[HW] When It All Comes Down To It...

..There are a lot of things that I could discuss and research that relate to environmental science. This science, as I have come to learn over the past semester, is pretty much the study of how the earth works and how us humans influence it through our actions. And it's more than just that. Because we ourselves are a part of nature and the world so this science even studies how humans are affected by the earth. It's a rather all-encompassing subject.
This semester has brought me abundant knowledge and clarity on the world and my part in it. And as my last blog post, I will give into a time of reflection where I examine the biggest environmental issue today. Now for everyone's sake, especially my own, I have narrowed the spectrum down to the biggest environmental issue today within the United States.
Getting straight to the point, I believe one of the biggest issues within the US is over consumption. If there's one thing I have learned from this class is that the US has no concept of moderation (now given, I have learned many more things in this class!). I believe this is an issue due to the US dependency upon non-renewable sources. These sources of energy are ones that cannot be replenished over a short period of time. The US has a huge dependency upon fossil fuels, such as, coal and oil. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2011 the US consumed 18.8 million barrels PER DAY of petroleum products. We import and export oil like crazy. The problem is, what will happen once this source is gone? It is not only an economic issue, but while we are burning and consuming so much oil we are putting the environment at stake.
Now, here's the issue. Now what can the US do to solve it? One way is to encourage and fund research for alternative fuels and energy. Another solution is to transform the way we transport ourselves by increasing more efficient transportation. Another way is to fix the soul issue of over consumption and promote moderation (how do you think we should accomplish this?). There may be many solutions, but which ones will actually be effective once implemented into our society? What do you think?
Now things don't change overnight. It's a personal responsibility to start the change and to encourage others to join in. I have contemplated over what I can do. First thing for me is to just be aware of the issues and the solutions. Second is to figure out what I can live without and what can I replace in order to decrease my consumption. Some examples would be to decrease my purchases that come with way too much packaging, buying local, and having a consciousness of how I will reuse and repurpose products.
Those are just some ideas that I will hopefully implement.

Out of this whole semester, I was moved by the documentaries that we watched during class. A movie called Dive! discussed the great issue of food waste and a movie called Bag It discussed how much plastic has increased in every part of life. Both movies really moved me towards a change in my own life. My eyes were opened to a bigger world and how much of a burden I need to take on in every decision I make that will effect the environment.

And there you have it. It's probably my longest post thus far, but it's also my last. It's been a great semester getting to learn about so many things and being able to share them with whoever reads them! if you've been on this journey with me through my semester, I encourage you to comment on this post. Let me know your thoughts and if you took charge of living in an environmentally conscious way!

Tread lightly everyone! and Happy summer!

[HW] THE SKY IS FALLING!

...that may not be politically correct. Aside from chicken little, this phrase reminds me of the state of the environment around us - Will the sky ACTUALLY fall?? - Ok, that may still be dramatic, but there is a constant discussion geared towards the state of our climates around the world and if they are changing. In other words, does global warming exist?

Let's the great debate begin!

To start off, is the climate actually changing or is it just a natural pattern that we have progressively noticed? In the United Nations Climate Change Information Kit, climate change is confirmed by the observation of how the earth deals with greenhouse gases. The earth will adjust to be able to balance the energy. The more greenhouses emitted into the environment, the more the earth will adjust and change to maintain balance, and thus the environment will be affected in, sometimes, drastic ways that we can notice.

It doesn't help that human activity has not helped the situation. In fact, the increase of greenhouse gases can be pin pointed to humans. According to the EPA's Climate Indicator handbook, the US by itself is responsible for a 14 percent increase of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. This increase was recorded from 1990 to 2008. The major human activity that feeds the issue at hand is the increase of energy use, via electricity. This use of energy releases these emissions that aid towards the climate changes we have today.

Climate change not only is the cause of the irregular weather, but also many other things in our world. According to NAS, or the National Academics of Science Climate Change Information Site, I was able to find a statement geared towards a more rapid response towards climate change. In it, it gave concern towards not only the melting Arctic sea ice, but with that, the rapid sea level increase. Reading further into UNFFCC information kit will reveal that with climate change, the most affected areas will be sensitive areas - or places that are characterized as places that will have difficulty to adapt. Adding onto that aspect, the people in developing countries are affected harshly by climate change, that would greatly damage their economy and society.

