My Eco-Friendly Living Guide

My thesis is nearly complete. A final draft is due in about one week, and my final presentation will be in early December. I have kept this blog going for about five months, and I have enjoyed interacting with people about various aspects of eco-friendly living. I first started keeping this blog as a way to share the events of my "summer experiment" where I tried living as sustainably as possible. This was a huge success. My roommate and I reduced our electric and water consumption, and we tended to consume less across all aspects of our lives. This is one of the best parts of an eco-friendly lifestyle. If initial consumption is less, then waste, even if recyclable, will decrease. Even more than that, living eco-friendly living became a lot of fun for me! It was a challenge to only buy items with recyclable packaging, use reusable bags, drive slow, and follow a diet that left out all meat, dairy, and eggs. I believe this was a life-changing experience. Before my research for this thesis began and my summer experiemnt, I was not too concerned with eco-friendliness. Now I constantly consider the impact of my actions and how I can incorporate more sustainable practices into everyday life.

My goal with this blog and thesis was to encourage people in North Little Rock and everywhere to consider their options. I hope people will consider, for example, buying a metal water bottle instead of cases of plastic water bottles every week. There are many options avaliable for people to choose when considering how to lower their impact on the environment, and I hope everyone will take just a few seconds through out the day to consider their personal impact on the environment. I recognize that some changes are out of reach for some people, but starting small is better than not starting at all.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in my thesis. Without strong support from friends, family, and my advisors I would not have been successful. And I would also like to thank everyone who read my posts and provided me with encouraging comments and suggestions. Once I have finalized my guide for North Little Rock, I will post them on here for everyone to see.

This is a difficult video to watch, but it shows the horrible conditions by which many birds die due to plastic waste consumption.

I haven't had a chance to mention that I love Sesame Street. This is such a great show for kids, and it really helps educate children. This season, the topic covered on the show will be things related to the environment and nature. Global warming, climate change, and other controversial and complicated issues will not be included, but simple and kid-friendly topics will be discussed. One example is natural gardening. In the season premier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama helps a few kids, and Elmo, plant a garden. Check out the clip below!

Let me start this post by saying that I am far from being a political expert. In fact, I am probably the last person anyone would want to talk to about politics. That being said, I glanced at an article to day by Scientific American about the new climate bill (S. 1733) that would, at least in part, put more stringent regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Some senators, Sen. Max Baucus in particular, is warning that the regulations on emissions may need to be lowered to allow the bill to be passed in the Senate. Even though he is suggesting they be lowered, I don't know if by how much and how they will compare to current emission regulations. Usually I am the first person to say that "small steps are just as important as large ones." I definitely believe in this, but regarding this climate bill I have a different opinion. I think it is time for us to not slack off our intentions and put together a bill that will actually have an impact on global warming. Many other nations in the world are taking a strong leading role in country-level climate protection, and we need to do the same. We have already slacked off by not committing to the Kyoto Protocol, and we cannot afford more backing down. When legislators back down on requirements for emissions, I belive it sends the idea to everyone that maybe we don't need to be more eco-friendly. And I think legislators need to set an example for how the rest of the country should approach global warming and climate change - with a positive attitude and the desire to push the limits on our environmental "cleanliness."

Tomorrow is the International Day of Climate Action. This is a part of the 350.org campaign that aims to develop solutions to the climate crisis. Across the world tomorrow, events are taking place to raise awareness of the climate crisis and promote the development of solutions to the crisis. There is an event taking place in Little Rock at MacArthur Park. There will be several guest speakers, including State Representative Kathy Webb and Glen Hooks, regional director of the Sierra Club. This event looks like it is going to be a huge success, with speakers, live music, and various educational booths and demonstrations. A cool feature of every event for the International Day of Climate Action is that people at these events "will gather at some point for a big group photo depicting that all important message. At 350.org, we'll assemble all the photos for a gigantic, global, visual petition." (Source: 350.org) I hope everyone checks this out tomorrow if they are around Little Rock.

Link to Event page at 350.org.

Happy Blog Action Day 2009! Today, all across the globe, bloggers are posting something about climate change in hopes of educating people about problems we are faced with. By creating debate, maybe some change will come to alter the current course of climate change. For a complete list of all the bloggers participating and additional information, check out http://www.blogactionday.org.

I have written about a lot of different issues related to eco-friendly living, and many of these topics are closely related to climate change. One of my favorite is driving and fuel consumption. Driving our cars releases carbon emissions that are a part of climate change. The more fuel we use in our vehicles, the more carbon entering the atmosphere. Slowing down to 55 miles per hour saves fuel, and over the course of your "driving life" you will cause less carbon to enter the atmosphere.

Slowing down isn't the only thing we have to do. We also need to figure out ways to get carbon out of the air. One way is to plant "green roofs." Instead of shingle or metal roofs, green roofs consist of plants that use carbon dioxide in the air and replace it with oxygen. Sure, these may not be possible for everyone, but every new green roof helps lower the effects of carbon emissions in the air. This is not a complete solution, but it may be the first or next step to a world unaffected by severe climate change. An article from Discovery News talks about this issue and sheds some interesting light on what green roofs are all about.

Environmental sustainability shouldn't all be serious; there is definitely room for some light-heartedness. Check out this video that Colin Beavan ("No Impact Man") posted on his blog. I loved it so much that I wanted to post it again on my blog. Hope you don't mind No Impact Man!

Guest Blog Post on Blog Action Day by Simon Owens for CARE

Climate change is not only about melting ice caps and polar bears. Climate change is about people.

