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.