also. This week I learned that it is possible for me to increase my vegetable intake and eat veggies I like and still get the benefits of eating them. For next week I want to up my consumption to 4 times per week rather than 3 simply because I overachieved so much this week. However, I plan to keep it to all green vegetables and 2 cups per serving. Hopefully it will go just as well!

blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

 

 
The current problem is that we need to move towards greener modes of transportation to decrease the amount of emissions being released into the air. S575IS: Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act (Introduced in Senate - IS) is the bill proposed to help do this. 

Everyone who breathes in the air around us is affected by this issue because these pollutants seep into the air and move around through precipitation. This isn't an issue that affects just one area or one group of people. There are no possible losses with this issue. The gains are savings on money due to reduced purchase of gasoline, decreasing use of oil, which is quickly depleting, and also cleaner fresher air. The people that would gain from this are those who reduce driving, increase walking, or increase bus transportation/car pooling because they are the ones saving money. The average American who lives in an area that’s walkable and has transit spends only 9% of their income on transportation, while a person living in an area that requires driving spends more than 25% of their income each month on transportation. Everyone else will also benefit because of the reduction in gas emissions released, therefore decreasing diseases caused by poor air quality.The consequences for this issue are that many people in rural areas where there is a lot of transportation are being the most affected. Although each and every one of us is affected, these are to the highest extent.
The economic cost of this issue is how much money we spend each year on oil, a quickly depleting unsustainable resource. We all bear these costs by purchasing gasoline everyday.Some economic benefits would be that we would be moving towards resources that are better for our planet and also saving money in doing so. By carpooling and riding the bus we are decreasing the amount of vehicles on the road and also decreasing the amount of toxins released in the air. By walking we are completely getting rid of toxins released. 

The social impact of the issue is creating better living communities with better air quality and communities where there is more walkable area. Also, by increasing the amount of bike riding and walking people are doing we are already establishing healthier lifestyles and people. According to an article by Stephen Heckeroth, "A rider exhales about 250 cubic feet (7 m³) of slightly CO2 enriched air that is used by plants to complete the cycle that allows life to exist. A car going the same 100 miles (160 km), on the other hand, creates 13,000 cubic feet (364 m³) of exhaust, which is enough to fill the cabs of more than 150 cars and kill all the occupants." Its ridiculous that there are major fines for littering the ground but the invisible "trash" that is put into the air is overlooked and unpunished. 

The social costs of this issue are looking at how fast paced our lives are and condensing them so that bus transportation, carpooling and walking are a realistic option. Everyone needs to start understanding we all need to do our part to make this happen.  Everyone bears this cost because we all have things going on in our lives but the ones who bear this cost the most would be people who are especially accustomed to driving themselves everywhere and who schedule their lives one thing right after another. Those who are affected least are those who already count on the bus or walking to get from point A to point B. The social benefits of this is that people will be able to enjoy their time more and possibly enjoy being able to relax and enjoy what this healthier choice. 

The barriers are once again peoples busy schedules. There isn't always time to wait for bus' or transfer to others in order to get where you're going. Also not everyone lives on bus routes or knows someone who lives close enough to make car pooling worth while. Bad weather and extreme cold are also barriers for walking. The ways to overcome these barriers is to 

The resources for this issue are getting money to fund more bus routes so that more people have access to this option. Another resource would be for employers to have group transportation for its employees. If the government could enact some sort of reimbursement for companies for choosing this option it would become much more popular. Even if companies want to help improve on this issue they might not have the funds to do so. No one wants to be charged more taxes but it may be necessary to make a change.

There is some history on this issue based on revisions to the Clean Air Act. The original act included stationary sources of air pollution such as plants and didn't take in to account mobile sources of air pollution which had become the largest source of many dangerous pollutants. Amendments to the Clean Air Act were passed in 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1969. These amendments authorized the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) to set standards for auto emissions, expanded local air pollution control programs, established air quality control regions (AQCR), set air quality standards and compliance deadlines for stationary source emissions, and authorized research on low emissions fuels and automobiles. The results of these changes have made some difference but the ultimate difference was including mobile pollution.