Even with these broadly accepted conclusions, there will still be those who argue against climate change and it being an actual issue. The Heartland Institute published an article titled Global Warming: Not a Crisis. Within the article, Heartland expresses its issues, or concerns, involving global warming. Their concern is how much weight of global warming belongs to human activity and how much of it is a natural occurrence. Also they question if global warming itself is an actually "bad" thing or does it come with benefits. I can understand the doubts towards the topic of climate change alot better now that I got a chance to look at this article.

But, for imagination's sake - try to picture the world's state 50 years from now. Imagine its climate if we continued our normal energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Would it still be the same? I doubt that. Because the earth is always working on balancing energy which causes noticable climate changes, the more continuance use and amount of energy for human activity will probably raise greenhouse emissions significantly. Though I think the earth will still be able to keep itself stabalized as a whole, I believe there will be many places, mostly sensitive areas, that will be great affected and maybe even disappear! It is 50 years from now after all! We ought to be proactive in our energy usage and other areas that feed into climate change. What are your thoughts on the world 50 years from now?

[HW] Chemical Usage

Living in a time and age where science and technology advance faster than a turn in monopoly, it is difficult to keep up with how discoveries are affecting the things we use, the places we live in, and our physical selves. We encounter various types of chemicals that we are told aid our standards of living. There are chemicals that aid how we clean, how we deal with food, and in the products we use on a daily basis. With the consumer-driven mindset, we may often be blinded to the concerns of chemical usage. It sometimes is hard for me, personally, to understand that not everything sold in supermarkets, malls and stores are safe for you. There may be harmful levels of chemicals that you may be exposed to that can affect you, possibly in detrimental ways. 

This week's homework assignment was to reflect on an article published by CQ Press titled Regulating Toxic Chemicals: do we know enough about chemical risks? The article presents the argument that we may not be proactive enough in testing the toxicity of chemicals in the products we use everyday. The article then discusses various topics that are of concern, for instance, nanotechnology, green chemistry, environmental impacts and laws and regulations. One topic that the article discusses, and that I have had a growing interest, in was exposure to Bisphenol A, or more commonly known as, BPA.

BPA is a chemical that is used in plastic production. According to FDA.org, BPA is used to produce hard plastics, like reusable water bottles. It is also used in the lining of canned foods. According to the article, the health risks of BPA have been scientifically known since the 1930's when animal testing discovered endocrine disruption. A result of such a disruption, they observed reproductive and developmental issues. As later stated, within the 1990's BPA toxicity is strong enough to affect humans even in low quantities (though the FDA reports differently). 

Regardless of the health hazard, BPA is still in use today, but thankfully the market demand for BPA-free products has risen due to the continued research and wide-spread knowledge of the disadvantages. 

After reading about how the US has dealt with BPA use, so far, I decided to check out how Europe has handled it. Within the article there is a short section explaining how some regulations are more "precautionary," in that, they will prevent products with chemical risks to even market and if there is no substitute for a certain chemical, that chemical use must be justified in some logical way. 

In 2010, The Independent published an article called Government 'must follow Europe's lead and ban BPA'. The article informs of Denmark's decision to ban BPA in young children products (i.e. baby bottles, etc.). Denmark is noted to be the first European nation to take this sort of initiative against the chemical use; regardless of the popular opinion of BPA safety shared by the US FDA as well as the British Government. 

Do you have an opinion on the chemical usage of BPA? 

[HW] H2O

Cite

Hey Ya'll! I'm back for another homework assignment! I had a wonderful spring break, but it feels good to get back into researching and learning about new things around me. So without further a due, I'll introduce my newest topic: The good ol' H2O!
You seriously can't live without this stuff - it's the majority of your body and the world, but only a small percentage of water supply is fresh - meaning not full of saltiness which will not be of great benefit should you consume it in great amounts. Fresh is the way to go!

Their are a few ways that fresh water gets to your tap. For my city's 2010 Water Quality Report, 62% of its water comes from groundwater wells owned by the Department of Water and Power. 32% comes from the Colorado river by way of Lake Matthews and the last 6% comes from Northern California by way of the California Aqueduct. In recent news, by the end of 2012 another water source will be added by a partnership with the Western Municipal Water District which is expected to bring better "water reliability."

