Share and Voice: Organic Food Info

http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/Organic_vs_GE_Foods.php

Since I am reading the 100 Mile Diet, I thought it would be benefical for me to become more knowledgable about organic food, since my reed 'n seed book has a lot to do with organic vs non organic food.  I found this great website that gives some very important information on organic food and why most critics think it is better than regular food.

Benefits of Organic Food:
*Most common benefit--tastes better

*Health Benefits--Organic foods prevent people from ingesting regular amounts of pesticides and insecticides commonly found in commercial products. Animals are not routinely given antibiotics and other medication which enters the food supply to humans.  Also avoids excessive chemicals that have been known to be linked to major health problems.

*Environmental Benefits--Organic farming ensures that bio-diversity remains available in the foods we eat and the wildlife that live on the farms. Fruits and vegetables are naturally available in 100's of varieties.  In short, organic food protects the plants!  Many species of birds, insects and other animals are affected by the chemicals and farming conditions used in growing commercial foods.



*Human and Animal Benefits-- The workers and the animals are not as exposed to dangerous toxins or working and living conditions. This enables people to continue growing healthy foods for the rest of society without reliance on huge machinery and chemicals. Animals are not subjected to dangerous living conditions.  These unhealthy living conditions usually spread illnesses around the livestock.

Some Organic Carrots

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President: 

Barack Obama (Democratic Party)

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1111

U.S. Representative:
John Kline (Republican Party)
101 West Burnsville Parkway, Suite 201
Burnsville, MN 55337
(952) 808-1213

State Representative:
Sandra Masin (Democratic Party)
527 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651)296-3533

Governor:
Tim Pawlenty (Republican Party)
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651)296-3391

U.S. Senate:
Alan Franken (Democratic Party)
60 East Plato Blvd., Suite 220
Saint Paul, MN 55107
(651) 221-1016

Amy Klobuchar (Deomocratic Party)
1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 727-5220

State Senator:
Julianne Ortman
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
State Office Building, Room 125
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
(651)296-4837

State Representative:
Joe Hoppe
317 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651)296-5066


County Board Representative:
Jan Callison (Democratic party)
A2400 Government Center
300 S. 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55487-0241
(612)348-7886


 

Reflection: Weeks 7 & 8

*The past two Wednesdays we have been posting an update about our eco-chic lifestyle change.  I struggled with my change (getting outside 3 times a week) when I was sick, but lately I have been getting outside a
lot--making up for the lost time.  Sometimes it's tough to get my butt out the door, but I have enjoyed this change very much!

*During week 7 we had an eye opener due at the beginning of class which was a website that listed a bunch of cosmetic products and their rating of being hazardous.  I couldn't believe that my face lotion that I apply everyday has a risk of 7 out of 10!!  It is almost gone, so when it is time to buy a new bottle I am definitely going to buy a different brand.

*During week 7 we also had the second quater of our reed 'n' seed due, so I wrote a post about what has been going on in the 100 mile diet.  After I went back and looked at the post I realized I had rambled on and on and realized that for my next read 'n' seed post I should be more concise, so my readers do not feel so overwhelmed with all the wording.  Anyways, this book is really showing me how much America's food organization is changing--basically that we strongly rely on our food to travel great distances, rather than growing it locally.

*The Monday of week 8 we also had another eye opener due called "Get Your Junk On".   Dr. V showed us this great website of how people turned their trash into treasure.  It was quite interesting and super cool to see all the different types of decorations.  In class during that day we watched a documentary called "Thirst".  I found this film to be very interesting, but also bummed me out.  It made me so upset when that local worker quite his job since the company he worked for became privitized.  It was nice to see how much he loved his job though, and almost made me a little teary-eyed...hehe.  I also couldn't believe that the water in India is being pumped out by Coca-Cola and that the costs are now as much as milk!!  That is crazy that a huge corporation is charging and making a profit off of locals.  Anyways, overall these have been a very interesting past two weeks.  I can't believe midterm has already came and gone!!  Have a good weekend people.

A light bulb being used as a flower holder...fancy

http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/images/2007/beautyTrash_236x236.jpg

Share and Voice: Healthy College Food

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/collegefood.htm

Hey guys, I have started to realize that ever since I moved out about two years ago, that I do not eat as healthy as I should be.  I tend to go out to eat often, bake frozen pizzas too much, and I never seem get enough fruits and veggies.  I found this sweet website that explains what kind of foods should be avoided, what to order while dinning out, how you can cook at home, and the site even gives simple healthy recipes that college students can make and enjoy.

