Reflection

No Impact Boy Reflection

 

 

 

For my final project in American Literature Nature this semester, I decided to do a project on making my life greener entitled No Impact Boy. My original purpose in doing this project was to experiment with different methods of making my life greener, that I found in two books including Generation Green by Linda and Tosh Syverstein and Do One Green Thing by Mindy Pennybacker. The inspiration for this project came from the film called No Impact Man, where a man named Colin Beavan lives a lifestyle in which he has no impact on the environment. For my project, I did not go to the extreme of making no impact, but I did take simple steps to reduce my impact on the environment. By creating a blog I was able to extend my information to a larger audience, and to inspire other people to become greener as I have. I established two main issues that I concluded from my research including the environment (trees, water, ocean, and animals) and non-renewable resources (green-house gasses fossil fuels). The physical purpose of my project emerged in this step, which was to reduce my impact on these global issues. These issues, as I would discover, not only affect the earth, but also anything that lives within it, including humans. After I had researched and collected many facts and methods I decided to break down the information into four topics including hygiene, energy usage, food, and recycling. I used these topics to provide methods within them that related to how making your life greener in these topics can help counteract the issues in the environment (mainly hygiene and food) and non-renewable resources (mainly energy usage and recycling). I broke the information that I gathered into these four categories because many people in America can change their life in at least one of these aspects; these four categories affect almost all Americans in the world today. This step in relating the information I gathered because people could then connect with the information I was providing. In Generation Green Lynda Severstein states, "In the real word, there are a lot of second chances. And here's the thing about being green: it's never all or nothing. Every day you can start again, make other choices-better ones" (xvii). This quote was the main message in my project that you can choose whenever you want to be green, and that even if you fail you can always start again. The important thing is to make the choice to become green. In American Literature Nature I learned about making connections to nature, and with this project I was able to make connections to the environment. I was also able to explore the SECR dimensions that gave quality to my work.

            My first intention in this project was to establish the issues that I would be addressing. In American Literature Nature our class researched and analyzed information particularly the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan. In Am Lit Nature we learned how to make table tents. Table tents are basically short three paragraph essays where the first step is to establish the issue. The issue that I was addressing my project was that humans are having a negative impact on the earth that needs to be addressed in order to save the earth. The impact that humans have on the environment comes in the form of pollution, CO2 emissions, chemicals being released into the environment, and many more. So the focus of my project was to make use methods that I found in my research to lessen my impact on the environment (This impact on the environment is also known as a carbon footprint). In order to establish the issue I was addressing I brought in certain quotes to show the impact of the issues in our environment. In Generation Green Lynda, Severstein states, "Scientists conservatively estimate that because of global warming the sea level could rise anywhere from eight to thirty-eight inches by the next century" (5). Rising waters would affect all of the coastline areas where humans live would have to move. The fact is that while humans are effecting the environment we are actually affecting ourselves. In this sense I discovered that humans have a connection to nature. Another one of these discoveries came in Pennybacker's book Do One Green Thing in which she states, "bald eagles" egg shells were thinning, harming reproductive rates to the point that the bald eagle became endangered" (156), because of harmful chemicals found in popular hygienic products that are sold in America. I also found out in my research however that these hygienic products not only hurt the environment, they also hurt the people that use them. Linda Syverstein states, "A 2006 article in Ms. Magazine explains that some of the chemicals in popular cosmetics-phthalates (a hormone disrupting chemical), formaldehyde, petroleum, parabens, benzene, and lead-have been linked to breast cancer, endometriosis, reproductive orders, birth defects, and developmental disabilities in children" (121). The underlying theme here is that human's health and environmental health is connected. By this point I had established a definite connection between humans and the environment. The connection that I discovered between humans and nature essentially represented the spiritual aspect of the SECR credit. The importance of establishing this connection was so that anyone who read this blog would understand that we have to save our environment in order to save ourselves. This fact motivation for myself, as well as anybody who read my blog to take action into making there lives greener.

After giving motivation to change the next step that I took was a call to action. The facts that I discovered in my research shaped what is known as the call to action. In American Literature Nature I learned how to make an effective call to action from the table tents that I helped create. A effective call to action is first of all something that has a purpose for doing, and second of all is able to practically implemented. The goal of my project was again to find simple ways to reduce my impact on the environment. In the book Do One Green Thing, Pennybacker provides a method to, "hang at least one load a week to dry" (84). I picked this method because it was a practical and effective method to become greener. I also gave information that the effect of making this change does for your impact on the environment, or carbon footprint. Pennybacker states, "every time you hang-dry a load of laundry instead, you save 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions" (82). Showing the effects of how changing your life to become greener was important to show how much of an impact is made when you change your life to become greener. I guarantee that all of the methods that I researched and provided on my blog would save money. So when I was making my life greener I was making a ethically and economically correct choice.