Swinging weather patterns are creating disasters on a scale that human civilization has never before witnessed. For the world’s poorest people – the ones least equipped to deal with its effects – climate change is devastating their crops, livelihoods and communities.

"Climate change is worsening the plight of those hundreds of millions of men, women and children who already live in extreme poverty – and it threatens to push hundreds of millions more people into similar destitution," says CARE International’s Secretary General Robert Glasser. "A concerted international response to this unprecedented challenge is required if we are to avoid catastrophic human suffering."

CARE is working toward a world where poor people can create opportunity out of crises like climate change. But the current reality is that climate change makes poor people even more vulnerable.

For instance, agricultural production will likely decline in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Less reliable rainfall will likely affect planting seasons, crop growth and livestock health – and lead to increased malnutrition. In other parts of the developing world, flooding will likely further diminish the quality of already-marginal soil and could cause outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Climate change also is hurling many poor families into “Catch-22” situations. For example, they may select crops that are less sensitive to rainfall variation, but also less profitable. As incomes decline and people are not able to eke out a living, children are forced to leave school, assets are sold off to afford essentials, malnutrition rates increase and large-scale migration ensues. The end result? Deepening poverty for tens of millions of people around the world.

What Must Be Done?

At the international level, negotiations to develop a new treaty to guide global efforts to address climate change will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in just a couple weeks. The United States must help lead those efforts, and forge a strong agreement that caps emissions, stops global warming and responds to the effects already in motion. We must do this for the sake of all of humanity.

What can I do to help?

First, you can make a tax-deductible donation to CARE to help poor families access the tools and education they need to adapt to the effects of climate change, make efficient use of their existing resources and overcome poverty for good.

Second, if you live in the Unites States, you can write your senators and urge them to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a critical step toward U.S. leadership in tackling climate change. U.S. leadership is critical to making the Copenhagen negotiations a success.

Third, you can join the CARE mailing list to be kept up to date on CARE’s activities and other ways you can take action in the days counting down to Copenhagen.

To donate, take action and join our e-mail list, please visit www.care.org/climate

Check back here tomorrow. I registered my blog on the Blog Action Day site. Everyone registered for this even will be posting something related to climate change. The video below explains.

There was an article in the Arkansas section of Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The article, titled "New Alternative-energy panel has some gaps," fills readers in on what's happening with the newly created commission, created under Act 1301. The purpose of the commission is to explore alternative energy sources in Arkansas (solar, wind, biomass, and other alternative energy sources), and examine the possible economic impact from using alternative energy sources. The commission is only authorized to study this issue in Arkansas, and the commission has not other authority. There is already trouble with the commission, though. Three of the 15 members have not been appointed yet (members are not government employees), there is no allocated budget for the commission, and there are no established deadlines for the commission.

All of this being said, the current members on the commission met for the first time this week to get started. This was on their own time and money. This is definitely an improvement over not having an alternative energy commission, but the state needs to do more. The article mentions that some of these issues could be settled in the next legislative session starting on February 8, 2010. Alternative energy is something that Arkansas needs to give a second consideration. I think the majority of people think Arkansas is not well suited for alternative energy, but I have noticed several recent articles bringing this view into question. At least Arkansas seems to be taking the first steps toward a sustainable future.

Pictured above is a rain collector. This one was in Laurel Park, left over from Conway Ecofest a few weeks ago. Basically, the rain collects on the V-shaped roof and drains into the elevated water barrel behind it. Once the small barrel is full, you can drain the water into a larger storage container (the white cube next to it). A friend told me this was still out in the middle of the park so I decided to take a look. I think it is so neat and I would love to have one if I could (apartments don't lend themselves well to rain collectors). This is a great way to save water and water your plants with rain water. I have heard, though, that it is a good idea to not use this water on your edible plants. I guess this has to do with any possible pollutants, but you can still save water using it on your decorative plants and landscaping. The structure would look great in any backyard. It would be a nice place to sit and read, and be eco-friendly at the same time!

Thesis writing is kicking into full gear and work on my eco-friendly living guide is progressing very well. I heard that EcoFest in Conway was a great success. There were lots of booths set up and attendees, too. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because of a prior obligaton, but I am sure I would have had a great time! I know sometimes it is difficult to keep up eco-friendly behaviors. Well, it may not be more difficult, but not recycling, not turning off lights, and driving faster on the interstate might require less effort. In light of this, let me share some of the inspiration I had recently.

This is the Two Pine Landfill in Jacksonville, AR. This is also where NLR takes is trash. I remember when I first started high school, you couldn't even see the dump over the line of trees. Now the landfill towers over the highway next to it. Let's look at another picture.

This picture was taken from the McCain Mall parking lot next to highway 67/167. In the distance, you can see the Two Pike Landfill. This locations is around a mile away and the landfill still towers over its surroundings. That makes me want to recycle, compost, buy in bulk, and try to find any way possible to eiminate waste!

Last week when I was reading The New Yorker I was pleased to find an article by Elizabeth Kolbert that was about several new books about experiments in environmentalism. Much like how I tried to live as eco-friendly as possible over this past summer, many other people are attempting other experiments in environmental living. One of the main experimenters is "No Impact Man." Colin Beavan attempted to live, for one year, with zero environmental impact. Though I haven't read the book yet, Kolbert relates some intriguing information about the book. Beavan lives with his wife and daughter in an apartment in New York City and they make some serious changes in their lives. He and his family stop driving, using the elevator, and even turns off all electricity to their apartment. That is dedication! Beavan also gave up toilet paper. I can't imagine how his family liked this. No Impact Man is a great resource for information on going green. Check out his website http://noimpactproject.org/ and see all he has to offer. His book and documentary were just released, but I don't think it is showing anywhere around Little Rock. A great feature of the website is that you can try the experiment yourself for one just one week. If you sign up for the experiment through the website, then you will receive support and guidance through the people with No Impact Man on how to live a live free of environmental impact.