Those who support this issue are: Oveta Culp Hobby,Ralph Nadar, Edmund Muskie, Russel Train, Paul Rogers, Alan Simpson, George Mitchell, and Henry Waxman. Those opposed to this issue are: Robert Byrd and John Dingell, Jr. We can involve allies and opponents in advocacy efforts towards this by showing them that if we don't come together to do something about this now soon global warming, and other things happening due to so much pollution in the air, are going to make our environment unlivable. 

My recommendation is to vote yes for this policy so we can move forward and reduce pollution and increase our air quality. No one wants to breathe in dirty air and we all are the reason this is happening.

Share & Voice: How fuel-efficient are your driving habits?

I found this quiz "How fuel-efficient are your driving habits" and thought it would be something to interesting to check out. I didn't know that filling up your gas tank at certain times of the day is actually better depending on how warm or cold the weather is. I got two questions wrong, try it out and see how you score!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

1. My SMART goal was to eat 2 servings (2 cups) of broccoli per day 3 times per week for the next 10 weeks. I did pretty well at achieving this goal, except that I was starting to get sick of broccoli after a few days. Although I do love broccoli eating it 3 times per week wasn't exactly working for me.
2. The successes for this goal were that it wasn't too difficult to accomplish. I ate the 2 servings with my dinner each night which made it easier to accomplish by planning it with my meals.  So my strategy was to eat the 2 cups all at once at dinner time. The challenges were, like I stated above, that eating the same vegetable gets a little old. I dealt with this by eating it with different meals each time so that I was at least changing one thing but still getting my goal of 2 cups with my meal 3 times per week.
3. The feelings I experienced towards this goal was that I do like broccoli but not enough to eat it quite so much. I started feeling this after the third time eating 2 cups of broccoli with dinner.
4. This week I learned that instead of trying to eat the same type of vegetable each time, maybe switching it up but still getting the same amount will be easier and more beneficial. I don't want to hate broccoli after this activity.
5. For next week I will modify my goal to eating at least 2 cups of green vegetables 3 times per week for the next 10 weeks. 

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project:: Healthy People/THOMAS

1. I chose goal 8-2: Increase use of alternative modes of transportation to reduce motor vehicle emissions and improve the Nation’s air quality. The target for this goal was to be consistent with the goal of the National Bicycling and Walking Study, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The progress of this was that 8-2a. . bicycling moved 11% away from its target, 8-2b. walking moved 59% towards its target and8-2c.. transit moved 11% away from its target. 8-2d.  people who telecommute, did not have any information regarding progress.
2. The progress of this goal seems to be for the most part on track besides telecommuting. Tracking data was available for alternative modes of transportation but none was available for telecommuting. Disparities with this goal is the fact there there is no shown progress for 8-2d. about telecommuting. However, new data sources have been identified and baselines established for sub-objective 8-2d and is expecting to assess progress by the end of the decade. Opportunities include the overall strategy to improve air quality includes a combination of regulatory, market-based, and voluntary programs that target emissions from whole industries or source categories, such as power plants and motorized vehicles. EPA programs address three key air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury. Two emerging issues for this goal are first, annual weather may vary considerably so an annual summary statistic may not accurately account for short-term extreme weather, such as hurricanes or heat waves. Second, not all counties have monitoring stations; therefore, data may not be available for some populations
3. S575IS: Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act (Introduced in Senate - IS)
1. Title: Low Greenhouse Gas Transportation Fund
2. Sponsor: Thomas Carper (Democrat)
3. Latest Major Action: Mar 11, 2009: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
4. My recommendation is to vote Y for S575IS. Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act. 
5. My political Representative: Congressman Dave Obey.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

1. I will eat 2 servings (2 cups) of broccoli per day 3 times per week for the next 10 weeks. 
2. This lifestyle is eco-chic because it is a healthy choice to make sure I am getting the recommended amount of calcium per day. Women are recommended to have about 1,000 mg of calcium each day and this will help me to be on a good track to get there. Each serving of broccoli is about 178 mg of calcium.
3. I chose this particular goal because looking at my diet and not only do I not eat enough calcium rich foods but definitely not enough green vegetables. Also, the last time I was at the doctor one of the tests said that my calcium was lower than usual, so to fix this I'm trying to increase my intake of calcium from broccoli. 
4. Today after work I went to the grocery store and bought fresh broccoli to get started on my goal. I decided to plan meals that I could either incorporate broccoli into or that broccoli would go well as a side. Luckily, I like broccoli so this goal will be attainable. 

