Day Seven- Eco-Sabbath/ The End

       Today is dedicated to taking a break off, from everything.  Since exams are coming up, I can’t truly follow the steps for this part of the challenge, so instead, I am dedicating the last day of the challenge to reflection on my habits this week, and this semester.

       The No Impact Week was a challenging experience.  I don’t think I could follow in the Beavan’s footsteps by giving up all that they did, but I learned that I can make small sacrifices, like eating less meat, walking more places instead of driving, taking shorter, colder showers, and using my TV and laptop less.

       The hardest part of the challenge for me was avoiding packaged foods.  It seems like everything I buy comes in a package, which made me reevaluate what I am eating.  The easiest part of the challenge was keeping a good attitude.  It was difficult at parts to give up things I enjoyed, but I knew what I was doing was healthier for me, and the environment, which made the tasks easier.  

       Through this challenge, I discovered something new; the farmer’s market!  I went there for the first time this past week, and it was such a wonderful experience!  No shopping carts, no grumbling employees, just beautiful weather and delicious produce.  The atmosphere surrounding the farmer’s market was awesome.  Everyone seemed to know each other, and all the vendors were willing to talk to customers and let them try some samples.  I definitely will be going back there all the time next semester.

      On top of the changes I made this week, I think I have also made many changes this semester.  Being a part of the Animal, Vegetable, Miracle class has opened my eyes to the agricultural industry.  I can’t buy something at a grocery store without reading the ingredients and wondering what really has gone into the food.  I have cut back on my consumption of meat this semester by experimenting cooking with new vegetables.  Another change I’ve made is using less water.  I used to not be cognizant of my water use, but now I turn off the faucet while brushing my teeth and get out of the shower as soon as I can. I think the biggest lesson I’ve taken away from this course is Michael Pollan’s simple motto- “Eat food.  Mostly plants.  Not too much.”  I am going to start living by this motto.

       Being in college gives me the opportunity to be in control of my own life.  I am proud of the changes I have made, and am looking forward to making even more changes in the future.     

Day Six- Water

     

       After cutting back my waste, carbon and food footprint, and energy use, it is now time to cut back my water use. 

       Step One is to assess my current water habits from when I wake up, to when I go to bed.  Throughout the day, the activities I do that use water are: showering, brushing my teeth, using the bathroom, washing my hands, washing dishes, and cooking food.  I also had to calculate my water footprint, which is 641 cubic meters per year.  Food contributed most to my water footprint, with meat being the major contributor to the food aspect.  If you would like to calculate your water footprint as well, click here.

       Step Two is to start cutting down water usage by turning off the faucet, soaking the dishes, and shorter showers.

       Step Three is to determine what the hardest part about reducing the amount of water I use.  I think the hardest part about reducing my use of water is that water seems to be so abundant.  I turn on the faucet, it’s there.  I step into the shower, it’s there.  When I’m thirsty I go to the water fountain, it’s there.  I know a lot of people around the world don’t have this luxury.  I think cutting down my water use will be the easiest part of this challenge since I’m studying environmental engineering, and want a career that focuses on water resources. 

       Here are some suggestions on how you can reduce your water consumption:

• take colder, shorter showers by setting a timer
• wash clothes in full loads of laundry
• drink tap water, not bottled water
• carry around a reusable drink container
• reuse cooking water for watering plants, washing pets, making soup, stocks, and other dishes, and rinsing produce

Day Five- Energy

       

       Day 5 focuses on cutting back my energy use.  During the Beavan’s project, they gave up electricity.  They didn’t use a laundry machine, lights, a TV, or even a refrigerator.  While I can't make such a drastic change, I can make small changes.

       Step One is to assess everything that uses energy to operate.  The items in my room that use energy are: a TV, laptop, desk lamp, mini fridge, phone charger/phone, hair straightener, and blow dryer.

       Step Two is to decide if I am going to eliminate use of these items or mitigate my use of these items.  Since I don’t watch very much TV anyways, I am going to eliminate TV use as well as use of my desk lamp, hair straightener, and blow dryer.  I can’t give up the rest of the items, so I will mitigate use of my laptop and phone charger.  I am also going to stop using the elevator in my dorm since it requires electricity.

       Step Three is to unplug and turn off the items that use energy.  I cannot unplug my fridge but I made sure to unplug my laptop and phone charger.

       Step Four is to assess what the hardest part about reducing energy use is.  I think the hardest part of reducing energy use is that a lot of items today require energy to run, and these are items that are a necessity (or at least I feel that they are a necessity, like a fridge, phone, and laptop).  Hopefully one day soon science will create a renewable energy source so we don’t have to worry about using too much energy.

       

       Here are some suggestions on reducing your energy use:

• Turn off the air-conditioning/heat.
• Use candles at night instead of lights.
• Dry your clothing on a clothesline.
• Plug your computer and all of its accessories into a power strip.  Turn the power strip off when you are done using the computer to avoid using “ghost power”.

Day Four- Food

       Day 4 deals with eating healthier, sustainable food.  During the Beavan’s No Impact Challenge, they ate locally and seasonally, and gave up packaged and processed foods.

       Step One is to take my food list from yesterday and calculate my carbon footprint.  If you’re interested in calculating your footprint, go here.  My carbon footprint for breakfast was 1224 CO₂e.  My carbon footprint for lunch was 1132 CO₂e.  My carbon footprint for dinner was 1340 CO₂e.  CO₂e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, which measures the amount of global warming from greenhouse gases.

