One Days

 

I have worn One A Day disposable contacts for 6 or 7 years now, and I've never really thought about it until now. Almost every day I open two new plastic packages of contacts and then throw them out almost immediately. Some weeks I wear glasses, but I only started wearing glasses within the past 2 or 3 years. Before then it was contacts everyday, and even now I still go through a considerable amount of lenses each month and each year. I started feeling really guilty about this and considered switching to something other than the One Days. This would be a huge lifestyle change, but if it reduced my impact I thought it would be worth it. However, when I thought about it I wasn't sure it would make a huge difference. When you use more permanent contact lenses you need to use a lot of chemical solutions that also come in big plastic bottles. In the end I might be using just as much plastic and maybe more chemicals in order to maintain long-wear contacts. I am no expert in this and there probably haven't been any studies on the environmental impact of different kinds of contacts, but it is probably worth looking into. So what am I suggesting you do? Just think about it. Everything in our lives has some kind of environmental impact, and there are always ways to change our habits and reduce our impact. All you have to do is think about it.

Don't Flush Me

 

This post may be a little on the grosser side, but it is still important. Many of us are aware that there are certain things we should never flush down the toilet like expired pills, feminine napkins, non-paper items, etc. but do we really know why?  Flushing these things can clog pipes and cause plumbing problems which is not good, but they can also cause environmental harm. Things that we flush can actually end up in our waterways and the environment. Many of these objects are non-biodegradable and will pollute the environment. Also, if consumed they can cause harmful side effects in wildlife such as hormonal changes or death. So, even if the sanitary napkin box is missing or dirty, or if throwing something in the toilet simply seems easier or preferable to the trash: don't do it. There is no guarantee that it will be disposed of properly down the line.

I'm Your Biggest Fan

 

Ladies, I know that it takes a lot of work to look good in the morning, but here is a beauty tip that you might consider. And yes, it involves a fan. 

Have you ever thought about how much energy your hair dryer uses? Producing heat takes a lot of electricity. Granted you might not run it for too long, but still it is an underestimated appliance. So what does this picture of this fan have to do with anything? If you're just looking for your hair to be dry, and not necessarily a styled masterpiece, consider using a regular fan to dry your hair. The fan is only spinning, not producing heat, so it requires less electricity. You might feel kind of funny doing this, but give it a try!

Of course, the most eco-friendly way to dry you hair is to simply expose it to elements and let it dry on its own. This method requires no electricity and works great! If you're not so into letting your hair go au natural then simply try to cut down on the amount of time your spend drying your hair each day or the number of days a week that you dry your hair. 

Good luck!

Midterms

 

If you're like me and you just took midterms, here is a tip for you! Do not throw out your papers. If you have to take a final at the end of the year, make sure that your curriculum isn't cumulative before you empty your binders. If it comes June and you realize that you need extra copies of everything, you'll be using a lot of extra paper to reprint and recopy everything! Also, if your final will not be cumulative and you can get rid of your material, be sure to reuse as much scrap paper as possible and then recycle everything else. Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle! Happy 2nd semester everyone!

Loose Leaf Tea

 

During these cold days I am sure that everyone is warming up with hot cups of tea and coffee. I've given a lot of tea tips in the past, but if you are a tea drinker here is one more tip! Try using loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea can be a little daunting at first, but it does good things for the environment! What does it do? It saves resources by not requiring as much packaging as conventional tea bags. Obviously it still comes in a container, but that container usually just a jar or tin. The tea isn't in individually wrapped cloths that are wrapped in individual paper packages. It probably takes a lot more energy and resources to make all of those packages.  So next time you're in the tea aisle, consider loose leaf!

Wear gloves

A good way to save energy in your home is frank and simple: put on a sweater. That way you do not have to turn the heat up to stay warm. So, why not apply this practice elsewhere? For example, in your car! My advice is this: if it's cold out, put gloves on! My hands tend to get the coldest when I drive because they're exposed directly to air and have to hold the freezing steering wheel! When I wear gloves I am exponentially warmer and less inclined to blast the heat. If I don't have to blast the heat then I save gas! So, save gas, wear gloves!

