Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

SMART GOAL

         My SMART goal is to use reusable bags every time I go to the grocery store or Target.   I also added that every time I go to the grocery store I have to buy one organic product.  I did well this past week! I was going home and I was worried about not remember or forgetting to use a reusable bag, but I remembered and used them!

SUCCESSES & CHALLENGES

           Success was remembering my reusable bag when I went to Target and the grocery store. Also what helped my success was going to the mall, and not using a bag at all! It was a small item and I didn’t take a bag, because it wasn’t worth wasting an entire bag for something small! A challenge I faced is trying to find a decent priced organic product, I always go with a budget in mind, trying to stick with it is hard. I usually try different stores to find cheaper organic foods, so that helps a lot!

  FEELING EXPERIENCED

    It felt really good, when I was at the mall and didn’t take a bag, thinking why don’t other people do this? I understand if you have a lot, but then bring a reusable bag, but sometimes they give you these huge bags for like socks…haha.

LEARNED

           I learned that at some stores they ask if you want a bag, which makes me think they are trying to conserve them or not use them. It could be that plastic bags are getting more expensive to buy or they might care about helping the environment.

NEXT WEEK

    I am going to stick to my same plans as the following week with using my reusable                              bags, and 1 organic product when I go grocery shopping. 

www.reusablebags.com

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy
"Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5" 

Share & Voice: Eat This Not That

Eat This Not That 

I remember hearing about this book on a TV program one day and thinking what is this? As I found out more information about this book, “Eat This Not That” it’s all about what we already eat but a healthier option to eat!

I have one of the editions that talks about going out to eat, going grocery shopping as well as what to eat when your sick or feeling fat and much more. It shows you what someone would probably pick that you think is “healthy” and then shows you an even healthier option!

It’s a great book to follow I love it! They also have one for kids, and the best or worst foods in America!

Here are some links on where to purchase and information:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eat-This-Not-That/David-Zinczenko/e/9781594868542

http://eatthisnotthatbestandworst.com/uof/eatthisnotthatbestandworst/ps/?keycode=099110&ctt_id=32491452&ctt_adnw=Google&ctt_kw=eat%20this%20not%20that&ctt_ch=ps&ctt_entity=kw&ctt_adid=3137188183&ctt_nwtype=search&ctt_cli=2%5E9742%5E43055%5E706894

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Antiques/Antiquing: a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago

Junk/Junking: old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form (2): secondhand, worn, or discarded articles (3): clutter 1b b: something of poor quality: trash c : something of little meaning, worth, or significance

Flea Market: a usually open-air market for secondhand articles and antiques

Thrift Shop: a shop that sells secondhand articles and especially clothes and is often run for charitable purposes

Up cycling: involves processing used materials into new products, or the re-use of a product with crippled functionality for alternative purposes, to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from land filling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production, with the intent of creating a product of higher quality design and artistic value.

Resale Shop: typically buy used items outright and resell them

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

 What do the terms above have to do with environmental health?

Its all about reusing items again, instead of throwing them away, Someone’s junk is another persons treasures! Reusing things help save our environment by not being wasteful!

 Antiques

Main Street Gallery

Hugh Passow

306 Main St.

Eau Claire Wi. 54701

715 832 2494

mgallery@sbcglobal.net

http://www.trocadero.com/mgallery/

 We deal in fine antiques, art, prints, sculpture, china, glass, furniture and decorative arts.

Junk

Toy’s Scrap & Salvage Corp.

8010 Olson Drive

EC, WI 54703

www.toysscrap.com

Flea Markets

I couldn’t find any flea markets exactly in Eau Claire.

Super Pages.com

http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Flea+Markets/S-WI/T-Eau+Claire/

Thrift Shop

Hope Gospel Mission

 Location: 8 South Farwell St. Eau Claire, WI

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1127 Eau Claire, WI 54702

Phone: (715) 552-5566

Fax: (715) 552-5563

Email: questions@hopegospelmission.org

http://www.hopegospelmission.org/

Up cycling

I couldn’t find any up cycling in Eau Claire either.

Snack wrappers get up cycled

Content provided by: Copyright © 2009, Earth911.com

http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10347231

Resale shop

Savers

Eau Claire #1067

2833 Mall Dr,

Eau Claire, WI   54701

Phone: (715) 835-8500

Hours: Mon - Sat 9-9, Sun 10-6

http://www.savers.com/

I use Savers once in a while when I am looking for furniture, and also hope gospel mission has really cool furniture for super cheap!

Get your junk on!

Visit JunkMarketStyle.com

#1 http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/14855/a-few-of-my-favorite-things-from-oronoco-with-love

A few of my favorite things - from Oronoco with LOVE!!

