Being environmentally as we move out of college...

For my final blog entry, I’ve decided to take on a task that is very relevant to this time of year: moving out. As all of us students are moving out from our dorms, we have to pack up all of our belongings and transport them back home. Many students are probably very tempted to use cardboard boxes to transport all of their clothing and books home but I want to take a different approach.

            While those giant cardboard boxes can be very handy, they can only be used once of twice before becoming worn out from overuse. So, instead of using these cardboard boxes I am going to use reusable storage bins that my family already owns so that I don’t have to produce any unnecessary waste in the process of moving out of college.

            With statistics such as  “99% of the things that we buy are no longer in use after 6 months,” I hope to start a decrease in this number by making sure that the products I use and buy are actually going to be in it for the long run. I want to make sure that I get more than one use out of something I buy. So like I said, for starters, I will be using reusable storage bins that I will be able to use every year to pack up and transport all of my belongings back home. 

I hope that I influence you all to think about this as you move out this week and hopefully it'll influence you to stay away from cardboard boxes as well. 

- A

recycle glass

At a college campus it is no secret that many beverages come from and are drank from glass bottles each week. The problem here is that a very high percentage of these are not recycled properly or at all. It is easy to do, but many people do not make the effort to keep a separate trash bag in their room for bottles. Whether this is because they feel they do not have the space, or just that they are to lazy, it can be easily done. Glass can be recycled forever, rather then the 4000 years it would take 1 glass bottle to decomose. Each glass bottle recycled makes a big difference. If just Elon started to recycle their bottles it would help a lot. Though many people know the importnace of recycling, not many know facts like these that may further help incourage them to live a more earth friendly, and better lifestyle....S

• -Glass can be recycled forever
• -Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made.  If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.
• -Recycling 1 glass bottle causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials
• -1 glass bottle would take at least 4,000 years to decompose
• -In 1994, if all the glass bottles / jars were laid end to end, it would reach the moon and half way back to earth!
• -Every month, Americans throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a skyscraper
• http://www.gogreencommercially.com/go-green-facts/
• 
  

Crack It Open

Hello!

            I tried something different this week. I noticed that my roommate and I always have our air conditioning and heating unit running in the room, even when were not there. I decided, since the weather has been getting warmer to try something that sounds like common sense. I turned off the air-conditioning an opened a window! A simple change like this kept our room cool and both my roommate and myself satisfied. This natural air I felt cooled down the room faster than the air conditioning. The breezes that rolled in brought the smells of nature into our room and got rid of the smell of Febreeze and the smell of a room similar to a locker room. I found that earlier this year my dorm used the most energy than any other dorm on campus. I didn’t think about this simple fix until I wanted to see whether it was raining or not outside. I immediately opened the shade and opened the window as much as it could let me open it. I left the window open to allow air into the room for about thirteen hours. The room was cool and sufficiently aired out by this time. I decided to do research on how environmentally friendly my idea was for Elon. I could not find anything for a dormitory, but found that, “About 47 percent of the average household’s annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling”. This meant that forty-seven percent of my room and board went towards heating and cooling the room. I found that if the thermostat was programmable the heating or cooling system was, “…excellent for a family that spen[t] a good part of the day at work or school – will shave 10 percent off your bill”.. The programmable thermostat is said to, “…produce an annual savings of about $100”. So I may not be a programmable thermostat but I just helped Elon by helping them keep ten percent of the money in their pocket while being environmentally friendly. If one has windows that are accessible and open, this is an easy way to save money, use less energy, and help the environment all at the same time!

Thanks for viewing,

            -T

Works Cited

            "Green Tips for the Home: Quick Fixes." Mortgage Rates Credit Cards                         Refinance Home CD Rates by Bankrate.com. Web. 05 May 2011.                         <http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/energy-environment-                        2007/tips_environmental_home_a1.asp>.

H20 !!

Did you know that many people around the world solely exist on 3 gallons of water per day or even less? We can use that amount in one flush of the toilet. We waste so much water when so many other countries have so little. So for my blog post this week, I am committing to take a start to saving water by limiting my showers.

