Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

     

http://www.greenworld365.com/topic/appliances/

     
     My SMART goal is to cut down on how much electricity I use.  This week I followed the same routine as last and tried to cut down on my use of lights, use the dishwasher less, and only wash laundry every two weeks.  I was diligent in turning off lights and handwashing my dishes, but cutting down on laundry was challenging.   
     Making sure lights are off in every room but the one I am in has become a habit, and I actually get annoyed when I see one left on, so that is good.  Handwashing dishes is becoming more of a habit because I am turning into a neat freak.  It bothers me to see dirty dishes in the sink that might build up, so I just go ahead and wash them rather than waiting to have enough for the dishwasher.  It is great to get dishes done every morning and have a clean house for the rest of the day, so that has become my breakfast routine.  
     Laundry is a subject to avoid :)  It just seems to build up in a matter of days and take over my closet. This is partly because I work out every day, so more than one outfit gets dirtied per day.  This week I will have done one load in five days, and I am hoping to get down to one load every fourteen days.  Wearing the same pair of pants every day has been nice and easy because I don't have to spend time planning my outfit (yes I do that), and it saves room in my laundry load.  
     I felt really proud this week that two of these things are almost second nature and that they are probably saving me money.  I am learning that the art of forming a good habit comes from repetition and accountability, both of which I have had over the last five weeks.  This week I will keep the same game plan because I want to conquer these goals before I move on. 


Review:
     Overall, I learned a lot about myself through this SMART goal.  My plan on how to go about saving electricity was not set in stone at the beginning of this, but eventually my aim became clearer. I tried to turn off lights that were not being used, not run the dishwasher, and do laundry less.  So once I figured out my goal, it stayed the same throughout.  
     My strategy on being successful was to be mindful of my actions. So many bad habits become second nature throughout our lives, so to re-learn something takes thought and effort.  Every day I tried to remember my goals and actually do them.   
     I benefited from this goal in that I now know I am capable of changing the environment for the better. I went into this being like, yeah right, I can't make a difference, but my thought process has completely changed. Now it is exciting to see that we can all make changes in our daily lives and it does make a difference, no matter if we can see it or not. 
     My roommates definately noticed that I turned off my lights more because they got on my case before when I didn't. Positive reinforcement makes a big difference and is very helpful in motivating me to change. So I thank my roommates for being a good influence.  
     I will most definately continue this lifestyle change because it is not only good for the environment, but also my bank account and me personally.  The discipline I learned will be helpful in many areas of life. And now I am more aware of how I use electricity in general, not just with lights and laundry.
     The advice I would pass on to anyone who wants to try a SMART goal would be keep going even when you mess up. I way 'when' instead of 'if' because we are not perfect and will forget. But the more you keep at your goal, the easier it will get. So don't give up, it is worth it :)

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/7085/Dermasil_Lotion_Dry_Skin_Treatment_%282006_formulation%29/

     Dermasil has been my favorite moisturizer for a long time, and I have always thought of it as quality lotion.  To my surprise, it is not so great and actually scores very high on the health concern chart.  EWG would not sign it as a safe cosmetic because of its high toxicity ratings.  First of all, I was surprised that it scored moderately high for being cancerous, that is very alarming.  It was off the charts for development and reproductive toxicity and was nearly off the charts for allergies and immunotoxicity. 

    The website said that their ratings are based on specific ingredients in the product, not the product as a whole.  However, if any of the ingredients in the lotion I use are toxic and are entering my bloodstream, you bet I am going to abstain.  Since I have been using this lotion for many years and have not felt any different, I will be doing more personal research to see what actually can happen from being in contact with these ingredients.

    It is amazing to me that companies do not have to label any warnings on their products if this much harm could be done.  How is the public supposed to find out about the toxins they are exposed to unless told? Very scary to think about and I am glad we were directed to this website.  

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

http://thegogreenblog.com/tip-of-the-week-only-wash-full-loads-of-laundry/

     Welcome to another week of my SMART goal challenge to save electricity.  This week went well, partly because I was camping for three days and had no access to electricity.  When at home, I continued to turn off lights that were not being used, wash dishes by hand instead of in the dishwasher, and I added one more thing to the list: doing less laundry.  I learned that running the washer and dryer uses quite a bit of electricity so my goal is to only wash one load of clothes every other week instead of once a week.  
     Turning off lights is getting to be more second nature, but I still find myself forgetting; especially with 'little' lights that seem like they wouldn't matter.  When I come home to a light that was left on, I am sure to make a mental note to remember next time.  Washing dishes by hand has been kind of fun.  It is a way to just relax and think or listen to music while letting the warm water soak your hands.  Never thought I would hear myself say that about dishes.
     The most challenging part of this week has been my effort to wash less laundry.  One thing that makes me feel organzied and clean is having clean clothes once a week and not let them pile up. So it has taken some effort and flexibility on my part.  I am trying to use less clothes, and re-wear things as much as possible.  One way I am going about this is by using the same jeans for four or more days in a row (if not repulsive).  That way less clothes pile up in a dirty heap.
     As I tried to do these three things this week, I felt great.  I can't think of many things better to me than a good challenge. When I messed up (leaving lights on), I did not feel guilty but more like 'oh, I can do better!' So it has been fun! 
     For next week I am going to stick with the same goals: less lights, less water (no dishwasher), and less laundry.  It will be great when they become second nature, then I will add more.  Stay tuned and please feel free to join me in this challenge :)
     

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

http://www.allconnect.com/blog/how-to-save-money-on-your-next-water-bill/     

     This week my SMART goal was to save water.  The way I measured it was by taking five minute showers, and washing dishes with less water by filling up a sink with warm water and using that.  

