Waste Reduction

In my opinion waste is a huge issue. I think my reason behind this comes from my grandma. Growing up she never let us kids waste anything, especially food. She was always talking about the hungry and unfortunate kids in other parts of the world. And now that I am an “adult”, I seem to have taken a lot from her words and approach this matter more seriously. Therefore when I first saw this assignment for my environmental science class I was kind of excited. We were asked to measure our waste for three days, research waste reduction strategies, and then for another three days put those strategies into play.  

In my household it is just my husband and I. So to be honest I don’t feel that we waste too much because we really do try to recycle everything we can. In our kitchen we have your normal everyday looking standard trashcan, and then right outside the garage door we have a large outdoor trashcan for recyclables. Within a three day period, together our waste accumulated up to one full trashcan, while our recyclables took up about a fourth of our large recycle trashcan. Hopefully, everyone can get a good idea of how much waste and recyclables we had because I didn’t have a scale to actually weigh everything out, and I wasn’t about to go through my trash and recyclable counting them one by one.

Most of our trash consisted of food and pure laziness. Even the items found in our trash, mainly paper recyclables, could have been thrown in the recycle bin. These items consisted of paper plates and paper towels/napkins.

When it came to waste reduction, I really liked the idea of getting another kitchen trashcan for recyclables only. But sadly, believe it or not, my kitchen is so small that I don’t even have room for another trashcan in there. That is why we keep the recycle bin right outside the garage door. Another great idea talked about watching what you buy. For example: buy durable products, repair or restore used items, buy items you can re-use, buy items you can recycle, and avoid excess packaging. This is something I know I can try to do more often!!

Therefore, for the next three days my husband and I tried out bests to make this change, and the outcome came out great. We also focused on not being so lazy and actually recycled everything we could. This time we filled up half of the kitchen trashcan, and about a third of our large recycle bin. The items most difficult for me to recycle I guess were my napkins after dinner. Those I just tossed in the trash. When it came to my waste flow it was hard for me to not throw away my leftover food. I am actually working out again and watching what I eat, so I tend to have leftover food that I just throw away. My grandma would be so disappointed with me. It’s really not that much, but my grandma hates any form of wasting food.

At the end of the day though, I liked the outcome and what I learned from this assignment. Therefore, I am really going to focus more on the products and things that I buy so that I can really try to reduce our trash even more.

Climate Change; Is it an issue?

Even though it has been said that there is much confusion and doubt about climate change, there has been a great deal of indicators to prove that the climate is changing. Right now it is getting warmer. According to this website, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators/pdfs/ClimateIndicators_full.pdf, human activities have substantially increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which causes the Earth to trap in more heat. Studies show that from 1990-2005, worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases caused by human activity has increased by 26%. In the United States the frequency of heat waves has risen steadily since the 1970s, and from 2001 through 2009, 30%-60% of the States also experienced drought conditions. Other studies also show high annual precipitation totals have increased, the intensity of tropical storms exhibiting strong long-term trends, an increase in the amount of heat stored in the ocean, a rise in sea level, the ocean has become more acidic, glaciers are retreating, arctic sea ice is melting; the list goes on and on and on. Research also shows that the average temperature of the Earth’s surface has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1990. Human activities are such a major contribution to climate change because anytime we do things like using energy to drive, using electricity to make our lives easier, grow our own food, raise livestock, or throw trash away, we are releasing greenhouse gases.

 With all this being said, it should be noted that climate change should be a concern to all because it is likely to affect not only your society, but our entire world. This includes everything from water resources, food production, energy use, transportation and commerce, recreation, to even our national security. In the long run, impacts such as these could be extremely costly, far reaching, damaging as a whole to all. In the end, climate change will affect all nations, though some will most definitely feel the effects more intensely then other; such as developing countries.

Global warming is NOT an issue however, according to this website, http://heartland.org/ideas/global-warming-not-crisis, who believe that the important question are how much of the warming is natural, how sure are we that it will continue, and would continued warming be beneficial or harmful. From their point of view, they stated that probably two-thirds of the warming in the 1990s was actually due to natural causes. They also stated that warming trends already have stopped and forecast of future warming are unreliable, while the benefits of a moderate warming are likely to outweigh the costs.

 After reading through this website, it is clear to see how easy to is for someone to say global warming isn’t an issue in fear of higher taxes, more income redistribution, more wilderness preservation, more regulations on corporations, “smart growth”, subsidies for renewable energy, and again much, much more in order to address the situation and try to stop or prevent it. Bottom line, unless it is completely necessary, people are very unwilling to go down a road of high taxes and more regulations. To some, saying it is isn’t a problem is just all around easier and cheaper.

Personally I feel that thinking in such a way is just plain selfish and lazy. Honestly, many people could care less what the world will be like in 50 years, especially if they think they won’t be around to have to endure the damages. All I know is that if we don’t do something soon, future generations won’t be able to stand a chance. There will be so much more destruction, and devastation, especially with how fast our worldwide population is expanding.  

