Stepping Up to National Climate Action

On Nov 4th, IU South Bend, Notre Dame, and Saint Mary's College will be rallying against global warming and pressuring Congress to take some action on this serious environmental issue. This is a nationwide rally organized by Step It Up 2007.

Amelia has been doing her part by writing an article on these environmental issues for the Preface. I'm so glad that she's on the IUSB Recycling Committee. This committee was initally created by students on the IU South Bend campus. And last year, there were no students on the committee, which I thought was unfortunate. But Amelia has changed that by joining the team and taking action. That says A LOT about her character - I know many people who stand by the sidelines waiting for someone else to pick up the slack. But not Amelia! Thanks so much, Amelia, for doing your part to help IU South Bend go green!

Recycling for Coutch Potatoes

Not much time to write lately. It seems work and school take up much of my mental ability leaving little time for intellectualizing of my own devise. However, the lazy, hot summer days threaten to pull me into their allure soon. In the meantime I have found some interesting things I wanted to share with anyone who may be interested.

I purchased a new TV some time ago after an accident which left my old TV broken and useless. Unsure of what to do and car less I had little choice (or so I thought) but to dump it into the dumpster and hope for the best. All the while I knew my actions were not only hazardous to the environment but counter to my own values. Recently, and ironically, my daily tip from ideal bite focused on recycling televisions. I have incorporated some links that may be of interest for recyclers:


Link


* The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns.


Link

* Craiglist is an online community offering goods and services for sale and trade as well as listing local job openings, housing sales and rentals and wanted ads.


Link

* enter your zip code to find nearby TV recycling facilities.

Wal-Mart: Back on Track

I remember when I intentionally boycotted Wal-Mart. I heard the stories about discrimination against women, ill-treatment and compensation of workers, and their, backwards, big-business ideologies. But ever since their involvement with the BagFest festival that I was part of last semester, I have decided to give them a second chance. The celebration wouldn't have been nearly as successful without the help of their volunteers and the truck that they donated to carry the recycled plastic bags was ingenious. I did, however, question the environmental aspects of the day and while the festival was run green-friendly, the one thing that bothered me was the cost of the fuel (both monetary and environmental) that the Wal-Mart semi would produce. This seemed counter productive to me, especially after spending the whole day discussing ways to reduce fuel use and emission and live in more earth-friendly ways. It seems that Wal-Mart had the same idea: In fact it seems that Wal-Mart is getting back on track.


Link



Be sure to check ou thte link to an Article in the South Bend Tribune!!

A question to Ponder

Albert Einstein said:

"You cannot simultaneously prepare for war and prevent peace."

I was asked yesterday what words could replace the word war in the above quote. Hunger, Aging, teen rebellion, divorce...those were some of the ideas that were throw out. The question stayed on my mind as I walked home. What besides war can you prepare for and in preparing fail to prevent the event that initiated preperation?

I'm still pondering this quesiton weeks later and although it doesn't take up a ton of my time I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on the subject.

The story of my life

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)

Even though you might be stretched to the max, you are also willing to take the time off in order to recharge your batteries. But just because you allow yourself the opportunity doesn't mean that you'll be able to make the most of it. Your tendency now is toward being hard on yourself, which can drain your energy instead of increasing it. So, above all, cut yourself some slack and turn off the worry machine.

I get a free horoscope sent to my email everyday and I read it religiously. Somehow, it usually makes sense and applies to my life. This one especially rings true with where I am today. Its a lazy Saturday. The last free one before classes resume ::sigh:: I've been working hard all this week even though it was my week off. My new job started and I spent many hours in front of my computer researching and staring at the screen. I can think of a list of things I should get done around the house...a long list.

But the notes of a guitar dance softly through the room. The melody eases my headache, soothes my nerves. I am not worried about all the things I should get done. If they are under the category of should then really they are things that other people have told me I need to do. But really there isn't anything I should do except enjoy the day, breathe deeply and relax.

I have a leak

I have a leak. Not metaphorically. I literally have a leaky faucet in my bathtub. Not only did the cold handle fall off but water continues to drip form the faucet and the sound of running water through the pipes is driving me crazy!! I'm pretty sure all I need is a new seat and luckily for me I live in an apartment building with 24 hour maintenance (or so they claim).

Interestingly I recently got an email from Ideal Bite, a newsletter that promotes green living and sends out daily energy-saving, green-living tips:

Need a cold shower?
The Bite

If you take our advice, you will. Showering with a friend saves water and energy - you're bound to produce plenty of heat naturally. (And if sharing isn't your thing, there are still plenty of frisky-free ways to conserve.)
The Benefits
Saving water-
Con your fave handy person into fixing pesky leaks - one drop per second can add up to 165 gallons per month.