While Eating Out...

-Try to order a grilled chicken sandwhich or deli sandwhich with NO mayo, instead of a greasey burger or something that has been drenched in oil and fried.

-Try buying pineapple and other very sweet fruits, instead of munching on a cookie, that way you can still get the sweetness just on a healthier level

-Stop ordering pop!!!  Pop has crazy sugar levels.  Try a water, cause you are most likely not getting enough as it is, or else order some juice.

While Dinning In...

-The website lists these items as top healty cheap foods:  broccoli, corn, spinach, carrots, chicken, pasta, vegetable sauce, apples, oranges, fruit juice, 1% or skim milk, water, corn bread, oatmeal, yogurt, and eggs.

-Avoid pasta and canned sauce every night of the week!!  Unless you are rigorously exercising.

-DO NOT skip breakfast.  At least treat yourself to a cup of O.J. every morning if you are rushed!

-Drink plenty of water!!!  It keeps the skin smooth and tricks your body on feeling full on little calories

-The website says that lighting a few candles at your house while eating can help you relax and forget your worries.

Don't forget your OJ at breakfast!!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

SMART Goal:

To engage in an outdoor activity 3 times a week, for example; walking, running, biking, sledding, playing tennis, etc.

Successes and Challenges:

The end of last week I was recovering from a very bad cold, cough and fever, so I had to take it pretty easy for a couple of days.  I was planning on running instead of walking last week, to try to increase the intensity of my exercise, but I failed to do so late last week.  Although, yesterday my boyfriend and I went on a twenty minute run around his neighborhood since it was soo nice out.  We also ended up biking to CubFoods later to buy stuff for dinner.  Overall, I have been managing to get outside three times a week.  Sometimes it is hard to pull myself away from a TV show I am watching, or the weather may not be the best, but I have overcome those challenges by trying to realize the feeling of gratitude after I complete my outdoor exercise.  Since the semester is coming to an end, I feel that it is going to become harder to get outside since I am going to be swamped with homework most days.  To overcome this I am going to see as getting outside as a "breather" from my studies, and hopefully that will motivate me to get outdoors.

Feelings Experienced:

After I am done exercising outdoors I feel completely refreshed.  Since most times I get outside with another person it gives me time to "bond" or whatever, with whoever I decide to exercise with...usually being my boyfriend or roommate.  I feel that when I have a lot to deal with it feels the best exercising outdoors during those times, since it kind of works as a stress reliever for me.  Although, when I got sick all I wanted to do was stay in bed, but overall, the feelings I have experienced are very positive.


Learned:

I learned that when you are sick you gotta take it easy, whether you would like to or not, because if you don't you will probably just end up getting even sicker.  I also am figuring out that there are several great hiking trails closeby my house, so I plan on visiting those areas soon.  I haven't hiked much, but I enjoy walking and jogging, so I thought this would be a good plan.

For Next Week:

I plan on running rather than walking and to get on a hiking trail.  Although, next week is looking like a very busy week homework-wise and work hour wise, so if need be I will lessen the time of exercise by ten minutes, but still get outside three times next week.


*Here are some pictures of my boyfriend and I in West Duluth.  We found this sweet river with lots of  paths to walk on and we ended up roaming around for almost an hour.  It was kinda chilly out, but it was pretty fun!!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week __ hosted by http://ecochicwithamy.blogspot.com/

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Antiques:  An old collectable item.  It is collected or desired because of it's age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features.  It is an object that represents a pervious era.

Junk: Waste, any undesirable thing or substance.

Flea Market: A type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered.  It may be indoors, such as a warehouse or school gym, or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent.

Thrift Shop/Resale Shop: Usually sell secondhand goods donated by the members of the public and are often staffed by volunteers.

Upcycling: Involves processing used materials into new products, or the re-use of a product with crippled functionality for alternative purposes, to prevent waste of potentially used materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution, water pollution, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to a virgin product, with the intent of creating a product of higher quality design and artistic value.


What do the terms above have to do with environmental health?
Every one of the above terms have to do with reusing items.  Reusing items can be extremely important when thinking about keeping our environment healthy, for example, if we reuse--we produce less and save energy.

