fault | i probably could have turned the fan on at least a low when i was sleeping
today
shower | 7 minutes
fan | 7 hours 30 minutes
dishes | water running for 5 minutes
clean fish bowl | water running for 4 minutes, used about 1/2 gallon water
tv | 2 hours
did not bring a canvas bag to the market, forgot and got plastic; used water bottle all day
Friday, September 28, 2007
september 26, 2007
highlight | started second box of recycling—one for just paper/cardboard, and one for just bottle
today
shower | 12 minutes
tv | 1 hour 20 minutes
fan | 4 hours 41 minutes
used water bottle or travel mug for all beverages; used window light
today
shower | 12 minutes
tv | 1 hour 20 minutes
fan | 4 hours 41 minutes
used water bottle or travel mug for all beverages; used window light
september 25, 2007
highlight | picked up photo supplies for HAS while i was at the photo store; saved another trip to get them
fault | i could have just done one load of laundry and saved a little of it for the next time i do laundry
today
shower | 10 minutes
driving | 34 minutes
tv | 3 hours
laundry | 2 washes for 38 minutes each, 2 dry cycles at 1 hour each
fan on high setting | 4 hours 17 minutes
used water bottle all day
fault | i could have just done one load of laundry and saved a little of it for the next time i do laundry
today
shower | 10 minutes
driving | 34 minutes
tv | 3 hours
laundry | 2 washes for 38 minutes each, 2 dry cycles at 1 hour each
fan on high setting | 4 hours 17 minutes
used water bottle all day
september 24, 2007
today
shower | 14 minutes
dishes | 3 minutes
tv | 45 minutes
used a water bottle and travel mug
shower | 14 minutes
dishes | 3 minutes
tv | 45 minutes
used a water bottle and travel mug
recycling (reusing) and work
i work at a cafe & banquet hall and i notice how much food, napkins, and water is wasted every time i work. it's not because the cafe is wasteful, but because cleanliness is a huge issue. every time we pass hors d'oeuvre we have a tray in one hand and a pile of napkins in the other hand. many people will take a napkin for every other hors d'oeuvre they have. that's a lot of napkins and they all get thrown away after. in the restaurant business, it's far better throw away a crinkled napkin, or re-wash a dish if it eliminates the possibility of germs or anything that might not be clean.
although a lot is wasted, i've also begun to see things the cafe does to recycle. for example we always use two table clothes per table for banquets. this makes them look nicer and protects the wooden tables from spills. when we strip the tables after the party, we inspect the top clothes to see how dirty they are. if they are, for the most part, clean, we save them. when we use them again, we put them as the bottom cloth (and put a new one on top). this way, water and money is saved washing clothes that aren't necessarily dirty. we have also started saving cloth napkins that aren't really dirty. we use these to cover trays we use when we clear away trash or empty glasses, or to carry out pans of food when they're hot. in addition, we always recycle glass bottles and use loose-leaf tea with reusable strainers and pots.
although i still see a lot of waste, i also see a lot of ways to reuse.
although a lot is wasted, i've also begun to see things the cafe does to recycle. for example we always use two table clothes per table for banquets. this makes them look nicer and protects the wooden tables from spills. when we strip the tables after the party, we inspect the top clothes to see how dirty they are. if they are, for the most part, clean, we save them. when we use them again, we put them as the bottom cloth (and put a new one on top). this way, water and money is saved washing clothes that aren't necessarily dirty. we have also started saving cloth napkins that aren't really dirty. we use these to cover trays we use when we clear away trash or empty glasses, or to carry out pans of food when they're hot. in addition, we always recycle glass bottles and use loose-leaf tea with reusable strainers and pots.
although i still see a lot of waste, i also see a lot of ways to reuse.
