:: 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???????

:: Share 'N' Voice :: Beyond the Viewfinder

This flower was found in Campo de Fiori in Rome, Italy

From the magnificent sights to the aroma of the flowers and fallen leaves, from the harmonies that sound from high on the trees to the caress of the waves upon the shores, nature is awe-inspiring! It's beauty never ceases to amaze me.

In our hurried lives, we sometimes fail to look at the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis.  It is there for all of us to witness, we just need to take the time to see nature's small miracles. I love going on "camera adventures" and seeing how many ways nature presents itself to me. Sometimes I capture something I feel is amazing. Yet, there are times when what I see in the viewfinder is beyond words and the picture cannot clearly express the true beauty that was seen. When I find something I want to take a photo of, I do not really care what I need to do to capture that perfect image. I'm the type of person who will lay on the ground, climb out on a small cliff, or any other awkward position to capture the perfect image. 

A little bug taking time to check out these beautiful flowers.

I had the opportunity to go to Italy last May. Talk about a camera adventure. I was often the one running to catch up with our group because I was taking photos of everything that inspired me. The whole trip put me on sensory overload, but Italy's beauty is nearly indescribable. While traveling across Italy, I wrote a blog post that talked about the beauty that could be seen outside our bus windows. "Who knew there were so many shades of green. The trees and shrubs that cover these hillsides are such a dark green,  dotted with the occasional shade of yellowish-green. The horizon is filled with one tree covered mountain after another.  Workers can be seen working in the fields, be it planting or making hay." No camera could capture that view well enough. It truly was a moment where you had to be there to witness the beauty.

It saddens me to think of these beautiful views are so easily affected by our actions against the environment.  People throw their cigarette butts everywhere. We don't recycle nearly enough and those items not only fill our landfills, but also litter our daily environment. Our marine life is dealing with oil spills, polluted water, a diminishing water supply, exotic species that are destroying our fish, and many more issues. Our waterways are also being polluted by the farmers who over irrigate their fields where they used fertilizers and pesticides. If we don't start making some serious changes we will not be able to enjoy these magnificent sights.

The two flowers pictures that are in this post were taken in Italy, as were the following five photos. Picture locations include the Forum, Villa Borghese, Banfi Winery, along the Tiber River and finally the fire hydrant picture was taken in Venice. If you look carefully, on the sidewalk next to the hydrant is a nasty cigarette butt. Those things pollute our landscapes. The other photos were taken in the Grand Marias area. I love to not only walk along the shore, but also get lost in the woods where you never know what you'll find.

Please enjoy the beauty that I found in my viewfinder. 

:: Advocacy Project :: My Political Representatives ::

For our first advocacy project, we have been asked to identify the following individuals :: the President, our congresspeople, the governor of our state, and the state legislators who represent my district. Below I will be providing their names, addresses, political affiliation and a link to their website. 

Representative Murphy

Representative Mary Murphy (DFL)
I'm going to start off with my favorite state legislator. Mary Murphy is the DFL House Representative for District 06B. Not only is Representative Murphy a friend to all, but I am fortunate enough to call her one of my personal friends. I have sat in Mary's office many times during annual trips to the State Capital for Firefighter Day at the Capital. She is one of the most sincere state representatives I know. She truly cares for her constituents and listens to their views. She is willing to dig to the bottom of an issue to find a solution, even if it means compromising. She is currently serving her 18th term in office.

343 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651.296.2676 or 800.890.5428

Email :: Website
 

Senator Bakk

Senator Thomas M. Bakk (DFL)
Whereas I adore Representative Murphy, I am not a fan of Senator Bakk. Never once in my visits on Firefighter Day at the Capital did he deem it important to meet with us, the fire service leaders of the 06 District. He always gives off the impression that he is above his constituents and doesn't have the time to listen to their concerns. He was first elected to the Senate in 2002. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as the House Representative for the 6A District  Currently, Senator Bakk serves as the Minority Leader, as well as serves on Rules and Administration and Taxes Committees. 

147 State Office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

  St. Paul, MN 55155

651.296.8881

Email :: Website

Governor Dayton

Governor Mark Dayton (DFL)
Governor Mark Dayton is the state's 40th governor He took his oath of office on January 3, 2011. He has served Minnesotans for the past 34 years in varying capacities. Governor Dayton has been the Commissioner of the Minnesota Departments of Economic Development and of Energy and Economic Development, the Minnesota State Auditor, and has also served as a U.S Senator. He has worked throughout our state to help businesses locate or expand and create jobs, to improve local government services, to better fund our public schools, to support our servicemen and women, to help Minnesotans get the health care they need and deserve.

130 State Capitol

75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd

St. Paul,  MN  55155

651.201.3400

Blog :: Email :: Website

Congressman Cravaack

Congressman Chip Cravaack (R)
Congressman Cravaack represents the 8th District here in Minnesota. He was elected to office in January of 2011. Congressman Cravaack currently sits on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Homeland Security Committee and the Science, Technology and Space Committee.

DC Office: 508 Cannon HOB :: Washington, DC 20515

202.225.6211

Duluth Office : Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building and United States Courthouse
515 West First Street - Room 235 :: Duluth, MN 55802
218.740.7803

Email :: Website

Senator Klobuhar

Senator Amy Klobuhar (DFL)
The first elected female senator from Minnesota, Senator Klobuhar took office in 2006. She replaced then Senator Dayton, who opted to not seek re-election. According to her website, Senator Klobuhar took the lead to pass the most significant consumer product safety legislation in a generation, keeping foreign toxic products off our shores and out of our stores, and helped push through a new law to protect children from unsafe swimming pools. She also authored a bipartisan law to establish national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, protecting public health and ensuring an even playing field between domestic wood products and foreign imports. She serves on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Judiciary Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. One of the issues that Senator Klobuhar focuses on is homegrown energy, environment and natural resources.  She has a list of her priorities when it comes to this issue listed on her webpage.I feel she has some great priorities when it comes to our environmental health. Check it out.

DC Office: 302 Hart Senate Office Building :: Washington, DC 20510
202.224.3244

Northeast Minnesota Office: Olcott Plaza, Room 105 - 820 9th Street North - Virginia, MN 55792

218.741.9690

Email :: Website

Senator Franken

Senator Al Franken (DFL)
Once a comedian on Saturday Night Live, Senator Franken assumed office in July of 2009 after a debated election battle with former Senator Norm Coleman.  He currently serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee, and Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  Senator Franken's ideas on energy and environmental issues is not as extensive as Senator Klobuhar's, but he does focus on creating policies to help Minnesota's production of wind power, biomass and biofuels. 

DC Office: 309 Hart Senate Office Building :: Washington, DC 20510

202.224-5641

Duluth Office: 515 W 1st St - Suite 104 :: Duluth, MN 55802

218.722.2390

Email :: Website

President Barack Obama (Democrat)

President Obama was elected in November of 2008. He was sworn in on January 20, 2009. He is the 44th President of the United States and is also the first African-American President. Our President is working to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackling climate change and is interested in finding a solid way to protect our environment. Check out his views on these issues here.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Comments: 202.456.1111
Switchboard: 202.456.1414

Blog :: Email :: Website