Reflection Week 1-7

I can't believe the semester is already half over! It's crazy how fast time goes by, especially being a senior and being busy constantly. I have learned so much in this course so far. In the beginning, I wasn't so sure how I felt about this course, but I really have become so much more knowledgeable when it comes to being environmentally friendly and all that it encompasses.

Blogging:
I really knew nothing about blogging until this class. Although blogging is not my favorite thing to do, I have learned all about blogger and how it works. It was confusing at first, especially when it came to being able to log in under the right account and the settings, but after some time and tweaking, it was all figured out! I learned about how to create a favicon, how to correctly link items, how to create posts in general, how to write an about me page, etc. The list goes on and on!

Videos:
Over the last few weeks, we have watched some documentaries that really opened my eyes to some very serious issues. We watched Tapped, which was my favorite film so far. It really helped me understand the severity of plastic water bottles and what they are doing to our environment and our health and well being. The Future of Food was another documentary that we watched that helped me realize how our food is being produced and what goes into it. This class has really helped me understand how our world today is so obsessed with money and the convenience of food instead of the nutrition and the health benefits behind it. It really made me see that paying a little more to get something that is organic and locally grown is worth the cost.

Overall:
I can't believe all that I've learned so far in this class and we have so much time left still! I think the biggest changes I've made involve using better water bottles and eating more organic food. I've always been interested in nutrition, but watching the videos related to food will really change the way you think even more. I'm excited to do my junking project that's coming up soon! It should be a great project. This has been a very enlightening and fun class so far and I'm excited to see what's next!

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Part 1: antiques/antiquing- of or belonging to the past, dating from a period long ago, junk/junking- any old or discarded material, anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible, flea market-  a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise, etc., thrift shop- a retail store that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices. The previous definiations were all found at dictionary.com. Upcycling- the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value (wikipedia), resale shop- a charity shop, thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop, etc. (wikipedia). I had to dig a little bit more to find the last two definitions. 

Part 2: I think the terms above have to do with environmental health in the way that they are all about reusing and making do with what you have. Oftentimes people just throw away things that could be put to good use by someone else. It's very true that "someones trash is someone elses treasure."  

Local Resources
Antiques: Father Time Antiques
395 S Lake Ave # 1, Duluth, MN 55802-2311 (218) 625-2379 () ‎(no website available)

Junk: Jadco Special Haulers Inc
4011 Rehbein Road, Duluth, MN 55803-9274 (218) 724-5538 () ‎(no website available)

Flea market: Studebaker Drivers Club Swap Meet Flea Market & Classic Car Show. Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Rd, 2 mi S of Miller Hill Mall. Annually 2nd Sunday in August. Call for dates and update information. 8am-4pm. Antiques to junk, plus on display is some 200 automobiles. Admission is $2/person and $2 parking. 218.722.8533 or 218.722.4855
E-Mail: stude.one@usfamily.net http://www.collectors.org/FM/US_mn.asp 

Thrift shop: Duluth Goodwill Industries Vocational Enterprises, Inc.700 Garfield Avenue Duluth, MN  55802 Retail store hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
218-722-3050 http://www.goodwillduluth.org/shop-locations.htm

Upcycling: I could not find anything that dealt with upcycling in Duluth. I had never heard of this term before and had a hard time finding a definition for it as well. 

Resale shop: Plato's Closet 5115 Burning Tree Rd # 315C Duluth, MN 55811-1876

(218) 733-9455

http://www.platoscloset.com/

I don't really use any of these resources. I used to go to Plato's Closet when I was younger though. I think the main reason I don't is because I honestly don't like to spend the time going through so much stuff! My mom likes antique stores and I've gone with her before, but I don't have the patience really to spend time going through so many things. The same goes for Plato's Closet. It's a great store but they have SO many clothes!

Part 3: I really liked this part of the assignment. It's really neat to see what people do with old things that most would have no use for. I found this old sewing machine this woman took apart and used the pieces to make jewelry. Super cool! Next, I found these wine glasses that were constructed out of glass jars and candlesticks for a wedding. The wedding is being held in a barn with a vintage theme, so it works out great. I also found a headboard that was created out of an old door. It looks awesome and is very vintage looking. These are all great ideas and none that I would have ever thought of. I think looking at all these projects makes me feel a little envious that I didn't think up any of them! It really is amazing what new items people can come up with just by using the materials they have on hand.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change: Week 5

To review once again, my SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. I still have not purchased any plastic, non-reusable water bottles! But I have yet to find a glass water bottle I like. I focused this week on making sure I always had a water bottle of some sort with me so I wasn't tempted to purchase a cheap, plastic bottle I would just throw away. The challenge I faced was the fact that my favorite bottle I have been using is cheap and is leaking. In fact, I noticed this morning it had leaked all over the front seat of my car. Minor issue but I was pretty annoyed since it did get some papers wet. I think it's time for a new bottle! This week I learned that I need to invest in a new water bottle, obviously. So what are the plans for next week? I plan on continuing with my goal as it is, but purchase a new water bottle, one that preferably doesn't leak!

http://www.thegreenfinance.org/enso-bottles-a-plastic-solution/

As I said above, my SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. I didn't change my goal throughout the last few weeks. I found that I could be successful by planning ahead and having a water bottle on hand so I wouldn't purchase a plastic one that I would just throw away. I benefited from this project in a few ways. First, I saved some money! I used to buy plastic water bottles pretty often so it was good to save a little money. Also, I liked feeling like I was making a difference, even if it was a small one. I felt good about using a reusable water bottle on a daily basis, along with the fact that those cheap, plastic ones can store bacteria and be dangerous to your health. My goal has been beneficial to the environment since I quit buying plastic water bottles since they will most likely end up in a landfill anyways. I also learned that if you have a good reason behind setting a goal, it makes it all the more worth while and maybe even easier to accomplish. I set this goal because I really did want to change my behavior of buying plastic water bottles all the time. I plan on continuing with this behavior of using only reusable bottles and hopefully I'll be able to find the perfect, glass water bottle someday!