I am no longer vegan. I have been thinking about stopping for a few weeks now, but I wanted to finish out August. The main reason is that in my apartment and group of friends, I am the only one with any dietary restrictions. Thankfully, my friends are accommodating, but I still feel like I am limiting the possibilities. But, I am very happy with two full months of veganism. I only committed myself to one month, and since I was enjoying it I continued into August. In the future I might pick it back up again. I certainly have a greater respect for anyone living the vegan lifestyle. It really makes you think about what you ear, wear, use, and much more.

I forgot to mention another great eco-friendly service that UCA has for its students - a shuttle service. To be honest, the shuttle service is likely more intended to lower the parking demand on campus, but it allows some students living in UCA housing away from campus to catch a free, eco-friendly ride to their classes. By carpooling, a large amount of carbon emissions are not entering the atmosphere. Carpooling is a great way to save money and help lower fuel emissions. Here are a few great sites to look for carpooling information in Central Arkansas:

eRideShare.com
Zimride.com
Zipcar.com - Zipcar is a car sharing service that has not yet made its way to Arkansas. Check it out though. Another great thing is that it teams up with universities to help students out. If the demand is high enough, maybe Zipcar would come our way!

One quick note about recycling glass. A reader mentioned that Conway does recycle glass, and they certainly do! It may not be convenient (you have to take it to the city dump/recycling center), it is still a great benefit. Hopefully the service will extent curbside.

My roommate and I were surprised to find a letter a few days ago from Conway Corp saying that we were under-billed for the first three months of our service. Apparently this happened to other customers too. Once I got past the fact that we were going to owe more for our past usage, I began to look at the statement they sent us and noticed something rather encouraging. We did better in saving electricity than I first thought. Here is what we used each month:
May - 490 kWh
June - 700 kWh
July - 590 kWh

The cool thing about these numbers is the comparison of May to July. In May my roommate and I were very rarely in our apartment. When we were gone on trips we turned off the air conditioner and the lights so little electricity would be used. In July we only had a 100 kWh increase when the temperature was higher and we were in the apartment more. I think this shows how much we conserved when trying to be green.

Another important thing to note: Conway EcoFest 2009. This will take place on September 12 at Laurel Park. It looks like this is going to be a great event for people interested in sustainable options and celebrating a community's commitment to the environment. There are going to be different exhibitors, an Alleycat Bicycle Race, recycle relay race, and a lot more! The website has great information, but the EcoFest still needs some more help to be a huge success. Check out this link to find out how you can help out!

So I am back to school today, and over the weekend I was around the dorm when people were moving back in for the year. I was reminded of how much waste can come out of move-in day. UCA had several large dumpsters placed near dorms throughout the campus. I walked by one and saw tons of cardboard, plastic, and Styrofoam thrown in there. UCA had a great recycling program and I believe a lot of what as in that dumpster could have been recycled. On a more positive note, I noticed that on the backs of doors in one residence hall (I don't know about others) there was a friendly note reminded residents to use the recycling room located in their hall. I know that when I lived in the dorm, my roommate and I had two large bins - one for paper and one for plastic. We never really had aluminum recycling, though it was available. UCA and Conway do not accept glass for recycling, so we had to take our glass waste elsewhere. I am glad to see UCA stepping up and encouraging more students to recycle.

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit two eco-friendly building projects in North Little Rock and Little Rock. In NLR, there are the City Grove Townhomes. These townhomes are LEED Gold certified and seem to be a great place to live. Several of the units have already been sold and they are working on building more townhomes and finishing the common areas. Check out the website to learn more about the eco-friendly design aspects. If you get a chance to tour the model home, there are signs in every part of the house explaining the different environmental design features.

The next we visited the Vertical Lofts in Little Rock. These are located across the street from the train station and Episcopal Collegiate. These townhomes are LEED Platinum certified. They have some really cool features and great views of downtown little rock. Look for them below! It is so nice to have both of these eco-friendly living options in our area.

When I opened my mailbox and saw that the utility bill was there I was nervous to open it see what our usage was. I would have been displeased to find we used more electricity in July compared to June when my roommate and I were not being green. But I had nothing to worry about! In June we used about 700 kWh. In July we only used 590 kWh. Turning off lights, turning up the temperature setting for the air conditioner, and using power strips to prevent "ghost power" really helped lower out electricity consumption. I don't know what a bare minimum of usage would be, but I don't necessarily think that is as important. I wanted to show that by taking a few small steps it is possible to see results even after one month. One quick note about comparing utility usage throughout the year. I compared June and July. However, it is probably more accurate to compare months from one year to the next. For example, to really see how much I reduced my power consumption I would need to compare July 2009 with July 2008. Since, I didn't live in my apartment at that time I am not able to do that. But it is something to keep in mind. Thanks to Ed Begley, Jr. for this great tip from his book, Living Like Ed (2008).

