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Posts tagged ‘No Impact Experiment’

Energy – No Impact Project

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
 
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According to the EPA the average CO2 emissions per person per year are about 20,000. When I used their carbon calculator to figure out my yearly usage, I came in at about 7,000. (I’m not the average household. I’m single, like in a small city apartment, and am home on average of eight hours per day.) My survey results are below.

Individual Emissions – Household Emissions Calculator | Climate Change – Greenhouse Gas Emissions | U.S. EPA http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=21100992&access_key=key-jahj9u8j8fxk7dgd1am&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list

Today’s challenge asked us to take a quick audit of or energy usage at home. I went around the apartment making note.

KITCHEN

Fridge – stays plugged in at all times
Stove -I don’t even know what the back of my stove looks like but I’m assuming its plugged in.

Microwave - stays plugged in at all times. (I could unplug this. I rarely use it. For a long time I didn’t even use one. There are creative ways to heat everything up on a stove and its probably healthier for you anyway.)

Blender – never plugged in. Only when used.
Coffee Maker – never plugged in. (The price tag is still on it. Anyone want a free coffee maker. I’ll gladly ship it to you. Its brand spanking new! Why give it away? Because we have over 10 coffee machines at work..the real ones. Like the ones starbucks have or something. I can make any drink on Starbucks menu at my job!)

LIVING ROOM/DINING ROOM/OFFICE

Printer – stays unplugged unless it is in use
Table lamp – stays unplugged unless it is in use

Floor lamp – usually stays unplugged unless it is in use. (Last two weeks, I’ve been lazy)

Laptop Power Adapter – stays unplugged unless it is in use.
Speaker Power Adapter - stays unplugged unless it is in use.
Blackberry Power Adapter – stays plugged in.

BATHROOM

iPhone Power Adapter – stays plugged in.

BEDROOM

Air Conditioner power cord – stays plugged in.

The items in green are easy fixes. I can just unplug them. I think its a great idea to keep things unplugged until you actually use them. And as you can see, I don’t have many electronics. Not sure what to do about the fridge and stove. While Colin’s suggestions in the how to guide to combat fridge usage are creative, I don’t really care for them.


THINGS TO NOTE

  • I do not own a television intentionally. (I use my laptop to watch any and everything I want. Multi-Functional devices are great. Less clutter. Less things. More green)
  • In my bathroom…there is no blow dryer, curler, flat iron. (Please, I don’t even own a comb or brush. I wear my hair naturally…which aides in my living a more sustainable life. But I do style my hair in many creative ways)
  • I am one of those that only like specific lighting and not just general lighting. I like as little lighting as possible. I like natural light. I like candles. And I pretty much keep my lights off. During the mornings I wash my face and brush my teeth with the lights off. Usually there is enough natural light seeping through. Besides I don’t wear makeup, so I don’t need extra light for all of that fluff fluff
  • I have yet to turn my heat on this fall. My bed has many blankets and pillows. When I’m cold I put a sweater on or socks on. I drink tea or hot cocoa. 
  • Since I’m rarely home…I average about 8 hours a day and I keep most things unplugged and even when I’m there, its such low usage..my electric bill and gas bill are pretty low. My People Gas bill and ComEd Electric bill have been around $20 a month. I’ve lived in my apartment since May. I think that’s pretty good. (When I lived with roommates this was not the case. Sometimes our electric bill was over $130. Freaking Crazy! It was a constant battle between how high or low the air or heat should be. There were TV’s, Wii’s, laptops,…things were always on all the time. And now, I pay $20 each for both those bills. Crazy)
  • I have other things that plug in but they are stored away until I need them…such as my camera power cord, external harddrive power cord and etc. For those with a billion cords, I recommend Smart Power Strips. I think they are creative and extremely innovative. Also, the prices are pretty reasonable…especially for the savings you will rack up.
So look, I’m just going to toot my own horn and say that I do pretty good with my energy consumption. There are a few areas of improvement. I could be more intentional and unplug those last few things that I keep in. But what I want to try are a couple things….

