One for One Movement (Post 3)

I was at the mall the other day, and ended up at Zumiez, so I started looking at shoes, and came across TOMS. I thought they were cute and simple, so I started looking at them more and read the inside of one of the shoes and it said “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.” I thought that was awesome, so then of course it gave me more reason to purchase them! I would get a new pair of shoes and someone else would too!

When I got home, I became more curious about the TOMS movement, so I decided to check out the website at: http://www.toms.com/. I decided to see why they chose shoes, and this is the information I found on the website:

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

•Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

After reading through these facts, I could totally relate them to the “END POVERTY 2015” goals we had to look at for one of our assignments this week. By purchasing these shoes, I have brought us closer to achieving our goals in Universal Education and Child Health. A simple pair of shoes could make a huge difference in a child’s health and education, and all you really have to do is buy a pair for yourself!

Progress in reducing my ecological footprint! (Post 2)

It’s time for an update on how I’m doing with the actions I am taking to reduce my weekly carbon footprint!

My first action was to try to remember to use reusable shopping bags. We have a ton of them at my place, and I’m always all about using them, but then when I end up at the store, I find that I have forgotten them at home. I haven’t done any serious grocery shopping or anything yet, so I haven’t tested my memory in that aspect. But I do work at Fred Meyer, and on my lunch I tend to purchase food from the store, or purchase things that I remember I need. When I go to pay for these things, then I remember I do not have my reusable shopping bags with me, and because I do not want to use a plastic bag, I just remember to keep my receipt with me, and either put them in my purse, or carry them to the break room because if it is food, I will most likely be consuming it soon. So one thing I realized is that I should keep a reusable shopping bag in my locker since I sometimes tend to get my food from my workplace.

My second action was to reduce my energy/electricity usage. I have been more conscious of what lights I am turning on, how much heat we are using, and what things are plugged in. After reading Chapter 19 in the “Green Economy” book, and hearing that when people unplug their cell phone charger from the wall, they actually not only save their household fourteen dollars a month, but that they also cut down on greenhouse gases by about four tons a year, I wanted to find other little tips like that, that can save money and help save our planet. So I went onto the Puget Sound Energy website and looked over the “Top Ten Winter Tips” and ways to save when it comes to appliances because I felt that these two categories were most applicable to our household. These are definitely useful tips that I can take into consideration to save energy, electricity, and money.

TOP TEN WINTER TIPS:

1.       Set the thermostat to 68 degrees or lower when you’re at home and awake and lower it at bedtime or while you’re away during the day (See Tip #7). Setting the thermostat to 58°F while you’re asleep (you may need an extra blanket!) can cut your utility bill by up to seven percent.
 

2.       Keep draperies and shades on your south facing windows open during the day to allow sunlight to warm your home. Close all draperies and shades at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

3.       Set the water heater thermostat to 120°F or the “low” setting. This will help to lower energy usage and reduce the risk of scalding.

4.       Install water-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators and minimize hot water use by taking shorter showers, washing clothes in cold water and only running full loads in your clothes washer and dishwasher.
 

5.       Seal up air leaks around doors and windows with weather-stripping, caulking and door sweeps to keep heated air in so you can enjoy it longer. Keep the damper closed on a fireplace or wood-burning stove when it’s not in use, and seal up any leaks or gaps in heating ducts that extend through unheated basements or crawl spaces.

6.       Have your furnace inspected and tuned every two to three years (before the heating season starts) and clean or replace the air filters on your furnace every two months during the heating season.
 

7.       Install a programmable thermostat and properly set it to automatically adjust to the heating temperatures suggested in Tip #1.

8.       Replace the lights you use most – particularly your porch light - with ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and fixtures. CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. PSE offers instant discounts at participating retailers and showrooms.

9.       Make sure you have adequate insulation in your home’s attic and walls, and around heating ducts that pass through unheated spaces.

10.    Invest in ENERGY STAR qualified heating equipment such as furnaces, heat pumps and water heaters when it’s time to replace worn-out models. Consult a professional to ensure you purchase the right-sized equipment for your home.

Energy saving tips for appliances

The appliances we use every day present opportunities to save and reduce monthly energy bills. Here is a list of tips to help you get started:

Don't under-load or overload dishwashers or washing machines.

Wash and rinse clothes in the coolest water setting.

Avoid over drying laundry. If your dryer has a moisture sensor or auto shut-off feature, use it.

Clean the lint filter in your dryer after each load. A clogged lint filter increases drying time.

If you have an older refrigerator or freezer, listen to see if the motor/compressor runs constantly. If so, you may need a repair service to check for low refrigerant. Another cause may be a leaky door gasket.

Never use oven or range burners to heat a kitchen.

Look for the ENERGY STAR ^® when purchasing new appliances.