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

Find your political representatives: president, congresspersons (senate & house), governor, state legislators (senate & house), county board president, city mayor (or village president) of your hometown. List their names and political affiliation. Provide their contact information with a link to their website.

President: Barack Obama, Democrat.

 The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Congresspersons: 

Congresspersons: (Senate) Herb Kole, Democrat
402 Graham Ave., Suite 206
Eau Claire WI 54701
(715) 832-8424

Russ Feingold, Democrat. 
517 East Wisconsin Ave., Room 408
Milwaukee, WI 53202-4504
(414) 276-7282

(House) Steve Kagen, Democrat. 
700 E. Walnut Street
Green Bay, WI 54301
(920) 437-1954

Thomas Petri, Republican.

2390 State Road 44

Suite B

Oshkosh, WI 54904

920-231-6333

Governor: Jim Doyle, Democrat.

Madison Office

P.O. Box 7863

Madison, WI  53707

608-266-1212

State Legislators: Robert Jauch, Democrat.

Room 118 South State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882

(608) 266-3510

Nick Milroy, Democrat. 

Room 8 North State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708

(608) 266-0640

County Board President: Susan A. Hendrickson, Republican.

5112S Stone Road
South Range, WI 54874

(715) 398-7213 

City Mayor: Dave Ross, Republican.

1316 N. 14^th St.

Superior, WI, 54880

(715) 395-7212

Reflection: Weeks 5-8

The past few weeks have informed me of a lot of issues I wasn't really aware of. Specifically, how terrible water bottles are for our environment. I'm not a big bottled water drinker, but I do however drink plenty of bottled sodas and juices. It makes me want to never buy anything bottled in plastic again! Knowing that these bottles aren't all being recycled and are killing animals due to the pollution is very disheartening. Also, I've heard about dangerous chemicals are leaching into our water from these plastics and can cause harmful effects.

In addition, reflecting from the movie "Green", seeing how much the refineries affect the famillies that have no choice in living there, made me feel really selfish. We all complain how high gas is getting and how we want all other products as low as we can get them, but all this comes at a cost. A cost were not paying for. The ones paying for it are the low income families that are developing cancer, asthma and other medical ailments because of these dangerous petrochemicals in the air they breathe. We need to find a way to get past this and fix it, human life is not worth cheap gas or any product for that matter.

On another note, I also found learning how to use Picnik not only fun but quite useful. I've used this program one or twice before a few years ago but I had kind of forgotten about it. Making our own headers for our blogs is just another way to personalize them and make them a little more interesting for other readers. 

From the cosmetic eye opener we did it really opened my eyes to looking into the ingredients in the products I am using. I found that my shampoo and face wash have been correlated with cancer and other diseases.Knowing products I apply directing to my skin, and seeps into my pores, can be so harmful for me makes me want to run home and throw them straight in the trash. I liked how the website gave examples of healthier alternatives.

Share & Voice : Tapped: Taking Action!

After watching the video in class Monday I really wanted to look into what else I could do to help fix this problem. Its hard because were each only one person but if we can get awareness out we can really make a difference. So, I went to the "Tapped" Website, here they have a tab "Take Action." Here they have ideas of how to help. Some include: Buying a reusable bottle, they recommend most is the "klean kanteen. It was one of the very first companies to put BPA free stainless steel bottles out on the market before it was "cool" to do so. Its a family owned corporation and donates 1% of its profits to non-profit organizations, mainly environmental causes. Also, write to your elected officials, buy a water filter, shorten your shower by a few minutes and save 150 gallons of water each month, and many many more. I encourage everyone to take a look at this site.