Identify at least one local resource for each of the terms above...provide name, location, contact info, and link to website or blog.
Antiques:
Father Time Antiques
Duluth, MN
218-625-2379

Junk:
Chester Creek Books and Antiques
Duluth, MN
218-724-4427

Flea Market:
Flea Portal
Carlton, MN
218-591-4770


Thrift Shop/Resale Shop:
Savers
Duluth, MN
218-722-1894

Upcycling:
I could not find anything specific to Duluth while using the Google search engine.

Identify whether you do or do not use any of these things and explain why or why not.
I actually just recently went to Goodwill and found my halloween costume there, and it only costed five dollars.  I thought it was a great deal.  Although, at the time I guess I didn't realize that I was actually "bettering" the Environment in a way, by buying a product that has been previously used, rather than a brand new one.  Other than that, I have not been anywhere else related to these definitions.  Although while I visit down in Arizona I usually spend some time at a Flea Market, but I have never been to one in Minnesota.  This makes me realize that there are plenty of second hand stores that I can visit instead of buying products that are new.

Get Your Junk On!!!
1.) Paint Can Lamp
I thought this lamp was kinda neat.  I would have never thought about making it out of all these used products!

2.)Button Necklace
This necklace is pretty cool too, nothing I would wear, but creative!

3.) Bed Spring Candle Holder
I thought this was super neat!!  It is a decoration made from a bed spring.  I think this is something I would actually put in my house for decor.

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second quater of: "Plenty, Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet"

I read the three chapters titled June, July and August, which led me up to page 126.

June:

-There is a scene in this chapter when the deli man helping out Alisa gets frusterated because she keeps asking if specific items are local or not.  The deli man also did not get what local means, because he specified some beef being local that was delivered from over 600 miles away.  This showed the readers that people who are pressed for information who are paid to provide exactly that service tend to get annoyed if they are not their average customer.  This showed me how America is becoming-that the best answer comes the fastest.
-The couple narratoring this book have been vegetarians for 15 years, so they wanted to highlight how hard it was to find alternative foods that would give them protein that weren't of meat within their 100 mile radius.  They realized that their vegetarian lifestyle was greatly dependent upton the distance food system.
-Near the end of this chapter Alisa states "The exercise had begun to feel pointless." on page 75.  She had the feeling that there was no point in living the 100 mile diet anymore because she was getting sick and tired of the limited amounts of what they had to eat.  She also thought about how this 100 mile diet would be if they lived in Spain, instead of Vancouver.  Alisa said that they would probably have to make fewer changes and have lots of different choices in they were in Spain, which goes to show how America's agriculture is very industrialized.

July:

-I just realized that I have forgotten to tell you guys that at the beginning of every new chapter of this book is listed a recipe that have some sentimental importance to the authors.
-During this month the couple decided to post a article about their 100 mile diet on the web.  They got more than imagined feedback that showed interest about their diet, and the repeated question of, "is your new diet boring?"
-This chapter also gives great detail on how the countries of the world started to swap foods with each other, which in reality was not even needed.  They believe the countries started doing so, to feel as if they were getting more variety in their diets, which in reality variety was available to them already in their own lands. 
-It highlights the sadness that many family farms are getting shut down because of big farming organizations.  Family farms will ask other farms to keep their a few of their crops growing and give them seeds, because it's been in their family for several generations.
-This chapter also brings up the idea that the varities of food are slimming.  The authors give the example of radish, that there used to be 436 different kinds, while now the grocery stores seldom carry more than a couple different types.
-On page 99 it states, "The daily food supply in America now contains enough calories to feed almost double the U.S. population, without  reducing food exports by one itoa.  People spend 7% of their disposable income on food, down from 22% in 1950."

August:

-In this chapter the couple takes a 16 hour road trip to vacation at a cabin they rent out for a month each summer.  This chapter basically explains their new territory they have to deal with and goes into depth about their visits at some local farmers' markets.  Alisa goes on to tell about what the couple usually does for fun while staying out there for a few weeks and says that the place has a very naturalistic feel to it.  While getting comfortable in their cabin, they meet a man named Roy and they end up having a fire together.  They sit around the fire all night and listen to Roy's stories about the woods they rest in.
-Alisa points out that everyday she and her husband would search for berries of such in the woods and that would usually be their breakfast.  There was a cherry orchard near by so they would visit there often, too.  There were many apple trees near by, so nearing the end of the month they picked apples and made many apple pies.
-This chapter was more of a "story telling" chapter, rather than having much informational aspect to it.