             It is estimated that 690 gallons can be saved per month by limiting showers and taking no baths. If all of the U.S. was to limit their showers we would save 690 gallons of water a month! In reference to the statistic I stated earlier, by saving 690 gallons a month, 230 extra people would have at least 3 gallons of water and that’s just in one month! While we frivolously take our time with 20 minute showers, some countries don’t even have enough water to drink.

            Water is one of our most important resources. Not only do humans use it everyday, but so does every living thing. Water has helped form the Earth and covers over 70% of the Earth. Although water covers more than 70% of the Earth, only 1% of the Earth’s water is available as a source of drinking. ONLY 1%! People couldn’t live without water. It is essential to life and our survival depends on drinking it. How could only 1% of our water sources be used for drinking yet we are so careless with it?

            Water is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food. Water also helps maintain proper muscle tone, supplies oxygen and nutrients to our cells, rids the body of wastes, and serves as a natural air conditioning system.  

            In countries like Somalia and Mauritania, water shortages are common. Why should these countries have problems with finding drinking water when I could take a 20 minute shower if I wanted to? That doesn’t seem fair to me. So my goal is to limit myself to 10 minute showers at the most and hopefully eventually get closer to 5 minute showers.

Works Cited:

http://www.gogreencommercially.com/go-green-facts/

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19996

http://www.aomega.com/mpure/water.htm

Clutter Clutter Go Away

I like to think of myself as a neat person. And by neat I mean organized and clean. Something that does occasionally get out of hand though is the drawer that my roommate and I keep our food in. When we go to Harris Teeter to get groceries, we stock up and grab a lot of nature valley bars, nutrigran bars, etc. Today after we had just spend a ton of unnecessary amount of money, I dug through that food drawer. As it turns out, we had already had 3 nature valley bar boxes stuffed in the back, 2 cereal boxes, and some applesauces/canned fruit. What's frustrating is that because there was so much clutter, we were buying things we did not need at all. We didn't need to waste all of that money or the resources. The food comes in cardboard boxes that we may have to end up throwing away because they're expired. Essentially, we are just adding to all of the other unnecessary amount of waste that we throw out. So, my newest goal is to stop being wasteful by keeping things even more organized. Before my roommate and I go shopping, we are going to be much more careful and take a much closer look at all of the things we already have. By doing this we aren't contributing as much to the unnecessary amount of waste the world throws out every single day. If I would just take the time to take a quick inventory of what I have, the Earth would benefit from it.

Wrapping to save the planet

Australia's Plantic Technologies has made a plastic wrapping for Easter Eggs made of corn-starch that is biodegradable. This is combination with Nestle UK, Mars UK, and Cadbury UK is evidence of a growing market for green packaging options. With the 1,200 tons of waste produced each year by Easter eggs, Plantic claims that this change in packaging could reduce carbon emission in an amount that would equal taking 140,000 cars off the road for that season. Plantic has also claimed that with Australia producing over 1.3 million tons of plastic waste per year, by replacing all of those plastic items with this biodegradable material, enough energy to power 350,000 homes could be saved. Personally, I think that this is a fantastic idea. Even though right now there are only select companies using this technology, with its increasing popularity and environmental benefit, we could be on the verge of an evolution.

don't buy, reuse!

Did you know that 99% of all those things we buy are not in use after 6 months? We use everything we buy so quickly and then just throw it away without thinking twice.

This week, my goal is to start reusing everything I get, or already own, for more than what it was originally made for. For example, many students like myself get food on the go from Moseley. When we get food on the go, we usually have to put it in a plastic bag. Most of us then throw the plastic bag away shortly after we have eaten the food. It’s done holding our food so why would we need to keep it?

Think again.

I plan to start keeping all of my bags and reusing them as trash bags in my room. What’s the point of buying those fancy plastic trash bags when I can just reuse plastic bags that I’m given for free? Not only will I save money, but I’ll also help decrease the manufacturing of plastic bags. Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. While my impact will be small, I know that I’ll be saving at least 10 plastic bags per a week with this transition.

I won’t only reuse plastic bags, I’ll hopefully reuse as much as I can. From using used library books instead of buying new ones, to re-wearing my clothes multiple times before washing them (as long as they aren’t too dirty, of course), I’ll start to consume less products and will help decrease in the tremendous amount of waste that us American’s create on a daily basis.