Eye Opener: Junk On The Brain

PART 1. Using a search engine, define the following terms (be sure to provide links to sites on which you find the information):

• antiques/antiquing: made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age.
• Allouez Antiques 4101 E 2nd St Superior, WI 715-398-0529 http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Allouez.Antiques.Superior.WI.715-398-0529
• junk/junking: Discarded material, such as glass, rags, paper, or metal, some of which may be reused in some form.
• Pick-n-Pull: 866-302-7678 http://www.picknpull.com/
• f:lea market: an open-air street market for inexpensive or secondhand articles.
• Appleton Darboy Club Flea Market Appleton, WI 414-734-7010 http://www.iantiquesguide.com/staticpages/index.php?page=2004020920323439
• thrift shop: A shop which sells used goods (especially clothes) at low prices. 
• Salvation Army Thriftstore. 1621 Broadway St, Superior -
  (715) 394-5331 www.salvationarmy.org
• upcycling: Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
• I couldn't find any local upcycling resources.
• resale shop: the act of selling again. 
• Platos Closet 5115 Burning Tree Road Duluth, Minnesota 55811
  (218) 733-9455. http://www.platoscloset.com/

PART 2: Answer the following questions:

1.  These terms are related to environmental health because it is reducing waste by reusing items. Things people want to throw away because they no longer have use for them, can sell them to others who want to use them for something else.
2. I do some of these things. I do admit I'm not big on antiques, but I do rummage sale every so often. My grandma goes every single Friday and knows where all the "good" sales are. She has a whole bedroom devoted to all her finds.

PART 3: Get your junk on!

• Visit JunkMarketStyle.com and find three junk projects that inspire you or that you simply find cool.
•  How to build a pumpkin person: I found this project cool and inspiring because it is just in time (or was) for Halloween. Making your own decorations is a good way to help the environment. 
• Santa Snow Globe: I found this project interesting because it is a good/cheap way to make gifts for family members. Some of my aunts collect snow globes so it would be a gift they would really appreciate. 
•  Simple Monday Floral Arrangement:  This seemed like a good project for me because I love flowers and having simple floral arrangements can be a good gift or even just simple decoration for your own home.

Read & Seed 5: Fourth Quarter and Final Review of Aqua Shock: The Water Crisis

1. The chapters I've covered this week were 7 and 8, pages 153-226.
2. Main topics of I read about were:

• The rising cost of water
• Not all areas have inadequate water, just inadequate storage for the water they do have.
• Americans waste nearly 640 billion gallons of water per year flushing old inefficient toilets. That's the equivalent of fifteen day's worth of flow over Niagara Falls.

3. Some significant things I learned were:

• Americans spent an estimated nearly 11.2 billion on bottled water in 2008. 
• Water is the least expensive in the Midwest and most expensive in the Northeast. 
• Bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water, depending on the origin of the bottled water. (packaging, production and water required)
• There is no "simple" solution to this water problem .

4. We should care about the fact that there is no simple solution to this problem because when we all finally realize that there is a very dangerous problem among us, it might be too late to come up with and implement the complicated solution that it will take to overcome this. We need to start looking at our needs vs. our demands. For example, lowering non-priority uses such as lawn watering. Also, we can start including the environmental costs in the price of water.
5. What needs to be done to address this problem is awareness. People need to know how much water we are wasting and can not get back. If people understood that water isn't something that we are always going to have readily available. Starting to plan and make a difference can be very beneficial to us all if we start now.
6. Overview of the book is basically giving facts about how much water we use not only for drinking and everyday use but also for production of things. Also, how people have rights over water and we need to be aware that just because you might live on the land above the water source or the river that runs through your land you don't necessarily own it.
7. Three most significant things you learned.

1. I learned that the amount of water on earth is constant, what changes is the form it takes-liquid, ice, or vapor, the amount of pollution, and the accessibility of the water
2. I also learned 70% of earth is water, yet only 1 percent of that water is readily accessible freshwater. 97% of this water is in oceans, salty and undrinkable unless it is desalinated which is very costly which leaves 3% freshwater. 2% of this freshwater is glaciers, polar ice caps and groundwater, which only leaves us with the 1% freshwater made up by ground and surface water
3. People think that drinking out of water bottles is safer than drinking tap water, think again. Bottled water isn't tested as regularly as faucet water for impurities and pollutants. Also, many popular brands such as Dasani and Aquafina are tap water or come from public reservoirs. A study was done that tested ten US bottled water brands in eight states and the District of Columbia and found thirty-eight pollutants including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol, and industrial chemicals.