Framed linoleum pieces with letters on them is super cute! I could do this for people and use the first letter of their names! Cute gift idea!

#2 http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/15374/simple-mondays-take-two

Simple Monday's - Take Two

This was a really cute idea with taking old margarita glasses in a vintage tote, placed fake rocks in them with flowers! I am always looking for ideas to make decorations that don’t cost a lot! I love this!

#3 http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/12818/pyrex-trays-take-one

Pyrex Trays - Take One

Pyrex are food storage containers as well as cooking pans, and when they are old you can reuse them again! I am going to share this one with my Mom because she loves Pyrex and gets new ones every year. Now she doesn’t have to throw them away!

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second quarter of "Trash Talk"

Chapters & pages covered

I read part two of my book, pages 89-143. The Chapters I covered were after sight, clean walking, diet, energy use, every little bit, holidays, indoor air, infant and feminine hygiene, organic gardening, organic waste, vermiculture, and water use.

Main topics

The parts/chapters that I thought were the most interesting to me were after sight and energy use. Again, my book is about this items that are the chapters and how to reuse them and make these items more eco-friendly by not wasting them or filling up landfills. With after sight, it talks about how many people who wear glasses have to get new glasses every time their prescription changes. That means new frames. Instead of tossing out the old frame, help people in need who might not have the money to buy glasses that need them. This way we are not just throwing them away and filling up our landfills but also helping others! The topic on energy use they say, “to waste energy is no different than throwing your hard-earned money out with the trash (96).” Energy creates pollution and pollution destructs our wilderness. It also states that an average household spends “1,300-2,400 dollars annually on energy—44% of that being heating and cooling (96).” People do waste energy and now there are ways to make your home for green, like using solar power to run or heat things.

What significant things you learned and new terminology

            This chapter looks at bigger ideas on how they effect our environment and it tells you ways to reduce your effect. Like energy use, clean walking, and your diet all effect our environment but doing it green will help! I knew most of the terminology in the chapter, expect for vermiculture: the cultivation of annelid worms (as earthworms or bloodworms) especially for use as bait or in composting. They use worms to convert organic residues into a valuable resource. Some benefits are increasing the amount of microorganisms, nutrients, and minerals in the soil with worm castings and protect outdoor wildlife.

Implications

This again affects society because it tells us what we have to do to preserve and help our environment & earth. We should care because if we keep going how we are, our earth and environment will diminish, like it already has, and for us to live we need our planet!! We should take and do anything we can do help, like biking to work not driving, less pollution in the air, using reusable bags, less waste of our energy resources. These are just a start of way to save and help out! 

Share & Voice: Smoke Free Campus

Smoke Free Campus

•Since I was not able to attend the smoking forum on campus I decided to add a little info myself!

•As I read my group members post about the forum, it sounded that the turn out for people who are for the ban of smoking was good! Also mentioned was how the arguments that the smokers portrayed who are not for the ban, were unreasonable. Have these smokers never read or heard anything on how smoking effects their health and others around them?

•Here is a website I found with shocking statistics that anyone who smokes should take into consideration!

•http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/facts_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking (if it doesn’t pop up, just click on S for smoking)

Facts

*Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia. (1)

*Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke. (7,8)

References on website page!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal 

My SMART goal is to use a reusable bag every time I go to the grocery store or Target. I did well this week so far, because I haven’t needed to run anywhere to get anything. But I am going home this weekend and will be shopping, and I plan to keep a bag in my car, but hopefully I remember to use it!

Successes and Challenges 

Reminding myself that it is in my car and that I need to use it, also my boyfriend as started to use a reusable bag as well so that’s just another person to remind me! I am going to face a challenge when I go home and trying to not forget to use it on a quick errand. I am going to keep one in my car and tell my family they have to help me remember it! I am also going to make my family use reusable bags all weekend too!

Feelings

Well if I do use my reusable bag this weekend and don’t slip I am going to feel accomplished! I always feel good when I know I can stick to my goal and also inform others!

Learned

I learned that being eco-friendly by just using a reusable bag is just a start of helping our environment. I am hoping at the end of my lifestyle change I will still do my SMART goal and maybe others.

Plans for next week

I am going to stick to my SMART goal and not slip up! I might make my goal more challenging. When I go to the grocery store and buy food, to buy one organic thing every time. It can be produce, dairy, or a dry god, but at least one time when I leave will be organic!

p.s. sorry for my blog not showing up before! I tried to use a template to make it look cool....it didn't work....

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 Hosted By Amy @ Eco-Chic with Amy.
Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4

Share & Voice: Rainforest

At the start of my blog I said that I would post information about Rainforest and why they are in danger and how we can help!

Here is one website with lots of Rainforest facts:
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

Also here is a youtube video to watch about saving the Rainforest as well!