*I feel that by putting in the scene of the deli man becoming frusterated with Alisa when she was asking if certain products were local was showing the readers that America is becoming greatly industrialized and that the best answer comes the fastest.
*I also believe that it is important to highlight the fact that the variety of foods are lessing due to the big farming cooperations that are taking over.  They are only producing large quantities of specific types of food, causing customers to loose their once many options of a food choice.
*These chapters also highlight that some people don't even know what "local" means.  I mean, one worker in this story said a certain type of meat was "local" when really it was sent to that location from 600 miles away.
*It also brings up the fact that the calories in the American diet could feed double the population of the US right now.  That is showing us that people in the United States are eating double than what they actually should be eating.  That is crazy to me!
*I liked how Alisa brought up the idea that this 100 mile diet would be extremely easier if she lived in Spain, rather than Vancouver.  It goes to show that countries all over the world are still living mainly locally, and that America's agriculture is becoming industrialized and that most people rely on far distance food shipping more than ever.

Share and Voice: How to Avoid Swine Flu Infection

http://www.ehow.com/how_4932277_avoid-swine-flu-infection.html

Some of you probably think the swine flu is extremely over publicized lately and that people are overreacting when they worry if they have it or not, but if you have or get very sick this winter, you will be thankful for this website.  This site gives a little background information about what the swine flu is and how it differs from the other types of flus.  Since I have been very sick on and off lately, I thought it'd be a good idea to see how my symptoms relate to the symptoms of someone who is infected with the swine flu.  I had symptoms that were very similar to the swine flu symptoms earlier in the school year, but luckily I was tested and the doctor's report said I did not have the infection, rather I had just the regular flu (that was a couple weeks ago).  I feel as I should go back to the doctor, since I am sick again (very bad cough), but kind of feel like a worry-wart doing so...so I have yet to get to a clinic for a second time.  Anyways, the website listed some ways of how to avoid the swine flu, which were:

-Wash hands frequently/Carry hand sanitizer
-Touch public facilities as little as possible
-Avoid closed quaters (airplanes, small rooms, etc)
-Clean your produce
-Avoid crowds
-Do not share drinks and food with others
-Contain your cough!!
-Get a H1N1 Vaccination (pregnant women, children and young people are highest at risk)
-Visit your doctor if you have symptoms pertaining to the swine flu

Cover your cough!!!!!!

The website also gives a lot of other information about the swine flu if you click on the tabs ontop of the page.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

My goal, as most of you may remember, is to get outside 3 times a week, which unfortunately did not happen this week.  I got very sick (once again) over the weekend with a fever and very bad cough, so I basically slept all weekend and tried to get some homework done.  Although, last thursday (I believe) my roomies and I went down to Canal Park to take our Christmas card picture and I asked them if they would like to walk around the boardwalk, so I could sneak in an outdoor activity, and they agreed.  Other than that, I have not gotten outside at all.  This week I felt like I accomplished nothing, but at the same time I felt exhausted.

My main goal as of now is just to get better and stay better!!!  I am so sick of being sick ahh!!  Mainly because I hate getting behind in classses.  I am also thinking that when I get completely better that I am going to make sure to bundle up when I go outside, to avoid any cold I might get...or else exercise at the UMD gym if the weather is bad.

Next week I am hoping to get outside 3 times, because it feels like I haven't been outside in forever!!  I also realize that I sleep much better at night on the days I get outside, but lately the bad night sleeps could just because of my cough, or maybe both.  Anyways, hope all of your lifestyle changes went better than mine this week!  Stay healthy.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

I thought about what cosmetic product I use most and I figured it would have to be Dove's face care deep moisture facial lotion.  After looking up the product, I realized it gave a 7/10 hazardous rating.  That is WAAY too high for me to keep continuing to put something that risky on my face, especially at the rate of one to two times daily!  It then gave a list of what this product is linked to, which were: cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, violations and restrictions warnings, allergies and immunotoxicty, and listed other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes.   If this online information is completely accurate, I cannot believe that products like these can get pass regulations and still be up for sale for the consumer.  It P.O.'s me that these companies are willing to put their consumers at risk, just so they can make a profit.

