*If you don't have the time (or patience, or whatever) to read my rant, please just click on the first website at the bottom of this post*
"Don't drink the water!" is what everyone said when they found out I was going to China. I heeded this advice, and everytime I took a shower, strategically keeping my face dry (ten days in all--astringent is a beautiful thing), I thought of a story I once heard about a crew member on one of the Indian Jones movies putting duct tape over his mouth everytime he showered while the movie shot on location. He was the only one who didn't get disentery (or "the runs" as I recall Harrison Ford referred to it).
Indeed, nothing will make you appreciate drinkable water more than spending time in a country like China, and nothing will make you realize how much water you waste like spending time in Japan.
During my time in the motherland of skating and now dance king Apolo Anton Ohno (I digress), I incountered public bath houses, a shower with a lever that gave you 10-15 seconds of water everytime you pushed it, and a toilet that gives you the option for a full or half flush in just about every bathroom (of course, considering I don't read conji, I had a few misflushes). I'm telling you, the Japanese have got it right.
Here are two websites about water conservation. The first has great "tips," and the second is the site of a local organization called Drought Response Information Project (yeah. who knew?)
http://www.monolake.org/socalwater/wctips.htm#topten
http://www.thedripwebsite.com/
Go Planet!
NEW LONG TERM GOAL: compost
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Buying Close to the Source
Buying as close to the source as possible is a simple concept: the farther something gets from where it origionated, the more energy is used. The implication of such a simple concept, however, is huge!
At its most basic level, this means buy local/domestic. This goes for everything from palisade peaches to American made. I'm not trying to get political here, just ecological. Consider the energy used to ship internationally, and while America is hardly the standard of clean emission standards, regulations are stricter here than in places like...oh say China.
Another facet of buying close to the source is the amount of packaging and processing that goes into products. This applies to everything we buy, but is most easily seen for me at the grocery store. For example, I'm a huge fan of the pre-washed pre-bagged baby spinach--how convinient is that? But what about the energy it took to wash and bag it? Not to mention you now have this plastic bag you have to throw out. Instead, I've started buying the bundles of greens (you know the ones my mom bought before there was pre-bagged spinach) and wash it at home. But Rachel, isn't that a waste of water? I fill the sink with water and wash all my fruits and veggies at the same time (but i think that falls under water conservation...a different blog). It's not just in the produce section, however. The grocery store is full of overprocessed over packaged items . My goal: buy fresher and cook more (cutting down on processing and packaging). Not only is better for you, it's better for the environment. A bit of a time commitment, but i feel like it's one of those things that more you do the easier it gets. I'll keep you posted.
Alright. Here's the tough one. Vegatarianism. Let me start by saying this isn't my cry for global vegatarianism. I'm simply putting this out there as something to think on:
Meat production is rediculously wasteful. I once read an estimation that it takes 16 pounds of grain to make one hamburger. WHAT?! That's out of control! Think of the time, energy, water, and land that went into producing that grain that could have made numorous meals instead of one. Not to mention the aditional processing that goes into slaughtering, butchering, packaging, and shipping meat. Am I going full force vegan? No. Humans are made to consume meat (although I do believe it's possible to be a healthy vegan. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge). I am, however, committed to reducing my consumption of animal products. Anyone's who's interested should check out www.goveg.com . Be warned, the sight has links to some pretty intense stuff but also has links to great facts, statistics, recipes, and even a free vegitarian starter kit.
All right. I think that's it for now. GOOOO PLANET!
At its most basic level, this means buy local/domestic. This goes for everything from palisade peaches to American made. I'm not trying to get political here, just ecological. Consider the energy used to ship internationally, and while America is hardly the standard of clean emission standards, regulations are stricter here than in places like...oh say China.