8. These things are important because we need to understand how much water is actually available to us. And that much of the water is not readily available because it is in the form of ice and glaciers and must be melted in order for it to even be considered for use. Also important, is the fact that many people think bottled water is so much better for them, but in all reality it isn't always the case.
9. I recommend this book for others to read so that they can fully understand the predicament we are in with a possible water shortage. We need to start informing people if we want anything to change, and this book is a factual way to do that.

Share & Voice: Murphy Oil owners want to expand in Superior

Murphy Oil, Inc.

I found this article after watching the movie in Monday's class. This is Murphy Oil, the refinery located in Superior, WI. The article talks about how the owners of Murphy are wanting to expand the refinery in order to have more capacity. The reason we have been seeing some of the highest gas prices in the country in the Midwest is because we don't have enough refining capacity in this region. Their main points were that by expanding they can increase the worth of the city, comparing the 6.2 billion dollar investment to the total worth of Superior currently at 1.5 billion we can see just how much money we could bring to our community. This would create roughly 400 new jobs however there are a few important reasons the company is hesitant to expand. First, many residents are worried about the additional pollution. Also, talk of moving to smarter more efficient fuels to run the economy have been being talked about for the past few years.

This made me really start to think of how having this refinery so close to our homes could possibly be contaminating our air and talk of expansion could make the problem worse. The article also mentioned how high prices of gas may be a good thing, to kind of give people a push to move toward safer cleaner fuels. If people started realizing how much were paying for gas is getting ridiculous we might start switching to smarter alternatives.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

 For the cosmetic safety review eye opener I chose to use my shampoo (TIGI Bed Head Moisture Maniac) as the cosmetic product. The results I got from this were kind of scary. It said that ingredients in this product have been linked to cancer, allergies/immunotoxicity, and developmental/reproductive toxicity. This really makes me think if I should be using this product. I continued to scroll down to read some more of the details and I saw that some of the things it was linked to, such as cancer, had little evidence. So it makes me think if one person out of 1,000 got cancer and just happened to use this shampoo is that what they're using in this study? Also, much of the evidence was at high doses, although it doesn't specify what they consider a high dose, I don't believe washing my hair once a day qualifies as a high dose. Yes, I need to probably look for a shampoo that doesn't have such high ratings but I also think more studies need to be done to better prove the evidence.

Share & Voice: TLC Family Environmental Activities.

(Gulf Oil Spill)

I wanted to share this website with everyone just because I think it is a great way to get kids and families together and aware of the environment with fun activities. If we educate the younger people now about how they're actions affect the planet maybe they will show others later on. One of the activities shows how damaging oil spills are to the environment, I found this interesting because it is an issue that is currently affecting us. Take a look here!

Read & Seed 4: Aqua Shock: The Water Crisis

1. This week I covered chapters 5 and 6, pages 107-151.
2. Some of the main topics I have read about are that there are two approaches to water rights, first is riparian the second is prior appropriation. Or a combination of these can be used. Also, I learned that The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers have a huge say in how water is managed, along with other government entities, representatives, and employees.

3. Some significant things I learned and new terminology presented are that ownership of the Republican River that runs through Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas is not necessarily determined by who owns the river bottom. Ownership of the water is divided based not on how many miles of river are in each state, but on a contract signed in 1943. At this time the state of Colorado sold the right to most of the annual flows of water through the river as follows: 49 percent went to Nebraska, 40 Percent went to Kansas, and Colorado only kept 1 percent. This means that if Colorado uses more than its allotted 11 percent they could face fines and lawsuits. No matter how much Colorado's population grows or how dry the land becomes, they are only allowed there 11 percent.

1. riparian: all landowners whose property is adjoining to a body of water have the right to make reasonable use of it
2. prior appropriation: first in time, first in right. In other words the first to use it is the person to have rights over it.

4. This affects our society because as consumers we use water from local places that we can find it. We use it for recreational use and also for consumption uses. Not many of us use water straight from a stream anymore but just knowing that if you needed that water you might not have the right to use it, even if it is on your land.We should care about this because there is going to come a time when water is going to become much more expensive the scarcer it gets and we need to know what water we will have rights to if it comes down to it.  The only thing that we can completely agree on in this country is that we have a big water problem and we need to find a solution. We need to start creating national water policies or advisory boards with regional and local approaches to solve all the water issues.

