Thursday, January 29, 2015

Ecological Footprint Update

Four weeks into tracking my ecological footprint and actively trying to reduce it...I have made some small changes, and they are in line with the goals I set for myself, but I kind of feel like I'm still not doing enough.



Unplugging electronics: I put a power strip in my kitchen to plug the mountain of juicers, blenders, keurigs, and crockpots my roommates and I have have sitting around into. I got them on board and we have been really good at only turning it on when we need it. In my room, I only have a couple of things plugged in at any time and they're all spread out, so a power strip doesn't really solve much. I have been remembering more and more to unplug everything but the hard-to-reach lamps before I leave the house though. Overall I feel like this is a pretty easy goal; once you get in the habit it just becomes a part of your routine, at least it has for me.

Buying Seasonally and Locally: When I thought about how well I had been doing on this one, I realized I really haven't gone to the grocery store that much in the last few weeks. A combination of eating at work, on campus, and out with friends hasn't given me much need to stock my personal shelves. The few things I have bought for my fridge did come from the Co-Op, though. I have been carrying my Seafood Watch guide in my purse so I can make sustainable seafood choices at restaurants. This is still a goal I feel passionate about seeing through beyond the scope of this class, it requires a bit more research on my part though.

Driving Less: My original goal was to cut out one drive to work per week, and honestly, this has been my least successful goal. What it really comes down to for me is time, I simply don't have enough of it sometimes. Most days I only have a few minutes of turnaround time between jobs; If I didn't drive some of these past days I would have been very late. On a positive note, I have been cutting out other small car trips, maybe not to work like I had planned, but when I need something at the store or I'm stopping by a friend's house, I can say I have resisted and taken the foot route instead. I'm not sure how much I can improve on this right now...time management perhaps?

And my new goal is...


That's right, WORM BIN! This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, every since my sister (an organic farm junkie) introduced me to the concept. For those who aren't familiar with vermicomposting, it's an awesome way to compost if you live in an urban area or a small home with no place for an outdoor compost pile. Like I said, this has been a goal of mine for quite some time, no time like the present I guess! The biggest obstacle I foresee is convincing my roommates to get onboard; they are rather squeamish clean-freaks who will likely object to 500 red wrigglers living in their kitchen. Below is an infographic explaining the process; hopefully I can get mine constructed at least by the end of the quarter.


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