:: Reflections : Weeks 8-14 ::

We attend so many classes and most of the time, I don't feel as if I leave the class more knowledgeable than when the semester began. That is not the case with this class. I have learned so many things from this class. Not only about our environment, but I also learned more about myself and my impact on the world we live in. 

:: Are You a Good Advocate?  ::

During the last seven weeks, we again covered a variety of topics. Being an advocate for change was one of the biggest topics we worked on. While this was not my favorite (as is evident by my lack of post for the advocacy project), it was insightful to learn what goes into advocating for change. The bill I found to support using THOMAS fit with my Eco-Chic Lifestyle change from the first half of the semester. The bill, H.R. 1628 : Trash Reduction Act of 2011, puts a surcharge on plastic bags and starts a fund for businesses that start a plastic bag recycling program. As I dug deeper into the issue of plastic bag usage to create my fact sheet, I wasn't completely convinced that this was as great a bill as I first thought.

Truthfully, putting a tax on plastic bags puts a higher burden on those who are already strapped for cash. To some people, $0.05 per bag could make the difference when purchasing a necessary grocery item. Some people, who just go through life on auto-pilot, don't seem to care what happens to that plastic bag after they hurried get home to put the groceries (or other stuff) away. Plastic bags are simply a matter of convenience.

One of my biggest struggles is the fact that I can see so many sides to each issue. I can fight for either side on this issue. However, my heart feels that the one solution to the plastic bag issue is to completely stop producing them. As long as plastic bags are available to us, people will continue to use them. Even as we educate consumers as to why they are such a hazard, it won't be enough to stop people from using them.

My method of advocacy is changing a bit. I've discovered that i have a bigger challenge in my own household. I've been telling my children about how we can make a difference in our environment and the changes we need to make as a family…and have met with some resistance (twice this week my oldest has come home with a fist full of plastic bags). She fights with me that a reusable bag costs her precious dollars. I counter with how that plastic bag she HAS to use, because she's too cheap to purchase a reusable one, is costing her much more. I've informed her that plastic bags are made out of non-renewable resources, that they are not bio-degradable, and that when they do break down, they spread toxins into our soils. I guess my advocacy needs to start in my own house. I will continue to talk about the benefits of using reusable bags until my kids finally understand my view. From there, I can hope that my children will be role models to their friends and encourage their friends to do the same.

I realize that many of the things we did in this class were individual projects. I would have loved to take our advocacy project to a different level. Perhaps as a class, we could have picked one or two topics we all agreed on and made a difference as a collective whole.

:: Goodwill Industries ::
Learning about Goodwill Industries was an eye opening experience. To tour their facility was amazing. I didn't truly comprehend the amount of items they recycle until our tour. I'm so glad there are companies out there that are so concerned about our environment. Just thinking of the number of mattresses that are laying in land fills around the world is scary. It was astounding to see how an items so large can be recycled so many different ways (those little bales of springs were amazing). It was also great to hear that some of the items that don't have a home here in the states are sold to other countries. I can only hope that when those items have exceeded their usefulness in their new "home," that there are resources for recycling.

:: Water Rights ::
As the years proceed, I'll be keeping an eye on the water debate and who owns the water. The videos we watched (not just Tapped and Thirst, but all the videos we watched over the course of the semester), have certainly changed my opinion of certain companies and our governmental leaders. Water is a precious commodity that we ALL must have to survive. Water belongs to all of us. Companies should not come in and take ownership of that resource and expect people to pay more for the privilege of using it. I'm thankful at the moment that I have a well and am not dependent on a municipality for my water. If the issue of privatizing water comes to our area, you can bet I will be supporting the rights we all have to free water.
 
My view of the water debate goes beyond the water as well. The making of the plastic bottles really has me rethinking my shopping habits when I go into a store. Lately, whenever I go into the gas station to get something to drink, I look at all those coolers of bottles and think about the number of lives that have been lost because of the production of that bottle. In the end, I end up walking out of the store without anything to drink. I cannot support needless deaths for the production of a bottle or plastic container. I realize that I will not be perfect in not purchasing items in plastic bottles or containers, but I'm working hard at watching what  I do purchase. Seeing how people live in cancer alleys, that are located near petroleum factories, was heartbreaking. I will always have thoughts of how plastics affect more than just our environment. They effect our animals, our citizens, our air and our planet. 