As of 2010, I learned that the water quality of my tap water can still contain a few nasty lil' stinkers. For instance, in the water quality report it said that water could still contain viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment plants, salts and metals from natural sources and urban stormwater runoff, and pesticides from various sources - just to name a few! According to the EWG tap water database 2009, my city was tested for over 18 thousand tests when the average national amount of tests was 420! That among other results shows how low of quality my city's water was from 2004-2009 when the tests were conducted.


Who's in charge of water quality anyway? Not just local - but across the United States? Well - I have the answer for you! The federal agency that places standards for tap water is the EPA which stands for Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA lists an extensive number of contaminates and regulates their maximum levels that is allowed in drinking water (See basic listing here) and requires cities (like mine) to submit yearly water quality reports.

The EPA is pretty strict in it's drinking water regulation. An interesting subject to digress (but not really - it's also a part of my homework assignment) to is bottle water and its regulations. It may surprise you, but the EPA does not regulate bottled water. "Who does" you ask? Why, the FDA does! FDA stands for Food and Drug Distribution. The trouble with the FDA in regulating bottled water is that it is not as strict as the EPA and does not require the annual water quality reports. This sets bottle water up for poorer quality and safety.


Let's dig deeper into the subject of bottled water! Not many people are aware of the fact that the quality of water is less regulated. Some may just think that bottled water is safer or convenient, when the case is the complete opposite. Shouldn't tap water be the convenient distributor of water? The production of bottled water with it's various materials, transportation and large costs should be the categorized far from convenience in our minds.
The environmental impacts of the bottles themselves should sway the common bottled water buyer from further purchasing. According to storyofstuff.org's myths and reality article about bottled water, the bottles themselves can take up to ONE THOUSAND years to degrade in a landfill. Don't want to throw them into a landfill? How about incinerators? The article continues explaining that yucky toxins are released when these bottles are burned. If you wanna check out more about bottled water, check out storyofstuff's video (yay for visual aids!) of the Story of Bottled Water.


While looking for a fancy water picture, I came across Charity: Water. This non-profit organization aims to bring clean water to developing nations around the world. One thing that caught my attention was that they said that 100% of public donations truly goes towards clean water projects. They make sure to take care of any other expenses in order to put their public donations to their aimed tasks. I highly encourage checking them out and consider supporting their aims!

Happy Trending Everyone!

[HW] Let's Talk About Food

Hey Readers!

Don't you just love noshing? Food - a very necessary aspect of our lives. I enjoy all sorts of foods and I'll try anything (at least once, anyway!). I'm pretty fortunate to be able to research one of my favorite food condiments - Nutella! It's hazelnutty goodness in a creamy spread form with that "hint" of wonderful cocoa on that crepe, on that piece of toast, pretzel stick, banana, etc. AH! The thought of it is just making my mouth water. No kidding. Let's look into what Nutella consists of and the environmental impact (and we'll see if it ends up being as good as we remember it being!).

Photo cited: Costo.com

• Nutella, first named Pasta Gianduja, was a product of the rationing that occurred during WWII in the 1940's. A pastry maker by the name of Pietro Ferrero developed the use of hazelnuts with the little cocoa that was available - and BAM - the birth of the early Nutella: the yummy hazelnut spread! It wasn't until 1964 that it would be named Nutella; and not till 1983 would it be imported to the United States.
• Ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals Whey (Milk), Lecithin As Emulsifer (Soy), Vanillin; An Artificial Flavor
• Nutella sold in the United States is manufactured in Canada
• Though Nutella contains no artificial colors or preservatives, and is noted to be a part of a balanced breakfast, everything in moderation! Can I get an amen? But seriously - moderation. 

Ok, now for some details:

Firstly, the ingredients, mainly the palm oil and hazelnuts were of top interest to me. Through dead ends and frustrated stares at my computer screen, I was unable to find out where Nutella gets its hazelnuts (aside from its historical beginnings in Italy...should I venture into a future investigation?). But as for palm oil, I have found abundant sources and plentiful information.  

