Jessica Hyland

Making changes in your personal life is always difficult. We all get so set in our ways and making a change means you have to pay attention more often and not just be on autopilot. While taking this course I have attempted to find products that use less waste. Wow, has that been difficult. I didn't start out trying to do anything extreme, I really just wanted to be more aware and start making small changes as I went. It is truly incredible how many products use wrapping, and it is usually excessive at that. I got things from Amazon that were the size of a cellphone in a box that could fit at least one pair of shoes and it had the inflatable plastic around it. Normally the product wasn't breakable to begin with. Potatoes are individually wrapped at the grocery store and all of the vegetables have some kind of plastic attached to them. It is incredible the things that you see when you start paying attention. I recently bought reusable produce bags so that I can try to eat healthy without bringing home an extra pound of plastic. I figure even one small step at a time can turn into a monumental movement in the long run. 

Over-consumption is a way of life in America. I am currently trying to save money and I have noticed that there are so many things I normally would be spending money on and am now able to get by without doing so. There is also a group doing a clothing drive in the class and I went through my closet to put a donation together. It took over 2 hours to go through everything and I couldn't believe just how much clothing I really had. And I didn't even go through my husband's clothes! This makes me reevaluate how and what we purchase. It is so easy in this country to buy, buy, buy. There is always a sale or a new fad that keeps the consumerism going and when you really sit down to think about it it can be rather overwhelming. I would like to lead a more sustainable life but it is more about being aware and disciplined than anything else. This week I plan to cut down my spending even more. I want to keep track of exactly what I buy and if it was necessary. We'll see how it goes!

There are many regions in the US with food insecurities, including food desserts. Inner city areas many times don't even have a grocery store near by, they especially don't have access to nutritious and affordable foods. I have heard of a few organizations that have setup farmer's markets or operations that grow organic food right in these neighborhoods. What an amazing idea!? People have the right to nutritious foods. By using hydroponic gardens in shipping containers, people in these areas would be able to get seasonal foods all year round. By growing the food right in the neighborhood there is less of a cost, including little to no shipping, leading to lower retail prices for the people that need it the most. Now we just need to get it into more neighborhoods around the country and ultimately around the world!

Water is one of the most important substances on earth, and we take it for granted. I didn't grow up in this area but I have gotten to know the Chesapeake watershed and just how important it is. A majority of the state drains into the Chesapeake Bay including farms, recreational sites, and residential areas. There is an extreme amount of pollution that comes from all of these sources. When I attended the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation we took a trip into the Shenandoah where we visited a water treatment facility. This was an eye-opening experience as we learned about some of the main factors of pollution even at one of the higher points on the watershed. The water that got treated there would make its way through the valley past farms and estuaries, past houses and businesses and would eventually find itself in the Chesapeake Bay. Meaning this water treatment facility had a very important role. Not only was there runoff from homes around the area but also campsites. One of the major pollutants was soap. Although this seems harmless, soap contains phosphates which can cause algal blooms which can contribute to eutrophication leading to species die-off and can be very harmful to biodiversity along the watershed. This fact was quite interesting and it made me think about the amount of soap that is used further downstream and by the state as a whole. If this one area can have such and impact on the ecology of the area what does that mean for everyone else? And this was only one thing found in the water! My point is, the problem is so much bigger than just a few of us making a change. We all need to take responsibility for our actions as they effect everyone on the planet. I have switched to more natural products with less chemicals to try to do my part. I know it is hard to change, but if we all start making little changes now, we can make a big impact later.

In the chapter 6 reading I found it particularly interesting about the ways in which we can help reduce our carbon footprint through our transportation habits. One article even stated that UPS has been reducing the amount of left turns that they take to help combat the diesel trucks from idling. Personally, I always make sure to turn off my car engine if I will be parked for more than a few minutes. As far as air travel they suggest to fly coach, pick nonstop flights when possible, and to attempt to offset your impact by something like planting trees. These are great suggestions that many of us don't think about. I know I didn't. However, I recently achieved 2 out of the three suggestions above. When I traveled to Europe, I flew coach and took a nonstop flight. I did not, however, think about donating to a foundation or plant trees when I got back. What a wonderful idea?! I think I just found some great holiday gifts for my family.

This week we are learning about more sustainable transportation. This is an interesting issue as many people in this country do not have the option of a more sustainable method of transportation. In the majority of places I have lived there were options for public transportation but they all had a very small radius in which they operated. Unfortunately, until now, I was never able to take advantage of public transportation due to where I lived. It has been an amazing experience to live in an area where public transportation was not only accessible but also covered an expansive area. Recently I have begun using the metro to go to school and to where I have been volunteering. Although this is an expensive option in the DC area, it is very convenient as I don't have to deal with traffic or find parking. Every time I choose to use the metro over my car I am very aware of how much potential CO2 is not being pumped out into the atmosphere. 

Social Justice is a major issue in our country and it has been for a very long time. Not only do we have systematic racism which leads to things such as gentrification but we have a large amount of citizens who don't see it or who don't want to see it. The only way we can make our communities better is by working on ourselves and seeing the downfalls so that we can begin to work towards healing and improving what has been done. Groups such as Cooperation Jackson are buying up homes that have been left to rot, for as little as $800 no less, and improving the area so that people are not forced out of their homes and neighborhoods. This is an amazing project full of empathy, respect, and care for fellow humans. If we could just see more of these types of projects more often other issues may be easier to spot. Such as the water crisis in Flint Michigan. If more people were paying attention to basic human needs and working towards making better lives for those around them maybe we could spot and help these issues before they become catastrophic. Although this is a tall order, we could make it work. We just need to start caring about our fellow human beings. 

I just watched the documentary called "Minimalism" on Netflix. What an interesting way of looking at the world. These two friends have began living in the most minimalistic way possible. They explore living in smaller spaces and cutting down on material objects that have just become "things" in their lives. I often look at my closet and think about the sheer amount of stuff that I have. I think this is a great way of living I am just unsure if I would be able to go as far as these two people. We are all able to live a more sustainable life we just need to decide what is best for us as individuals. I want to start getting rid of more around my house. I plan to start working towards a more minimal household starting this month.

My ecological footprint is something I think about on a regular basis yet forget about all the time. How can this be? I think we all know. There are times I am hyper-aware of my eco-friendly choices and other where I am just doing what I normally do but with some reflection might need to change. However, I have become much more aware than I was years ago. For instance today I walked just over 4 miles to run a few errands rather than driving. While I was at three different stores, out of my four destinations, I used a reusable bag for my purchases rather than using any plastic. It may have been heavy to carry back, since I bought more than I planned, but I didn't even mind because it feels like it hurts my soul to use plastic bags. I try to produce less waste and recycle what I can yet my ecological footprint is still over 2 earths. It makes me upset because I can do better, but also that there are others that do much worse. My challenge for myself this week is to unplug any unnecessary gadgets when they are not in use. This is a tough one since it is easy to forget and just walk away. I am going to make a real effort this week to go against what is easy. Wish me luck!