:: Junking Project :: 
I had a blast with my junking project. I'm certainly glad that my dad saved a bunch of what I would have considered "crap" before this class. Who would have thought with a little imagination, some old deck wood and a tractor seat, you could have a chair to sit on around the camp fire. I'm lucky to know people who are handy when it comes to woodworking, as i would have cut my fingers off. LOL! I have five more seats and I think I will ask my handy woodworker to create a bench that I can put two or more seats on. I may change up the colors as I'm not sure I'm quite a fan of the John Deere colors…some would say they are Packer colors too. =) The junking project certainly makes a person stretch their imagination and see beyond the original use of the item into what it could be. Above you can see two pictures of my stool. Now….would summer come back so I can sit around the camp fire and roast marshmellows. YUMMY!!!

:: Conclusions ::  
The lessons from this class will stay with me for the rest of my life. I hope that I can set a positive example to others with my newly found environmental friendly habits (using reusable bags, purchasing all natural or organic, recycling more items, not purchasing plastic bottles). If I can talk the talk and walk the walk, then others will hear why these things are important to not just me…but our planet. We're in this together. Our planet needs us to make health choices for it.

We all need to do our part; we need to do our best for our world. I'm learning to truly appreciate the things I do have. I hope you have learned to appreciate your things too. Now let's go out and make a difference in the world. Even the littlest of change can make a huge impact.

:: Share N Voice :: Wrapping Dilemma ::

Merry Christmas!

How are you wrapping presents this year?

Presents

As this is our last Share-N-Voice posting of the semester, I'd like to start by wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. With Christmas being just a week away, I've still got shopping to finish and wrapping to do; groceries to purchase and food to prepare; a house to clean and miles to travel. 

The wrapping of presents is a daunting task for me. First off, I am always particular about the type of wrapping paper I purchase. Normally, I pick several different patterns, but they all have similar colors (except for Santa paper...Santa wraps in a totally different style/color paper in our house). I like to have a variety under my tree. One color is rather boring in my opinion. Secondly, I tend to go over-board purchasing presents for Christmas, which makes wrapping sessions tremendously long. I need oodles of wrapping paper, tape, boxes, tissue paper, time, patience, Christmas tunes and something hot to drink while spending hours upon hours wrapping all the presents.

Here's the bummer part.....I spend hours wrapping everything and in just a few short seconds, the wrapping paper has been ripped off and is laying all over the floor. While it is fun to watch the little kids that celebrate with us rip into their presents, it's a total waste of paper. We pick all the crumpled and shredded pieces of wrapping paper up and throw it in the garbage. It isn't something that is readily recyclable. Sure paper decomposes, but what effects do the decorative dyes have on the environment?

SOOOOOOOOOOO....this is where I need your help!!! I would really love if you could suggest some wrapping suggestions that don't require wrapping paper, tissue paper, tape, boxes, etc. I think I would not only save a small fortune from not purchasing wrapping paper, but I would also be helping the environment. I'd really like to keep this as minimalist and environmental friendly as possible, yet fun not only for me, but also for the one who is receiving the present at the same time.

Please post ideas and photos in the comment area below.  

:: Share 'N' Voice :: The Miniature Earth ::

Miniature Earth Project

For this week's Share 'N' Voice, I am going to share a video that I watched last year during my Human Diversity class with Chang'aa Mweti. The title of this youtube video is the Miniature Earth. It takes the demographics of our current population world-wide and puts it  into a community of just 100 people. This video was eye opening on many levels for me.

According to the US Census Bureau's World population clock, there are approximately 6,974,924,065 people living on this planet we call home. For me, this is a number that is truly hard to put into perspective.  Our planet is filled with such rich diversity; nationalities, religious beliefs, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, living conditions, etc. A Miniature Earth puts many of these things into a perspective I can comprehend. 