Palm oil. What is it exactly?  It is a vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruit of the palm (seen below). Palm oil (not to be mistaken by palm kernal oil) has the benefits of giving products a longer shelf life, being tasteless (a desired trait for food usage), and very versatile in its range of uses.  

Palm fruit with visible side view. Photo cited here

 Nutella, according to their FAQs page, resources their palm oil from Malaysia. Though Nutella is a part of RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), an organization promoting controlled palm oil farming, here is a picture of how palm oil is usually harvested (which may still be methods of Nutella brand's supply?) and the environmental impacts:

According to a 2008 article in BCC News titled "Palm oil's carbon benefit queried," science reporter Julian Siddle writes of the harmful process of what palm oil demand has produced. Siddle reports that the demand for palm oil has increased the clearing of tropical forests for palm farming. This destroys natural habitats (disrupts ecosystems), eliminates rare species(both plants and animals), and the method of clearing forests by burning produces more greenhouse gases (Big BooBoo). 

Burning Forests makes environmental issues. Sourced here

On top of the palm oil farming and all the processes it goes through before it is exported to where it can be a vital ingredient in precious Nutella hazelnutty goodness (is it still goodness to you?), the Nutella product itself goes through its own not-so-friendly-to-environment process. From its plastic packaging, to transportation from Canada to the distributors to the stores to our kitchen where we enjoy it, hopefully, within the expiration date without even thinking of the impact it has caused towards the environment near and far from us (still nutty goodness?). 

Taking it a step towards how it affects you physically, Nutella states that it, through moderation, can be a part of a balanced breakfast. But the first two ingredients are sugar and palm oil. The hazelnuts and cocoa (which is what is advertised the most) aren't even the majority of the product! 

Palm oil is a saturated fat but doesn't make cholesterol. According to the Heart MD Institute, these plant fats though good can turn into a bad case toward heart disease if you already have high levels of LDL cholesterol (that's the bad cholesterol) due to saturated fats aiding toward inflammation. In the end, I would much rather have a product that contains most of what it is advertising than what it is not advertising - how about you?

Now that I have a better picture of Nutella (and sorry to burst your happy bubble of blissful Nutella goodness) and what I support by purchasing the product, I have concluded that though it is a MAJOR treat for me - is it just a treat and nothing more. It is not my life source, so I can live without it and indulge in its yumminess on rare occasions. SIGH! C'est la vie, yes? 

Site of the week: Check out Green Palm. Another cool site that I found during my researching. It's purpose is centered around palm oil production and dealing with its social and environmental effects and encourages support of palm oil producers to produce in sustainable methods. 

Getting Involved!

Hey Readers!

I wanted to share with you all something that a big company is doing to help create sustainable lifestyles in and around local towns and cities.

(Hey! Companies!? What do they know about US? 99%! 99%!- OK OK OK! Don't get riled up and try to occupy my blog post. In the words of Stephen Colbert, "Companies are people too.")

And this company you most likely see quite frequently if you need your coffee fix and points towards your gold card.

Yes. I am talking about the good ol', see-you-on-every-corner(but not like that) Starbucks.

This upcoming month of April, Starbucks will be promoting their "Global Month of Service." On their community service site there will be currently are postings of local events near YOU where you can contribute in your service of either leading, following, or even just sharing and promoting the event more around your town and social circles.

Why not take advantage of the wonderful weather that spring supplies (meaning the sunshine and clear skies..not the crazy windy-rain and random snow...) and get out and do something that doesn't necessarily benefit you with the intent to benefit others? Why not? Seriously!

So check out the site, let me know what you think in the comments below, and have a happy Tuesday everyone!


Oh! And I have been increasingly posting things that aren't necessarily "Homework Posts", so to help out my Professor and fellow students, I shall be labeling my homework posts within the title, like the following: [HW]. All other posts will just be random things I spot that pertain to the subject of environmental science that hopefully bring you all interest in making your life more sustainable! And PLEASE feel free to comment with any of your thoughts, suggestions, questions, and the like =) I would very much appreciate it! 