Toxic Chemicals

After reading the article “Regulating toxic chemicals: Do we know enough about chemical risks?” it is really scary to think about how often we are unknowingly exposed to possible toxic chemicals each and every day. Honestly at this point I think it is safe to say that they are everywhere; from the stuff we eat, drink, breathe, use, buy, etc. This is all the more reason why I feel so frustrated when I read that some people are concerned that “the agencies responsible for protecting Americans from exposure to harmful chemicals are allowing too many dangerous substances into the market without testing them for toxicity.” Why is this okay? If there is any doubt that a product is not 100% safe for their consumers, then I feel it should be tested with no questions asked. How dare them to let common products slip by and into the market before having a premarket safety screening, especially when these products concern infants and young children. Therefore, chemical manufacturers should be continually forced to address new concerns for the fullest safety of their consumers.

I really liked the idea of the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) policy, which was launched in the European Union in 2007. Under these rules, a company that produces or imports chemicals must register and provide data on their properties and uses. Bottom line, the chemicals must be proven to be safe. However, here in the US we still await Congress, regulators, businesses and advocates to come up with better solutions to protect consumers from harmful exposures. This is where the big questions come in. Do we know enough about chemical risks, are we commercializing nanotechnologies too quickly, and would stricter regulations hurt manufacturers and consumer?  In the end, research is ongoing and new things are always to be discovered which is why chemical toxins should always be a concern. Studies should never stop and regulations should always be enforced! This would include moving into a more precautionary approach like Europe. Consumers have a right to know and trust that everything possible is being done for their health and safety.

Below are some related sites with great information to get you thinking more about this topic. They offer some really great information, input, and advice!!

Chemical Regulations:
http://www.gao.gov/assets/100/93860.pdf

Precautionary Approach:
http://www.sehn.org/precaution.html
http://www.commonweal.org/programs/precautionary-principle.html

Green Chemistry:
http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/pollutionprevention/greenchemistryinitiative/index.cfm

The article “Regulating toxic chemicals: Do we know enough about chemical risks?”:
http://faculty.rcc.edu/huff/spring%202012/enviromental%20science/blog%20assignments/Regulating_Toxic_Chemicals.pdf

Energy!

I never knew how much I took advantage of things until this next assignment in my environmental science came about. Trying to live a normal, everyday life by using the minimal amount of energy was a lot harder then I thought it would be. In fact, I remember thinking to myself “what the hell am I going to do for the next 24 hours.” So I began by unplugging as many things as possible. This consisted of things like my alarm clock, cell phone charger, house phone, computer, televisions, washer, and dryer. From there I also turned off all of the lights and my cell phone. Then I made a promise not to drive anywhere, do any laundry, use my ac or heater, or use my electric hairstyling utensil that morning when I got ready. I could tell you that taking a cold shower without the lights on wasn’t much fun either. This was the moment it sank it too. If I wasn’t going to be miserable and bored all day long then I needed to find something to keep me entertained. Therefore, I spent the majority of the day playing outside with my three dogs. Then that night my husband and I had a bon fire in our backyard with some friends. Overall, my goal was to really use as little of energy and electricity as possible to see what it was like not to have these things. To be honest, I think my friends were getting a kick out of trying to cope with my project. So it wasn’t too bad. Don’t get me wrong though. I didn’t find it very easy, and I wasn’t 100% happy with how I had to change the way I did things, but I did like the fact that it forced me to spend more quality time with my family and friends. Plus, it was kind of neat hanging out in the dark with the only the light of our bon fire. Although trying to get to bed that night was somewhat of a challenge. Candles only provide so much light while you are trying to brush your teeth, wash your face, and find your pajamas.

When it came to turning off the television and computer, I wasn’t very bothered since I don’t spend much time with these things anyways. What I did have a hard time with though was not being able to drive anywhere. I took a walk with my dogs up to a nearby park and this really made me realize how far a lot of things would seem if I didn’t have the use of my car. I also didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t use my hair utensils. Being completely honest, I felt like I was a mess all day long. But this is also because I am not use to living under such conditions. This all helped remind me of how thankful I am to be living in the time era that I do.

 When it comes to using less energy each week, I think I can focus on running my washer, dryer, and dish washer a little less.  As for my home, I think my husband and I do pretty good already. We always turn the lights off when we are out of a room, and we never leave electronic devices plugged in if not necessary. The things I couldn’t see myself without would consist of my alarm clock, hot showers, hair utensils, and some sort of a phone. I didn’t like the fact that my family couldn’t quicklu get a hold of me if there was an emergency. And as far as the lights go, I could see myself using less of them until dark. The candle idea was a bit frustrating at times.

 Overall though, I really did appreciate this assignment. It was able to really shed some light on how much energy we use and waste everyday.