Ecological Footprint: Update

So, it's been about halfway through the quarter, and I can already see some positive results from the changes I wanted to make to lessen my footprint. I said that I wanted to see what unplugging "ghost power" would do to our energy bill, and so far our bill has been decreasing. Our bill is about $10 less than it was when we started. Which isn't a huge difference, but living in a house with 3 girls it still was fairly effective.

I also wanted to bring coffee in a reusable container at least 90% of the time, and I've stuck to it pretty well. I still need to buy coffee on campus less, but by bringing coffee to school I've already noticed more money in my bank account and consuming less coffee overall.

The third change I wanted to make was buying 3/4 fresh ingredients and have at least 1/2 of that be local food. I've started buying 3/4 fresh ingredients, and it's been noticeably more expensive, so I may have to be focusing more on sales/promotions. But I have noticed I've felt a lot better and have learned a lot more about preparing and cooking food as a result. As for buying local food, it's been only about 1/4 of these fresh food purchases, so I may have to adjust my goals.

As a new goal, I think I want to work on my water consumption. I tend to let the water run a lot as I do the dishes or wash my face, so I want to reduce my water consumption by only turning the water on to do the actual task, not leaving it running. This means only using water to wash soap off plates and washing my face with the least amount of water possible. Overall I'm pretty pleased with my progress, and I'm excited to continue to reduce my ecological consumption and improve my impact on the environment.

Floating Bamboo Houses

Above is a picture of a bamboo house- a structure that is built to actually float in the event of a flood. Created by the Vietnamese design firm H&P Architects, these houses were created as a solution to the destruction of many homes as a result of severe flooding in Southeast Asia. The houses themselves are made of thatched bamboo and anchored to a base of reused oil drums using welded steel piles. Below is an example of how these bamboo houses are constructed:

As you can see, these houses are carefully constructed using as few and environmentally friendly components as possible, while also being incredibly efficient in deflecting rain/flood water. The house itself is very ventilated and open, and can be entirely closed off in the case of a natural disaster- protecting all its inhabitants. With the ability to hold up to 8 family members, this house boasts a reasonable price tag of under $2,000, and villagers can even build their own homes on site. Overall, this is definitely a viable solution to a problem that has plagued villagers for many years, and I'm curious to see if this design can become more than just an idea.

Fragrance- A Hidden Toxin?

For one of my assignments, I was asked to pick a personal care product that I use frequently, and research the ingredients and their toxicity. I decided to research L'Oreal's go 360 clean, which is a facial cleanser that I use nearly every day. I thought that since it was a facial cleanser it would be fairly toxin free, but I was quite surprised to learn that it contained a pretty toxic ingredient- fragrance.

The word fragrance doesn't seem bad at face value. It doesn't have a long and intimidating name like laureth sulfate or decyl glucoside, and seems to be in everything. It just means that it makes us smell good, right? Well, that's where you're wrong. Fragrance is actually composed of a lot of phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors that are linked to things like sperm damage, infertility, and early menopause. Fragrance contains this and a lot of other harmful compounds, all of which manufacturers aren't required to disclose in the US thanks to a legal loophole.

So what else makes fragrance so bad? Well, all of these chemicals contained within the term 'fragrance' can do a lot of damage to your body. They are known to cause allergic reactions, and sometimes even trigger asthma attacks, but they also can cause more lasting damage. Fragrance contains neurotoxins which can be toxic to the brain, can disrupt hormones, and even cause a higher risk of breast cancer.

Researching this product really opened my eyes to a lot of the products I use, including my go 360 clean facial cleanser. After checking a lot of my other personal care products I realized that they all have the vague 'fragrance' ingredient, which leads to the valuable question- where do I go from here? I buy all my personal care products with the intention of them helping me smell good, but using so many products that contain fragrance isn't healthy at all. So, I wanted to set a goal for myself, in order to continue to try and live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. I first decided to cut down on the amount of fragrance containing products I use, and only limit them to the ones I absolutely can't let go of. I'm not ready to stop buying scented shampoo and conditioner just yet, but I definitely don't see a need in buying a fragrance containing facial wash like my go 360 clean. So I'm definitely willing to stop using that, along with cutting down on my use of scented lotions, body wash, and perfume. I'm hoping by implementing these changes I can stay happy and healthy while helping the environment as well.

Sources:

"Toxic ingredients you should avoid: phthalates, fragrance & dyes". Stylishly Organic. 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
 <http://stylishlyorganic.com/2013/03/22/toxic-ingredients-you-should-avoid-phthalates-fragrance-dyes/>

"Fragrance". The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2013
<http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=222>

A few days ago I was able to take a quiz to show how large my ecological footprint was. As you can see by my results above, I have quite a large footprint- much larger than I was expecting. It would take 4.3 planets to sustain my lifestyle if everyone lived like me, which was even higher than the 3-4 earths Professor Wilhelm predicted we'd have. The consumption category contributing the most to my footprint a services- contributing to almost 50% of it.
To improve my footprint I'd like to start using less heat and unplugging unused electronics to reduce our energy bill. I also want to try and eliminate a lot of my impulse buying, especially coffee, by reducing my shopping trips and make sure I have a list and stick to it before I go out, and try to bring my own coffee (in a reusable container!) to school everyday. Finally, though I buy less pre-packaged and already prepared foods, I still don't buy much local food. So I'd like to remedy that by buying at least 3/4 fresh ingredients and have at least 1/2 of that be local food. Hopefully by implementing these remedies I can reduce my footprint ASAP.