New Blog Header!

Check out my new header! I made it using some of the awesome editing options on picnik!

Share & Voice: Future Friendly!

This "future friendly" website shows you ways you can cut down on water use, energy, reduce waste and find products that are sustainably manufactured. Plus, you can join the future friendly challenge which can help you to obtain your goals by sending you promotions and updates to see others goals to help save our resources. P & G (Proctor & Gamble) which owns Tide, Pampers, PUR and Duracell, along with other brands, first introduced Future Friendly at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative in September of 2009.

You should visit this website to see what products you can start, or maybe not knowingly already are, using to help our planet as much as we can. In my opinion its easier to start using environmental friendly products first to start changing my lifestyle rather than to completely stop something I'm doing, such as eating a certain food source. We all need to start taking small steps towards being "future friendly."

http://futurefriendly.com/Home.aspx

Read n' Seed 3: Second Quarter of "Aqua Shock: The Water Crisis"

1.  The chapters I have covered for this quarter are 3 and 4. 
2.  The main topics I have read about are:

• Other countries besides the United States also are dealing with the water crisis.
• Not only are we losing water from overuse and waste, but much water is being contaminated. 
• Many people are becoming ill from drinking water. According to a 2006 report from the EPA, 4,400 people were hospitalized and 50 people died as a result of waterborne diseases across the country.

3.  Some significant things I learned are

• Because of leaky pipes rain water gets into the sewer and is wasted. This is happening a lot in Boston because most of the pipe work is from the early 1900's and the useful life of these pipes is only 100 years. To fix this problem all the pipes would need to be replaced, which would be much too costly. So instead they must just suffer the consequences of wasting this water.
• Leaving water on for just five minutes wastes as much energy as leaving a 60 watt bulb on for fourteen hours. Most of do this while brushing our teeth, next time you brush turn the water off and help to save energy and water at the same time.
• People think that drinking out of water bottles is safer than drinking tap water, think again. Bottled water isn't tested as regularly as faucet water for impurities and pollutants. Also, many popular brands such as Dasani and Aquafina are tap water or come from public reservoirs. A study was done that tested ten US bottled water brands in eight states and the District of Columbia and found thirty-eight pollutants including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol, and industrial chemicals.

4.  These things affect society because we are falsely believing that drinking bottled water is better for us. Most of  don't go research online before we buy a bottle of water from the vending machine at school or at the gas station. These companies are getting away with having water that is contaminated and we are all still buying and consuming it. Some of the contaminants found in bottled water were shown to increase risk for cancer and other diseases. It makes me think no water is safe to drink anymore. Also, although it might be costly we need to invest in replacing and building water storage structures. Leaky pipes, faucets, etc. must be dealt with. We need to preserve more water or we will indefinitely run out.

Share & Voice: Environmental Guy

 

"Environmental Guy"

I found this video on YouTube. It's called Environmental Guy featuring Jim Carrey. I found it amusing and entertaining. Its kind of a funny way of putting some of the issues going on in our environment. Enjoy!

Eye Opener: CSPI

Eating Green

 I chose to do the Eating Green Calculator to see the amount of environmental burden my lifestyle causes. According to this, I use up 1.1 acres of grain and grass in one year, in order to feed the animals that are used to make the food I consume. I considered this a lot until I saw my results for the amount of manure created by these animals was 7,458 pounds. I was surprised that only .2 pounds of pesticide were used to grow the animal feed, that seemed like a pretty low amount until I sat that 26.7 pounds of fertilizer is actually used to grow animal feed the feed the animals. After improving my diet I found that actually .6 acres of land could be grown from decreasing some of my servings, my pesticide use decrease to .1 pounds, fertilizer fell to 15.2 and manure fell to 3915. If everyone could improve there diet and eat more locally grown fruits and vegetables our environment would be so much better off. Changing this would actually lower cholesterol by 49 milligrams, which is a good factor for me because high cholesterol runs in my family.

What this really means to me is that by just decreasing my servings of meats and dairy I can help the environment over a year. By just decreasing 1 or 2 servings from these categories went from using acres of land to actually growing back land. Its amazing to see how much impact it would have if everyone just made these small changes. We could preserve so much more of our planet and also be much healthier people.