In the guide, Collin suggest using your laptop/computer for only work based reasons…perhaps for a day
or weekend. And then…turning it off and living. Instead of facebooking everyone, call a friend. No, don’t call. Go visit them. Go outside. Write in a journal. Read a book. Turn your computer off. I’m going to try this. Keep my laptop off for an entire day. Although I once went two years without a laptop..while stage managing. So I know its manageable.

While I can’t do it during a production, I also want to go back to turning my phones off for designated times. I used to keep my phones off on Sundays. So much more peaceful that way. I want to find more moments to do this. It gives you the freedom to be a bit more present.

On that note, I once read an article in a magazine where a woman when off the grid for an entire weekend. I mean she didn’t turn lights on, no cell phones, no tv…no nothing. (She did use her stove though. One creative stove use was to boil a stained shirt in hot water to remove it!) The article was two pages long, I have it filled away and will scanned it in. I’ve held on to that article for many years now and it was so beautifully written.

Perhaps I’ll take an entire weekend and go off the grid. Maybe I’ll try doing it once a month.

Having listed my granola tendencies in regards to energy usage, do you see other areas where I can improve? I am all ears!!!

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Food – No Impact Project

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
 
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I am always hesitant to evaluate my food intake. I don’t believe its well balanced at all. While I eat TONS of vegetables, steer away from fast food, and could count on my hands the number of times I have eaten meat in the past few months…I still snack on candy, don’t drink enough water, and hardly EVER eat fruit.

Its hard to describe. On the surface it looks like I’m eating a well balanced meal throughout my day.


 This was dinner last night. Good right. Tons of vegetables (Although I realize asparagus is now out of season and I could have substituted the instant white rice for jasmine or brown rice). But what I realized is that on an average day I only eat one to two meals a day. And its usually a salad or veggie stir fry.

Lunches vary. We order lots of catering at work. Today I had a falafel sandwich. Yesterday a ceasar salad. So I just kind of eat what’s there.

I hardly ever eat breakfast. Just as I can count the number of times I’ve eaten meat..I can also count the number of times I’ve eaten breakfast. When I do it consist of oatmeal, with fruit and granola. Or yogurt with granola.

Again. Sounds wonderful and balanced. Except again, I’m only eating one to two meals a day. Either because I’m busy or just not that hungry. I’m also not eating enough fruit. And I have a feeling that if I ate an apple or orange or banana, I might have more energy. But I don’t like any of those fruits. The only fruit I like is mango. And that’s not in season either.

I could keep going back and forth with this. With how when I eat, its pretty good yet there is a need for more fruit and brown rice I guess.

Other things that I eat

Following the How To Guide, I learned a bit more about trying a Low Carbon Diet. This has nothing to do with denying yourself moderate tasty things in an effort to look like Halle Berry which will never happen because you are not Halle Berry. This is all about eco-conscious eating. Something I never thought about before. I played their interactive game.

 While I eat “healthy,” I didn’t realize it still wasn’t that eco-conscious. One cup of coffee cancels out the positive effects of my eating tofu. Why drink coffee when I can drink green tea with honey? (because sometimes coffee just taste good…all nutty, caramely, creamy and delicious.)

But I think if I was fully aware of the complete impact of my tasty choices, perhaps I’d be more inclined to change. There are a few things that I know I can do.

One suggestion was to eat less, therefore you waste less. To me that means, quitting that bad happen of just stacking my plate with more than I ca
n actually eat. We do that too often. I once heard of a study where people were brought into a room with plates of food and asked to eat until they were full. Most people finished everything on their plate. The next day they were brought back but this time they blindfolded the group and asked them to eat until they were full. No one finished their plates. More than half..didn’t even eat half. I find that so interesting. How much food do I actually throw away? Such waste. (I couldn’t collect some of my trash in my bag of shame because it was food and I can’t carry around decomposting food in a bag for a week. But I was conscious of how much food was going into the regular trash and it made me uncomfortable.)

Another thing I can be more intentional about is eating seasonal food. The guide directed me to a website that shows you what’s in season in your area depending on the time of year. Very simple. Although I have issue with the fact that asparagus is no longer in season. I eat that a LOT!

The website was also gently suggesting a lifestyle of vegan choices. Hmmm. I am open to change. I own two vegan cookbooks. One is a soulfood vegan one! I also have a raw uncook book and a yoga vegetarian cookbook. I’ve spent some time going through the recipes that seem interesting and compiling a list of ingredients to purchase. First up, I’ll be making a black bean vegan soup. On Friday that is…while I’m also making my own facial products!