     It was a success for the most part except for a few showers.  Our house is really cold, like fifty five degrees, so I caught myself staying in the shower longer to warm up a few times.  But when I set my mind to it, a five minute shower is very generous, plenty of time to do what needs to be done.  We don't realize how much time goes by sometimes unless we are conciously thinking about it.  

    Washing dishes was a success.  Instead of running water the whole time and rinsing every dish individually, I would run a batch of clean, hot water with soap and then rinse all of my dishes in that.  It worked even better when I let them soak for awhile.  I loved the feeling of knowing I was saving water by doing something that worked better than it would if I had used more water.  Funny! 

    This week I learned that being eco-friendly is more about creativity than it is about convenience.  It is a lot of fun to take on a challenge when you are willing to explore options and try them out.  And my roommates were pretty impressed by my taking a five minute shower, it was kind of made into a game, who can take the quickest showers?! 
     You might be wondering how my goal this week pertains to my lifestyle change which is to use less electricity.  In our house we have a dishwasher.  Not only does it use a lot of water, but also a lot of energy to run.  By handwashing dishes, we are saving energy and money.

    There are no limits on ways in which we can help the environment. I know I have barely touched the surface and am excited to try more things in order to save energy and money.  

Eye Opener: CSPI

     I took a tour of the food supply on http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/tour.html and learned a lot of incredible statistics about the food we eat in the U.S. and how it affects our economy.  Did you know that 22 billion pounds of fertilizer is consumed each year from producing feed for U.S. livestock?  The energy used to manufacture the fertilizer could provide one year's worth of power for one million Americans! This is a statistic we hardly think about, and yet it is affecting us.  
     Less than one quarter of adults eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables each day.  This means that a lot of packaged and processed food are getting eaten instead.  Not only does this problem point to poor use of things in the environment (plastic, paper, etc.), but it also shows the reason why people are less healthy and overweight.  
     Americans eat a lot of meat.  In order to keep up, feedlots for cattle are packed full with as many cattle as can fit.  These cattle are fed high energy grains which is not part of their natural diet.  Because of this, they accumulate a lot of fat and people who eat the meat are consuming a lot of fat as well.  It is a domino affect because the cattle eat grain which causes them to be less healthy, then the consumer eats the meat which can lead to health problems.  
     Thinking about how the food supply in America is linked to a lot of other issues in our environment is unreal.  For instance, people eat meat high in fat because that is how it was manufactured.  This often leads to obesity, heart problems, diabetes, and other things which makes medical and related costs very high.  I learned a lot from this website on how one thing affects another.  If we want to change one problem, many other problems must change along with it. The point of these statistics are to encourage people to eat 'green'.  This means seeking out foods that are un-processed and produced locally.  Hopefully we can start to see some positive changes! 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

http://fray.slate.com/id/2164143/

     The SMART goal I have committed to is making a conscious effort to use less electricity in my home.  I definately made some changes this week, small ones but it was a good start.  I focused on using less lights.  What helped me the most was to assess a room I was going to hang out in.  I would ask myself if the lights being used were necessary or not. Then I would make sure all of the lights throughout the rest of house were not in use.  A challenge I faced was laziness, if I sat down before turning off unnecessary lights it was hard to motivate myself to get back up and do so.  I kept having feelings that my efforts would not make any difference at all.  But then I did the assignment we were given on finding our ecological footprint and it definately gave me more motivation.
     This week I learned that everything each of us does in our daily lives totally makes a difference on the environment.  Even small changes that people don't usually think of.  It is awesome to know we can make a difference in this way.
     For this next week, I plan to make more changes than just turning off lights.  My goal is to use less water.  I will go about this by timing my showers, cutting down on laundry, and soaking dishes by using only one sink of water rather than letting it run to wash them all.  Water is not something I usually think about using too much of, but our monthly water bill shows proof that it does, in fact, affect our environment.  Bring it on week 2!!!
    

Eye Opener 1: Ecological Footprint

This assignment was very eye opening! I took a quiz on how much C02 and greenhouse gases are emitted into the air because of my lifestyle.  The quiz is found at http://www.carbonindependent.org/index.htm.  My Carbon footprint came out to be 10.9.  The highest contributor to this list was the food I eat.  I am a healthy eater but did not realize how much of a difference it can make to eat organic.  After learning how much I influence the environment, my goal is to make small changes at first.  It is important to develop habits, not just a little fad.  Even if it is not convenient to make changes, I will because of what I just read. We need to try and keep global warming from happening so rapidly.  My goal is to eat less packaged food and buy fair trade and tell more people to do the same.  Every little bit helps!