After becoming aware of the risks involved when using my current face lotion, I thought it was obvious that I needed to find a face lotion with lower health risks involved.  I found a lotion called DCL AHA Revitalizing Lotion 10 for face and it only had a 4/10 rate of being hazardous (moderate hazard).  I feel that it is important for me to switch products because then I won't feel that I am supporting something that could be harmful to the consumers.  Sure, this different product still is risky for the consumer, but it is a better change from where I am at right now.  I feel that if I make this change and keep looking for other products with even a lower harm rate of 4, that I am lessening my chances of health effects and also showing the company that I will not put up with these risks involved if I consume their product.

Share and Voice: Tips for Going Green on a Budget

http://www.filterforgood.com/tips_from_josh.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=go+green&utm_campaign=SEM-NonBrand

This website gives great tips on how to "Go Green" on a tight budget.  He gives seven great ideas on how to safe money while perserving the environment at the same time.

1.) Shut down and unplug electronics
2.) Wash your clothes in cold water
3.) Fill your waterbottle with filtered tap water
4.) Update your wardrobe for less-you can trade your current styles for newer styles for free at swapstyle.com
5.) Exchange CDs, DVDs, and books instead of buying
6.) Use refurbished electronics
7.) Use kitchen utensils made of recylced materials

The website goes in more detail on how to go about these changes, but I just wanted to give you the gist of things.  One thing I need to work on is remembering to bring my waterbottle to class.  I always seem to forget it at my house or in my car, so somedays I end up purchasing water at the coffee shop.  I thought it was kinda neat that there is a website where you can actually trade in your clothes for new clothes for free (besides paying shipping and handling in some cases).  Just some ideas on how to live a greener life.

Near the upper top of the page on this website there is a tap that says "Facts" and list why certain things are harmful to our environment.  I read through the list and found out some pretty interesting stuff, such as in 2006 the average American used 167 disposable water bottles and only recycled 38.  That is crazy, that is over 45% of the year that people use a disposable water bottle!  Anyways, I would suggest reading through the fact part as well.  Have a good one everyone.

Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

Last Monday we watched "The Future of Food" which was a great documentary about critical factors of the production of food.  One example they brought attention to is how large farming companies are trying to wipe out the family owned farms by sueing them for having some of their pattened crop in their field.  I thought this was outrageous!! And personally, I feel that something pertaining to nature should not be pattened, rather it is there for the world to use.  It made me feel so bad for those farmers because by destroying their land and crops is basically destroying their family's many generations of hard work.  During week five we also had our second eco-chic lifestyle update post.  So far I have been getting outside about 3 times a week.  Although, it has been so rainy out lately that I usually am not out for too long, because it gets chilly quick.  To overcome this weather conflict, I have been bundling up and trying to get outside when it is not raining.  I am looking forward to the snow however, because I feel there will be more outdoor activity options, instead of just walking or hiking in the icky rain.  We also had our first reed 'n' seed due, so I gave an update of my 100 Mile Diet book, you can check it out on my other blog post labled reed 'n' seed if you have not.

The Monday of week six we watched a video called Diet for New America.  This movie was led my John Robbins who went into discussion about how many farms are ran and how their livestock is treated.  I found it so saddening, but also interesting, that meat that is known to be tender and lighter in color is really from animals who are treated with very little care and that have barely any walking space in their barns.  It made me aware that when I buy that type of meat I am basically supporting this treatment of the animals.  It really opened my eyes to look into what kind of meats I am purchasing, and to be sure that the meat that I do eat is from healthy, well treated cattle.  We also had to figure out how to make a header and add it to our blog.  I finally got it figured out and decided to put up a picture of a sunset on a lake in Minnesota.  Happy Friday everyone!!

Raw Milk Truth

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

Hey guys, my SMART goal has been going pretty good.  I have been getting outside at least twice a week, but most times three times a week.  In the last two weeks I have gone on a couple walks with my boyfriend, played ultimate football with some cousins at a family get together, went for a run at the boardwalk down in canal, and when I was in the cities I played tennis with my sister a couple times. 

For the past two weeks my lifestyle change has not been too hard because my homework load has not been too heavy and my work hours have been little.  Even though walking is not an intense activity, I have come to realize that I really enjoy it.  It kind of works as a stress reliever for me.  I should probably start running more, but honestly I'd rather not (hehe).  The weather is getting cooler now, so I have been wearing a hat and mittens when my boyfriend and I go wandering around his neighborhood, since it's usually after dark.  I also realize it is much easier for me to get outside when I have someone to go with.  It gives me much more motivation and makes it a lot more fun. 