It deeply saddens me that within this community of 100, forty-three people live without basic sanitation and 18 live without an improved water source. I don't know about you...but these are two things I've always had the luxury of enjoying. It is hard to fathom not having those two items. I want to find a way to alleviate these problems. 

I am truly appreciative of the things I am fortunate to have. Now the goal is to do the best for the rest of the world. Will you join me in making our world a better place for all???? Little changes can make a big difference.

:: Advocacy Project : Fact Sheet ::

Battling the Love Affair of Plastic Bags 

ReuseIt

 A plastic bag may be convenient for a minute or two when there is a need to carry something  out of the store, but for the rest of the life of the bag (which is a long time) it is not just inconvenient, it is ugly, toxic and life-threatening.

Did You Know?

• Single-use plastic bags use up natural resources and energy. Plastic bags are made from polyethylene, which comes from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. During manufacturing, both paper and plastic bags emit global warming gases, create water pollution and use raw materials and energy.
  
• Plastic bags are indestructible. Plastic bags take between 20 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment. Even when they do break down, they are not really gone. Plastic bags do not biodegrade. They break apart into even smaller pieces, eventually forming "plastic dust." No matter their size, plastic bits are not digestible by any creature on land, in the air or in the sea. We are literally choking the planet with products, which cannot re-enter the life cycle.
  
• Plastic bags and packaging kill marine life. Plastic bags (which can resemble jellyfish or sponges) are mistaken for food or prey by seabirds, marine mammals, fish and sea turtles. More than one million birds, more than 100,000 whales, seals and turtles, and countless fish worldwide are killed by plastic rubbish every year. These deaths occur through entanglement, suffocation, and starvation by ingestion of plastics in our waterways.
  
• Plastic is getting into the food chain. Even the finest particles of plastic represent a threat to creatures at the lowest level of the food chain in the marine environment, the filter-feeders. Then, toxins in filter-feeders are passed up the food chain to fish and other marine animals, which humans then consume. 
  
• Plastic could over-run our planet if we don't stop. Estimates run as high as one million pieces of plastic per square kilometer floating in areas of the Pacific Ocean. 
  

Facts

• A million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide and the number is rising.
  
• The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
  
• Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year.
  
• Only 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.
  
• Phthalates are chemicals used in many plastics to make them soft or flexible, such as plastic bags. They have been banned in many European countries and Canada and will be banned in the U.S in many children's products by 2014 because of the potential health risks.
  
  

Successful Initiatives

• Ireland - In 2001, Ireland implemented a plastic tax, the first of its kind. This route acknowledges that people will still occasionally use plastic bags. Since 2002, plastic bag consumption has decreased by an estimated 90 percent.
  
• Washington D.C. - A five-cent levy on plastic bags back in January 2010, resulted in a decrease in plastic bag consumption from 22.5 million to 3 million bags in the first month alone.
  
• China - The "ban on free plastic bags," which was introduced in 2008 resulted in a reduction by two thirds.
  
• Wales - Since October 1, 2011, a 5-pence charge has been enforced on all plastic shopping bags.

References

Reuse It. (2011). Facts about the Plastic Bag Pandemic.
Environmentalism. (2007). Say no to plastic bags. The shocking facts about polyethylene bags.
Zero Waste San Diego. (2011). Plastic bag reduction strategies.

:: Eye Opener : Photo Essay ::

As I've read through other blogs, I realize that I was not the only one searching for the perfect subject matter. I happened to like the idea that Ruthanne had about looking around her parent's home in Wisconsin. When I started really looking, I was reminded of how talented my father, who has been deceased for 16 years, was at carpentry. He built many items out of wood that he found at auctions or cut down from our wooded 25 acres of land. Below you will find a sampling of his handy work and some of my step-mom's.

Many years ago, this garage had the usual purpose of housing vehicles. It isn't in the best shape.I'm sure my dad worried that sooner or later it may fall in and crush the car that was parked in it. He had it moved to a different part of the property and re-purposed it to be his wood working storeroom. As you can see in the two outer picturees, this garage is filled with planks of wood (with some extra stuff laying around). Much of the wood that you can see came from the deck that was on my house.