september 23, 2007
today
shower | 11 minutes
hairdryer | 2 1/2 minutes
tv | 2 hour and 32 minutes
driving | 19 minutes
shower | 11 minutes
hairdryer | 2 1/2 minutes
tv | 2 hour and 32 minutes
driving | 19 minutes
september 22, 2007
highlight | since i worked most of the day, i was in an area of shared light and electricity
fault | threw away far too many paper napkins
today
shower | 9 minutes
hairdryer | 8 minutes
driving | 17 minutes
tv | 1 hour and 28 minutes
charged phone | 1 hour and 16 minutes
fault | threw away far too many paper napkins
today
shower | 9 minutes
hairdryer | 8 minutes
driving | 17 minutes
tv | 1 hour and 28 minutes
charged phone | 1 hour and 16 minutes
september 21, 2007
highlight | carpooled with friends to mall rather than going alone
fault | used five napkins at lunch, although it was messy, i probably could've wasted fewer
today
shower | 9 minutes
driving (with friends) | 50 minutes
cleaned fish bowl | 3 minutes of running water, 2 gallons of water (for later use)
tv | 2 hours 45 minutes
trend i've been noticing | reading articles for class online or on the computer rather than printing them out and using up ink and paper
fault | used five napkins at lunch, although it was messy, i probably could've wasted fewer
today
shower | 9 minutes
driving (with friends) | 50 minutes
cleaned fish bowl | 3 minutes of running water, 2 gallons of water (for later use)
tv | 2 hours 45 minutes
trend i've been noticing | reading articles for class online or on the computer rather than printing them out and using up ink and paper
Friday, September 21, 2007
obsession of the week: method brand products
over the summer i read somewhere that method hand products are environmentally friendlier than most so i bought the hand soap and shower spray for school. oddly enough, one of my suite mates bough method dish soap and another bought the method hand soap in a different scent. i love these products because they are better for the environment than most. all the ingredients they use in their products are safe and non-toxic for us then the environment. and, to top it all off, they have great design. when i looked at the website and read their "humanifesto" i liked the company even more. and, looking at their products, i want to buy them all. if you've heard of method and use it, that's great. if you haven't, you should try it (many stores like target and Shaw's carry it), and whether you've heard of it or not, you should check out their website.
http://www.methodhome.com/index.php ("humanifesto" under what we're for)
recycling awareness around campus
while eating lunch at one of the cafeterias on campus today i noticed a little recycling fact on the napkin holder. it said "every day, enough paper is recycled in the United States to fill a 15 mile long train of boxcars." that's interesting, but it doesn't encourage recycling or encourage using fewer napkins. if napkins were frequently recycled, or if these napkins were made of all recycled materials, it would make sense. i think there should have been a fact about how much paper is wasted every day so that people are more aware of how many napkins they use.
september 20, 2007
highlight | took online "going green" quiz and got 7 out of 10! (the ones i got wrong were about how much money can be saved and really specific) test your eco-iq at http://green.nationalgeographic.com/environment/going-green/quiz-going-green.html?nav=FEATURES
today
shower | 19 minutes
tv | 2 hours 45 minutes
charged phone | 2 hours
other | used a water bottle all day long (no paper or plastic cups), emptied one bag of trash and re-filled with plastic shopping bag (we'll see how long it takes to fill up now that i'm not throwing out things that can be recycled)
today
shower | 19 minutes
tv | 2 hours 45 minutes
charged phone | 2 hours
other | used a water bottle all day long (no paper or plastic cups), emptied one bag of trash and re-filled with plastic shopping bag (we'll see how long it takes to fill up now that i'm not throwing out things that can be recycled)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
september 19, 2007
highlight | carried a reusable mug to class
fault | threw away a plastic bottle when i should've recycled it
today
shower | 9 minutes of water and light
dishes | 9 minutes, 5 minutes
tv | 1 hour 43 minutes
other | 2 plastic bottles, two tooth picks with fancy plastic decoration, styrafoam plate, three paper napkins
fault | threw away a plastic bottle when i should've recycled it
today
shower | 9 minutes of water and light
dishes | 9 minutes, 5 minutes
tv | 1 hour 43 minutes
other | 2 plastic bottles, two tooth picks with fancy plastic decoration, styrafoam plate, three paper napkins
a cool way to reuse
the other night i went to a pub where they serve peanuts in the shells. when one of the waitresses commented on our use of an empty glass as a shell-holder, she let us know that we were allowed, even encouraged to throw the peanut shells on the floor. my friends and i were a little surprised that they wanted a mess, but the waitress said the oils from the peanut shells are good for the wooden floors. i just thought that was a cool way of reusing something most people would throw away.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
september 18, 2007
highlight | used a plastic water bottle for most of the day
fault | forgot water bottle for the rest of the day
today
shower | 8 minutes
light | used light from window for reading
kitchen light | 16 minutes
other | shared photo chemicals with friends; less waste
fault | forgot water bottle for the rest of the day
today
shower | 8 minutes
light | used light from window for reading
kitchen light | 16 minutes
other | shared photo chemicals with friends; less waste
september 17, 2007
fault | could've used a water bottle instead of wasting a paper cup
today
shower |12 minutes of water and light
dishes | 3 minutes of running water
other | used a canvas bag at the campus grocery store; asked for no bag at campus bookstore
today
shower |12 minutes of water and light
dishes | 3 minutes of running water
other | used a canvas bag at the campus grocery store; asked for no bag at campus bookstore
september 16, 2007
highlight | carpooled with a friend to church
fault | wasted more paper than i needed to at work while waitressing; i could have written more on one sheet of paper
today
shower | 8 minutes
driving | 25 minutes
television | 2 hours and 10 minutes
fault | wasted more paper than i needed to at work while waitressing; i could have written more on one sheet of paper
today
shower | 8 minutes
driving | 25 minutes
television | 2 hours and 10 minutes
Monday, September 17, 2007
the box of "to-be-recycled"
a few days ago i designated an empty cardboard box as "the box of to-be-recycled". this box is a limbo for recyclable materials that can't yet be recycled but will be at some point. so far, it's has lots of paper, crushed cereal boxes, and empty plastic and glass bottles. over time, i will be able to see how it impacts the amount of trash i take out over the course of a week, since everything in the box would normally be thrown away.
