Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3

My SMART goal was to reduce the amount of toilet paper and paper toweling I use on a daily basis and in my home. I did a good job at achieving this goal this past week. I am proud to say that I did not use any paper toweling, but instead used old T-shirts to clean up spills and other minor cleaning. There is actually no more in our house, and I do not plan on buying anymore either. I also did better with less amounts of toilet paper use. I thought of this everytime I went to the restroom.
 I found success with cutting down the amount. My strategy was again to write a little "t" on my hand for toweling to always remember to count when I reach my hand out to grab the toilet paper. However, it was challenging at times when I was not at home to use a limited amount of toilet paper. I always count the squares, but when I am at school there is not squares, so it is hard to know the exact amount I am using.
I felt really good about myself and my behavior for this past week. It was a good feeling to not use paper toweling and to know I am helping to preserve a tree, and not only was I changing but it was forcing my roommates to as well. It was rewarding to know I am not only benefitting myself, but others actually. I am excited to continue by behavior change, and to see how far I can really go with this. Everytime I used the bathroom or cleaned a spill I felt this rewarding feeling.
I learned this week that if someone really wants to change that they will. Also, that it is easy to change if you are willing to, and it's a lot easier with a little effort.
Next week I am going to tell more people (my teammates) about the old t shirt idea as we have a ton after cleaning out our locker room, and instill the idea on their heads and hope that they listen to what I say and try it! I will continue to write the "t" on my hand and count the number of squares. I am also going to measure it out, to get a better idea of the exact length to compare it to when I am in a public place with no precise squares to count. My goal is still to get down below 5 squares. However, I know this will be challenging to do, but I am going to continue to work at it.
Average Number of restroom Use: 5 times daily
Average Number of squares: 7.5 squares (this is still way to high).

Eye Opener-CSPI

I really liked this website and found some of the statistics really surprising actually! I was shocked at the general overview of how much fertilizer and pesticides is in the everyday foods around us. After calculating the foods I ingest I found that 465 grams of manure are created by the foods I eat, .1 acres of grain, 0 pounds of pesticides and 2.4 pounds of fertilizer for animal feed. I am a vegetarian and also do not eat eggs or cheese, so I was not surprised after my servings were calculated. I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables which are healthier and better for the the enviornment, which I already knew. After I scored my diet I found that the highest numbers were in the fruit category (60). I eat a lot of fruit, usually multiple servings everyday. I am trying to cut back on the sweets I do eat also because I know they are not healthy, and are also expensive to make and package. The fruits I do eat are made cheaply, and are good for the land, which is why I am trying to eat more of them, and more organic foods as well. My overall score was 75, which was excellent. I was pleased with this score, but also know it has a lot to do with me not eating meat, and trying to stay away from the packaged foods, like chips and cookies. I really didn't have any low scores, the lowest one was -2, which was in the sweets category. I can always improve my overall diet again by cutting out the sweets I do eat, which is something I am working towards, but sometimes ice cream is just too tempting for me! I was pleased with my overall score and with the results of the foods I am eating. It was pretty interesting to see how after changing my diet how little the whole process takes, and the little amount of energy I am using. It is definitely a good feeling to be helping more than hurting our world! I also did take the pledge, because I want to do my part and help in anyway that I can. Also, I realized that I am not the only person living on this earth, and essentially everyone is affected by my actions in someway. I am going to work on improving my diet (eating less sweets) as well! Wish me luck!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2

