Reflections Post: Weeks 11 & 12

Week 11

For week 11 we started off class by splitting up and developing definitions for Environmental Literacy, and 2 other things.... :/ ha can't really remember what they were.  We divided up into 3 different groups and each took one term.  Dr. V told us that we had to make the definition understandable to a 10 year old.  Which made it a little difficult.  So when we looked at what each group had to say about their term in the 1st round, they were all kind of broad and using big words, the 2nd round some of them got a little better, and for the most part the 3rd ones were the best, they were a little more specific and in simpler terms.  We then watched The Story of Stuff narrated by Annie Leonard.  She did an excellent job at making the waste industry and process of buying and disposing material goods so simple.  People just never think about those types of things though.  You need or want something, buy it, it breaks of becomes of no use to you and then you throw it away.  Well when 6 billion people are all doing this on one planet it piles up QUICK.  We then talked about our junking projects which I wasn't there for.

Week 12

This week we started off by learning how to do blog hops on McLinky, so now we can all be connected!  If the outside world does ever decide to read our sweet ass blogs for Environmental Health 3500.  Then we went over our photo essays, which everyones were so cool and interesting.  I really liked having everyone present their posts.  I get a chance to go outside my group every once in awhile but its so much better when the author presents the information straight to ya!... We then talked about our letters to an official or editor, and then our online learning projects.










Reflections
The thing that stand out to me the most was the video we watched during week 11.  Annie Leonard did such a good job of explaining it and making people feel passionate about the issue.  Since taking this class I am just more aware of my actions and consequences.  The growth I have gone through environmentally makes me feel so much more positive about myself, and I am confident when I educate the uneducated on the issues we have been learning about. 

Pam!

Eco Chic Lifestyle Change: Week Nine

Gobble Gobble, Happy Thanksgiving (our turkey!)

My SMART Goal

My SMART goal for the past week of the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change project was:

"I will eat only 1 serving (1 serving=4 oz.) of red meat per week (seven days) or less"

Successes & Challenges
OH BOY!  Thankgiving= Epic Fail at my goal.  There was so much food at my family Thanksgiving it wasn't even funny.  I haven't been eating too much for the last few weeks (when I had the piggy flu.)  But now that I feel better, my appetite came back... big bummer, and I ate like a HORSE it was kind of disgusting actually.  I didn't eat breakfast on thanksgiving at we had a really late dinner to accommodate a few family members, so when 2 o'clock came around I was starving.  My aunt brought a ridiculous amount of H'orderves so cocktail weinies and meatballs, and dips and such were plentiful and I definitely over did it.  Then I had a piece of ham and turkey.  So my goal was not even close to being reached this week... :

Feelings

I kinda feel like I didn't even try to not eat as much red meat, but I guess doing it like that a few times a year isn't too bad.  I don't really feel that guilty about it, but I would like to live a lifestyle in a more consistent way I guess.

What I Learned
When you're hungry you're hungry, and my family is not very understanding about my goal.  But when I explained it to my dad that I am just trying to eat processed store bought red meat he totally got it, then he told me i'm slowly turning into a "dred lock having, vegan, granola eating hippie."  Whatever I guess haha.

Plans for Next Week

For this upcoming week, I am changing my SMART goal to make up for the fail last week:
"I will not eat any red meat for the week (7 days.)"

Pam :)
Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Share and Voice: Sicko

            So lately I have been feeling pretty uneducated about the Healthcare Reform that is going on in our Government today.  I have been doing some things to figure out my stance on the issue and recently watched the documentary "Sicko" by Michael Moore.  Obviously this movie is biased and leans toward the liberal side, but I like Michael Moore's movies and think they are very researched yet he puts a sarcastically American humor into them.  The movie basically talks about how 50 million of the 300 million Americans have no health insurance and how this effects people.  Some of our government officials tell us how bad this could end up because we will have "socialized" healthcare.  We will end up like Socialist countries like Soviet Union and this would be terrible because doctors won't be able to choose where they want to practice, and people will DIE waiting for procedures and surgeries to be performed on them. 

            So Michael Moore went to a few countries with this so called "Socialist" healthcare like Canada and Great Britain.  He talked to people in hospitals, people he knew, people on the street, people who e-mailed him there stories.  They all are disgusted with our system, and that people are turned away and die because of being denied for procedures, or people that have their lives ruined by medical debt.  Living, and having fingers reattached, and cancer treatment shouldn't have a price on it if it doesn't have to. 

            It was also VERY interesting to here from some former CEO's of multi-billion dollars Health Insurance companies who talked about spending the rest of their lives guilt stricken with the deaths they've caused just to save money for their company.  My problem with these companies is that they are using our health problems to make a profit and do so by denying coverage to people in need......

            That is all I am going to say because I feel like I could go on forever!  Lemme know you're guys' opinion on the matter!

Pam

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

So I really wasn't sure what to do, and I won't lie I am doing this a little last minute..... but I am very happy with what I got!  I decided to go to all the different areas of my house and find stuff that I am doing to at least make steps towards becoming the most pro-environment I can be!

Starting off in the kitchen... my favorite room :)

There is NO excuse not to recycle! :)

Instead of throwing these containers away I put my thanksgiving leftovers in em'!

The family I nanny for has a chicken coop, so I get organic, free range chicken eggs, fo FREE...pretty sweet I know!

local wild rice, for my chicken wild rice soup.

some Green Beans from the garden, freshly frozen.

Venison, a very healthy alternative to Beef, and processed in my parents garage!

Dawn is definitely not the best dish soap for the environment, but at least we're saving the seals ;)

still not the best, but getting there.

I got all of these cool bottles and candles at Goodwill, finding sweet recycled stuff for the house was what I did all summer!

this is my roommates end table, she took it apart and grouted and tiled it, pretty sweet junking huh?!

our kickass love seat from Salvation Army!

 

we keep it pretty cool in our humble abode, saves on $$$$ and propane.

smoking is a nasty habit, but instead of people tossing them all over our lawn when we have shin digs, they are asked to put them in the fancy shmansy receptacle.

my roommates sweet "Fitger's Growler" design she did for a class, then turned into a little corner decoration.

hang your towels up kids, that way you use the same one for a week or so and save some water. :)

pretty sweet laundry basket from TJ Maxx, made outta old magazines.

you should recycle in your bedroom to, not JUST the kitchen....(those are my roommates plastic water bottles! I promise.)

My mom recycled this bag to me over thanksgiving, can't decide if it's stylin, or not.  What do you think?

pile of clothes waiting to go to Goodwill!

saving plastic,and supporting breast cancer research all right next to my bed :)

represent.

kittens make people happy, and happy people are less likely to do bad things, which is why I think Whitney is environmentally friendly.

an old cloth shower curtain, that I cut in half and turned into curtains for my windows!

some homemade art on the wall in my room.

cabinet I made in High School shop out of solid oak, It will last forever and doesn't have harmful plastics and chemicals in it like cheap store bought ones. (DVD's not environmentally friendly :( )

I use my snowboard to appreciate the white fluffly stuff mother nature makes for me to ride on!

Homemade headwear, thanks for watching folks!