Now my thoughts on water consumption are a little more general right now because I don't have specific information on how much we used in June or July. But I do know that we did a few things to hopefully make a difference. We tried to take "navy showers." I have mentioned these before. I like taking them because they conserve water, but sometimes it can be difficult to convince myself it is a good thing to do in the early morning when I wake up. I don't know about anyone else, but a nice hot shower goes a long way in starting my day. In spite of that, I was able to bring myself to save water, electricity in heating water, and time by not taking long showers. In the kitchen we were careful to only run our dishwasher when it was full. Washing partial loads is a waste of water. If there was some dish or pot that I really needed, I would quickly wash it in the sink. The same thing goes for the laundry room - don't do partial loads! I also washed everything in cold water. I didn't have any shrinking or color problems with my clothes. Another idea is to use eco-friendly laundry soap. We bought a big bottle of soap from Seventh Generation. If I remember correctly it was about $15 for at least a gallon jug (there might have been more in it). This has lasted us well over a month and we are still using it. The soap is biodegradable and not harmful to the environment.

Finally, veganism. Some people might think I am crazy, but I have thoroughly enjoyed being vegan. I haven't been craving meat or cheese or eggs too much. I have been trying to figure out how I felt about my diet, and I think I have it. As long as I can find something to eat that really makes a meal I am perfectly fine with veganism. I have had to plan my meals more and cook for myself more. Not only do I get to make things exactly as I want, I also saved money from not eating out as much. When I did go out to eat, I would have to really focus on what I could have on a menu. For this reason, vegetarian fajitas at a Mexican restaurant with no cheese or sour cream became a favorite option. As for all of my friends and family, everyone was accommodating and helped me stick to it. The encouragement was very appreciated. One day when I was browsing different vegan products at Whole Foods in Little Rock, I found a line of cookies from the Alternative Baking Company, Inc. They had some great flavors like Phenomenal Pumpkin Spice and, of course, a great chocolate chip cookie. But what caught my attention almost more than the delicious cookie was a short sentence on the wrapper. In response to the question "Why Vegan?", is the following sentence: "No single food choice has a farther-reaching and more profoundly positive impact on our health, the environment, and all of life on Earth than choosing vegan." I couldn't have said it better myself! I am still vegan and I plan on keeping it up for a little while longer. The next challenge in this is going to be when school starts. I will be on campus more and cannot eat in the cafeteria. I am trying to find a good eco-friendly light-weight lunch container so I can carry my lunch to campus with me. I don't want to waste plastic and paper bags on my lunch. I will let you know what I find.

I had a blast keeping this blog this summer and doing my little experiment. I hope some people start being a little more green, or find the encouragement to keep being green. I plan on keeping this blog going throughout the rest of my honors thesis project. I have some great plans for this year, and I am excited to share them with everyone. Keep reading!

So I reached the end of the month. I am probably going to make my "end of the month" post two separate entries. I am waiting on my statement from the utility company and I want that to compare to last month. Some general thoughts about the month: I enjoyed July more than the previous month because I was able to lower my environmental impact. My dad told me a while ago that I should not feel guilty for not recycling, but I still did. This month, though, I thoroughly enjoyed not putting each and every piece of recycling in the trash. My roommate and I probably emptied our recycling bin three times. Even with both of us being sick, we only had two kitchen-size trash bags. Another reason why we didn't have much trash is that we kept all of our food scraps in a plastic container in the freezer. My roommate's mom takes our scraps for her compost bin. So pretty much, the only thing in our trash can was anything that was not plastic, aluminum, (clean) paper, (clean)cardboard, glass, hazardous materials (batteries), and compost/raw food waste. This was a noticeable difference compared to June when everything was trash.

Another quick thought about this month. I cut the number of miles I drove almost in half this month. In June I drove about 1600 miles. In July I only drove around 900 miles. This also means I only had to put gas in my car 4 times. I saved about $40 in fuel costs. Again, I consistently practiced fuel saving driving habits. I drove between 60 to 65 miles per hour on the interstate and slowly accelerated after stoplights and stop sign. I also tended to coast when possible. Turning my car off when waiting for someone in a store also helped save gas. It was more difficult for me to conserve fuel than to recycle, which came very naturally for me. It became very apparent to me how fast-paced our culture is in the US. I felt like I was driving so slow when driving 65mpg, but only because people were passing me going 75-80mph. Does anyone remember when the speed limit was 55? Maybe that wasn't a bad idea.

Ok, up next I need to talk about electricity, water, and veganism!

A few days ago I was looking in the back to school section in Target and a couple of thoughts hit me. First, I looked for any products made from recycled materials. This month I have started buying things that are made from recycled materials. It is even better if post-consumer recycled materials are used because that supports recycling programs across the country. I was able to find a few notebooks and pocket folders that were made from recycled materials, and there were also a few three-ring binders and calendars too. This is a definite improvement over a few years ago when I can't remember seeing products like this. The majority of products people were buying were plastic. Now plastic is not my favorite material and I try to avoid it whenever possible. Plastic products may be more durable for carrying to and from school, so I hope people remember to recycle them when they are finished using them. And that brings me to another point. It doesn't make sense to just throw away all of your notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, and whatever supplies you might have left after the school year. I completely understand the yearly tradition of buying school supplies, and I am not trying to suggest you should not buy anything. I suggest buying what you haven't saved from the previous year and only what you are certain you will need. Overbuying is another way to create waste!

I try to save any folders or notebooks in good condition for the next school year. I just scratch out the class name on the front and write the new name. This year I am going to try very hard to buy any paper, notebooks, folders, and other things that are made out of recycled materials. The big office supply stores have a great selection of recycled paper, folders, and much more. From what I can remember, the cost is not much more that non-recycled materials.