THE green school

After reading my previous post (read here), here's a super duper green school based in Bali. In this video, the founder John Hardy speaks of his upbringing and the order of events that brought about this environmentally conscious school. To learn more, check out the website here

[HW] It's not easy being "green"

Not to mooch off the wonderful Kermit the Frog who was referring to his vibrantly green flesh, but this iconic phrase can also refer towards the difficultly to live in an environmentally sustainable way. I learned this during my last homework assignment where I used a lot of products that have more potential harm than good toward the earth (Read here, or watch here)

This week I now expand my degree of focus to a larger area - my own college campus - and question its own sustainability. But first things first, how can we define a campus to be "green"? And what are the measurable areas that can determine sustainability?

I needed some help in this endeavor and came across Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges 2011 Edition. Yes the Princeton Review, the same guys who help you out with your SATs, ACTs, MCATs, ABCs, FDAs also help you out when determining colleges, specifically with how sustainable they are.
When thinking of how I would measure my college's sustainability I instantly thought of measuring the waste production. Good enough, right?
STOP! IT'S A TRAP!
Sure - reducing waste production is a huge area to pay attention to (what Princeton refers to "waste diversion rate"), but being a sustainable campus has so much more substance than how we throw away or recycle! For a campus to be "green," shouldn't it provide sustainable products in the classrooms from the lighting to the flooring? How about providing resources that help the students themselves be more aware of environmentally positive choices (like free bus transportation and high education in environmental subjects)? "Green" colleges should be changing how we look at taking care of the earth from how to not only properly "dispose" but also how to properly use (or not use).

(please don't go around saying that I don't care about waste diversion, because I really do! I promise!)

For example, within Princeton Review's helpful booklet I found many ways specific colleges integrate sustainable methods into nearly every nook and cranny of their systems. California College of the Arts was listed as one of these colleges. Not only does this college supply alternative transportation, organic cleaning products and organically maintained grounds, but is also home to a solar facility. In fact, according to Princeton,  "the campus is home to the largest solar-heated facility in San Francisco, named a Top Ten Green Building on Earth Day 2001." CCA also has a facility called the New Materials Resource Center which consists of ecofriendly materials where students are creating sustainable products (like "creating a crop garden of traditional dye and fiber plants," says Princeton).

But enough about other colleges! How about mine? Lil ol' Riverside Community College in good ol' Southern California! In order to accomplish any of my hypothetical tactics, I need to know who to contact. The top people I would focus on contacting would be the Chancellor Dr. Gregory Gray, President of the Board of Trustees Janet Green and the Riverside campus committee for the 2009 Green Initiative toward a sustainable campus.

With the contacts in place, I will be able to interview them about the specific area of assessment. One area I would definitely choose would be the percentage of energy from renewable sources. That is, how much energy does RCC use that can be replenished in a short period of time? Taking from the example of CCA's solar-power facility, how can RCC follow their strides to become a sustainable campus?

To be able to determine where the campus is at with using renewable energy sources, the campus' usage of any source of energy must be accounted for. I would initiate, at the least, a year-long survey to conclude a measurable average of energy usage, the efficiency of the energy spent, and the cost of the energy used. There are some cool tools to help calculate the efficiency and cost of consumed energy. One is the EUI (or energy utilization index). All you do is take the amount of consumed energy and divide it by the area in square feet. The higher the EUI, the less efficient your energy was consumed. The second is to measure the cost of energy that was consumed, or the ECI (energy cost index). To measure the ECI, take the dollar amount spent on utilities and divide it by the area in square feet. (did you get all that? No? Read more here)


With the EUI and ECI figured, it may be easier to persuade "the powers that be" to consider making the college more sustainable on the basis of reducing energy cost and increasing energy efficiency. Sure, this reason isn't the best but it isn't the worst. Not everyone will join the "green movement" because they care about the world around them. In due time that perspective may change, but until them it may be wise to start the change on the basis of funds and efficiency. What do you think? Send me your thoughts, questions, concerns, cookies down below!

Till next week, Tread lightly everyone!

Everytime We Touch: Video Montage

Alright Readers! Here's the video montage that I have been working on! Let me know what you think! Does it get you thinking of how many things you use within a day?

I have no homework assignment this week because we have our first exam! EEP! But I thought that I would upload this video just for you all! Look forward to next week's assignment!

Tread Lightly!

[HW] Everytime We Touch

Hello Readers! Welcome to another post of another homework assignment! This one is a pretty crazy one, so hang on a bit while I explain!