A picture I took on a walk in Duluth

Since it is almost midterm I can tell that my classes are going to become much more time consuming and rigorous, so this may become a conflict.  To overcome this I see that it is still important to get outside, but maybe lessen the amount of time I am outside for.  This does not mean I am not accountable for my lifestyle change, but it is important to adjust the change in order to avoid stress.  Also weather may become a obstacle to overcome.  If weather does not permit for outdoor activity, I will just have to go to a gym or do an areobics video instead...at least I still get to exercise someway.  For next week I am planning to actually run outside at least once, instead of just walking...hopefully I can stick to this goal!!  Have a good week everyone.

Share and Voice: 100 Ways to Save Environment!!

http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm

Hey guys.  Since I am trying to live a more "greener" lifestyle, I found this sweet website that gives 100 ways how to save the environment.  The website (provided by SEQL) gave a few categories pertaining to where and how you can make the changes, which were listed as:

-in your home-conserve energy
-in your home-reduce toxicity
-in your yard
-in your office
-ways to protect our air
-ways to use less water
-how to create less trash.

One thing my household should work on is trying to remember to shut off the lights when we are not in the room.  I have mentioned this to my roomies before, but they always seem to forget!!  Also, it is important to really think if you need a light on or not, sometimes we turn on lights subconciously when we aren't even in need for extra light.  One way to avoid this is to put duck tape over your light switch so you can actually process the thought if you actually need it, and in most cases you don't even need to flip the switch.

Image From ABC

A second change I should make is to start printing off class assigned readings on both front and back of the paper.  This will cut my expenses in half and the amount of trees that are being cut down to make this paper.  I just always seem to forget to change the printing settings, but I should really  make this a priority.

One last change my roomies and I should make is to stop running the dishwasher when it is only half way full.  Sure we may not like messy kitchens, but it is much better for our environment to reduce the amount of times we run a machine that uses great amounts of water.  On the website there are 97 other ways to better our environment and I highly suggest you take a look!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Share and Voice: Explore Minnesota

http://www.exploreminnesota.com/get-outdoors

Hey all!  Since my lifestyle change is to start getting outside more I found this great Minnesota website that shares what kind of outdoor activities are available in your zip code.  All you do is type in your zip code in the upper left hand of the screen and up pops places to go, things to do, and events that are going on.  This is a great way to become involved in your community if you want to become engaged in local festivities.  A festival that is coming up is the Gales of November, held at the DECC.  At this event people can tour the lighthouse, underwater exploration, learn about diving technology, shipwrecks and more.

This website also gives information on what type of outdoor activities are available up North during the different seasons.  Some winter activities consist of Snowflake Nordic Ski Center, Spirit Mountain, Superior National Forest and many more.  Once the snow starts coming, I am definitely going to come back to this website to get more ideas of outdoor activities!

The Lighthouse in Duluth

Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of "Plenty, Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet"

 I covered the first three chapters (March, April, May), which led me up to page 63.

Chapter 1:  March

-The Vancouver couple decided to start their 100 mile diet basically because of one night while on vacation in British Columbia.  They were at a cabin up in the mountains while there was very bad weather, so they had to dig around the cabin to figure out what they could make for dinner.  They only had one head of cabbage, butter, and a bottle of wine.  They ended up making a delicious salad and it got them thinking about what it would be like to live off foods like such for one year.
-While I was reading, the narrator actually brought up the fact of what an ecological footprint is.  I thought it was cool that I actually knew what this was because of last weeks eye opener assignment.  This book states that the average number of planets a person from America would need is nine!  That is insane! 
-During this chapter they also figure out their boundaries they have to stay within, made the rule that they were "off the hook" when they went to eat at friends/family's houses, and that they could use up any unlocal products left in the house.
-They made their first dinner consisting of spring salmon, free-range eggs, grated potatoes, and turnips covered in organic yogurt which were all local products, leaving the only unlocal product to be salt.  The meal costed them $128.87

