My reflection: last post!!

This is my final blog! Even though I didn’t pick the hardest of things to do, I still learned a lot! I can honestly say that plastic bottles just don’t appeal to me anymore. All I see is how much of the environment went in to making it, and how bad they are. So that’s something I’m going to keep up.

Sadly, I can’t say the same for the laundry, even though it did save a lot of energy, I don’t do my laundry all that often, and it’s a huge inconvenience to hang them up, and I can’t really have a clothes line outside, there’s nowhere to hang a line!

Something that wasn’t part of “no impact plan”, but that I’d like to do, is cut back on meat (or eat “happy meat”). Even having 1 meat free day a week can make a significant impact. Not only does it force you to eat healthier, but it will also create a demand for better treatment of animals in the facilities where they’re kept.

Did you know that a meat-eaters diet is responsible for more than seven times as much greenhouse-gas emissions as a vegan's diet is? That’s ridiculous. The CO₂ emitted by livestock is estimated to be at least 18% of the world’s emissions, and some believe it’s much more than that. Livestock is also the leading of deforestation and water pollution. I think by cutting back on this aspect of my life, and encouraging my friends and family to do the same can make a huge impact on the environment.

All in all, I think this was a great experience and an amazing way to step out of our comfort zone and learn firsthand about everything we’ve been talking about throughout this school year! There are some changes that I’m going to keep up, and some that I won’t, but hopefully I’ll learn to make all of the best environmentally safe choices when it comes to the rest of my life! Now that I have all the knowledge I need, I can make those decisions J

Last hidden message: so very clean!

June 1st, 2011

Finally my second laundry day!

I had said that I wouldn't leave it till' the last second, but sadly, old habits die hard. Once again, I let my laundry build up over 3 weeks and had a million and one things to wash. And once again I used the cold wash cycle as well as the environmentally friendly laundry detergent. This detergent is Natureclean brand. http://www.naturecleanliving.com/laundry_liquid
This detergent is toxin free (BPA's too)! It's made without enzymes, phosphates, phosphate replacements (EDTA & NTA) synthetic dyes or perfumes or optical brighteners. It's also hypoallergenic and scent free so everyone can use it :) This company also runs its' offices with Bullfrog Power!

My laundry has been hung around the house and in the way of all of my family members. Now that my sister is home from university, I got to see her reaction. My mom found it funny, she did not! She found it annoying more then anything else... I believe her exact words were "why is all this crap hanging up in my way?". Oh how I love my sister!!

What is Bullfrog Power?
Bullfrog Power is the first electricity retailer in Ontario to sell power exclusively from wind and low-impact water power generators who meet or exceed the federal government’s EcoLogo standard for renewable electricity


Previous hidden message: aren't you shocked?

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Did you know that for every 6 plastic bottles people use, only 1 makes it to the recycle bin?
I find that shocking.

Today I realized two things: 1) that I wasn't doing all too well with my "say no to plastic bottles" thing, and I decided that instead of just doing (or "trying") I should find out ALOT more about this issue, so I'll have a way bigger incentive to not buy these drinks. And 2) the people around me have a huge influence on me! Alot of people don't think about the impact of their everyday purchase, or just don't care. And what they don't realize is that it not only affects them, but the world and everyone around them, including me!

I've decided that I'm going to share what I've learned about plastic bottles and their impact on the world.

• Americans alone add 29 million plastic bottles a year to the world
• To make those 29 million bottles, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil (enough to run a million cars for a year)
• roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year.
• If you fill a plastic bottle up a quarter of the way up with crude oil, that's how much it took to produce that one bottle.
• For every 1 L of water bottled, it takes 3 L of water to produce that one bottle.
• Plastic bottles take hundreds of years to disintegrate
• Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours
• Tap water is just as, or better than, bottled water!

Knowing this, it makes me wonder why people drink from plastic bottles? Why is the plastic bottle company here to stay? Here's what I found:

        1. Convenience

A huge factor! It's easy to just grab a cold water bottle out of the fridge when you're on the go, living your everyday busy life. But I say that it's just as easy to fill up a reusable bottle! It'll save you money in the long run too.

        2. Lack of Knowledge
Lots of people think that water from plastic bottles is better for you then tap water. But in reality, it's just the opposite! Two multinational bottled water producers use tap water from Vancouver, Mississauga, Brampton and Calgary for their brands... how wack is that?? And if you're still not so sure, buy a tap water filter, that way you will be getting healthy and clean water 100% of the time. They even have reusable bottles that hook up to a filtration system now! http://www.3m.com/intl/ca/english/centres/home_leisure/filtrete_water/  The Filtrete Water System always you to have a water system that filters water right to your bottle!

       3.Fear
People have a fear of drinking tap water due to incidents in the past, such as the 1993 outbreak of cryptosporidium that infected 400,000 residents in Milwaukee and the 2000 outbreak of E. coli in Walkerton. But by buying a filter, you eliminate the risks, and cut down on plastic bottle wastes at the same time. Two birds, one stone.


For all of these reasons I'm going to try and educate the people around me and let them know that their decisions will impact not only them, but me and others around them. I will also make sure, I won't buy any plastic bottles, and if I do, that they will be recycled no matter what.

Previous hidden message: Let's recycle

My references:
http://www.filterforgood.ca/code/navigate.php?Id=1
http://www.allaboutwater.org/filtered-water.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/water-bottle-pollution/