For this week I, and my classmates, were told to pay attention to everything we touch/use throughout the duration of 24 hours for the purpose of understanding that everything we use comes from the earth in some way. If you think this sounds rather simple, I must be a really good writer or you don't understand all the things people use (let alone just touch!). My list was pretty substantial; filled with things I ate, to things I used for transportation, shelter, school and other purposes. To make my list a bit more organized, my professor instructed to categorize each object. Here's my list (somewhat condensed for the sake of you readers!):

A)Food and Drink

•  Water
• Fanta Orange Soda
• Pick Up Stix (Beef Chow Mein! YUM!)
• Apple
• Cranberries
• Chicken Soup 
• Corn Bread
• Ice Cream 

B) Housing and other Buildings

•  Home
• School
• Stores (Forever 21, Vons, Yogurtland, Pickup Stix)

C) Transportation

•  Cars
• Freeway, Highway, Main Streets, Residential Streets

D) Clothing

•  Denim Vest
• Shirt
• Leggings
• Socks and "unmentionables":)
• Boots
• Bracelet
• Sweater
• Sweats
• Knee Pads

E) School Supplies

•  Backpack
• School Books/Notebooks
• Pen/Pencil/Highlighter
• Student ID
• Water Bottle
• Pilates Equipment

F) Personal Care Products

•  Shampoo/Conditioner
• Body Wash/Facial Wash
• Lotion
• Deodorant
• Toothbrush/Paste
• Towel

G) Leisure Activities

• Laptop
• Cell phone
• Camera
• Ipod
• TV/DVD
• Money/Coinage 

H) Other

• Pet Cat
• Sunglasses
• Bedding
• Stuffed Animals (I have a huge Eeyore. He's a stud)

PHEW! That's my list! There's so much more that I didn't care too much to list, but I'll note some observations: I use a lot of doors and light switches. I'm not sure how that info benefits my blog post, but I thought that it was kinda funny? Yeah? It was a slight surprise to me anyway! Other than that, I notice that I travel by car a lot more than I walk (or willing to walk). I would really like to conserve better by trying to at least walk to places close by and, hopefully within the future, invest in a bike. Feel free to donate to the cause!

In order to really take in this exercise to the fullest, I am to research one object that I used and find out how it came from the earth, how it's produced, used, disposed of, and all that jazz! So without further ado! My object that I have chosen is a bracelet that I wear nearly everyday.

 It was a gift from my younger sister who got it during a trip of her's. According to her, the funds for this bracelet benefited the people in Haiti, so that's another reason why I wear it all the time!

Now, to be more specific, I decided to research the elastic that was used in making the bracelet. I choose this part of the bracelet mostly because making jewelry is a little hobby of mine and learning where certain tools I can use to make jewelry and how they affect the environment may cause me to be a little more conscious about the materials I choose to use. 

Elastic Silicone String. Picture Cited Here

Elastic silicone is a mixture of natural rubber (which comes from rubber trees) and silicon (a chemical element). Just normal elastic is made up of the fibers of rubber. It is used in textile in clothing material. Elastic silicone, or Silicone Rubber, is used in a wide range from implants to home repair, sportswear, and cooking. 

For my focus, I'll specifically research where rubber comes from. Rubber, as previously noted, comes from rubber trees. The process is similar to how one would make maple syrup. You tap the tree and allow what is called latex sap to drip out into a bucket. Once the desired amount of sap is acquired, it is refined into what is called rubber. From there they are transported by tanks or steel drums around the world. Once they reach their destinations, the products that it helps to produce are somewhat endless. 

Rubber has been around long before this modern era. It is said (here, actually) that Mayans used rubber to make sports balls (fancy that!).

Rubber is a pretty cool resource from the earth, but overuse can lead to lots of bad things. The more we demand rubber production and the adding of chemicals for resistance and longevity, the more harm we can bring to the natural environment where the rubber trees are grown, to the toxins that are released into the environment by the chemical processes the rubber goes through. And because rubber decomposes slowly, disposing it well should be of importance to us. For instance, the rubber in tires, if not disposed of properly and exposed to a water source can lead to an exposure to a virus (read more here). I still don't know too much about everything that goes into rubber and silicone and elastic jewelry string, but so far it has been an interesting research endeavor.

