Week 7: October 26, 2009 Week seven was yet another eye opening week! We started out class by watching the documentary Green , which is a film about the petro chemical plants that are effecting the lives of many African Americans in the South. It was hard to watch at times, because I hate to think that plants like those exist in the United States, and the emission of toxic chemicals coming from those plants is negatively effecting people, yet nothing is being done about it. It stated that in the specific area where this documentary was shot 150 petro chemical plants are located, and those plants are responsible for producing 25% of the nations petro chemicals. I found it interesting to learn that people in the South who are living right next to these plants are suffering from cancers, asthma, and other ailments, and still nothing is being done to change what's happening. During this week of class we had another eco-chic lifestyle change due, where I added a new goal to my overall goal! I have decided that instead of just using a reusable water bottle, I am also going to start using reusable bags. The eye opener that was done this week was very cool too! We went to the Environmental Working Group website and looked into some of the products that we put on our skin, and learned what kind of chemicals are in that product I found out that the lotion that I use all the time is not good for me or the environment!!! Week 8: November 2, 2009 This weeks class has been just as informative as all the rest! We watched the documentary Thirst , which is about water rights, and whether or not water should be privatized. I absolutely loved watching this documentary, I was ticked off, yet intrigued by it. I was amazed by the courage of the community in this documentary, and their fight to keep control of their water local. It was also scary, because despite the communities efforts, they were overlooked simply because a board made up of no more than seven people voted against keeping the water control local. My eco-chic change for this week has stayed the same, but I struggled this past week with drinking all the water I have set for myself to drink. I am hopeing that this coming week goes better! Lastly we did a really cool eye opener, where I learned about new terms like junking , and upcycling . I love reusing things and giving them new purpose, so this weeks eye opener was really fun for me!
My Smart Goal:Todrink six to eight 8 ounce glasses of water everyday in my re-usable metal water bottle, and to also use a re-usable bag every time I go to the grocery store! Successes and Challenges: This week my smart goal went okay. I slipped up on drinking all of my water, I was busy and I just didn't drink as much water as I usually do. I really didn't go shopping this past week either, but the one time that I did I only bought one thing, so I just carried it out of the store with me. I'm not really sure what to do about not drinking all of my water, It wasn't that I didn't like the thought of drinking all of that water, it was just that I didn't even think to. Feelings:This is the first week that I've really slipped up with my water consumption so I'm a little bummed by that, but I realize that there are going to be bumps in the road along the way when you set any goal. I have really enjoyed adding lemons and limes to my drinking water, so I am definitely going to stick to that! I do however feel good that when I could have used a plastic bag or a paper bag at the grocery store I just said no thank you to the cashier, and carried out my purchase! What I learned: Something that I learned/realized this past week is that the recycling bin at my house really isn't getting filled up by plastic bottles like it used to. I know that in the past I contributed quite a bit to filling the recycling bin up with my plastic bottles, so it is nice to notice a difference! I think that in a way noticing something like that pushes me to work harder at making sure I keep on track when it comes to my goal! The little things do make a difference! Plans for Next Week:I am going to keep everything the same. I know that I slipped up, but I don't think that it had anything to do with how my goal is set up and how I am working toward my goal! I am hopeing for a successful week ahead!
Antiques/antiquing : Dating from a period long ago; to shop for antiques.
Junk/junking :Discarded material, such as glass, rags, paper, or metal, some of which may be reused in some form.
Flea market : A type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered.
Thrift shop: A place that sells mainly second-hand goods donated by members of the public, and are often staffed by volunteers.
Upcycling : Processing used materials into new products, or the re-use of a product with crippled functionality for alternative purposes, to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production, with the intent of creating a product of higher quality design and artistic value. Resale shop:
Part Two: 1. All of the terms above are important to environmental health because all of them have to do with reusing, and re-thinking how we use things and where we are purchasing things. By going to flea markets, and upcycling we are taking what is already available to us and using it is a new way, making it less necessary for other companies to be producing these items over and over again! 2. The following are all links to places YOU can go near duluth to take part in antiquing, junking, upcycling, and shopping at thrift stores, flea markets, and resale shops.
Platos Closet , located on 5115 Burning Tree Road, Duluth, MN (218)-733-9455.
I was unable to find a upcycling website near Duluth.
3. My mom loves garage sales and thrift shops, so needless to say my family has quite a bit of re-usable items around my house, and that gene was definitely passed on to me, because I too love to use re-usable things! Part Three: The three projects that I really liked off of the Junkmarketstyle.com website are: October Floral of the Month, Organ Pipe Photo Holders, and the Paris Themed Necklace . I really enjoyed these three projects the most, just because they were all very different, yet so creative. I would never think to do anything like these projects, but I know that if I tried I could come up with something really cool! This eye opener has been really inspiring!
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