My SMART goal was to not buy any paper toweling and instead cut up old t-shirts, or find rags to use for cleaning, or other around the house chores, and to cut down the amount of toilet paper I use while using the restroom. I did start to obtain my goal. I took all of the paper toweling we had in the house and hid it in the closet, and took old shirts and turned them into rags. I have been using those to dry the dishes, and clean up spills around the house. I also have become more aware of the amount of toilet paper I am using. I have started to count the number of squares. I always am aware of this now when using the restroom. I have found that I use to use way more then was actually necessary (I won't get into too much deal with that though). I did have success with the the reusable wash cloth idea, and didn't find any challenges with that, it was actually pretty easy to do! I was better most of the time with reducing the amount of toilet paper I used, but it was challenging to think about it everytime. I found that by having this goal that it helps me be more cautious of my actions, and actually think of other things I can do on a daily basis to help change some of my bad habits. I actually wrote on my hand "toilet paper" so everything I go to use the bathroom, and reach for toilet paper I see it, so that will help me remember to only use what is necessary. I found it rewarding to actually know that I am helping out our earth, even though it is minor I figure that every little thing I can do helps! This week I learned that I can't just change overnight, but if I really want to put in the effort then I will be able to change a lot of my habits. My plan for next week is to count the number of squares I use everytime I go to the bathroom for a starting point, and then with the following weeks to try and reduce that number everytime. I will continue with my goal as it is, and just try to be more accurate everytime I am in the bathroom. I am excited to see my results! I have started a tally mark for everytime I use the bathroom and the number of sheets I use each time. My total for this past week's average was; Bathroom Use: 5 times daily, Sheets of toilet paper: 8 times per use. I think this is ok for the first calculations, but I want to cut down the number by each week.

Eco-Footprint-Eye Opener

After taking the test on how much of the earth I really do use I was not too surprised by my results. At the beginning of the summer I spent two weeks in Australia, and was literally "roughing" it compared to my normal lifestyle. This was easily the best experience for me, helping me change my behaviors that I still continue to do today. We did not have any running water, and would use "drop dunnies" to go to the bathroom, and everything we ate we picked from the garden. After living this way I really learned to be grateful for all that I do have. Today, I walk or ride my bike and rarely use my car, unless it is necessary. I also compost the food I cook, and reuse any and everything I can. I take short showers, and in the winter stock up on blankets and sweats. I think if I hadn't went to Australia and actually lived like this my habits would not of changed as much. I am so grateful that I did get to go, and now I live more "green" and help the people around me change their habits as well! I still do think it is crazy though how much we really do waste without evening knowing it. I believe if we all spent a little more time thinking of our actions we could all make a huge impact on the earth and its resources.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1- My SMART Goal

There are many behaviors I possess that I really want to change to help preserve our resources. However, I decided that my SMART goal is going to be using less toilet paper, and using wash clothes instead of paper toweling to clean. This is very eco friendly, because it will really cut down on paper use and the killing of trees. I do tend to go through a lot of these two products without even realizing that I do it. This is important to me, because I really do want to become more conscious of ways I can help our world. Also, as I said I never realize how much I really do use until after the after math. I want to do my part in helping our world! I went to the store tonight and did not even buy paper toweling, but instead I got wash cloths which I will begin using the next time I go to reach for the paper toweling in the cupboard. I also bought less toilet paper for our house, and told me roommates we have to make this last. I also have begun to count the number of squares I use..this could get interesting!

Toilet Paper Count:
I am starting off with 6 rolls just for myself, and will be counting each time I use the restroom. I am going to try and make these rolls last as long as possible. I will also be saving a lot of money by this method, and by using wash cloths from now on. I am excited to see where I can go with new behavior!

Lindsay's Loving Land

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Lindsay, a junior at UMD enrolled in the class HLTH 3500, which focuses on the importance of cutting down our resources and preserving the earth! The focus of my blog is to learn and discuss ways we can all go green and help the earth we live in! There are many simple everyday behaviors we can change and work on to not only help ourself, but everyone else around us as well! I know for me personally I am very health conscious, but there is still many things I can work on!

My blog will contain these types of posts:

1.  Advocacy Project
2.  Eye Opener
3.  Reflection
4.  Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Share and Voice

The members in my web group are:

1.  Sierra W@See-Air-Ah
2. Dr. V/Kristen@Enviro Surfing with Amy and Kristin
3.  Chnice@Eco Summit With Chnice
4. Duzong@Duzong's Treehouse

This is the beginning of making life style changes to help our earth, and also a great way to find out different ways my fellow classmates are making changes as well. I believe if we all work together we can really make a difference!