I think anyone can accomplish any goal they set their minds to, as long as they truly want to change. If someone wanted to make a lifestyle change, I would recommend they look over the SMART goal requirements, because I really do think those can help set a very good goal. Good luck to all those who have goals to achieve...if you put your mind to it, you can do anything!

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

The Eye Opener this week was about finding out more information regarding a cosmetic item that you use. I chose to look up my foundation since I use it nearly every day and I have been using the same brand for years. I never really think much about the makeup that I use, but I know that I could use more organic, skin friendly makeup. I went to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/101853/Maybelline_Dream_Matte_Mousse_Foundation_1_Tan/ and found out more about my foundation and what is in it. The overall hazard is in the moderate range and the cancer rating was pretty low. I did learn that allergies and immunotoxicity were above moderate. I don't have any allergies and have never had a problem with this foundation so I didn't really read too much into that rating. It was interesting to learn more about what's in my makeup but I'm not sure where to go from there. I realize that the stuff in it isn't very good for you but since I haven't had any bad experience with it, I'm not sure how I feel. I think I might look into trying some different, more organic makeup the next time I go shopping. The only thing about that is that it tends to be way more expensive than the makeup I use. I'll just have to look into it more and find out what will work best for me and be environmentally friendly!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change: Week 4

Week 4 into my lifestyle change and it's going well!  My SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. This week went good...I FINALLY made it to the store to get a glass water bottle, and was pretty disappointed with the results. I went to TJ Max, which is where Dr. V. had purchased hers. If anyone else has noticed, its a pretty glass bottle with leaves, so I figured I'd be able to find the same. No such luck. All I could find was a small, Voss water bottle. It wasn't expensive at all, so I grabbed it. I felt pretty good about it but only because it was glass. I didn't care much for how small it was since I kept having to refill it over and over again. Plus, it wasn't very pretty :) So now it is rolling around on the floor of my car while I continue to use a plastic, much larger, pink :), water bottle.

                                          Photo credited to http://greenupgrader.com/11314/water-bottle-company-wants-to-do-more-than-take-back-the-tap/

So what's my next step? I've decided to continue my search for a better, more convenient glass water bottle. I may not have mentioned it before, but I am really picky when it comes to what plastic water bottle I use. Some just have that weird, plastic taste to them that I can't stand. This is a part, along with being environmentally friendly and healthier, that I want a glass water bottle. I still am staying away with the plastic, one time use water bottles. I haven't purchased one in quite some time and feel great about it. Even though I do miss my Smart water!

I have decided to continue with my SMART goal. The part I'm doing good with is not purchasing any more plastic water bottles that I just toss after one use. I just spent a while looking on Amazon for glass water bottles to order, and I am thinking that may be the route to go. If anyone has other suggestions of where to purchase them, let me know!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change: Week 3

I can't believe it's already week 3 of my SMART goal! Time goes by so fast. My SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. This week has been good! I felt I had success with my goal, since I didn't purchase one plastic water bottle. A challenge that I did face today was that I had no reusable water bottles with me, was running errands all day, and really wanted to grab a bottle to go. I suppose I could have since I am still allowing myself one plastic bottle a week, but I decided to go without and felt good about it! Something that I learned this week is to be prepared so I'm not tempted to purchase a plastic water bottle. Also, I NEED to get to the store to buy my glass bottle! I've been putting it off because I've been busy, but I need to make it a priority. I hope to accomplish that by next week! I am planning on continuing with my SMART goal. I hope to continue using no water bottle, and if so, only one per week. Hopefully, I'll make it to the store to get that glass water bottle and start using that!

Eye Opener: CSPI

I chose to take the Score Your Diet quiz. I wasn't too nervous since I eat pretty healthy I think, but after taking it I realized some changes should be made! The food that I scored the highest in were fruits and veggies, which is a good thing. I scored the highest in these because I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables per week. The foods that I scored the lowest in were candy, chicken, beef, and pork, to name a few. It's a good thing I scored low in the sweets section since that stuff is never good for you. But I could eat more chicken since that's so high in protein. I think I scored the lowest in those foods since I really am not a big meat eater. The category that I need the most work in is the Environmental section. I could put more effort into eating locally grown meat, fruit, and vegetables. I think the main reason I don't do that is because I think its not as convenient, but I think if I put in the effort it would be worth it. I plan on trying to eat more locally grown items since it's a great way to help out people in the community, it's environmentally friendly, and it would help me be healthier too! Overall, taking this quiz made me think more about how my diet does affect other things besides myself. I can make more of an effort to eat differently in order to be to be more healthy, be more conscious of animal welfare, and to help the environment.