Share & Voice: Solar Energy

Solar Energy

Solar Energy is becoming more and more popular but it still only accounts for 1% of electricity use in the United States. This is a great way to produce energy without using a lot of our natural resources but comes at a cost. It costs quite a bit to purchase the equipment to generate power from the photovoltaic panels, but electric companies are trying to use incentives to get people to invest in it. They are suggesting that consumers put these panels on their roofs, from this utility companies can then purchase this power from the consumers. People can produce energy and get paid for it, rather than use energy and have to pay for it.

One of the downfalls of solar energy however is that it doesn't produce energy at night. To fix this the energy produced during the day can be preserved and used during the night for the little amount it is needed.

Solar energy is something we should all start looking into because it quite possibly could be the future of energy production. Although it might be more expensive at first it will save us all in the long run.

Information retrieved from: The New York Times.

Reflection Weeks: 1-4

So far in the past few weeks I have learned quite a lot of information. One of the most interesting things was using all the cool things on blogger. I've used Blogger once before in one of my high school history classes but it was just the basic posting and commenting. We never learned about all the gadgets and extra things you could use or place on your site. Also, learning about how the government is trying to hide important information about global warming from its people. I think this is a serious issue and we deserve to know whats going on and what we should be expecting. If people understood how serious this is, we might be more willing to change the way we live to prevent it.

I've also learned a lot about being more energy efficient and realizing how much more I can do to decrease my ecological footprint on the earth. After taking the earth day quiz, about how many planets my lifestyle would need to support everyone on earth if they lived the same was as I do, I realized I need to seriously find ways to help the environment rather than hurt it. To do this I have been trying to reduce my shower times, watching that I'm turning off the water between brushing my teeth, putting on a sweatshirt rather than turning up the heat, opening windows rather than turning on a fan, etc. I think people need to start taking care of the environment before we don't have the chance anymore and are regretting that we never did.

Read n' Seed: First Quarter of "Aqua Shock"

Lake Superior

1. So far I've covered chapters 1 and 2, pages 1-56.
2. The main topic I have read about are how our water sources are quickly diminishing and how many places are fighting over ownership of these water sources and actually taking each other to court. I also learned 70% of earth is water, yet only 1 percent of that water is readily accessible freshwater. 97% of this water is in oceans, salty and undrinkable unless it is desalinated which is very costly which leaves 3% freshwater. 2% of this freshwater is glaciers, polar ice caps and groundwater, which only leaves us with the 1% freshwater made up by ground and surface water. Another interesting face is about how much water we use daily just for production. Nearly 47 billion gallons of freshwater are used for public water supply systems and domestic uses. More than 142 billions of freshwater are used to irrigate crops, water livestock, and meet other agricultural needs. And finally more than 195 billions of water (136 billion gallons of freshwater and 59.5 billion gallons of saline water) are used in energy production and for thermoelectric power plants (Marks, 2009) . 
3. I learned some significant things from the first two chapters of this book. I learned that the amount of water on earth is constant, what changes is the form it takes-liquid, ice, or vapor, the amount of pollution, and the accessibility of the water. Water goes through the hydro-logic cycle and evaporates in one place but may fall in a completely different place where the temperature is much colder,  therefor turning that once available water into ice.  Also,  according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, Lake Superior is at its lowest point since January of 1926 (Marks, 2009) . We are losing much of our fresh water from this lake and we must start being more careful.
4. We need to start preserving our water and stop polluting it. The fact that Lake Superior's water level is going down affects us because lowing water levels make it much more difficult for maritime shipping, which Duluth/Superior is a main harbor and this could have very negative consequences on our economy. If this source dries up too much or completely there will be no way for ships to come through which consequently will make it harder for us to get products out/in. We will have to find an alternate source of transporting our goods. To address this we need to start using less water by cutting down shower times, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, switching to toilets that use less water, recycling water to water plants and lawns, and fixing leaky faucets or hookups. We need to start changing our ways before it is too late. Humans are composed mostly of water and once it's gone it could mean the end of our existence unless we find an alternate substance.

References from: Marks, S. (2009). Aqua shock: the water crisis in america. New York: Bloomberg Press.