This post is SO LONG! I apologize for my ramblings, but I hope you got to learn something about what you use in your everyday life and how it can effect the environment (with everything that it encompasses) around us. 

At some point this week I will be posting a video montage of my project, so look forward to that! 

Thanks for reading! Tread Lightly!

In one of my first posts I said I would share a helpful site regarding the environment in every post. Yesterday's post definitely lacked a website (aside for the Wiki links), mostly because I didn't really have a site that related to my homework assignment.

Solution is simple - wake up the next day, write up a new post, and talk about something awesome.

Simple enough.

So here's a quick post about something that I have been inspired to be a part of, and have been wanting to be a part of for a few years now.
The site, or organization to be more appropriate, is called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF (Cute, huh?). This site combines different networks of organic farms around the world and presents opportunities for people to work with the farmers for a period of time. In exchange for this volunteer work, the "WWOOF hosts" supply room and board and a chance to share their experience in organic farming. Once you go onto the site you can find places near or far from you - places all around the world! It's an incredible network that I would greatly enjoy to be a part of someday.

Check it out. Comment below with your first impression of the site and if you would be willing to take part in this (and where would you like to volunteer!). I'm super curious, so let me know! =)

[HW]

Alright readers! I'm back with another blog post! Just to update you a bit, I have been enjoying my science class so far. It's a bummer that it's a night class, so it's been a struggle to stay alert and engaged towards the end of the class. Regardless, I'm learning alot and I can hardly wait to share my next blog homework assignment with you!

This week's assignment was to go outside. Shocker there, huh?
Not only am I required to go outside, but examine the living and non-living things and analyzing their various types of interactions for 20 minutes while being as still and quiet as possible. - Challenge accepted.

So there I am outside, in my own backyard, anticipating my experience with nature. There was a slight issue - I decided to do this assignment sometime after 4 and I soon noticed that not alot of "things" were out or active at that time. It makes sense since the sun is setting and flowers were already folding in on themselves that it was probably the natural time to go sleep. So that was a slight disappointment, but I still noticed a few things that I'd like to share.

Here's a, sadly, small list of things I saw:
Biotic (Living):
            Fruit Fly
            3 Ants (Yes, so few ants were out, counting was capable!)
            1 Mosquito
            1 Cat (My own! She made quite the ruckus)
            1 Crow
            1 super duper tiny red spider (Possibly a Red Spider Mite)
            1 Gnat (I think?)
            Grass
            Willow tree and other shrubs
             Lemon Grass
             Dandelions and its seeds
             Winter blooming bulb plant

Abiotic (Non-Living):
                     Dead Leaves
                     Pebbles
                     Chilly wind (I observed too much of that!)
                     Solar heat
                   
Some of the things I have listed also shared a certain type of interaction. For example, Interspective Competition  is a type of interaction between two or more groups of species that interact to gain access to the same resources such as space, food, water, etc. I witness the very few ants and the super small flying bugs were interacting in such a way throughout the grassy space. Another type of interaction is Predation, which involves a predator and prey. I had the pleasure to witness my cat prey upon creatures that were unseen by me.

Unfortunately there weren't many interactions I noticed, but I would like to be able to do this exercise again in the future and at a better hour of the day. It was really interesting how I learned about certain species interactions and then witnessed it first-hand. I think I'll be able to remember alot of information from this class from that fact alone.

Can you see the Dandelion
 Seeds?

Afterward, I decided to look up some information about some of the things I saw. Here are some interesting facts/info about...

1. Sour Grass - Primarily called Oxalis pes-caprae, this plant is actually native to South Africa making it an invasive, or non-native species in California. It is referred to as a weed, but I grew up welcoming the growth of this plant because the stock was fun to chew on (apparently large amounts of this sour grass can be fatal if given the opportunity) and often making the mistake of calling it "Lemongrass" due to its sour taste.

2.  Mystery Spider! So if you refer to my previous list, I noted about a super duper small red spider. I found it going about its business within the grass. I am still wondering what it was, but the closest guess I can make is the Red Spider Mite. When I used to garden I researched some of the  bugs you really don't want in your garden and this was one of them. They puncture the plant cells and basically suck the life out of it, rendering it fruitless.