Another part of the SECR credit is to explore community relationships. By helping to reduce my impact on the earth by becoming greener actually helps the community in a way, since I am not polluting as much into the earth. However, I also helped the community directly particularly by recycling, reducing, and reusing. On my quest to become greener I went to the Honolulu cat clinic to donate unwanted towels. I also went to Punahou School's Tank where I donated more items that I didn't need anymore. By doing these tasks I helped the community and the environment out. I gave back to the community by donating things that I didn't need anymore for someone else to use. I also helped the environment out by not contributing to the landfills where these unwanted items would have gone. I even went to my local park to do a trash pick up. In this way I helped clean the community that I live in as well as the environment.

Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing

Helping your community to become greener comes in various forms. You can start organizations, community projects, or any other movement to get more people involved in helping the world become greener. Making a change for the community is the ultimate green changing choice, and is emphasized in both Do One Green and Green Generation. Inspiring more people to become green has an even greater impact than just one person becoming green. Listed here are a few examples of how you can contribute to the community to become greener.

 

Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing

Recycling is a great renewable energy method. Plastics found in wrappers, bottles, batteries, and other materials that we buy various products in are not biodegradable (don't decompose to become part of the environment. Therefore we can't just throw these hazardous materials into the environment. Now days most of these plastics ends up in landfills, never to be recycled.  However, recycling is not enough to fix our material usage problems. Reducing and reusing products, energy, and other materials can also help combat our waste problems.

 

Hazardous Waste Recycling

1)   "After you've used up the regular batteries you've got, hold on to them for recycling (your sanitation department can tell you how, or contact the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation at www.rbrc.org for a location near you where you can drop off used batteries), and then buy rechargeable ones" (84).

Why: Hazardous waste from batteries leaks out in landfills, which also has harmful effects on the environment.

2)   "If Americans recycled the more than one hundred million cell phones they throw away each year, it would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes. Recycle your phone by dropping your phone off in a bin at the store where you bought it or finding a drop-off recycling center near you" (148).

Why: It's almost unheard of for someone to not have a cell phone. Therefore the amount of cell phones that are used, and the materials that are used to create them, should be properly recycled.

 

What Hazardous Waste Should I Not Trash?

There are a few pieces of Hazardous waste that should never be dumped into the trash or recycling bins because they are too hazardous to be going to a landfill, and typical recycling centers don't have the means to recycle certain hazardous waste.

"Antifreeze, batteries, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, Paints and solvents, and Pesticides" (149) are just a few typical household items that you should take special care of in recycling.

 

 

Paper Recycling

"Recycling recaptures the heavy metals in inks, keeping them out of the waste stream and our water. Preserving rainforests, the home of the highest number of different species on earth (and where we get most of our paper), also preserves natural medicines and potential cures for diseases" (144).

By recycling paper we not only save our water systems that humans rely on, but also the eco-systems in the rainforest; the health of nature and of humans are essentially tied together in this process. Here are a few methods for reducing your paper consumption.

1)   "Printing and copying on both sides of a piece of paper saves you a lot" (145).

2)   "Save and reuse wrapping paper" (145)

3)   "Receive and pay bills online" (141)

Why: "If every U.S. home did this, we'd reduce paper waste by 1.6 billion tons a year and cut greenhouse gases by 2.1 million tons a year" (141). Obviously every American household is not going to do this tomorrow, or maybe even next year, but you can take the small steps reduce your CO2 emissions by following this method, and maybe inspire other people to do the same.

4)   Use Recycled Paper

Why: The chemicals found in the typical virgin paper (the white, clean sheets of paper found in markets) harm the environment. "The chlorine bleaching of wood pulp to make paper releases cancer-causing dioxins into our air, farm fields, and water. " (144). By using recycled paper we can reduce these cancer causing dioxins that infect the air we breath, the farm fields we buy produce from, and the precious water that we are wasting so much of in the world today.

 

What Do I Look For?

"Make sure the paper has at least some recycled content, or, in the alternative, that it's not made from trees at all" (142). Other alternative materials can include "Bagasse (sugar cane), Hemp (durable fiber), Knaff, recycled blue jeans, and even Elephant dung" (143).

 

Walking the Dog

While I'm on the topic of chores I might as well throw in this eco-friendly method. This chore not might apply to everyone, but I have a dog so I decided to apply it to my own life. If you have a dog but don't walk it I suggest you start walking it. Taking your dog on a walk is a great time for reflective thinking, and if you walk it at night, looking up into the night sky (maybe even singing out on the deserted night streets). "You can also try bringing along scraps of old newspaper or drying your old, soggy paper towels and bringing them along with you to pick up a second pile for that same bag" (104). Even if you don't have a dog, taking a walk outside is great to get some fresh air and exercise to make your life healthier.