Remove a secondary refrigerator or freezer. PSE residential electric customers can get free pickup and recycling of old fridges and freezers plus a $30 rebate.

My third action was to cut back on random purchasing, and really trying to purchase only things that I need. That has been fairly easy because it saves money and the concept makes sense!

L’ORÉAL Paris: Vive Pro (Glossy Volume Body Boosting Shampoo).

One of my most frequently used personal care products is, of course, shampoo. I use shampoo on almost a daily basis, and I’m sure many others do as well, so why not check to see what exactly I am massaging into my hair and scalp regularly? The shampoo I am currently using is L’ORÉAL Paris: Vive Pro (Glossy Volume Body Boosting Shampoo).

Ingredients:
Water , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , PPG-5-Ceteth-20 , Cocamide MIPA , Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Sodium Chloride , Fragrance , Octylacrylamide , Acrylates , Butylaminomethyl Methacrylate Copolymer , Methylparaben , Polyquaternium-10 , DMDM Hydantoin , Lecithin , Hexyl Cinnamal , Methyl Cocoate , Benzyl Salicylate , Butylphenyl Methylpropional , Linalool , Sodium Cocoate , Hydroxycitronellal , Limonene , Citric Acid

I went onto http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/, and the overall rating my product received was a 6 out of 10, meaning it is a moderate hazard on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being of the highest concern. I was not necessarily surprised because within the last week of this class, I have already learned so many horrible things about human consumption, and my consumption alone. It is definitely something to be concerned about, though, because now it is verified that something I am putting on my head regularly is a moderate hazard! I was glad to see that the ingredients in this product are not linked to cancer or developmental/reproductive toxicity, but not so pleased with the fact that they are linked to allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns such as neurotoxicity, and organ system toxicity.

To see the full results, you can click on this link: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product/159834/L%27Or%26%23233%3Bal_Vive_Pro_Glossy_Volume_Shampoo%2C_Normal_Hair/

I picked one of the ingredients that had one of the higher hazard scores and that was DMDM Hydantoin. It had a hazard score of 7 (on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the highest) and the concerns included allergies/immunotoxicity, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), contamination concerns (FORMALDEHYDE), and use restrictions. I did further research on this ingredient on the website and found that it is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative and that people exposed to it may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself and decomposition products. It is a known human immune system toxicant and a human skin toxicant. So this ingredient definitely should be a concern if you have sensitive skin or even holds the possibility of developing a new allergy. But I wanted to look into the ingredients a little more, so I chose Limonene (perfuming), which had a rating of 6. It had a lot of the same concerns as the other, but also has a link to cancer, which definitely opened my eyes. It also is a wildlife and environmental toxicity, and with how things are going on our planet right now, we definitely do not need anything more to add to environmental problems.

After learning more about something I use so frequently on myself, I do not think I will be purchasing this product again. I definitely could not eliminate shampoo from my personal care ritual, but I can have my hair-cleansing needs met by a different shampoo product. This opened my eyes to something I never really thought too much about before, and I think I might be paying more attention to the ingredients in some of my personal care products.

Ecological Footprint Reduction

After calculating my ecological footprint, I was quite surprised. Of course, I know that I consume a fair amount of resources, but the results I received were a bit larger than I had expected.

According to footprintnetwork.org, if everyone lived like me, we'd need 4.6 planet earths to provide enough resources. My ecological footprint was broken down into these categories: services at 43%, food at 18%, shelter at 16%, goods at 16%, and mobility at 8%. To support my lifestyle, it takes 20.4 global acres of the Earth's productive area and 21.4 tons of carbon dioxide.

A change in some aspects of my lifestyle definitely need to be made. Even little things you do everyday can make a huge difference, and sometimes people do not realize that, myself included. If it would take 4.6 plant earths to live like myself, it's scary to think of how many planet earths we would need for someone who uses way more resources than me.

Three actions I will take to reduce my weekly carbon footprint during the quarter are:

1. I will use reusable shopping bags as much as possible when shopping. I own quite a few, but always seem to forget them and end up using plastic shopping bags. I will definitely make a better effort to bring them with me when I go grocery shopping or even to the mall.

2. I will reduce my energy/electricity usage. Instead of always turning up the heat in my house, I will try to wear more layers of clothing, use blankets, and maybe invest in a more energy efficient source for heat. I will also try to pay attention to little things, such as leaving lights on or electronic devices on in my house, and unplug things that do not need to be plugged in at that moment.

3. I will cut back on random purchases, such as clothing, or little accessories that I tend to purchase. I do not really need to buy new clothing all the time, it's usually more of a want anyways. I will try to stick to purchasing things only if I really need them.

I think the goals I have set for myself work well and are definitely applicable to me. They are things I believe I am capable of doing, and in the end, could make a huge difference.