I chose Food as a category because I wanted to see if I could comfortably be a vegetarian and I have to say, I was. I made a vicious effort to go grocery shopping only at Rainbow Grocery where I know their produce and dry goods are organic, sustainable &/or free trade, they also don't sell meat, poultry or fish, so their shelves are stocked with vegan and vegetarian friendly options. They also have a large selection of international and ethnic food items. I also made sure to go grocery shopping at least once a week to make sure I was fully stocked and wouldn't be tempted to eat or purchase food on the go, which if I had to, I wouldn't be to sure of the sources they came from and may have limited vegetarian options. The incredible thing was that I started cooking more, which I always enjoyed but found it was too much effort just for myself. But I cooked larger portions so that I would be able to make meals for the rest of the week. It not only saved me money, but also it made me more aware of what I consumed. I think that not only did this experiment make me focus on my consumerism where food is concerned, but it also highlighted the importance of eating well, you are what you eat after all. In my teens I had become a vegetarian and I recall reading labels and making sure of the ingredients in all the foods I ate. A funny thing happened, that time, and this time. I lost weight without even trying and it was just a side effect of being more conscious of what I put in my body. I will confess that I didn't eat much meat at the start of this experiment, but the option to was always there, so knowing that I couldn't eat meat made me have to plan out my meals, hence I cooked and ate in more. Because I do work at a restaurant there were days where I ate my meals there. I recall one day there was a mistake made for an order of fish tacos and I said I would eat them, but I had forgotten about my lifestyle change and I took one bite and remembered. Haha, then I spit out that bite and composted it (yes, a little wasteful, but I was on a mission) and I gave the other taco to someone else. I found myself eating at work, because I either didn't have enough time between classes or other activities, but for the most part I ate at home, which I thought was a great feat as I have two evening classes and work anywhere from 2-4 nights per week. It definitely helped to prepare meals ahead of time, both economically and health wise. I did mention earlier that I'm not positive I would be able to give up seafood for a lifetime, but I think I will swear off meat. I feel lighter and cleaner, and yes physically, but also environmentally. After watching some of the slaughter videos on line, it was difficult to think of eating another animal. I saw Food Inc. a couple years ago and I remember being off of chicken for some time after that. To be honest at this point it would probably make me sick to even eat any pork or red meat. And coincidentally enough during this lifestyle change I saw a few articles on the environmental effects of our meat consuming culture that is actually spreading internationally.
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/
I am continuing to eat dairy, eggs and cheese but I'm making sure they are all from organic, grass fed & sustainable sources. I'm not sure if I will keep eating dairy in the future, but I do know at this point, I really enjoy it and it's a quick and convenient source of protein. I do exercise a lot, so I also have to consider that I'm taking in enough calories, which might be hard for me if I were a vegan. the great news is I reduced my ecological foot print from 4.8 to 3.3 planets. I'm sure it could be better, but the diet alone is what brought my numbers lower.
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| My ecological foot print at the beginning of the month |
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| My ecological footprint at the end of the month |
When I retook the Lifestyle survey, my Eco-score went down to 38, which got me the "Tree Hugger" stat. Yay! Just as a reminder, I started off at 67, so I dropped a whopping 29 points! I think the change that brought my number down was learning how wasteful of our resources raising livestock is, for example that the biggest use of water in the US is farming. I know that now! Hence the good idea that I went veg. I feel better, physically and consciously.
And then there is also this list:
Looks like I'm in good company --they knew a good thing when they saw it & we only have history as proof. Cheers to geniuses & vegetarians (sometimes one in the same ;))!
