April 10th 2012

And the Close...

    So, this project came to a close this Tuesday, and none to soon I must say! I found this week to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. As time wore on, I found myself having a hard time honoring all of my original rules. What truly made this week hard (and was also the most eyeopening) was my seeing my inner will power swing back and forth between what I needed to do and what I wanted to do. I found that I am much more dependent on modern luxuries then I thought, which is surprising because I thought myself pretty dependent before this project!
    I found the hardest thing for me to do was to give up my forms of communication and my shuttle rides! I am not a big texter or talker, but it is important to me to stay in touch with my family when they are so far and to hear their voices. I broke down at least three times this week in order to use my phone to call them and just say hello. It made me think about living in a world without cell phones like our grandparents did...I can't imagine not reaching my family whenever I want, but I know it can be done since cell phones are obviously a fairly new invention. And the shuttle- my weak point, I am ashamed to say. I had a hard time convincing myself to not ride it, especially when the wind was blowing and it was rainy and cold! I tried not to feel guilty when I was riding it, I told myself that it was public transportation and therefore more acceptable to ride (even though it broke my rules). Looking back, I have to say though, riding the shuttle is a fairly green thing to do, many people get use out of it and it emits less carbon gas than if we were all driving cars. I know I know! I still broke my own rules!
    On a brighter note, I found several of my rules easier to follow and I even ended up enjoying quite a few. A couple of the ones that I found easier to adhere to were my attempts at being a vegetarian during daylight hours, and not buying commercial things random things. Both of them, I thought would hard, but I actually found that being a vegetarian made me feel better. I realized I do not need meat to have a satisfying meal, in fact, I found that I felt better and lighter after many of my veggie meals. I was also thankful for my vegetarian vow earlier in the week when I was sitting in MGC I was bombarded by a woman asking for signatures and throwing magazines from PEETA in my lap. The pictures of industrial farming inside were so depressing, I was so glad to have only a salad sitting in front of me. Im not sure I could have stomached a chicken tender. And though I do not think I will quite make the complete cross over to full on "Veggie Girl," I truly believe I will eat less meat, and try to make the conscious effort to eat responsibly. I was also quite pleased with my spending, after the first day or two when I broke and bought that snack or soda I wanted, I buckled down and ended up spending less then $20 this past week. 
     My final rule that I really enjoyed was the community service aspect of my project. I spent two afternoons down along Rock Creek Park picking up trash with a friend I drug out with me. And while we only spent about and hour and a half each time, it was still a great feeling to know what we were carrying out, made the park a nicer place for everyone. Plus we got a few thank yous from people walking their dogs, which was really nice to hear!   
    I know that this project was not quite the success I had in mind, but regardless it got the job of thinking done. It got me really thinking about this world, and how I am part of the problem, but also how I can be part of the solution.  Living sustainably does not mean giving everything up, nor does it mean buying a bag with the words "green" scrawled across it. It is about finding balance between the two and really believing in the change and asking others to help you do it. 
   
                   So... thanks for following along, if you did!   Perhaps I will make a post here once in awhile, just to keep myself mindful of what this project was all about.:) 

April 7th 2012

Pros and Cons

As I have struggled to honor the series of rules I set in place for myself this week, I have come to realize that the people around me have shared this project and the difficulties that come with it. I have had to change the way that I communicate, eat and even hang out with people. It is hard because I do not like causing difficulties for my friends, and throwing off our "groove." I am guilty of breaking some of rules to appease my friends or to keep from being a hassle. Things like riding the shuttle at night, or buying a quick bite to eat when my roommate and I were lost and hungry or even the debacle of trying to communicate with out my phone. This is not to say that I have not succeeded in abiding by most of my rules, but I do realize how hard it would be to live like this all the time; It would hinder the way you work, spend time with friends and spend free time, it really would change your lifestyle and make it extremely hard to have a social life in todays society, not to mention going through with the extra effort to find legit "green things" and ways of living. 