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I have been a little under the weather. A couple of exciting things. Last weekend before going to the American Idols concert, my friends and I ate at The Flying Burrito in downtown Little Rock. The Flying Burrito is a member of the Arkansas Green Restaurant Alliance. It was great to see a recycling center instead of just a trash can when we were done eating. Also, it looked like their to-go containers were made out of paper, not Styrofoam. For all of this to even matter and make an impact, the food has to be good. If no one likes a restaurant committed to sustainability, then people won't see the ease of recycling, eliminating plastic, and many more things. Don't worry about this place - the food was great! Today I am going down to the new Heifer Village for lunch at the Cafe @ Heifer. I have been there before and this is also an eco-friendly place to eat. If I remember correctly the "plastic" cups are made out of corn. I have read some information about corn plastic and there seems to be mixed feelings. Corn plastic, or PLA (polylactic acid) plastic, is biodegradable and made from a renewable resource. Some people are against the use of PLA plastic because it is difficulty to break down in some compost bins and is not recyclable. I think that for right now, it is better than just using petroleum-based plastic. Some places are not going to recycle and at least you can throw away a Corn plastic cup knowing that it should biodegrade.

Not only is the Cafe @ Heifer a great green option, but the architecture of the Heifer buildings are great models for sustainable building. The landscape appears to be all drought resistant and there is a very cool rain water collection system built into the building. Water landing on the roof of the Heifer Village is used to water the flowers all around the building. Rain water collection systems are great ways to conserve water and use what is given to you - not what you have to pay for.

Just a quick note about what I think I am going to write on next. Back to school in an eco-friendly way. I was in Target recently browsing the school supplies, and a few things came to my attention about how we could be more eco-friendly.

I recently saw a news story on Argentanews.com (a great website for news in NLR) about Mayor Hays wanting to convert the Central Arkansas public transportation fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG). I am not too familiar with this technology and whether it would be more beneficial compared to new technology in diesel fuel. The board of Central Arkansas Transit voted to not convert toCNG and instead focus on cleaner forms of diesel fuel. Regardless of the decision made, I am happy to hear that public transportation is "cleaning itself up." It would really be great if more people chose to ride buses that have lower emissions.

It is always nice to see people considering eco-friendly ways of living. But what about those people who choose not to lead a sustainable life. I think one of the easiest things to do is recycle. It doesn't take much more effort than taking out the trash because of curbside recycling. Now,NLR accepts more for recycling so you aren't putting out as much trash. I know some people that put out two full recycling bins and half as much trash. That is really great to see. I also know people, however, that do not recycle. How can we convince them to start? Certainly it might be more difficult for people who do not havecurbside pickup, but you can still collect plastic, aluminum, and paper in large bins and take it to collection sites. So, I am sort of stuck on this right now. How can I convince people to recycle? Any suggestions?

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of living an eco-friendly lifestyle so far has been when I am not at home or close to home. Normally when I am out and collect some amount of trash that is recyclable, I save it and take it home to put in my recycling bin. This past weekend I was in Branson and it was more difficult for me to do this. I did save my trash that was recyclable and bring it home, but I had to deal with packing trash. Obviously I wanted to do this, but it was more of a challenge. Because of this, I tended to reduce my impact by trying to really eliminate my trash. I mainly used a resusable water bottle and used only one shopping bag for all my purchases. I forgot to bring a reusable bag, so I got a bag from the first store where I bought something, and then I used this bag for everything else I bought. When I came home, I then put that bag in the recycling.

We spent two days at Silver Dollar City (SDC) and I was worried about two things: recycling and vegan food choices. I was very surprised when I saw plastic only recycling bins next to many trash cans. At first I wondered why there was only plastic, but after walking around the park for a while, I realized that a majority of food items are served in plastic containers. As for the vegan diet, I was surprised to find several options. One morning for breakfast we went to a bakery in SDC and I nearly died from the smell of cinnamon rolls and other non-vegan breakfast foods. But, they also had a fresh fruit cup and that was nice to see. If you have ever been to SDC, then you are likely familiar with the "skillet" places where you can get a bowl of fried potatoes, veggies, and meat. I used to love these places and was happy to find a vegetable only skillet stand. This was probably not added to the menu for vegans to enjoy, but I sure was thrilled to see it was available.

As promised, I investigated how much it would be to buy carbon offsets for the trip. I tried to use terrapass.com, but I think you can only buy offsets for one year at a time. This is only about $70-$80, so it is not as much as I anticipated. There are several different websites on the internet where you can purchase offsets, and I need to investigate them some more before purchasing offsets. For the time being, I am going to keep a record of miles driven and likely purchase a credit at the end of the year to offset my driving for this entire year.

I got my electricity bill for last month. It was about 50 dollars (700 kWh). Our apartment is fairly small so there is not much that uses electricity. I am anxious to see what this month's bill will be. Even though I don't get a bill for my water usage (apartment complex pays water), I have been doing some things to eliminate water waste. I filled a half gallon milk container with enough water to keep it on the bottom of a toilet tank. This displaces about a half gallon of water. The toilet still flushes fine, it just uses less water. This is in addition to what I was already doing: "navy showers," using a cup of water while shaving, turning off the water while brushing my teeth, and only running the dishwasher and washing machine when I have full loads.

This weekend I am going to take a small trip with a friend and his family. I plan on keeping track of the mileage and then purchasing a carbon offset for the trip. I found a great website for this after reading Ed Begley's "Living Like Ed." He recommends terrapass.com. You can do several different things on this website. You can calculate your carbon footprint, purchase carbon offsets, read about various environmental projects, and also purchase devices to help you measure and control your energy usage. Check it out because I was surprised how affordable it was to purchase these offsets.