 

Reducing and Recycling Water-

"Some scientists say that by 2025 two-thirds of humans won't have safe water to drink or wash with" (17).

As I've said before, fresh water is becoming an increasingly valuable resource because of all the water that is wasted in the world today. As our population keeps growing, so does our water consumption. The statics show that our water is slowly dwindling away the more we waste it, so here are just a few ways you can recycle your water.

1)   "You've placed the greens in a bowl with water, soaked the greens for a moment or two, then spun the lettuce. Now, what do you do with this nutrient-filled water? If you act out of habit, you'll pour it down the drain. But if you take just a few extra moments, you can walk it out the front door and throw it into the garden, or perhaps use it to water some thirsty potted plants." (74).

2)   Take shorter showers

Why: "Showering uses anywhere from two and a half to five gallons a minute. Suppose you shower three hundred times a year. If you showered for one minute less every day, you'd save anywhere from seven hundred fifty to fifteen hundred gallons a year!" (77).

You will not only save water with this method, but also help out the environment. Just try to commit yourself to five-minute showers or less. In fact "The American Academy of Dermatology advise keeping showers short, because, long hot showers are a common cause of dry, itchy skin" (111). Our health is tied into how we use energy in this sense.

3)   Don't take baths

Why: "The average bath consumes 20-45 gallons of water" (110).

Again, reducing our water consumption is very important for ensuring the continued survival of the human race.

 

Recycling, Reusing, and Reducing

"According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there will be room available for only 1,234 landfills in the United States in 2008-that's about eighteen thousand fewer than were available in 1978" (31)

 

 

Recycling the products that we use in our households such as plastics, cans, and other materials is very important in reducing pollution in the environment. Also, the amount of space that there is to dispose of all this trash is slowly being used up. We have to take the first steps in recycling more for the sake of land space and pollution, both of which affect humans. Here are a few recycling tips.

           

1)   Donate unwanted items

Donating is a great way to reduce the clutter in your house, and is a great way to, as the saying goes, "make one mans trash another mans treasure".  But more than that, donating is greener alternative than just throwing away your used items; this would just contribute to landfills.

I actually went to a few places to donate some of our families unwanted junk. One of the places I went to was called the "tank", where people work voluntarily to recycle all items. The other place I went to was a cat clinic because they needed towels for the cages, and we had old towels that we didn't need anymore. Donating can.

2)   Recycle: Cans, Plastics, and Glass

These are some of the easiest materials to recycle because there are already so many places where you can recycle these materials. In fact you can even get money for recycling cans. The other good thing about recycling these items is that they are not biodegradable; these materials are pretty much wasted junk. Instead of filling up landfills with more of this junk, recycling these items, instead of making new ones, can reduce the impact that we put on the environment. Factories that manufacture these materials put out a lot more CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming than recycling plants do. Plus when you recycle, space does not have to be wasted by making more landfills for our junk.

I have started recycling by putting my cans, bottles, and glass materials into our blue recycling bin. I have even been going down to Kalani School where they have a recycling day every Saturday.

3)   Don't use water bottles; instead use a reusable bottle

Why: There are many answers as to why you shouldn't use water bottles.

"If every American stopped buying water in disposable bottles:

Global warming: We'd keep at least 2.5 million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere

Water: Twice as much water goes into making the contents of the bottle

Energy: Bottled water uses more energy than tap-up to two thousand times more

Economically: If you replace just one bottle of store-bought water (If you replace just one bottle of store-bought water ($1.50 and up for 12 ounces) a day with tap water (less than $0.10 a gallon) you'll save at least $440 a year" (4)

4)   Use a reusable bag when shopping

Using a reusable bag at the super market may look different from the norm, but using a reusable bag would cut down tremendously on the waste that is created from using plastic shopping bags. The factories that make these plastic bags release waste and CO2 emissions to manufacture the bags. This is again harmful to the environment, and harmful to the air that we breathe in which in turn affects our health.

5)   Recycle food

Whether its spoiled food in the fridge, or food that you just don't want to eat, instead of throwing it away you should give it to the environment. This might be harder to do if you live in suburban areas, where there isn't much green around. I happen to have plants at my house and there was a spoiled fish in my fridge. Instead of wasting it by throwing it in the trash, I dug a hole to put the fish into a new plant my mom bought. The fish will eventually decompose and provide great nutrients to the plant to help it grow. I even put on some organic soil to be even more environmentally friendly.