But then, I have to look at the flip side of this project and realize that I have actually focused on parts of my life that are usually neglected, like quality time with friends, studying, and my own happiness. Since there has been less distractions for me this week, I have found that I have gotten so much more out of my conversations with friends because I stayed off my Facebook or my phone while we were speaking. And since I was more focused on my counterparts in conversations, I think it was appreciated and sometimes they even put away their phones and we had some great times. My studying time may not have increased but I feel like I got way more out of it! Again, fewer distractions meant more focus, which was eye-opening for me, to realize that I can learn a lot more when I don't give into my desires to hop on Facebook. I even found that I enjoyed reading the philosophy readings that I usually dread, because i allowed myself to become engrossed in the subject with out breaking my line of thought. My final revelation from today was that I am really enjoying writing my letters and doing my daily walks/runs outside. I have written to my grandparents, an old neighbor who used to babysit me, and a friend attending college out in Arizona. These letters make me feel like I am making a real effort to make contact with these people instead of just leaving a voicemail. I think it will mean a lot to the older people I write who once only communicated with letters before cellphones and the Internet. I am hoping that I get a letter or two back because I think it would be fun to start a correspondence via the mail system.

So far this project has been hard, and I have not exactly followed all of my own rules, but I still feel as though I am making a difference by trying and by seeing how it feels to live “sustainably.” 

April 4, 2012
   Ooopps!         

            So, this project got off to a rough start. When I woke up yesterday morning I forgot that I was starting it. So the first thing I did was log onto Facebook and my Hulu account, I merrily viewed profiles and Modern Family until it was time for class. Ooopps! I got to class and the projects were mentioned and I realized that I had messed up, but I resolved to be perfect for the rest of the day. Well, I did okay for the few hours I was in classes, then it was time for breakfast, and out of habit I threw a couple sausages on my plate. Ooopps! Fortunately I remembered that I was trying to be a vegetarian during the day after the first few bites. My biggest failure of the day though, was the use of my Facebook; I have been using it to communicate because my replacement phone has still not arrived. Ooopps! I tried to only use the messaging part in an attempt to honor my own rule. I am a little conflicted with this because I know that I do need to communicate with my family and with people I plan to hang out with, but then I know that I said no social media… I am hoping that my new phone gets here soon, so that this is not a problem.

            I did fairly well in all other aspects of my project, I walked to Tenlelytown instead of taking the shuttle, with my friends while they bought food, and it was hard to not join in on the spending spree… I had to wait till we got back to campus to eat dinner. I enjoyed my time for myself a lot though yesterday! I went for a long run, which was great, it gave me time to think about this project and reflect on how the changes were difficult but slightly refreshing. It is like a test of my will a lot of the time, whether or not I can say “no” to things I don't really need but really, really want. It’s kind of like a game with myself.  I also really enjoyed writing a letter to my grandparents; it was much more personal then e-mail. I know that they will appreciate the time I put into it. In attempt to use my computer less, I read the New York Times paper instead of reading online, and I think I may just switch to that, there was something very cool about just sitting down a disappearing into a big paper without distraction like YouTube or Facebook.

            Although this project got off to a rough start, I think that I am going to learn something about my own preferences this week even as I battle my own greedy wants. I am feeling slightly more optimistic about this project, I know there will be some struggles with myself and situations I am in, but then I also know that I am going to have fun doing things in place of my usual habits. 

March 29, 2012

A Jumpstart on Less Luxuries

            Yesterday my phone died; not the kind of died that can be remedied with a quick charge or the switching of a battery. Sadly this is the kind of dead that means my little electronic will be going to the great phone charger in the sky.  The loss of my phone is rather timely actually, as I am starting in on my experiment “ A Few Less Luxuries” this coming week. This experiment is to attempt cutting out some of my favorite luxuries and see if I can go a week without breaking my own stipulations. Losing my phone now has given me a head start on learning about myself, and my dependence on frivolous luxuries and the amount waste I produce.  