Saving more water-
Low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators are inexpensive and easy to install, and cut water use in half. In a household of four you'll save as much as $250 per year on water bills.

Saving even more water-
By keeping your shower time under five minutes, you can save as many as 1,000 gallons per month.

Cleaner bodies-
You wash their back, they'll wash yours.


Wanna Try?
Oxygenics Five Star Resort Spa Series - these shower heads save water without sacrificing water pressure ($45).
Lowest Flow Showerhead - gives good spray while using 1 gallon-per-minute less than most showerheads ($12).
Touch Flow Swivel Spray Aerator - for your sink; offers several different spray options ($6).


I'm not exactly in a position to invest in a new shower head or a low-flow faucet but I am intrigued by the statistic that one drop per second can add up to 165 gallons per month!! My question is this. What exactly is the problem with water dripping besides it being annoying and costly? I live in an apartment with water covered so financially it doesn't effect me. Also, if the water runs through the pipes and right back into the river or water plant...then where exactly is the energy waste? Ok I suppose it uses more energy to run that excess water through the water plant so that it comes back through my pipes clean and drinkable. But I would be interested to research this more as it seems like the least harmful waste of energy/resources but I know that it must make an environmental impact I am just not thinking of. Mostly right now I am just annoyed at the sound of water running through my walls which I must say is playing havoc on my bladder!!

Taking small steps means deciding that you will commit to something that requires very little energy at first but if done slowly and carefully can begin to grow until you find yourself walking down the road of your choice. For myself, I am concentrating on the small steps of reducing the energy I use by turning off my air conditioner and opening my windows, walking as many places as I can, and making my own food instead of eating out (when possible). Ok so that's three baby steps but I'm a big girl so I think I can handle a few steps at a time. The air feels nice, a bit muggy, but my cats love the open window and watching them swat at unattainable bugs and birds is somewhat of a cruel pleasure. I already walk to the places I need to walk to. I could probably ride my bike to places farther out of my way but I havn't gotten that desperate yet. And yes, I have been making my own food more often than not, although I am still bothered by the whole recycling issue.

My apartment doesn't actively recycle so I am left with a conundrum...do I start an indoor compost, knowing I probably wont keep it up and it will probably not smell great in my small apartment? Do I instead, collect all of my recyclables and haul them over to my mom's house on recycling day? Or do I throw them out and attempt to clear my conscious by eating organic chocolate bars? I suppose I'll let you know after recycling day rolls around. For now, keep posted.

The Flow & Ebb of Environmental Concern.

I recently turned in two term papers for the summer classes I have been taking. Walking home after class (something I have really com to enjoy as it saves energy and money!) I breathed in the fresh, warm summer air and sighed happily. "Ahh I thought, finally some free time to work on my own projects and live a little easier."

Later, sitting in front of my computer, attempting to write a report about Bagfest, an event which took place at IU South Bend and aimed to "Raise public awareness on the consumption of plastic bags and instill personal responsibility that inspires behavioral, environment, and economic changes." We raised 72,440 bags to be recycled in only one day and the event was a huge success, not only with students and faculty, but within the local community who showed up in droves to donate their old, used plastic bags. During the semester that our class worked on this project, students, myself included, were inspired to increase their own environmental awareness and change their attitude towards waste and recycling habits.

I was one who definitely caught the 'green' bug. Although I live in an apartment which doesn't promote recycling, I bought my own bins to separate my glass, plastic, and paper recyclables and I made an attempt to decrease my own waste footprint by using dishtowels instead of paper towels, printing two pages per sheet or using both sides, and reusing what I could. I was truly inspired to take action and did...for a while. Then finals came and life got hectic. Instead of making my own food, I was now eating on the run which meant buying food and throwing away the wrappers and containers that they came in. Instead of taking the time to make sure I brought my recyclables in when my bins became full, I my attention was on what I had to do next and my previous efforts fell to the wayside.

Not to say I didn't continue to make the best effort I could. But it got me to thinking. Granted, the smallest effort is better then no effort at all but how do we increase and sustain an attitude of activism and environmental concern on a daily basis? Is this something that has to be done individually or are there ways that we can stay encouraged to continue to fight for a better environment even when life throws us curve balls? For myself, I continue to think of it as a new year's resolution that I make every year. It goes well for a while and then commitments and deadlines and stress take precedence and it isn't until I can sigh and take a deep breath of clean air that I remember how much more I could be doing for the environment.

Still it is one step at a time and Bagfest was at one point referred to as a "grassroots movement." It takes time for change but change is the only constant in life. As for me, I continue to take at least one small step a day and as time goes on perhaps that will increase to two steps a day and after that...who knows.