 

6)   Trash cleanup

Changing our lives to become greener is one thing, but helping the environment to become greener takes it a step further. In my project I went to my local park to pick up trash, but just making a conscious effort to pick up trash where you see it can make a difference to.

 

Generation Green

Do One Green Thing

Green Energy Usage

In the world today energy usage is a key in achieving global sustainability. Today Scientists are trying to find more renewable energy sources, compared to fossil fuels, which are non-renewable. Scientists are also trying to find ways in which to make our energy usage more eco-friendly. This means making our energy usage more efficient and that the waste created by our energy usage does not harm the environment (such as fossil fuels emission of CO2 gas). If we want our world to survive in the long run we have to find more sustainable and efficient energy sources and methods, to reduce our impact on the environment. In my quest to become more eco-friendly I found some simple methods that I could use in my everyday life.

 

 

Transportation

 

Cars and Carpooling

Cars are unquestionably the primary means of transportation in the United States today. Most cars in America use non-renewable energy, primarily fossil fuel oil, which contributes to the CO2 emissions in our environment (Global Warming). There are other renewable sources of energy being applied to cars that I discovered in my research, such as hydroelectric, solar powered, and even air-powered. However most of these eco-friendly innovations won't be in the mainstream of the market for at least a decade or so. I decided to research some eco-friendly car methods that could be applied in the world today, in order to help decrease these harmful CO2 emissions.

If cars are you're only means of transportation, car-pooling is a great method to reducing your CO2 emissions. Two people going to the same place the same way shouldn't be using two different cars, yet it happens every day in America. Setting up a car-pooling strategy with friends is a great start to reducing your carbon footprint.

 

Tire Pressure

1)   "Most car tires are underinflated, and taking yours to the gas station for a quick sip from the air hose can improve your mileage by 3.3 percent. Doesn't sound like a lot, but if you drive six thousand miles a year, under inflation "costs" you an extra $150 to $250 a year. or about seventy-two gallons of gas. And each gallon burned dumps about twenty pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere" (181).

Why: Checking to make sure that your tire pressure is right saves money as well as energy, and that translates into reduced CO2 emissions, which means becoming more environmentally friendly.

 

When I went to the 76 stations to check to make sure my tires were properly inflated a man working at the station named Eliot, taught me how to know what the proper amount of inflation was. When you open the door on the drivers side there is a yellow sticker that will tell you what the inflation should be. For my car it said 30, which means 30 lbs of pressure. Basically when you put the pressure stick into the tire (the device that measures the pressure of the tire) you should get a reading the equals the pressure mentioned on your sticker; the pressure is different for different cars. Eliot gave my mom and I a heads up on tomorrow's gas prices and some information about what type of gas to buy.

 

 

Alternative Transportation

Biking and Walking-

"Did you know that if you rode your bike thirty miles a week instead of using a car (if you have one), you'd prevent fifteen hundred pounds of CO2 from polluting the air?" (153).

Riding a bike is certainly more eco-friendly than riding a car that emits CO2. Aside from the numbers though riding a bike is not as practical for some people as it is for others. A 7-mile bike ride from my house to my school every morning is possible but not practical. It is okay to use a car for long distances, but I would encourage you to try walking or riding a bike if your destination is within a practical distance; this practical distance will vary for everyone depending on a person's physical capabilities.

1)   In my project I committed myself to riding a bike or walking if was going to go somewhere within a mile radius. For example, instead of using a car to get to Aina Haina shopping center I would walk or ride a bike.

Why: "If every American spent thirty minutes a day walking or cycling instead of driving we'd cut CO2 emissions by 64 million tons and lose 3 billion tons of excess body weight a year" (215). Not only is biking and walking more eco-friendly, it is also beneficial for our health.

 

Mass Transit-

If you drive ten miles to school each way, you're putting about thirty-six hundred pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. By contrast, in 2005 people reduced CO2 emissions by 6.9 million metric tons-and saved three hundred forty million gallons of gas-simply by taking public transportation instead of cars. Taking mass transit also kept four hundred thousand metric tons of car-spewing greenhouse gases out of the air" (160).

If walking or biking is not a practical transportation method for where need to go, taking a mass transit system, such as a subway or bus (probably a bus in Hawaii), can help you reduce your CO2 emissions compared to taking a car. The great thing about mass-transit systems is that while they emit more CO2 gasses than a car, they carry much more passengers than cars. In comparison, a bus actually emits less CO2 per person on the bus.

 

 

Electricity-

 

Light Bulbs

Energy efficient light bulbs are rising in the markets these days. These energy efficient light bulbs are also known as Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (a.k.a CFL bulbs). Simply switching out regular light bulbs with new energy efficient CFL bulbs can help you to make your life greener.