I look at this table each and every day and never thought of it as a re-purposed item until doing this assignment. The base of this table was a part of an old sewing machine. I couldn't tell you how old it is. My dad re-purposed it to be a table that my step-mom covers with flower pots every summer.

My dad liked a challenge. He never wanted to build just a plain building. He loved odd shapes. Growing up, we had a small hobby farm on our property. We had chickens, ducks, and geese. We ate the eggs that the chickens produced. I'm sure someone ate the chickens, ducks and geese...but it wasn't us. The building in these photos was the chicken coup. In the second photo, you can see the small door that the chickens used. Much like the garage, this building was moved to a different location on our property. It purpose now is a storage building. My step-mom stores many of her cermanic molds in this building. It is located right next to her studio "apartment."

At some point (much before my time), they built an addition onto the house. My room in the basement and the living room upstairs were the results of that addition. The photo on the left is the narrow hole in the former exterior wall that leads into my room. This "doorway" is much to small for a conventional door. My dad, knowing that I would want some privacy, built this door out of wood that was in the wood shop. It even has a really old door knob. The closet that is in my room is also made out of this wood.

The photo on the left is one of the many "buckets" my Dad made. As I said, he liked a challenge. He would spend many hours perfecting the art of making round things. The photo on the left is the original cabinets that were in my house. This one now resides in my step-mom's studio apartment.

I keep talking about my step-mom's studio apartment. The picture on the left is her home. My dad originally built this place (which is located 20 feet from my house) as a ceramic studio. For many years, my step-mom taught ceramic classes in the basement of our house. She quit teaching while she helped to raise me, but my Dad thought she needed to pick the hobby back up again after I moved out. When my Dad built it, it was a one-room "classroom" filled with with several tables, shelves and kilns. Ten years ago, when the big house next door became too much for her, we turned her little ceramic studio into a studio apartment for her instead of putting her in a senior housing unit. It works out great to be right next door to her. She watches us...we keep an eye on her. I'm thankful she is right next door. The pictures blow show how we changed this one room building into a livable space with a large bedroom and a large kitchen. She has everything she needs in this little space.

Obviously, my step-mom stopped teaching ceramic classes after we completed her studio makeover. She moved on to another hobby. She bought herself a fancy sewing machine and starting making tote bags. This is a sample of two of her tote bags. These two are made out of a pair of my jeans and a pair of my daughter's jeans. These are two of her favorites as she has decorated them up with all the pins as well.

Okay, I've been saving my FAVORITE re-purposing project for the very last on this page. My best friend's husband, Nate and my youngest daughter have been building a "cabin in the woods" for the past year. They have not purchased any materials for this fancy place. They have used wood from the wood shed, as we as from projects where others were getting rid of wood. They obtained window screens from a friend that was replacing his windows and are using those to vent the top of the cabin and to allow light in. They still have a ways to go on the "cabin in the woods," but I'm proud of them for reusing so many materials to build it. As you can see, they still have a roof to put up. Hopefully they finish this project next summer.

:: Share 'N' Voice :: America Recycles Day ::

Originally, I wanted to share a cool YouTube video with everyone this week (it will appear another week), but events in my Facebook feed on Tuesday made me change my mind. I now want to share a website with you. This past Tuesday, the 15th of November, was actually an important day (for me it was important in two ways...it was also my daughter's 13th birthday). On Tuesday, communities across the country celebrated America Recycles Day.

America Recycles Day, an initiative that has been around since 1997, is a day that is dedicated to encouraging people to recycle more at home, at work and on the go. It is the only nationally recognized day that is dedicated to the promotion of recycling. The national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful leads the celebration year after year. They provide resources and support to the activities of over 1,500 grassroots event organizers across the country. Keep America Beautiful (KAB) has a long history of forming public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving the environment that we all live in. Established in 1953, KAB is the largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. DID YOU READ THAT.....VOLUNTEER-BASED COMMUNITY ACTION!!!!! WOW!!!!! This work is carried out by a national network of over 1,000 affiliates and participating organizations, which address challenges such as litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction and beautification and community greening.