Another facet of buying close to the source is the amount of packaging and processing that goes into products. This applies to everything we buy, but is most easily seen for me at the grocery store. For example, I'm a huge fan of the pre-washed pre-bagged baby spinach--how convinient is that? But what about the energy it took to wash and bag it? Not to mention you now have this plastic bag you have to throw out. Instead, I've started buying the bundles of greens (you know the ones my mom bought before there was pre-bagged spinach) and wash it at home. But Rachel, isn't that a waste of water? I fill the sink with water and wash all my fruits and veggies at the same time (but i think that falls under water conservation...a different blog). It's not just in the produce section, however. The grocery store is full of overprocessed over packaged items . My goal: buy fresher and cook more (cutting down on processing and packaging). Not only is better for you, it's better for the environment. A bit of a time commitment, but i feel like it's one of those things that more you do the easier it gets. I'll keep you posted.
Alright. Here's the tough one. Vegatarianism. Let me start by saying this isn't my cry for global vegatarianism. I'm simply putting this out there as something to think on:
Meat production is rediculously wasteful. I once read an estimation that it takes 16 pounds of grain to make one hamburger. WHAT?! That's out of control! Think of the time, energy, water, and land that went into producing that grain that could have made numorous meals instead of one. Not to mention the aditional processing that goes into slaughtering, butchering, packaging, and shipping meat. Am I going full force vegan? No. Humans are made to consume meat (although I do believe it's possible to be a healthy vegan. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge). I am, however, committed to reducing my consumption of animal products. Anyone's who's interested should check out www.goveg.com . Be warned, the sight has links to some pretty intense stuff but also has links to great facts, statistics, recipes, and even a free vegitarian starter kit.
All right. I think that's it for now. GOOOO PLANET!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Gaining Perspective
I've always considered myself a pretty environmentally conscious person. I don't litter, i turn the water off when brushing my teeth, and i've been known to use the policy, "yellow your mellow. brown goes down." Yeah. That was me. Saving the world one flush at a time. I got a pretty good slap in the self-righteous face, however, when my brother and I took a trip abroad this past August. We spent most our time in Japan, the land of efficiency and cleanliness, and took a side trip to china--the land of everything Japan isn't.
China is dirty. It's not yeah-there's-some-trash-on-the-street-and-what's-that-smell? dirty, it's I-don't-want-to-move-for-fear-of-getting-hepatitis dirty. What struck me the most in China, though, was the pollution. The phrase "you could cut it with a knife" never seemed so apropos as on our first day in Beijing when, to look out the window, you'd think you were witness to a rather foggy day. To be out in the "fog," however, you quickly realized that you were not standing in condensed water particles suspended in the lower atmosphere, but rather you were standing in smog. I asked my friend Dave (who lives in Shanghai) about it, and he informed me that the burning/itching in my eyes and throat and the running of my nose which started upon entering China was indeed due to the pollution, and that in central China, where the majority of the factories are, it's even worse. You can't see the other side of the street on a bad day, and people don't wear white because it quickly turns to grey.
My mind was officially blown, and I thought, "Way to go China. Sucks to be you." One of my finer moments really. Once the intellectual prowess of a third grader subsided, I began to really think about what I was laying witness to: what happens when we neglect the planet. While I haven't done in depth research on the topic (give me time, people), it's safe to say that while America is ahead of China in terms of how we treat the environment (that's not too difficult), we're rediculously behind the rest of the world (which became clear after traveling in Japan). That the U.S. doesn't resemble China's environment is due largely to some simple factors: China has more people, and a huge percentage of what we own is made in China (no really. Check the lables.) and other third world countries.
I'm a visual person, and seeing what I'm personally doing the one planet we've been given (I'm trying to avoid these cliches, but that one really worked) served as a swift kick in the pants. My brain starting working overtime on all the changes I need to make be a conscientious citzen of earth(more cliches...blast!). This blog isn't meant to be preachy (welcome to Rachel on her soapbox hour!). While I do hope it will inspire poeple to make chages, no matter how small, the blog's primary purpose is to keep me in line. My biggest fear in undertaking this far from small project is that I'll lose steam and sweep my good intentions under the rug once my initial gusto has worn off. In such a scenario, I'm hoping that my pride (it's got to be good for something), after announcing to the world my new ambitions, will keep me focussed on the goal. With that being said, wish me luck, and I hope, if nothing else, you enjoy.
