[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!