 

1)   Replace your old bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Why: "CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs use only about a quarter of the energy of incandescent bulbs, but they last ten to fifteen times longer and will save your parents sixty-seven dollars in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb!" (81).

CFL bulbs do cost more than light bulbs but in the long run they will actually save you energy and money.

 

 

TV and Computers

TV and Computers have integrated themselves within the lifestyle of almost every American, and these technologies have even integrated themselves across the world. American's today watch more TV than Americans 50 years ago, which is increasing our energy consumption, but the availability and technology of TV's has rapidly expanded since that time. Computers have also progressed in mountains even in the last 2 decades. This increased use of technology has also meant that more energy is being wasted, and more CO2 emissions from these electronics. However, there are some ways in which you can reduce your energy consumption in these categories.

 

1)   Unplug electronics you are not using.

Why: "According to a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, we spend more than a billion dollars a year powering TVs and VCRs when they're not even turned on!" (83).

Unplugging TVs, VCRs and any other electronics should become part of your daily schedule. Checking your household whenever you leave making sure all your electronics is unplugged will reduce your CO2 emissions, which of course harm the environment, and save you money. In my house it only takes about 5 min. to do this task, but times will vary depending on how many electronics you have.

 

2)   Switch to laptops.

Why: "Did you know that laptops use up to 70 percent less energy than desktop computers? Skinny laptops such as the MacBook Air use green materials inside and out, and less than half the packaging. You can even get a solar panel and backup battery to recharge your laptop off the power of the sun"  (79).

Simply buying a laptop can help reduce your CO2 emissions. If you do decide to get a laptop though remember to recycle your computer properly, taking to your local electronic store to ask how to properly dispose of your computer.

 

 

Chores

What American teenager or American in general doesn't have chores around their house? I myself have to do plenty of chores around the house, so applying these few methods that I learned about in Generation Green and Do One Green Thing taught me what I could do to make my chores more eco-friendly.

 

Laundry

If you don't do this chore, how are you going to survive in college, or in life? Having clean clothes is a necessity in the modern world today, where we are constantly judged on our appearance. There are even some great ways for you to make this essential chore more eco-friendly.

 

1)   "Plan ahead so you always run a full load of laundry-using cold water takes the least amount of energy-and use a phosphate-free detergent" (99)

Why: "You'll save up to $20 a year by washing in cold or warm instead of hot water" (86). Plus, using phosphate-free detergent is not harmful to the environment.

2)   "There's nothing like the smell of laundry that's been dried in the fresh air, so if you have a yard, you might try line-drying your clothes" (99)

Why: "If you hang-dry just half of your annual laundry load-say, in the warm half of the year (which doesn't matter if you live in Hawaii)-you can reduce GHG (Green House Gas) emissions by an average of 723 pounds and save about $50 a year." (86). In other words, reduce green house gases in order to save money.

3)   "Wash very soiled loads in warm water, reserving hot water for killing dust mites in bedding every two weeks." (84).

Why: "By switching your temperature setting from hot to warm reduces energy use by 50 percent" (86)

4)   "Hang at least one load a week to dry" (84).

Why: "Every time you hang-dry a load of laundry instead, you save 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions" (82).

5)   Clean your laundry filters

Why: "You may not realize that 10 percent or more of your energy costs can be due to clogged filters keeping the air from circulating freely." (80). Be careful with this method if you are allergic to dust or lint.

 

What Kind of Washers do I Look For?

1)   "Look for a model that bears both an Energy Star label and a Water Efficient Factor of less than 9.5 (which means it uses 35-50 percent less water than an average washer)"

2)   "An Energy Star-approved model has to be at leas 50 percent more energy efficient than standard models, and can save you more than $145 a year compared with a ten-your old machine. See www.energystar.gov" (87)

 

Washing the Dishes

Every teenager should be doing this chore. Your mom or dad makes you dinner, and the best thing that you can do to repay them is to clean up the mess they made; quite frankly though I hate washing the dishes. However there are a few simple ways in which you can make this task a little more energy efficient and eco-friendly.

 

1)   "After the washing cycle is complete and the drying cycle has kicked in, turn off the machine and open the door a crack or pull out the shelves before you head off to bed. You dishes will be drying on their own and can be put away first thing in the morning." (72).

2)   "Keeping the faucet turned to cold saves water and money; houses with electric water heaters spend about 25 percent of energy costs on heating water. (If you haven't done so already, ask your parents to wrap your water heater with insulation. For about six dollars you'll avoid up to 10 percent of your heat loss that way.)" (75) Using cold, warm, or even moderately hot water won't make a difference in the cleanliness of your dishes. "Studies show that germs don't get killed unless the water's scorching hot, anyway" (75).