I recently watched a few episodes of "Eco-Trip" with David de Rothschild. In each episode (on the Sundance Channel), de Rothschild follows a product from start to finish to see the environmental impact. One episode I watched was about the creation of a white cotton T-shirt. I had no idea how damaging a non-organic cotton crop is on the environment. This show seems to help making people aware of their environmental and global impact. I am not sure when the show comes on, but I am able to watch it throughNetflix instant viewing. I hope to watch more because it was very enlightening.

Another week down; another week of success! I have really been trying to be conscious of the impact of everything I do. This week I made sure that any electrical devices that do not need to be plugged into the wall at all times are connect to a power strip with an on/off switch. For example, my TV, DVD player, and Playstation are connected to a strip because these are not turned on all the time. We do not have cable in my apartment, so the TV only needs to have power when we watch a movie. Ghost power (what a TV, for example, draws from an outlet to cut down on "warm-up" time) is eliminated in this case. Small kitchen appliances are easily stored and do not need to constantly be plugged in. I have even started charging my phone, iPod, and Kindle during the day or evening so I can unplug them as soon as they are fully charged. I realized that by charging these things at night when I am asleep, there are several hours of wasted electricity.

So far this month my roommate and I have filled up two large recycling bins and not even one full bag of trash. A lot of our waste is recyclable. We also have a compost container in our freezer. We can't have a compost pile, but we contribute to other people's compost and eliminate food waste in our trash. One great thing about this is that our trash doesn't smell so we don't have to take it out until it gets full - saving plastic trash bags.

I urge you to look at this cover story from last week's Arkansas Times. It is all about the possibility of wind energy in Arkansas. This is a hot topic now because Arkansas is welcoming several wind turbine companies (we already have a LM Glasfiber plant that makes the blades for wind turbines). The St Thomas Episcopal church in Springdale has three wind turbines providing a small portion of the energy for their church. What inspired me about this project is that the church didn't necessarily do it for financial purposes alone. They wanted to show a commitment to sustainablity and the Earth. This a great article, so check it out!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. I am really having fun this month being eco-friendly. I knew my first big test of the month would be this past weekend when I was spending time with friends and family. Here are a few things I faced. Because I was with a lot of people, we mostly ate on paper plates and drank out of plastic cups. I kindly asked if I could use a regular plate and a glass cup, to reduce waste that cannot be recycled. I understand the reasoning behind having paper or plastic plates and cups, but I would rather wash a few more dishes than create as much waste. One quick common sense tip if you are completely without options. Reuse your plastic cup and utensils as much as possible. Paper plates might be hard to reuse, but plastic is easily rinsed off and ready to go for another meal! I also thought my vegan diet would cause me trouble this weekend, but I was able to find enough to eat and not offend anyone in asking for help when fixing meals.

So, what else have I been doing this month to reduce my environmental impact?
1. Laundry - I wash all my clothes in cold water and only wash full loads of clothes. I have been using environmentally friendly/biodegradable laundry detergent from Seventh Generation. So far I have not noticed any problems in getting my clothes clean. As for drying, I keep an eye out that I do not over-dry and waste electricity. Sometimes, I will even take out my clothes a few minutes early and let them finish air drying. I have a few sets of "over-the-door hooks" that I can use.

2. I talk about driving fairly often, but it seems like I do a lot of driving and putting gas in my car. So far this month I have been trying drive slower everywhere I go. This includes not slamming down the gas pedal when accelerating after stopping at a red light. Also, I have been trying to run all of my errands one trip and plan my driving route to eliminate a lot of waiting at stoplights. I try to never wait in my car with it running when going to a store with someone.

3. Turning off lights. If you are not in a room, then turn off the lights. Unless you are going to come right back to, say, the kitchen, then turn off the lights to conserve electricity. I have noticed some places posting little signs or stickers next to light switches to encourage energy conservation. One place I most recently noticed this is at the Hendrix Campus. Even in the restroom, there was a sticker next to the light switch asking people to turn off the lights when leaving. (Unless someone else is in there!) One major change (I think) is turning the air conditioner up to 80 degrees. Even during the day, my apartment is comfortable. I turn my fan on at night and sleep without being too hot.

I next plan on tackling some water conservation issues and several other topics.

I am very excited to say that yesterday started my "green month." I started my vegan diet/lifestyle and eco-friendly behaviors. When I was driving from Conway to NLR to work, I was doing between 60 and 65 mph. People were passing me on the left, but I was saving fuel and money! My first mess up of the day, though, was pretty early on when I forgot to take a "Navy shower." If you don't know what this is, let me tell you. It is a good way to get in the habit of conserving water in the shower. Basically, you turn on the water and get wet. Then you turn off the water and lather up with soap and shampoo. Then you turn on the water and rinse off the soap. This really cuts down on the amount of time the water is on. (Plus if you are competing for hot water in the morning, there is more hot water available!) Another slip-up was from fixing lunch. Ok no meat and no dairy. Well I was fixing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with vegetable chips. I sat down to eat my lunch and Brooks (my roommate) asked if I found jelly without gelatin. No, I hadn't. I forgot that gelatin comes from the collagen from inside animal bones. But when I looked at the label on the jar, no gelatin was listed. Fruit pectin was the gelling agent instead of gelatin. Good to know!

At work, I collected all of my waste and scrap paper and took it home to put in my recycling bin. I tend to have to print more that I like to, so I collect my wasted paper and either recycle it or reuse it as scrap paper for notes and grocery lists.