I've made two lists. One of immediate changes I can make. One of goals for the future. They will be amended indefinitely but are a good starting point.
IMMEDIATE CHANGES:
Buy out of need, not want
change light bulbs in house to the new energy efficient kind
unplug things when not in use
buy as close to the source as possible (more on this in the next blog)
buy second hand
line dry
walk
limit tv/computer use
take reusable bags to the grocery store (vitamin cottage has GREAT ones on sale for 99 cents)
online banking (i'm in the dark ages on this one)
recycle (yeah. wasn't already. point and laugh now.) *number for city recycling: 242-1036*
more water conscious
LONG TERM GOALS:
learn to sew
own hybrid car
have a garden (a Darden Garden if you will)
become competent on a bike
China is dirty. It's not yeah-there's-some-trash-on-the-street-and-what's-that-smell? dirty, it's I-don't-want-to-move-for-fear-of-getting-hepatitis dirty. What struck me the most in China, though, was the pollution. The phrase "you could cut it with a knife" never seemed so apropos as on our first day in Beijing when, to look out the window, you'd think you were witness to a rather foggy day. To be out in the "fog," however, you quickly realized that you were not standing in condensed water particles suspended in the lower atmosphere, but rather you were standing in smog. I asked my friend Dave (who lives in Shanghai) about it, and he informed me that the burning/itching in my eyes and throat and the running of my nose which started upon entering China was indeed due to the pollution, and that in central China, where the majority of the factories are, it's even worse. You can't see the other side of the street on a bad day, and people don't wear white because it quickly turns to grey.
My mind was officially blown, and I thought, "Way to go China. Sucks to be you." One of my finer moments really. Once the intellectual prowess of a third grader subsided, I began to really think about what I was laying witness to: what happens when we neglect the planet. While I haven't done in depth research on the topic (give me time, people), it's safe to say that while America is ahead of China in terms of how we treat the environment (that's not too difficult), we're rediculously behind the rest of the world (which became clear after traveling in Japan). That the U.S. doesn't resemble China's environment is due largely to some simple factors: China has more people, and a huge percentage of what we own is made in China (no really. Check the lables.) and other third world countries.
I'm a visual person, and seeing what I'm personally doing the one planet we've been given (I'm trying to avoid these cliches, but that one really worked) served as a swift kick in the pants. My brain starting working overtime on all the changes I need to make be a conscientious citzen of earth(more cliches...blast!). This blog isn't meant to be preachy (welcome to Rachel on her soapbox hour!). While I do hope it will inspire poeple to make chages, no matter how small, the blog's primary purpose is to keep me in line. My biggest fear in undertaking this far from small project is that I'll lose steam and sweep my good intentions under the rug once my initial gusto has worn off. In such a scenario, I'm hoping that my pride (it's got to be good for something), after announcing to the world my new ambitions, will keep me focussed on the goal. With that being said, wish me luck, and I hope, if nothing else, you enjoy.
I've made two lists. One of immediate changes I can make. One of goals for the future. They will be amended indefinitely but are a good starting point.
IMMEDIATE CHANGES:
Buy out of need, not want
change light bulbs in house to the new energy efficient kind
unplug things when not in use
buy as close to the source as possible (more on this in the next blog)
buy second hand
line dry
walk
limit tv/computer use
take reusable bags to the grocery store (vitamin cottage has GREAT ones on sale for 99 cents)
online banking (i'm in the dark ages on this one)
recycle (yeah. wasn't already. point and laugh now.) *number for city recycling: 242-1036*
more water conscious
LONG TERM GOALS:
learn to sew
own hybrid car
have a garden (a Darden Garden if you will)
become competent on a bike
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