 

What Kind of Dishwasher Do I Look For?

1)   "Make Sure it's Energy Star. (For models see www.energystar.gov)" (101)

2)   "Read the yellow Energy Guide label looking for an Energy Factor of at least 0.65" (102)

3)   "Check the water efficiency by asking a salesperson. Most new models use about 7-10 gallons per load, but some water-efficient machines consume as little as 4.5 gallons per load." (102)

4)   "Just by switching your dishwasher, to an "Energy Star dishwasher can save you $25 a year." (102)

 

 

Generation Green

Do One Green Thing

Green Food

Personally I love food, and everybody needs food to live. Making greener choices in our food purchases and consumption is essential to helping counteract many of the environmental issues in our world. I learned from my readings and from Farmers markets that I went to about different food options that I had in eating greener.

 

Farmers Market

The farmers market is basically a place where the farmers who make them sell organic foods. The farmers market is much different from the supermarket in many ways. At a Farmers Market the food is fresher as well as organic, and you actually meet the person who made the food you are buying from; this way you can find out how the food was made, where it came from, and any other questions about the food. In my quest to become greener I actually traveled to a couple farmers markets.

The first one I traveled to was one in China Town. China Town had plenty of farmers markets. I went to was a fish market, where the fish were freshly caught and transported well under 100 miles to the market; I caught, I mean bought, a freshly caught tuna that day for only $1.45. I also bought some organic cherries while on the market for 5 cents a cherry. Chinatowns farmers market was a bit far from Aina Haina (where I live) so I looked into a farmer market closer to my area. I decided to travel to go to the much more convenient

I also went to Kalani farmers market, which was only about a 5 min. drive from my house. There were the regular organic vegetables and organic fruits, but what caught my eye was the organic popcorn. I found out that the popcorn was non-preservative, oil free, freshly popped popcorn, and I even got to sample some. I loved it. I bought it at a fair price of $6. I also picked up some organic garlic in oil while in the market. It tasted so natural and fresh; the oil didn't taste fatty because of it was naturally made.           

 

Why Should I Do It?

"Organic agriculture greatly reduces exposures to pesticides in your body and the environment; buying locally preserves small farms and green space" (15).

The health of the environment and your body are linked to what foods you buy. "About 940 million pounds of pesticides are applied to U.S. crops a year, and 40 percent of these chemicals are linked to cancer or nervous system harm" (18). Even if your food purchase were not from a farmers market, if they have the USDA Organic certification the food has been grown without synthetic pesticides (chemicals used to kill insects on products) or fertilizers. There are still pesticides present in all foods, including organic, but organic foods have "two-thirds less pesticide residue than average produce does" (18).  Reduces pesticides translates to healthier food.

Another reason you should buy organic is because of the release of CO2 emissions by the transportation of the food. Organic foods, which can be bought at farmers markets, will help reduce the CO2 emissions that you would be contributing if you bought the same food from a supermarket. At farmers markets the food is locally made, meaning it has not traveled across the world for you to purchase. A plane traveling from the mainland to Hawaii, for example, would release more CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. A 10-mile car ride will produce much less CO2 emissions, and be must less harmful to the environment.

 

 

What Should I Do?

What I would suggest for you to do is to look into going to one of these farmers markets sometime. You don't have to go there everyday (in fact the Kalani farmers market was only open on weekends) but just giving it a chance is the first step. You can start by visiting this website "www.apps.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/" (53) to find a farmers market near you.

 

Generation Green

Do One Green Thing

Green Hygiene

Hygiene is something that has been artificially transformed in the world today. There are so many synthetic chemicals that can actually be harmful to your body in the products that are on the market today. Therefore, a greener approach to your person hygiene might not only be beneficial for you cleanliness, but also your health.

 

The face products today, and even some toothpaste, use synthetic chemicals that are harmful to your body and to the environment.  "A 2006 article in Ms. Magazine explains that some of the chemicals in popular cosmetics-phthalates (a hormone disrupting chemical), formaldehyde, petroleum, parabens, benzene, and lead-have been linked to breast cancer, endometriosis, reproductive orders, birth defects, and developmental disabilities in children" (121). Using more eco-friendly hygienic things will help the environment and keep us healthy and away from these harmful chemicals.

In the environment, these chemicals have been found to make their way into the environment. Various species were effected by these chemicals by producing offspring with deformities. Scientist reported that "bald eagles" egg shells were thinning, harming reproductive rates to the point that the bald eagle became endangered" (156), because of these hormone disrupting chemicals. Making hygienic products more eco-friendly will help save the varieties of species found in our environment, and help to make humans that use these products healthier.x

 

 

Eco-Friendly Hygienic Methods-

Here are just a few methods that can help your hygiene while not harming the environment.