september 15, 2007
highlight | remembered to used canvas bags at grocery store
today
shower | 8 minutes of water and light
dishes | 4 minutes of running water
hair dryer | 3 minutes
laundry | 1 load in washer for 38 minutes, 1 load in dryer for 60 minutes
driving | 28 minutes
today
shower | 8 minutes of water and light
dishes | 4 minutes of running water
hair dryer | 3 minutes
laundry | 1 load in washer for 38 minutes, 1 load in dryer for 60 minutes
driving | 28 minutes
september 14, 2007
highlight | used a canvas bag for groceries off-campus
fault | forgot canvas bag for groceries on-campus
today
shower | 15 minutes of running water, 15 minutes of light for shower
dishes | 3 minutes of running water
tv | 2 hours and 32 minutes of watching tv
cleaning fish bowl | 3 1/2 minutes of running water to rinse fish bowl, approx. one gallon used to fill fish bowl
extra | 2 plastic bags, 2 paper bags
fault | forgot canvas bag for groceries on-campus
today
shower | 15 minutes of running water, 15 minutes of light for shower
dishes | 3 minutes of running water
tv | 2 hours and 32 minutes of watching tv
cleaning fish bowl | 3 1/2 minutes of running water to rinse fish bowl, approx. one gallon used to fill fish bowl
extra | 2 plastic bags, 2 paper bags
september 13, 2007
highlight | turned off water while scrubbing dishes and didn't turn back on until ready to rinse
today
shower | 11 minutes of running water & 11 minutes of light on in shower
dishes | 2 minutes and 45 seconds of running water
used open window for light
today
shower | 11 minutes of running water & 11 minutes of light on in shower
dishes | 2 minutes and 45 seconds of running water
used open window for light
september 12, 2007
highlight | using sunlight as a light source
i usually keep the shade down for privacy because i live on the first floor and people are always walking by, but today decided to break the habit of not even bothering to open my shade
today
carried items from bookstore and grocery store rather than waste two plastic bags (i didn't have much to carry anyways)
turned off all the lights after leaving a room
rinsed out a cup i had already been using rather than get a different cup
i usually keep the shade down for privacy because i live on the first floor and people are always walking by, but today decided to break the habit of not even bothering to open my shade
today
carried items from bookstore and grocery store rather than waste two plastic bags (i didn't have much to carry anyways)
turned off all the lights after leaving a room
rinsed out a cup i had already been using rather than get a different cup
college life: the situation
living on a college campus doesn't always lend itself to recycling. we have no recycling program and, from what i've heard, the reason is because half the campus is in one city and half in another. what a stupid reason. one of the dining halls has an area for plastic bottles, but there are no easily accesible way to recycle, so most things i would normally recycle at home (papers, cereal boxes, glass bottles, cans, plastic, etc.) get thrown away. one good thing about college life: i use my car a lot less than when i'm at home.
small is BIG: an introduction
many people are aware of the new trend of sustainability, but not everyone realizes just how easy it is to make a difference. for this project, i'm keeping track of all the small things i am doing that together make a BIG impact.
every day, i will keep track of the resources i use and the things i do that somehow help the environment; whether its reusing a plastic bag, or showering for a minute less that usual. i hope that, by reading this, others will realize small things they can do to make our world a little more green.
every day, i will keep track of the resources i use and the things i do that somehow help the environment; whether its reusing a plastic bag, or showering for a minute less that usual. i hope that, by reading this, others will realize small things they can do to make our world a little more green.
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