As for last month, I drove approximately 1600 miles in June and filled up my car with about 5 1/2 tanks of gas. This sucks! A portion of this amount will be hard to eliminate (commuting to work), but I hopefully will start planning my driving route better to eliminate backtracking and inefficient routes. According to Carbonfootprint.com, I put 0.61 tonnes of carbon in the atmosphere. I hope to lower that number.

As June is ending, I am very excited about what I am going to be doing in July. I think I am really going to enjoy being as environmentally friendly as possible. One of the major things I will be doing is trying to reduce my fuel consumption and driving less. I will go back to using only reusable shopping bags. I have even found some small mesh bags for produce. There are many other things I plan on trying out, but I can talk about those as I encounter them.

One major aspect of this month is that I am going to be a vegan. As many know, this means I will not be eating meat or any type of dairy product (and honey too!).

I have been thinking a lot lately about why vegans and environmental activists get branded with bad reputations. I started talking to my friend about this because some people are a little skeptical when I tell them I am going to be a vegan next month. Several months ago I read the book "Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World." In this, the authors indicate that it takes approximately "260 gallons of fossil fuel to provide beef to a family of 4 for a year, in the process releasing 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere." Not only are fossil fuels involved in this process, but there is an incredible amount of water and chemicals involved in the process. And, we haven't even considered the methane gas given off by cattle - the second largest greenhouse gas. These are just a few reasons I am going to be a vegan. I know it will be tough to do, but I think I am up for the challenge.

One final though. You might want to go online and calculate your carbon footprint. There are several good websites on which you can do this. The EPA even has one. One website I used was Terrapass.com. On this site, you can calculate your footprint and buy carbon offsets. I have done several of these calculations before, and I will be putting them on here in the coming days. I was surprised, however, at how affordable it was to offset my footprint for the whole year. Check them out!

Today, I would like to talk about a couple of different things that don't really connect, so I will just separate them out.

Driving/Gas Usage - I work in NLR on Camp Robinson and I have a summer class at UCA. I have to work at least four days a week, so I use a lot of gas. So far this month I have filled up my 12 gallon tank about four times. I drive a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, so I get reasonable gas mileage. Usually I drive the speed limit, 70 mph, or a little over. I used the fuel economy option on my car's computer to see what the mileage is for that - about 32- 35 mpg. Today I was running a little low on fuel, so I decided to take the advice I so often hear and slow down. At about 65 mph, my fuel efficiency went up to about 38 mpg. And though I can't remember the exact number, when I drove 55 - 60 mph, the miles per gallon really increased. Even looking at the fuel gage I could tell the difference in the 30 mile trip. The needle barely moved today! The only down side to all of this was watching all the cars (and big trucks) pass me on the left. That being said, I was comforted by the fact that I was saving on gas. This is something that will take some getting used to, because I generally like to drive the speed limit or slightly over.

Reusable shopping bags - I do not mean to criticize people who shop at the stores I am going to talk about, but I just noticed a few things worth mentioning. On Saturday I went to Whole Foods in Little Rock to look for something, and nearly every single person I saw walking in and out of the store had reusable shopping bags. The store was very nice to see! The same day I went to Fresh Market in Little Rock with some friends and I don't think I saw anyone using a reusable shopping bag. The same is true for other stores I go to. It is rare that I see someone using a reusable bag at Kroger, Target, or any other store. There are certainly plenty of options for bags out there, because it seems like every store has it's own bag. I found it hard to start using bags just because I couldn't ever remember to bring my bags into the store. But, once I was able to remember a few times, I was able to keep up with bringing them with me. One nice benefit to have a reusable bag at Kroger is receiving a $0.03 credit on your purchase. I haven't had the chance of doing this yet, but I have heard you get $0.03 for each bag you use. Now, this is not a lot of money, but it seems like Kroger is trying to encourage people to use canvas or other types of reusable bags.

You might have heard a little bit about this on the news, but North Little Rock is trying to help Central Arkansas Transit purchase new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses that are more fuel efficient and "cleaner". The city is also trying to use new federal stimulus money to convert other city buses to use CNG. This is very encouraging and is one very significant "green" step North Little Rock is making.

Link to original story on Argentanews.com

One of the main things I have noticed this week is how much I have been driving. Also, the way I have been driving has not been the most fuel efficient. There are not many people in my neighborhood who ride bikes for transportation. That being said, I am looking forward to using my bike to run errands and going to work. Why not ride a bike? On a bike I will not cause carbon dioxide to pollute the air and I will get exercise too. Maybe someone will see me riding around the neighborhood and be encouraged to park their car and ride a bike. I have also noticed an increase in the amount of trash I have been putting out in the past few weeks. With all of the cardboard, plastic, glass, and compostables going into the trash, I have been taking out the trash several times a week.

I continually feel guilty for not being green. I truly believe that it would be very difficult for someone to stop being green. Since Father's Day is soon, I have been shopping for gifts that are earth-friendly. I want people to see the many different ways of being green, and hopefully I will help someone start leading a green life. Really, this whole project and summer experiment would be a success to me if just one person took steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

Breakdown on Source of North Little Rock's Electricity (approximate values):

9% - Hydroelectric Plant on Arkansas River

6% - Waste Management's Methane Generator

85% - purchased power from negotiated contracts. This is a blend of coal, hydroelectric, and natural gas.

(Source: Terry Kessinger or North Little Rock Electric)

North Little Rock has an advantage over other cities of being able to have a hydroelectric plant on a river. Even this small percentage of power reduces the city's overall carbon dioxide emissions levels.

