Week 1: Sunday, Nov. 5-Saturday Nov. 11
During this first week of the green campus challenge, I have documented the sustainable actions that I have taken for each day and arranged them in a gallery by day below.
Sunday
Recyclables Week 1 Sunday
I live in a suite on campus so I am lucky to have access to a fully updated kitchen and common area as well as my own room. This may make it significantly easier for me than those living with a roommate or in another dormitory on campus because the building where I live is newer, built in 2009. On Sunday I did not leave my suite so I mostly ate things that I had in the fridge and freezer. I am able to keep my own set of dishes and utensils because we have a kitchen and the recycling is provided by the college cleaning staff. Above is the picture of all the recyclables from the day.
Monday
Before I left for classes, I made sure to unplug my electronics in my room when not in use. When we leave our electronics plugged in and we aren’t using them uses what is called phantom energy. “Phantom energy is the electricity drawn from outlets when equipment is off but still plugged in. Many types of electronics and office equipment, including computers, stereos and printers, continue to draw electricity when they’re plugged in and off…Phantom energy can account for 15% or more of the total electricity used by these gadgets” (mnenergysmart.com). Besides, we’ll all have to pay electric bills eventually. Why pay for energy you’re not using?
Monday, as I suspected, was going to be probably the hardest day in the challenge because I resolved to follow along with the Meatless Monday trend and go one day without eating meat for these two weeks of my challenge. Going meatless for one day is good because “livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than forms of automated transportation…According to government figures, Americans consume an average 5.3 ounces of meat per day. The current U.S. dietary guidelines, released in 2005, recommend eating between 5.5 and 6 ounces of meat per day” (Black, 2010).
This was difficult because I’m fairly certain I was a carnivore in a past life. However, going meatless for one day I figure won’t kill me. I did notice the physical difference right away. Throughout the day I felt more sluggish, irritable, and tired. Even though I tried to include some form of protein with each meal (cashews with breakfast, cheese at lunch, and chickpeas mixed with the sweet potatoes for dinner) it did not fulfill the amount that I am used to eating on a daily basis. Using reusable containers for food and drinks is easy because I do that on a daily basis already. Recently, I bought the reusable K-cups on Amazon because I was tired of spending unnecessary amounts of money for a measly pack of 12 plastic cups that add to the plastic problem and will just amass in landfills. Plus, now I can buy different flavors that I actually like for a lot less money. An 11 oz. container of Folger’s ground coffee costs $5.79 at CVS Pharmacy where the Green Mountain pack of 12 K-cups costs $9.99. Considering I spent $19.65 for two reusable K-cups on Amazon, I’d say I’m saving a lot of money in the long-run than if I were to keep buying the disposable K-cups and contributing to the plastic problem.
Tuesday
Tuesday wasn’t too difficult because it is my busy day so all I really had to do was bring both my refillable water bottle and travel mug for coffee throughout the day. I recycled the container my lunch was in as well as a paper bag when I bought a cookie from the cafeteria. Dinner that night was provided by dining services, as we had a networking event where I had no option to use reusable utensils or dishes.
Wednesday
Wednesday I was running around doing a lot of errands so I was not in my dorm much. As usual, I unplugged my electronics before leaving my room. My school has a program where you are able to purchase a reusable food container for $5 and bring your meal back to your dorm from the dining halls. I take advantage of this quite often because sometimes I get busy and don’t have time to sit down in the dining hall, but still want to get a hot meal. At work, I am on the second floor of a building and a recycling bin is only located on the first floor. If I buy something from the cafe that is packaged in plastic, I will hold onto it until my shift ends and take it back downstairs with me to recycle instead of simply throwing it away in the trash cans that are on the second floor. Finally, we have the picture of my recyclables for the day.
Thursday
Thursday was another busy day for me so I mainly ate in the dining halls for breakfast and dinner which all have reusable plates and utensils. I still brought my own reusable travel mug and water bottle. I also bought another baked good at the cafe and recycled the paper bag it came in. There was nothing I used that was recyclable in my suite for this day so there is no picture of recyclables. (And yes, I realize Thursday’s pictures look similar to Tuesday’s but that is because I have the same schedule for those days and eat in the same locations.)
Friday
Friday again I was not in my suite for breakfast or lunch so I ate in the dining halls. With lunch I made sure to not use a plastic lid and straw with my cup because plastic lids and straws add unnecessary waste to the environment. “500 million straws are used and discarded every day in the United States alone. That’s 175 Billion a year filtering into landfills (environment) and littering our waterways and oceans” (thelastplasticstraw.org). For dinner, my boyfriend and I ordered pizza and recycled the box. Instead of storing the extra slices in a ziplock like I would normally do, I used one of my reusable Tupperware containers.
Saturday: Week 1 Vlog
Read the Chicago Tribune article HERE.
References:
Black, J. (2010). Meatless Mondays, a movement that has legs. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2017, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051800891.html.
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. (2005). How Much Phantom Energy Do Your Electronics Use? Mnenergysmart. Retrieved November 11, 2017, from http://www.mnenergysmart.com/how-much-phantom-energy-do-your-electronics-use/
The Last Plastic Straw. (2017). Retrieved November 11, 2017, from https://thelastplasticstraw.org/.
Read By the Sun, Write By the Moon 