Another suggestion is to skip out on processed and packaged food. That means no CheezIts with Tabasco sauce or Triscuit Crackers with Rosemary and Olive Oil. Those are two of my favorite snacks. So what will I be able to snack on? They suggest nuts and seeds. I like sunflower seeds. I guess I could purchase that in bulk. But where do sunflower seeds come from? How far does it travel to get to my local grocery store? Or is there a better snack to try and that’s better for the environment? (The fact that I’m asking these questions, is the first step.) Maybe I should snack on rose petals and then use the left overs to make a rose face mask. (dripping sarcasm)

I went through the list of the foods that are in season that I actually enjoy. That list consisted of….

  • bell pepper
  • corn
  • garlic
  • onion
  • potatoe
  • ruhbarb
  • spinach
  • tomato
  • snow peas
  • carrots
On my wish list, I’d have a garden. I remember my grandmother always had a garden full of vegetables and herbs. I also have an aunt who owns a farm. Although they keep livestock and don’t grow food. They grow hay though. (Also, they don’t kill the livestock. The bulls and horses are their pets. Must be nice)

My Aunt and Uncle’s Farm in TN

I never considered the environment before when planning meals. I always just think about what I like and focus on making that. I was taught not to waste food because it cost money. But no one ever brought up the fact that is cost resources as well. That by choosing salmon during a specific time I was credit from the earth that I’d never be able to pay back Shelagh mentioned she has a friend who knows where all of her food comes from. I aspire to be like that. To know the true impact of the life that I live…from the electricity I use at home, to the way I choose to travel and to the food I choose to purchase. I am definitely considerings participating in a CSA next year as well.

First immediate goal….make my vegan black bean soup. (I need small measureable steps to exact large scale changes in my life. This soup with be one of those.)

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Taking Action – No Impact Project

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

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Now that its midweek of the No Impact Project, a call to action has been put forth in the How To Manual. You are asked to choose between three options. Water. Climate Change. Transportation.I chose Water.

I recently saw the extended trailer for Tapped. I’ve reserved it on my netflix cue and have frequented the website. I even brought it up for discussion at a very organic homemade dinner with friends last Sunday. Watching the trailer reminded me of the documentary, The Corporation where in Bolivia water has become a privatized commodity and the World Bank owns the water. Therefore even when it rains, they own the drops. Citizens are not allowed to gather the rain water. It’s illegal.

How is it possible that we lay claim to water? How is not the question. We’ve done it to the air and land as well, so why not water? What hasn’t been privatized these days?

On a side note, this past Columbus day, I was talking with a family member. I told them how silly it seemed to me that we hail him as discovering America. “How can you discover something that was there and had a developed culture and people? That’s like me going somewhere I’ve never been…Africa and upon getting there saying, hey look, I’ve discovered a new land.” Just seems ridiculous to me. I’m done celebrating Columbus.

Ever seen this commercial?


This makes me think about what that would mean, if we did live in those conditions. I have the luxury of turning on my faucet, filling up my brita and helping myself to ice cold water whenever I want. I don’t have to walk miles with five gallon jugs to fill up with subpar water. But what if I did?

Remember a year ago when one of the most popular brands of bottled water was exposed for using tap water for their bottled water? Crazy.

At my job we have weekly deliveries of bottled water, we have four machines that yield filtered cold and hot water, we have ice machines (and multiple fridges with freezers that we do not use)…and we even have some faucets that just yield filter water and sparkling filtered water next to the regular water spout.

On the How To Guide, I followed the link to participate in the various petitions. At work, I use a refillable water bottle. Aside from being an informed citizen, signing petitions, and refilling my nalgene, I don’t know what else I can do? I can’t fly to Bolivia and protest. I can’t stop the weekly deliveries of bottled water from coming to my job.

But even as I take on this negative view, I remember my stance and belief in the power of Socio-Political theater. I believe theater and many forms of art can exact change, spur discussions and raise awareness. And perhaps with the many ways in which I feel powerless to change the world, maybe I will find a voice through the stage.

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