Just as I was about to throw my phone out; I wondered what kind of impact it would make in the landfill. So I goggled it. I learned 65 million tons of old phones are thrown away in the U.S. every year. This clogs our landfills with ingredients such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and flame-retarding chemicals. It is scary, because despite best efforts to contain these chemicals, there are instances where they seep into underground water supplies. Yikes! Fortunately for me, (and you) there are recycling options that will deal with these dangerous ingredients (which I plan on using). I am beginning to realize how much waste I have been creating my whole life with out a second thought for the environment. So for my experiment I am really looking forward to living more sustainably and leaving less of a carbon footprint.

While the physical affects that my dead phone will have on the environment are rather scary, I find my reaction to its absence rather disconcerting as well. Today I found myself automatically reaching for my phone as I left a building or wanted to know the time.  Every time I did, I remembered my phone was dead. And every time I realized it is dead I was annoyed, but I also became slightly panicky- I feel somewhat as if my connection to the world is gone. I cannot reach my mom at anytime; I cannot text my friends or make plans. Even just walking out of my room today without my phone felt strange, as if I had forgotten my pants!

            If losing the use of my phone has opened my eyes to my clingy dependence to the luxury of easy communication, then giving up some of my other luxury items (voluntarily) this week, should be an avalanche of enlightenment. Below are the luxuries that I have decided to cut out. After seeing how difficult it is to live without my phone, I am concerned that this week may prove more challenging then I first thought.

           

A Little Less Luxuries: The Rules.

Transportation

            Being at school I tend to use Public transportation quite a bit, but I would like to reduce my carbon print as much as possible. Therefore, I have decided to only use one type of transportation, and that is the Metro. I will not use the AU shuttle, buses, bikes or taxis. I feel like this will be a challenge because I use the shuttle almost everyday and I use buses at least once a week. I will have to walk if I want to get off the metro map.

Food

            I love food! It is something that I tend to spend more money on then I really need to. So I have decided to not buy any food during this project and live off my TDR meal swipes because last semester I did not use nearly as many as I should have. I will not buy groceries or snack foods, to often I buy these on a whim without thinking about what I am eating. To really be aware of what I am eating I am also going to try my hand at being a vegetarian during the day and only eat meat once a day at dinner My boyfriend I go out to eat a lot, so I am taking restaurants off the table for date night, this will save us money and give us the opportunity to go try other things. 

Consumerism

I like to buy things; I do not buy a lot, but I am guilty of buying frivolous things like candy, sodas, tickets, and clothes. With spring coming it is easy for me to see things like shoes and shorts and decide that I need them, when I really have plenty in my wardrobe to get me through the season. So this week I will restrain myself from shopping and I will not buy anything from stores. This will be difficult since my roommate loves to go shopping and I am always willing to tag along.

Technology

            I love my computer, I spend way to much time on it; I spend hours upon hours perusing my Facebook and viewing silly videos on you tube. So, for the duration of this project I will not be using the Internet unless it is for checking my emails and blackboard or doing research. I will also be not use my phone for texting, I will only call when absolutely necessary (like to arrange meetings).

Positive Impact/Political Action

            Being outdoors has always been a huge part of my life. So when I see trash and debris in nature it is upsetting. Seeing how the environment is treated it makes me sad. So for the duration of this project, and perhaps longer I will go down to Rock Creek Park and surrounding areas twice a week to pick up trash. I will invite my friends down there to help out. Also I plan on researching the amount of energy I use in one week and figure out the cost; then work it off with community service (using minimum wage as my gage). 

Health & Happiness:

            Between the distractions of a dorm life, activities and schoolwork it can be hard to make the time to take care of myself and stay in touch with the people who are important to me. I love being outdoors, and there are people that I love very much but have fallen out of touch with.  To make myself happier, I am going to go for a run or walk every day for at least thirty minutes and I will write and mail a letter to those who have not heard from me in a while.