3. Lastly, in my backyard we have this bulb plant that only grows in the winter, i believe. I couldn't figure out what it is exactly, so if there's anyone that could figure this out for me feel free to comment on this post!

[HW] Ecological Footprint

Continuing from my last post, I mentioned that I will introduce my second part of my first assignment. This next assignment called for me to go onto Global Footprint Network to calculate many earths it would take if everyone in the world had the safe lifestyle as I.
The "game" started with having the player create their own avatar that would represent all of your future answers.

From there I was asked detailed questions. Some being questions I would never think would be of great significance:

After all of the questions my result was quite alarming. If everyone lived the way I live my results would be...

Almost four planets would be necessary to sustain my lifestyle!

I did think that the result would be more than one planet (though I was hoping otherwise!), but 4 planets is quite astounding to say the least. According to the pie chart, the largest aspect of my life that I depend on is services. I depend alot upon the middle man and processed materials. 

After this realization, I thought to myself "Gee. This is just awful. How can I reduce my huge footprint on my 4 planets?" Well - This site has it covered! What was next was to read through scenarios displaying options to practically reduce one's footprint. 

Specific scenarios that stood out to me were the ideas to take public transportation at least once a week and finding products that use less packaging. How simple is that! reducing your footprint can be so easy, one just has to made an effort and to be active in one's decisions.

If my four-world footprint could manage to heed all of the suggestions, I would be able to reduce my footprint by almost one planet! How crazy cool is that?

Anyway, that site has wonderful and helpful solutions for those who really want to make an effort to care for the world around us. You all should check it out! And let me know your footprint and what you decide to do to reduce it!

That's it for now! Tread Lightly!

[HW] Get to know the author

Welcome readers to my humble blog: 7 Billion Feet. Without further explanation of my objective for this blog, allow me to introduce myself and clue you into some of my history.

My name is Theresa Catanese. I am a born and raised Californian currently pursuing higher education at Riverside Community College. Currently I am in my last semester before completing my AA degrees. Though it is something to be very proud of, I plan on moving onto a 4-year to pursue a program for intercultural studies. I have a great desire to travel. With a trip to Africa already under my belt and a trip to Asia for a teaching opportunity fast approaching, it is of my top interests to experience other cultures and be able to invest my life into other people's lives from a variety of places. 

Freshly 20 years of age, I have often been mistaken to be a Sophomore..in high school, but that is more than always justified with the phrase "It'll be a good thing when you're older!" I honestly give no concern to such matters. Aging is something I would love to be blessed with and something I will treasure. Any life I receive is something to be treasured and used to the fullest!

There's a brief explanation of who you'll be following and reading from! Let me fill you in on the purpose of my little blog.

Being in college, I am often challenged to become a better being to my society and the professors from various subjects have given me the tools to understand the world and my place within it. One particular class I am in is environmental science and an ongoing project for the class is to keep a blog where we will submit various homework assignments onto. It's quite the assignment and I am looking forward to it. I'm sort of a blogging freak already, so I am all for my professor throwing more fuel onto the fire.
My first assignment, aside from setting up the blog, is to give an introduction of myself (CHECK!) and to write about an online exercise which I will inform you of momentarily. Other than homework assignments, If I find any information regarding environmental science outside of class I will most likely put it on this blog for anyone to check out (See "Helpful Green Sites" for any links to the sites I refer to). For anyone wondering, my blog is titled "7 Billion Feet: Treading Lightly On Our World" for the fact that there are now over 7 billion humans now living on the earth and how we need to be increasingly more aware of where we place our feet. In other words, we as humans should be more concerned with how we treat the world because there are consequences to all of our actions. So be careful where you tread! 

Taking care of the world is something I would like to interest myself in more and if that is the reason why you are now reading my blog, I hope to be of some help to you in how you can get practical and filled with knowledge about top environmental issues. 

For every blog entry I post, I will share a website(s) that have aided my understanding of various issues presented in each blog entry. For this entry I was rather curious of the world population (hence my blog title). A great site to check out if you happen to be curious is 7 Billion Actions. This site is funded by United Nations Population Fund for the purpose of making awareness of all that 7 billion people can accomplish for the end result of committing to care for the world around us. I highly suggest that you check the site out at some point!