I chose Garbage and Waste as a category because I felt it would do me some good to be more conscious of what I use and consume. I recycled my plastic containers (from yogurt and such) and glass bottles from bottled iced tea and kombutcha like a mad woman. The plastic containers I used to store the large portions of food I had prepared for the upcoming weeks, and the glass bottles I used to transport green smoothies. As I stated earlier, whenever I finished a household item, I recycled the container and would purchase one that I knew to be from good sources from Rainbow. I even bought a recycled plastic razor, which to be honest wasn't the best quality, but at least I could feel good about what I purchased. Speaking of purchasing, I did notice that a lot of these recycled items were more expensive than the regular items. 100% recycled paper was $12 which was about twice as much as non recycled paper at Office Depot. That's nuts and also probably why we haven't seen a major shift in consumers buying only recycled items. It can be rather frustrating, especially when you're trying to do your part. I also found that the sustainable items at Rainbow were pricier, but the better ingredients and policies in making them typically cost more as well. I'm reminded of The Story of Stuff and how cheaper products aren't necessarily cheaper to produce and also don't take into account external and overall costs. In the beginning of this lifestyle challenge my roommates and I were not composting, because of a fruit fly problem but I washed off the bin and brought it inside. Truth be told I felt guilty not composting for the couple weeks we didn't have the bin indoors. I also had told myself that I wouldn't purchase anything I didn't need this month, which honestly should be a general rule for life. Often times when you want to buy something new, like lets say for instance a winter sweater, you already have a couple in your closet that you've forgotten about. I was also inspired when shopping for a Halloween costume for a party the month before, to start shopping at thrift stores more often. There is so much to be found there at a really good price (well maybe not at the "trendy" second hand stores), though not brand new, it's still new to you. Whenever I want to get something new I usually have a rule that I have to get rid of (aka donate) three similar items. It's very helpful with spring cleaning. During this time my roommates and I had talked about getting rid of our old couch and getting a new one. Our old one, which was pretty beat up and ugly and had been in the apartment even before I moved in years ago, was perfectly fine and actually pretty comfortable. But just before Thanksgiving one of my roommates went a little spend thrift crazy and ended up buying a new one along with some other furniture items. She was hosting dinner at our place for her parents and a whole slew of coworkers, so it was important to her that the place look presentable. I made sure that we put the old couch out in the street instead of calling the garbage company to pick it up. It was gone over night. See, one person's trash is another person's treasure. And I do have to say the apartment looks lovely and the furnishings are an investment we'll have for some time. It's difficult to walk that balance of being really green and environmentally responsible yet still living in a consumer based culture. If I had it my way, we would have made sure that all the items were from green sources, but I wasn't the one purchasing them and realistically could probably not afford a green source for furniture considering how much the recycled paper was. On the carbon foot print for goods an services, I was far below the national average by about 82%, and I do believe it was because I hardly ever buy anything new these days. I hate shopping for anything other than groceries and it not only saves me a lot of money, but also time. And apparently this minimalistic way of life is far better for the environment. The slight changes I made are definitely things I can keep up, and will keep up, in the future.
My last category was Energy. I chose this to work on because a lot of the material we covered in class really surprised me about energy use and the effects it has on the environment. I thought I could be more conscious of how and why I used energy on a daily basis. I found myself turning off lights in other rooms that my roommates had left on (that's actually always been a pet peeve of mine, even as a kid I went around turning off light that weren't being used). I also wore layers around the house, so as not to have to use my space heater too often, but some days, especially toward the end of November and early December it just got too cold. I tried not to blow dry my hair on a daily basis, but unfortunately if I leave it to air dry and go out in the cold I get sick pretty easily. But I do only wash it a few times a week, meaning, as gross as it may sound, I usually just blow dry my hair right after a work out. I find that the less washings is not only a major time saver (and water saver!) but also much better for my hair. I was in the habit of leaving my iPhone, lap top & space heater on overnight, but didn't realize it was a waste of energy, so I began unplugging them. That's a pretty simple change to make. Also I've heard if you leave your smart phone pugged in it actually ruins the battery life overall. It is that time of year & I did end up puttying a tree up, but one made of books from my library. I've always wanted to do that and the light I used were LED lights. I found that though I thought I didn't use much energy, I totally do. I work out quite a bit and do cardio at the gym on machines for long lengths of time. I've thought of biking outdoors, but I'm a novice and hear it can be pretty dangerous if you're not accustomed to riding in the streets of SF. Drivers can be pretty aggressive. Recently a cyclist was killed on the route to my
gym. My roommate rides that way all the time -scary stuff. Also running outdoors would be great for me and believe me I've tried, but I've had an ongoing problem with shin splints. So all my miles logged on the treadmill or stationary bike is where my thought of having an eco friendly gym. I know I exert a lot of energy on those machines, as do my fellow gym goers, and although there would be a loss of energy through the transfer, it's still something and much better than nothing. I was really stoked on that idea, so someday I gotta make it happen here in San Francisco (I looked into it and yes they are doing it in Oregon already, but not as good as I imagine it ;) ). I at least have to write a thesis paper on it. It would also combine my love for fitness, health and the environment. The changes I made are definitely applicable even after this project. Just being more aware of the energy I'm consuming is the first step. And realizing the energy and resources it takes for my actions in everyday life, producing, shipping and packaging of the foods I eat; the gasoline for my car*; the energy we use in our household, etc. Energy is a limited resource and it must be treated as such.
*Side note, I've considered trading in my car for an electric one, but I have to see what the overall cost of that would be. And I also recall your statement that nothing is without costs and consequences, but it's wise to see if the benefit outweighs the costs. If my Eco-score at this point dropped by 29 points, I can only imagine how much lower it would be!
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| My book Christmas tree with LED lights |
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