Grand Opening of Argenta Farmers Market

Argenta Farmers Market

Argenta Art Market

This has been a difficult week for me.  For the most part, I have not been recycling or simply trying to reduce the amount of waste I create.  I have been driving a lot this week.  Some of the errands I have had to run could have been done using my bike, but I drove instead.  Also, I drove to UCA for my class even thought it would be just as easy to ride my bike and not create any carbon emissions. Not only have I been driving a lot, but I have not been practicing different driving techniques to conserve fuel.  For example, it is best to slowly accelerate after stopping.  Normally, I do not run my air conditioner in my car, but I have been this week.  It was a lot colder than I am used to it normally being.  

Today I spent the morning at a triathlon event and instead of saving my trash to put in my recycling bin at home, I just found the nearest trash can.  Sure, this was handy, but I felt like I had to resolve a huge internal conflict each time I had to through away a piece of trash.  

Some other things about this week, I ran my dishwasher with the "hot dry" setting instead of letting the dishes air dry.  This certainly used extra energy. I have also not been trying to get by with the least amount of electricity possible.  I try to use natural light as much as possible, but I have been using incandescent lighting mostly.  One of the tings that I didn't think about changing was my diet.  Before this month I tried to eat healthy, locally produced foods to support local farmers and also lead a healthy life. So far this week, however, I have been eating some more processed and frozen meals.  One really good example is a frozen pasta dish I had for lunch one day.  First lets talk about the packaging.  There was the outer cardboard box, a cellophane wrapper around the plastic dish.  Within the plastic dish, there was a plastic steamer basket.  On top of all that, there was a plastic cover that created a vacuum seal for the food.  Doesn't that seem like too much packaging for a silly frozen meal?  This isn't all that bothered me.  Half of the ingredients list was chemical compounds that I couldn't even pronounce, and the food just didn't taste very good at all.  It really made me want to buy locally grown naturally foods.

And this brings me to an important event in North Little Rock - the Argenta Farmers Market, a Certified Arkansas Farmers Market. The market is on the corner of 6th and Main Streets in Argenta. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7am to Noon.  I drove downtown for the grand opening this weekend and there was a a great crowd.  I noticed that most of the farmers were from not farther than 100 miles from NLR.  The food looked fantastic and so did the crafts too.  Close to the Farmers Market there was an Argenta Art Market that had several vendors selling very nifty jewelry and crafts.  Please shop at the market and support local farmers!  

I hope to post some more information this week!  

Today was more difficult than I originally thought.  I first realized that I was going to have trouble with this when I walked out of the grocery store and I had my reusable grocery bag slung over my shoulder.  Without even considering paper or plastic, I had my shopping bag filled with my purchases.  It was comforting to know that I automatically use these reusable bags, but  I realized how difficult it would be for me to not use them.  I also did a few more things today to get the month started.  I reset the trip odometer in my car so I can keep track of how many miles I drive this month.  Throughout the day, I did not try to turn lights off when leaving a room I would soon be going back to.  Normally, I do this religiously.  There are many more things that I did (or didn't do) that go against my habits. For example, when brushing my teeth or rinsing dishes, I always turn the faucet off so I conserve water.  Well, not now!

When I was eating dinner with some friends, I told them how guilty I felt for not being green.  My roommate tried to ease my guilt by noting how much I will be helping the Earth next month. While this eased my "suffering" at the time, it doesn't now.  That being said, here are the things of which I plan to keep track: miles driven, trash, and electricity usage (if possible).  I can't keep track of water usage because my apartment complex pays for the water and usage is likely not broken up by apartments.  I am going to check with the managers to see if there is any possible way to get this information. There is obviously more involved than these few things, and I plan on eventually talking about everything in future posts.  

Soon I hope to get some pictures posted of NLR to make my blog a little more lively.  Also, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here.  I will try to have answers in future posts.  

Fact of the Day: In 2001, Arkansas ranked 70th in the world's top CO2 emitters.  Arkansas emitted 81,700,000 tons of CO2.  In this data, each US state was treated as it's own country. China was first with 3451.6 million tons of CO2, and Texas was sixth with 759.8 million tons of CO2. (Source:Moore, L. Edward. Getting Greener: Progressive Environmental Ideas for the American South. Charleston, SC: Better South Press, 2007.)

Just a brief update tonight before I start my little experiment.  I am affectionately calling June the "Wade hate's the world month" because I am not letting myself be green.  I have been noticing all day long all of the stuff I am not going to be able to do next month, and recycling seems to be one of the most difficult things.  Wish me luck!

I am about to turn my summer into an experiment.  For my UCA Honors College thesis I am developing a “Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in North Little Rock, AR.”  One part of this is my summer experiment.  For the month of June 2009, I will not be practicing any eco-friendly habits.  This might be difficult for me because I already recycle, conserve energy, and practice many other sustainable living practices.  Then in July 2009, I will try to live as eco-friendly as I possibly can.  Among many other things, I plan on becoming a vegan for July.  I will be keeping thorough records of my environmental impact and expenses in both months.  I hope to update this blog several times a week to share my experiences.  Also, I will take a chance and share some of the eco-friendly options and activities in North Little Rock and the Central Arkansas area.  One of my goals this summer is convincing people that being eco-friendly can actually save money!  I would count my project and experience this summer as a success if just one person reads my blog or guide and begins to lead an eco-friendly life. 

 

I will explain parts of this in much more detail in subsequent posts, but I would like to address anyone who thinks my plan for June is a bad idea.  I already mentioned that I practice some sustainable behaviors, and for this reason I believe it will difficult for me to NOT practice those behaviors.  Recycling has already become a habit in my life, and I believe it will be very challenging for me to throw away a plastic bottle or cardboard box.