       Step Two is to change my diet for the week.  Tomorrow I will be going to the farmer’s market, so I will buy some local produce so I can be a locavore.  I am looking forward to a change in my eating habits since lately I feel like I’ve been eating the same things repeatedly.  Under Step Two is the suggestion to eat less beef.  Since coming to college, the only beef I eat is when I go home.  I am on a tight budget and cannot afford to buy steak for dinner every night.  If I eat meat, it’s usually chicken.  Also, since it is Lent, I can’t eat meat on Fridays, which helps to decrease my meat consumption.

       Step Three is to go to a farmer’s market, which I will be going to tomorrow.

       Step Four is to keep track of my food choices throughout the day.  My lunch and breakfast choices remained the same as yesterday, but I incorporated more vegetables into my dinner, like asparagus, onions, tomatoes, and spinach.  Also, I went to Amber's "Truck Farm" showing and sampled some tasty vegan food.  One of the hardest parts about this challenge will be giving up packaged/processed food since most of the food in my room is packaged.  When I go to the farmer’s market tomorrow, I will be able to buy in season produce and better transform into a locavore.

       Here are some suggestions on making changes in your eating habits:

•    Eat fewer animal products (this is the hardest challenge for me)
•   Drink tap water instead of bottled water
• Switch to fair trade coffee if you can’t give up your caffeine fix
•  Browse the internet for your city’s local farmer’s market and restaurants that serve sustainable, organic food

Day Three- Transportation

       Day Three focuses on alternative modes of transportation that burn calories, not fuel.  Since I am a college student, I mainly just stay on campus and don’t have a need to travel long distances.

       Step One is to make a list of everywhere I am going today.  The only place I am going today is to class.  I usually get there by bus since my class is early in the morning and I don’t get up early enough to walk there.  Using public transportation is a good way to reduce fossil fuel use.  To get home from class I will walk and enjoy the nice, spring weather.  Riding a bike to class is also a clean form of transportation, but I do not own a bike.

       Step Two is to keep a list of everything I ate today, where I ate, and where I purchase my food.  Today, I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich with a yogurt for lunch, and spinach, potatoes, broccoli, and tofu for dinner.  I ate all my meals in my room.  And all my food comes from Publix.

       Step Three is to reflect on my day.  Since I already walk or take a bus to class, my day didn’t change very much.  I could probably walk to and from class more, though, and enjoy a nice stroll as a way to de-stress instead of sitting on the cold, air conditioned crowded buses.  I'm also starting to pay attention to how much packaged food I consume.

 

Here are some suggestions for improving your modes of transportation:

• Take shortcuts when driving
• Use mass transit, and enjoy the ride by reading a good book, napping, or doing a crossword puzzle
•  Carpool
• Bike, rollerblade, scoot, or skateboard to your destination.  It’s not only good for your health, but it's also good for the environment!

Day Two: Trash

       The focus of Day Two is trash and waste.  For the whole week, I have to give up trash cans and use my own personal trash bag. 

       Step One was to empty my trash bag from yesterday and divide the items into two groups, stuff that I used for more than 10 minutes, and stuff that I used for less than 10 minutes.  All that was in my trash bag from yesterday was a granola bar wrapper, which I consumed in less than 10 minutes.

       Step Two is to put together a no-trash travel kit for the week consisting of a reusable water bottle, or other drinking receptacle, a Tupperware container, utensils, and reusable bags.

       Step Three is to stop making trash.  I have to try to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  My personal trash bag will be for things that I have to throw away out of necessity. 

       At the end of the day, the only thing I had thrown away was another granola bar wrapper.  I think the hardest part about reducing my trash will be food wrappers.  Maybe I should give up snacks that come in wrappers since packaged food isn’t the healthiest option.

       Here are some suggestions provided by the No Impact Challenge for decreasing your trash production:

• Travel with reusable cutlery
• Avoid food that comes in a wrapper, box, bag, etc.
• Use old clothes for diapers, tissues, cleaning, napkins, etc.
•  Buy in bulk

Day One: Consumption

             

            Day One of the challenge is about doing more with less.  Step One is to create a list of everything I need to purchase this week.  Since I went grocery shopping last week, I don’t need to buy any food.  The only thing I need to purchase is olive oil.  The purpose of the list is to evaluate what one can live without, what one can borrow, or what one can make.

Step Two is to put an empty, reusable bag in a private place that only my trash will go into.  I save Publix plastic bags so I put one of those on my bed post.

Step Three is to avoid shopping for new items this week.  This should be pretty simple since I am a frugal college student who needs to save her money for studying abroad this summer.

Step Four asks the question of “what is the hardest part of decreased purchasing?”  For me, the hardest part of decreased purchasing would be deciding what I could live without.  I’m a very fortunate person and have never been forced to live without something.  I think over time, it will get easier to get rid of the need for instant gratification that Americans seem to be taught from birth. 

At the end of Day One, the only trash in my bag was a granola bar wrapper.

No Impact Jena

 As part of a class assignment, I recently watched the documentary, No Impact Man.  It is about Colin Beavan and his family making a change in their lives for a year.  For one year, they decide they are going to make zero impact on the environment.  They do this by giving up consumption of meat, eating locally, using no refrigerators, elevators, TVs, cars, buses, or airplanes, creating no garbage, and no material consumption.  Colin Beavan created a one week No Impact Challenge for people who want to try out this lifestyle.

For the next week, I will be participating in the No Impact Challenge.  I know I will never be able to give up cars, or airplanes, or TVs, but I am very interested in what I can do to make a difference.

Colin Beavan created a guide to go with the No Impact Challenge, and each day focuses on a certain issue, asks the individual to do certain activities, and provides helpful suggestions and tips.  I will be blogging about my progress each day, and hopefully inspiring people to try the challenge as well!

 If you are interested in learning more about No Impact Man, go here.  At the website you can find information regarding the film, the book, and the challenge.