[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! =)