 

1)   "Oatmeal naturally exfoliates your skin. Mix with water, lightly cook, and scrub away!" (127)

The warm oatmeal actually felt really good on my face, but it was like have a warm slimy goo plastered on my face.

2)   "Lie down with avocado slices under each eye and rest for fifteen to twenty minutes to relieve puffiness." (127).

Your face will probably smell like avocados after this one, but my eyes did feel a little less agitated. I wear glasses all day so this method was especially helpful.

3)   "Soak week nails in warm extra virgin olive oil for five minutes to strengthen them." (127).

This method was perfect for my mom. Ever since she picked mangos for the Punahou Carnival she has had cracking nails from the chemicals in the sap of the mangos. Her nails didn't come out 20 years younger, but maybe she just has to keep putting them in the oil.

4)   "Whiten your teeth with equal parts sea salt and baking soda. (Okay, Tosh admits he loves this one!)" (127).

If you like a salty sensation then this method is perfect for you. Your not going to get shinning pearly whites after the first try but my teeth did seem to get a little whiter.

5)   "Want to try the world's best facial mask? Take one organic free-range egg white, whip for ten seconds with a fork in a bowl with one half of a tablespoon of honey. Apply to your clean, dry face and then rinse after fifteen minutes." (127).

This was probably the strangest facial mask I have ever had. Your face gets really sticky from the honey after about 5 min. of drying and it feels like your skin is being stretched when you open your mouth. My skin felt pretty good after I washed the mask off though. My skin felt a lot more elastic, and tighter which is a good sign of using a facial mask.

 

Other forms of cleanliness-

1)   Use Borax for your cleaning needs.

Why: "Using phosphate-free detergent (Borax is a good solution) requires less water to rinse away and causes less harm to the fish exposed to it at the other end of the sewer" (72)

Borax is not harmful to the environment, unlike other phosphate using cleaning products. Plus you can use borax for so many purposes in your house including washing your hands, washing the dishes, and even doing the laundry.

 

Why Should I become Greener?

For those people who were not as inspired to go green, or to at least make a change in our life to become greener as I have "made the choice" to do so.

 

 "We now understand that our personal health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked, and that's enough to give anyone eco-anxiety" (Overview: p. 1) Do One Green Thing; Mindy Pennybacker

Basically our planets health dictates our health. As the planet keeps getting more polluted with the wastes we create and the CO2 emissions we release, people start to feel the effects of this waste since we live on the world. As Pennybacker also states "Yes, the globe is still experiencing warming, among other problems, and we aren't going to solve it all overnight. But by doing simple things in our daily lives... we are collectively making a difference" (Overview: p. 1). It would be impossible for anyone to change the world's problems "overnight" as Pennyback states. But little changes in our daily lives will eventually solve those problems.

Pennyback also assures us that "a green life, like any life, is a work in progress, and most of us aren't ready for an extreme makeover, which usually involves a major commitment of money and time" (Overview: p. 2). 

 

Lynda Siverstein states, "We think both teens and adults are waiting to be asked to do more. We're expecting someone in power to ask us to step up, to sacrifice for the greater good" (xiv). This quote really exemplifies the point of my project, which is to step up and make a change without being asked by "someone in power"; this someone in power is referring to the government. Instead of someone "asking us to step up" we need to step up as individuals, and make our own choice to change our lives. The "sacrifice for the greater good" is something that is neccecary in the world today. I will go into more details in my project, but the way that Americans are impacting the environment today is causing global disasters, someone in the present, and some that will hit us in the future. Some of the "sacrifices" that I made in this project were necessary to lessen my impact on the environment. Making small changes in my life were the first steps for me to limit my impact on the environment. "We may not have gotten ourselves into this mess, but let's face it, our elders are hoping we find the solutions" (xv). Our generation has to counteract the global issues that the generation before us, or "our elders", has done. I have took the initiative in my project to become greener as a solution to the "mess" that our elders caused, and I will be sharing with you simple methods on how you can do the same to reduce your impact on the environment.

 

Background Information

There are some key things to know about when making your life greener. These two concepts have a direct relationship to all of the green ideas that I will be presenting. Here is a quick summary on why these two concepts are important to know about in becoming greener in the world today.

 

 

Non-Renewable Resources are basically resources that cannot be reused. The bulk of these resources that America uses are called fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. Fossil Fuels were created by the immense amount of pressure on rocks over millions of years, since the age of the dinosaurs; basically coal and oil takes millions of years of geological transformation to create. These resources are limited, and cannot be reused.