Chapter 2:  April

-The narrator switches from the husband to the wife in this chapter.  Alisa (the narrator) goes in depth about how she never learned how to cook and always has relied on her husbands capabilities.  She brings her grandmother into the story, who was known to be the best cook ever, but was never willing to teach.  The grandmother ends up dying so her character is very short lived, and only was part of this chapter to give us readers more insight into who Alisa is.
-This chapter included many statistics, such as:
In Ontario the typical distance from farm to plate is 2,500 miles, as it states on page 30.  The narrators believe that food travels because oil is cheap and they can gain great profits even at far distances.  Some milk from Iowa "weighted total source distance" turned out to be 2,216 miles without taking into consideration the plastic container, foil, or box.  In 1970, Pirog noted only 21% of America's fresh fruit was imported.  And according to a 2001 study, shipping food nationally uses seventeen times more fuel than a regional food system.
-Near the end of the chapter, Alisa really wanted a sandwich that she usually gets from a coffee shop, but the bits of the sandwich itself are further than 100 miles away, so she had to improvise.  Her husband made a sandwich consisting of turnips instead of bread with locally bought cheese in the middle.  She said it was great.

Chapter 3: May

-In this chapter the couple becomes a bit more hopeful since the winter months are fading away.  They decide to plant a garden in the community garden (since they reside in an apartment complex).  They end up planting beets, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, fennel, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, spinich and turnips.
-The local farmer's market finally opened after the long summer months, so they finally can have more of a variety to their meals again.
-They highlight some facts, such as that 300,000 Americans are hospitilized each year because of food they eat and even certified organic food now can not be wholly trusted because many include factory farmed meat and dairy products and artificial flavors.
-The main point of this chapter is that it is important to be able to relate each item you eat to a place or face.

*Why should we care about all of this??
I believe that there is a bunch of valuable information in these three chapters, whether it being the facts/statistics or the real life experiences of the narrators.  The most profound thing that I have taken away from these three chapters would have to be the idea that it is important to be able to relate each item you eat to a place or face.  Obviously if people are consuming their foods from big corporations such as Cub, one does not know the exact place where that bag of salad came from or who grew the tomatoes.  That is why it is ideal for people to eat their foods from a farmer's market, so the consumer knows how exactly the food is grown.  I feel that it is very important for this type of information to be made aware to the public, because before I read this book or was in this class I knew slim to none about organic vs processed foods.  If the public knows about it, then they have the choice to do something about it!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

My SMART goal was to start getting outside 2-3 times a week.  Thus far, I have been achieving my goal, so I am happy about that.  I first started off writing a list of things that I can do outside, then I decided at the beginning of each week I am going to pick 2-3 days (depending on how busy my week looks) a week to engage in an outdoor activity.  I feel like this has helped me become successful, because by setting time aside to enjoy the outdoors I feel more accountable if I see that I missed a specific day rather than just saying "I didn't have time this week", when really I had 30 minutes here but was just unmotivated to do so.

Some challenges I could face are:
*Heavy school load and work hours
*Weather conditions
*Pure laziness/unmotivated
*Sick/Injuries

Strategies for facing challenges:
*When the school load and work hours seem to be overwhelming one week, I feel that it is still important to get outside and be active, but rather to lessen the outdoors time.  For an example, go for a walk for twenty minutes instead of forty minutes.
*We all know that winter will be here shortly, so I feel that it is important for me to change my activities as the weather changes.  Such as I can go sledding, skiing, snow shoeing and maybe hiking in the snow.  If it is extremely poor weather conditions I can reschedule for a different day or else exercise indoors.
*Some days I will probably just want to be a couch potato when I know I should be outside, but I feel if I found a "buddy" who could come and exercise with me would get me in a better frame of mind.  I could also offer myself a small reward after exercising outdoors, such as renting a movie or eating a favorite food.
*If I become sick I should not strain my body to exercise if it does not feel healthy enough to do so.  Although, sometimes fresh air will make people feel better if they have a headache or such, so I should keep that in mind.

So far, I have gone for a bike ride around my boyfriend's neighborhood, walked to Cold Stone (5 miles round trip) with my boyfriend, and played tennis with my roomie.  After doing each activity I feel so refreshed!! And I feel that on the days that I exercise I seem to fall asleep better at night.  It's fun, but sometimes it is hard to get off my butt and actually get outside.

I feel that my plans, as of now, are going pretty good.  I have been getting outside and sticking to my lifestyle change.  I don't think any modifications are needed as of now.  Hope you all are having a good week!!