NatGeo Human Footprint

If you've liked my movie recommendations, here is one more! It is called Human Footprint and is produced by National Geographic. It wasn't my favorite documentary of all times, but it gives fantastic visuals to really show you the amount of stuff you use in a lifetime. They take something such as milk and lay out all of the milk cartons that you will drink in a lifetime. It is sort of fun, but also very powerful to see everything all in one place. Check it out! It is free online too!

Here is a link to the film: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/human_footprint

Tapped

If you like the idea that I gave in my last post about watching environmental documentaries, here is another recommendation (which I also watched in class). It is called Tapped and it is all about the dirty secrets of the bottled water industry and the negative impact that bottled water has on the environment. Check it out and share it with anyone you know (especially those who drink a lot of bottled water).

Get Trashed

If you find yourself curled up at home not wanting to go out in the cold, here is something for you to do! Watch a movie! No, not a romantic comedy or action thriller. Watch a documentary. I recently watched a documentary in class called Trashed. There are multiple films by this name and I am sure that they're all great, but picture above is the one that I watched. It is a straight forward, up-close and personal look at the amount of trash that we generate and and in-depth look at where it all really goes and what happens to it. It is a little bit shocking and depressing, but it is hugely revealing and educational. Watching it made me really want to rethink my daily habits. So even if it is depressing, it is a really good film. Check it out! (or anything similar).

Recycle Glass

We are always told to recycle glass, but why? Glass never loses quality, no matter how many times it is recycled. Therefore it could probably be used indefinitely, and we'd never have to make new glass. Glass takes a lot of energy to make initially because it has to be heated to extreme temperatures (turning sand into glass is hard work!). When glass is recycled it does not need to be heated to the same extreme temperatures: it only needs to be melted. Therefore it takes less energy to recycle glass than it does to make new glass.

Of course glass is also great because it is durable and can be reused much better than plastic or metal. Many dairies reuse their glass milk bottles constantly without needing to recycle them. 

So there you have it! That is why glass is great. Make sure you reuse/recycle it!

Visit The Aquarium

 

Marine ecosystems are the most severely affected by human activity. Many organisms are very sensitive to water temperature changes and many species are suffering due to the amount of garbage that we dump into the ocean. One of the best ways to help the environment is to stay educated. Consider taking a trip to your local aquarium. You can learn about these creatures and their habitats and if you really read the signs and ask around I am sure that you could learn a lot about the impact that humans are having on them. Luckily for jellyfish, warmer waters seem to actually be benefiting their species. However, the large majority of marine life do not have the same fate. So take a visit. Even if you do not learn anything of environmental significance you will at least have been in close contact with the ocean. Since most of us do not see the ocean very often it is easy to forget about what it truly holds. Hopefully just being exposed to marine life will remind you of its worth and give you a reason to want to protect it.

Ewaste

 

In the modern age we are throwing out so many electronics that they've actually acquired their own name as a waste product: ewaste.  Ewaste is a huge problem not only because there is so much of it, but also because what is in it. Electronics contain many precious metals and materials such as gold, lead, silver, platinum, aluminum, and copper. These elements are big for mining industries, so we could save resources and prevent mining pollution if we simply recycled them from our electronics. Also, electronics can contain hazardous materials that should be disposed of properly, instead of just thrown into a landfill where it could contaminate the area or incinerated where it could pollute the air. The EPA estimates that only 15-20% of ewaste is currently being recycled. So, what can you do? Many cell phone providers are participating in buy back programs where you can trade in your old phone for money or get a discount on a new phone. Also, if your electronics are only lightly used you can sell them on the internet or see if a company will refurbish it for you. You can donate your electronics to collection services (ex. the emergency phone collection boxes), the boy scouts, etc. There are a lot of places that you can send you electronics that do not include the trash! If you look I am sure you will find a place for it.