When they are used in cars, trains, or airplanes they are burned and are released into the atmosphere as Green House Gasses. Green House Gasses have a negative effect on the environment. The gasses that are released from the emissions of fossil fuels go into the atmosphere and create a green house effect. When heat from the sun enters the earths atmosphere it hits the earth and bounces back into the atmosphere. The atmosphere traps some of the heat within the earth and releases some back into space. With more greenhouse gases building up the atmosphere and trapping more heat, the earth in effect gets warmer. This is also known as global warming. The heating up of the earth is effecting the environment, and the ecosystems within it across the world. Glaciers are melting as waters get warmer, thus rising the level of the ocean and upsetting the balance of salt to water ratio. This is turn, as I also mentioned above, effects the eco-system within the ocean, the effect being the extinction of various species of marine life.

Rising waters not only affects marine life, it also effects us humans. In fact "Scientists conservatively estimate that because of global warming the sea level could rise anywhere from eight to thirty-eight inches by the next century" (5). This quote emphasizes how pressing the issue of global warming is. We need to change are lives in order to counter act these issues. With this rising water we would have to support our growing population on less land, and this rising water would just continue rising without as long as global warming continues to heat up these glaciers; Scientist state that "if every glacier in the world melted today the oceans would rise about two hundred thirty feet!" (6).

Trees and species that photosynthesize are not only key in reducing CO2 emissions in the environment they are the only things that can reduce CO2 emissions that create this greenhouse effect; species that photosynthesize convert CO2 emissions into oxygen that is essential for life on land and in the water. Trees and other species that can photosynthesize, are being wiped out faster than ever now days. Actually "We're destroying our rain forests so quickly that if we don't do something fast, by 2030 there will be only 10 percent of them left" (3). 2030 is 20 years from now, which is more than half of my lifetime (I am 17 yeas old). Regardless of how far away it is, there still needs to be change implemented in our life styles that can help save this earth. It is not only trees that are being affected by human destruction, but also the various species that live within them.

As humans continue to destroy and pollute the environment, the species within them are affected in the same way. However this effect also translates to humans being affected in similar ways. As you will discover in my research, you are more connected to the health of the environment than you think.

Water is one of the most precious things on this earth. Without water the planet would not be able to survive and neither would humans. You might say there is plenty of water in the world, since 70% of it is covered with water, but in reality the only water we can use is found in rivers, lakes, and other forms of fresh water. Humans, especially Americans, are overusing this fresh water in our showers, kitchens, and other water wasting forms. Essentially the more water we conserve, the more clean water will be available for all of us.

There are processes in which seawater can be turned into fresh water, but then the problem arises of where to dump the salt that is diluted from the seawater. If it is put back into the ocean, the sea to salt ratio is then unbalanced, thus contaminating the ocean eco-system. Our oceans are being polluted today more than ever with sewage we cause, and other unsafe chemicals that are dumped into it. This makes it even more necessary to conserve the fresh water that our earth already provides. Humans buy ocean products that are sold throughout supermarkets, which are damaged from these pollutants that are put into their habitats. Saving the oceans therefore ties to saving our own health.

 

 

Generation Green, Do One Green Thing, and 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save Hawai'i, all make it clear that these problems in the world aren't going to be fixed overnight. My goal in this project was to find ways to reduce my impact on these issues. I read these three books to get ideas, and to apply them in my daily life.

 

I categorized different parts of my life style such as hygiene, food, energy usage, and recycling, to show how I changed my life in these areas to become greener. I encourage you to read some of the things that I discovered in my quest to become greener, but ultimately the choice is up to you whether you apply these methods or not.

 

Generation Green

Do One Green Thing

Introduction To "No Impact Teen"

I first got the idea for this project after watching the movie entitled "No Impact Man". The movie centers on how Collin Beavan, the "No Impact Man", changes his life-style completely in order to make no impact on the world (he has essentially become completely green); that is no carbon emissions (carbon footprint) or other types of pollution. This includes no TV, no computer, only eating local foods (organic foods), and basically depriving himself of any other carbon emitting practices. He does this project in order to find out if this type of life-style is possible. He analyzes which aspects of this life-style are plausible and which ones are not possible in the world today. I will not be trying to make absolutely no impact on the world in my project entitled "No Impact Boy", but I will be analyzing what little changes I can make in my life to reduce my carbon emissions. I will be using books including as Sivertsen's book entitled Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-friendly Life. I will also be using the book entitled Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth through Simple, Everyday Choices, written by Mindy Pennybacker. These books will help me learn about what changes I can make in my everyday life, and how these changes will reduce my impact on the environment. "In the real word, there are a lot of second chances. And here's the thing about being green: it's never all or nothing. Every day you can start again, make other choices-better ones" (xvii). The important thing in becoming greener is that you make the choice to become greener.

 

Generation Green

Do One Green Thing