Eye Opener: CSPI

For this eye opener I decided to visit the webside where a person can Tour the Food Supply.  I read about several specific topics dealing with the supply of food, such as: the feed lot, slaughter house, factory farm, irrigation, pesticides, supermarket and a couple others.

I couldn't believe that the feed lot itself polluted the air with harmful gases and the water with manure.  I always thought these places were stinky but I guess I didn't take into consideration that these awful smells could actually do some harm to the environment.  I also wasn't aware that these cattle in the feed lots are fed high energized grains which messes with their diets and cause health problems.  Feeding cattle these type of grains also raise the fat content in their meat supply.

After I read about slaughter houses it made me second guess the type of meat I buy at the grocery store.  I guess it is known that poor sanitary practices mixed with the dangerous bacteria from the left over animal pieces can be life threatening if a consumer handles the meat improperly or if it is not cooked at a high enough temperature.  It is also so sad that cattle, pigs, sheet, and chickens are being killed inhumanley and are jammed into trucks with inconsiderable amounts of food and water.  It just makes me sick to think about it, since I am a semi-big animal lover.

One last topic that has a connection with food supplies is pesticides.  I read that in 2001, 181 million pounds of pesticides were used in farming.  That is over 1/3 of all the pesticides being used!  They used these pesticides with feed grains, hay, and pastures.  Sure, pesticides kill weeds, but they also kill important insects that nourish the environment.

Overall, this website brought to my attention how the United States food supply is hurting our environment.  After reading these facts I feel that the government should put some effort forth to better the way our food supply is ran and take into consideration the benefits for our environment if changes are made.

Reflection: Weeks 3 & 4

I feel that I have learned quite a bit over the past two weeks.  The Monday of week three we actually didn't have a class, but instead had a meeting with either Steve or Jayme.  I ending up meeting with Jayme and she went through the list of stuff that was required so far for a student going for an "A" grade.  She was very helpful and showed me how to add the labels to my blog since I was having difficulties with that.  We also had to decide which book we were going to read for our Read 'n' Seed project.  I looked through a list of Environmental books on Amazon and found a reading called Plenty: The 100 Mile Diet.  This book is about a Vancouver couple eating locally (foods only within 100 miles of their apartment) for one year.  I thought it sounded interesting because I feel that this would be a hard challenge and wanted to see how they overcame their difficulties.

During week four we had to have the ecological footprint eye opener assignment done before class.  This is a quiz that basically tells a person how much earth is required to fit their lifestyle.  I couldn't believe that we would need five earths if everyone lived the way I do!  That is so crazy and got me thinking I should really make some changes to the way I live.  I was actually not in class this Monday because I have been sick with a really bad cold and fever this week, but I am feeling a lot better now, I just have a cough that I need to get rid of!  I have not had the chance to rent An Inconvient Truth yet, but I plan on watching it this weekend when I have more time, since I have been playing catch up in all of my classes.  I read about the video though and it is a documentary on global warming and how people are the main cause of it, but they emphasize that there is time to change our ways.  Anyways, even though I have not been in class for the past two weeks, I'm still learning lots and enjoying it.

Share and Voice: 20/20 Sick in America: Whose Body is it Anyway?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf3MtjMBWx4

This youtube video presented by Abc's 20/20 talks about America's current health care.  I barely know anything about the topic itself, so I thought it would be beneficial for me to view to get a bit of insight on what the ordeal is about.  This video clearly stated that America's current health care is "...disfunctional and out of control..."  They took on the view that insurance companies are profitting off the high costs to pay their executives.  They also talk about how other people spend our health care money for us, such as hospitals deal with the costs and may jack up the prices thinking patients don't pay close attention to them since it is covered by their insurance.  One other important fact that was noted in the clip was that 2/3 of people get health care through their employer.  Specialists being interviewed in the video said this is not a good idea to tie health care to people's jobs because it is shown that 4/10 Americans change jobs ever year, thus loosing their benefits.

After thinking about this video, I have a feeling it may be biased.  It is only focusing on negative aspects of health care and not any advantages there is to having health insurance today.  I hear all the time that our health care system is failing, but there must be a couple positive things about the source today.  And I agree with the lady being interviewed, that the government should not only rely on people to get health care through their employer.  Many people in America are self employed, switch jobs often, or become laid off.  All in all, our health care system needs to be corrected and this situation needs to be made aware to the public eye.

DAILYRFT