End of the Quarter Evaluation

I edited my footprint and the results showed that I reduced my footprint by 0.5 planets. I accomplished this by reducing my food and goods categories.

Final Evaluation of Goals


Goal 1

• As part of my initial goals, impact from my food consumption and buying habits was reduced by 8%. I was able to buy more locally grown produce, and since produce was easier to recognize as locally grown I was able to reduce my animal product consumption, which reduced my footprint as well.

Goal 2

• I realized my second goal was difficult, but only due to the fact that I don't buy a lot of packaged goods. As a "poor" college student most of buying is comprised of food products. If I am buying something other than food it is usually personal products or household items, but even then these products are bought only occasionally.

Goal 3

• I successfully eliminated plastic bags from my shopping. I did mess up a few times, due to not having bags handy. However, after I forgot my re-usable bags once I stocked my car with a few extra. This helped me for times when I would go grocery shopping on impulse, like after school when I was not carrying my bags with me. 
• The disadvantage to this goal was that while it was successful the footprint calculator does not reflect it.

Goal 4

• As my additional goal I reduced my electricity consumption. This could not be evaluated on this calculator, but I saw a changed in my electric bill. Our monthly bill has been reduced by about $10 from the previous months, and last year during the same months the electric bill was higher than this year. I believe this reduction in cost is a result of making a conscious effort to unplug idle appliances and turning off lights when leaving the room. 

Analysis of Behavior Throughout the Quarter

My buying behaviors and environmental consciousness has changed dramatically. After learning about the various problems with products and how they impact the Earth, I have become a more involved buyer. Even when it comes to habitual items, I pay more attention to labels and take time to compare brands. I now try to buy brands which I perceive to be more green and I look for familiar labels. 

In my house, I have become more aware of my power usage and have influenced my roommates to do the same. As a result our electric bill has been reduced.

I have also noticed that I have been informing my friends and family about various environmental/social issues and have caused them to think a little more about how and what they buy. I have learned a lot this quarter, and I expect to continue to reduce my footprint  and help others reduce their footprints.

Unplug, $ave Money

Since my roommates and I started unplugging idle electronics and appliances our energy bill has gone down. This was a big surprise to my roommates, and they said they would continue to unplug to keep our bill down.

Now that my roommates are on board with reducing energy use, my efforts to meet my goal has been much easier. Before I would have to unplug after they were done using, but now I don't have to monitor the electronics as much. They still forget once in a while, and so do I, but it has been a pretty successful effort on all our parts.

Chevron Green Washing

Chevron Human Energy VS. Chevron Think's We're Stupid


The first clip is an actual chevron ad about renewable energy. Sounds great right? Well Chevron definitely AGREES that renewable energy is vital to the planet, and they claim that they have invested millions of dollars in technology to make renewable energy work. However, an article on Huffintonpost.com stated, "the anti-Chevron website reports that Chevron's oil refinery in California is one of the state's biggest emitters of greenhouse gase", and "according to ChevronThinksWereStupid.org, Texaco (acquired by Chevron) is responsible for dumping 18.5 billion gallons of toxic waste into Ecuador's drinking waters".  Sounds to me like they have bigger issues than supporting renewable.The Huffington Post article suggests that the "Human Energy" campaign is more of a distraction, to keep our attention off the toxic dumping.How about cleaning up after yourself?


Chevron Green Washing


This Chevron spoof adresses the false promises made by many major companies. Green washing gives the green market a bad name. It is situations like this that cause consumers to loose trust in companies. Also, this video portrays an issue described by Joel Makower in his book Strategies for the Green Economy. Makower explains that sometimes companies do the research and bring attention to certain issues(in this case admitting something is a concern), but don't actually do anything to solve the problem. They delay actually making decisions, and don't come up with any solutions.

E-WASTE

Electronic waste (E-Waste) is a growing environmental and social issue. Do you know what happens to your electronics after you throw them away? Well, it is likely that your old electronics are being exported and dumped in developing countries such as China, Kenya, and India. To "recycle" the valuable metals contain in electronics, workers have to burn the products to extract the metals. These "workers" are then exposed to harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are damaging to their health, as well as the land around them. Nearby rivers are contaminated from dumping and runoff of toxic chemicals. And thats only the beginning.

 

Carbon Footprint Campaign Poster

"Green" Cosmetic Labels

Green washing and deceptive labeling is an issue that has consumers confused and skeptical. The article “Study: 'Green' products emit hazardous chemicals” is just more evidence of this problem. It addresses the problem with scented consumer products that claim to be “natural”, “green”, or “organic”. The study showed that all of the 25 products analyzed emitted at least one toxic or hazardous chemical, and half of the products claimed to be “green”. So how can a company put a green label on their product if it contains harmful chemicals? Well in this case, if you pick up a product that is fragranced, you can bet that it contains toxic chemicals. Even if it claims to be “natural”, you can’t be sure what chemicals make up the fragrance. Have you ever looked at the ingredients of those products? You might notice that when it comes to explaining the scent it just states FRAGRANCE. Turns out manufactures are not required to disclose the ingredients in their fragrances. And this does not just apply to cosmetic products, other products like cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and laundry products have fragrances that are a mystery.

         This just seems wrong. Manufacturers should disclose all ingredients. Now I can see why they wouldn’t. They want to protect their special scent. I know when I buy cleaning products or cosmetic products, the unique and appealing scent takes part in my decision process. However, I still think I should now what types of chemical I am exposing my self to, especially if they are classified as hazardous. The article mentioned that the U.S Senate is reviewing The Household Product Labeling Act, which would require manufacturers to list ingredients in air fresheners, soaps, laundry supplies and other consumer products. I’m glad someone is taking action. I just hope they pass it. On the other hand, it’s discomforting that actual laws have to be set in place for manufactures to make a change. What else aren’t they telling us?