Keep America Beautiful

The sponsors and partners for America Recycles Day is impressive. Companies like Waste Management, Pepsico, Disney Friends for Change, LG, Nestle Waters, Glad, Johnson & Johnson and the EPA are just a sampling of the different companies. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to see Nestle Waters and Pepsico included.  This stems from watching "Tapped" and thinking that these companies don't particular care about the overall cost of their 'bottles'. The recycling efforts of both of these companies (and others) is covered on the Sponsors and Partners page of the website.

Nearly sixty-five hundred people signed the pledge on the America Recycles Day webpage. The site asked people to take a pledge to learn about the recycling option in their communities, reduce their personal waste through recycling and to start recycling one new type of material in the next month. I took this pledge...I think you should too. =) I would like to find places where I can safely dispose of electronics, batteries and fluorescent light bulbs. I discovered in a cleaning spree the other day that I have a ton of fluorescent bulbs that need to be disposed of. I am attempting to eliminate them from my house. They provide the most light in my basement, but I realize how bad they are to my electric bill and the environment. Batteries are so easy to just throw in the garbage, but do we really realize the impact of that action? So instead they sit around collecting dust and taking up space in my house. Who will take these? Do you know????

Maybe someone reading this blog (like next year's ESG Leadership Team) will take the initiative to not only read more about the America Recycles Day, but will also start planning to host an America Recycles Day event here on campus (I would...but graduation will come first for me). The website provides helpful tips for celebrating recycling on campus. These tips provide not only ways to increase the visibility of the recycling program here on campus, but could also heighten waste reduction awareness and increase recycling participation among students, alumni and faculty. Above all an even on campus could increase the amount of materials recycled.

Even though America Recycles Day has passed, it is never too late to take the pledge to make our world a better place for ourselves and our future generations.

:: Advocacy Project : Healthy People/THOMAS ::

GoGreen50

After reviewing the six environmental health themes on the HealthyPeople website, I have decided that I would like to focus on toxic substances and hazardous wastes. The objective that I have chosen is EH-12 : Increase recycling of municipal solid waste. The current baseline is 33.2 percent of municipal solid wast was recycled in 2008. The target for this objective is 36.5 percent, which is a ten percent improvement. According to a fact sheet by the EPA, "municipal solid waste (MSW)  includes those materials that historically have been handled in the municipal solid waste stream–those materials from municipal sources, sent to municipal landfills. MSW includes wastes such as product packaging, newspapers, office and classroom papers, bottles and cans, boxes, wood pallets, food scraps, grass clippings, clothing, furniture, appliances, automobile tires, consumer electronics, and batteries." I don't think we completely realize what is considered to be waste. We carelessly throw everything away without giving a second thought to how that particular item may affect our environment. 

The bill that I found using THOMAS is:

H.R.1628

Trash Reduction Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require retailers to pay a $0.05 excise tax on each disposable carryout bag provided to a consumer. Defines "disposable carryout bag" to mean a bag of any material, commonly plastic or kraft paper, which is provided to a consumer at the point of sale to carry or cover purchases, merchandise, or items. Exempts reusable bags and certain other bags used for specified purposes from such tax. Allows a refund of such tax for retailers who establish a disposable carryout bag recycling program.

This bill also establishes in the Treasury the Disposable carryout bag Trust Fund to hold tax revenues generated by this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments from such Trust Fund for the disposable carryout bag recycling program and for the land and water conservation fund established by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965.

Sponsor: Representative James P. Moran [VA-8] (introduced 4/15/2011)

Co-sponsor: Representative Eleanor Norton 

Latest Major Action: 4/22/2011 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Recommendation: Vote Yes for H.R. 1628 :: Trash Reduction Act of 2011 (I feel that the only way people will stop using plastic bags to haul their groceries and other supplies home from the stores is by making them pay a fee. This fee is so nominal when you think of how much it really affects our environment.

My Political Representative(s): Chip Cravaack

I must admit to being slightly peeved that this bill has been sitting out there for since April and LITTLE has been done with it. This is how slow our government works???????