Thinking About the Future

Sustainability is an issue that will be around for the rest of our lives. It is something that can always be incorporated in different ways throughout our culture in order to improve things in many different ways.

After learning a lot about sustainability this semester and doing some extra research on the internet, I have come up with 10 small things that we can give up (or use less of) in our everyday lives as individuals in order to better our future:

            1.  Highly processed/ packaged foods

            - Buying locally grown foods benefit those local farmers as well as reduce transportation and packaging.

            2.  Bottled Water

            -You can use a refillable water bottle to cut down on plastic water bottles.

( http://www.calacademy.org/blogs/chiefpenguin/?p=1267 )

            3.  Plastic Bags

            - Bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store can cut down a huge amount of waste.

( http://inhabitat.com/infographic-how-plastic-bags-are-destroying-our-planet/ )

            4.  Unnecessary driving

            -Carpool with friends or walk when possible in order to reduce the amount of pollution.

            5.  Paper Receipts/ Bank Statements

            -Many places offer these things via email nowadays and this will reduce waste as well as make it easier for yourself with less papers to keep track of.

            6.  Keeping The Heat and Air Conditioning Blasting in Your House or Apartment

            -Turning your thermostat down a few degrees can save you a lot on energy costs.

            7.  Throwing Away Old Clothes

            -Donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away so that they can be reused.

            8.  Disposable Batteries

            -Try to buy items with rechargeable batteries. Batteries are a huge issue when it comes to pollution so cutting down on as many as possible can really help.

            9.  Harsh Cleaning Chemicals

            -Nowadays there are a lot of eco friendly cleaning choices that you can either buy or make at home.

            10. Paper Towels

            -Use reusable towels to clean up when possible to reduce the amount of waste. ( I also found a company called People Towels that makes a reusable paper towel alternative made from 100% organic fair trade cotton.) 

( http://blog.purehome.com/author/laura/ )

These things are all small changes to your daily lifestyle but they are all things that really do help to make a difference for a sustainable future. Many people do not want to give up their lifestyle but you don’t have to do anything crazy… by changing some small things, (as insignificant as some may seem) we really do have the power to make a difference.

Sources:

http://www.50waystohelp.com/

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/green-living/green-home-00000000056038/page8.html

http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/04/22/energy-efficient-home-upgrades/

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/living-green#slide-8

http://www.calacademy.org/blogs/chiefpenguin/?p=1267

http://inhabitat.com/infographic-how-plastic-bags-are-destroying-our-planet/

http://blog.purehome.com/author/laura/
http://www.peopletowels.com/

Stone's Throw Urban Farms / Localization's Fight Against Globalization

Nowadays, localization is combating globalization in many ways and bringing communities throughout the United States back together. I read about an urban farming group called Stone’s Throw Urban Farm which I found to be a very interesting example of how localization is fighting back against globalization.

Stone’s Throw Urban Farms have over 16 urban farm plots located throughout the city of Minneapolis. These plots were built on old vacant lots and the project was started as just a hobby. But now they serve a good portion of the areas needs as far as fresh fruits and vegetables. Stone’s Throw Urban Farms aims to change Minneapolis’s local food scene as well as the way people look at farming.

( http://urbanplainsmag.com/2013/2013/11/05/minneapoliss-stones-throw-urban-farm-localizes-midwest-agriculture/ )

Some cities like Chicago and Cincinnati have dealt with decreasing population in the past few years. Stone’s Throw Urban Farms is helping to stop this from happening in Minneapolis because they help to give an alternative use to vacated land, beautify the land, increased supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to the community as well as reducing energy use and transportation costs. They stated that their goals included:  “sustainability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving access to healthy, locally grown foods.” This group is really putting a big impact on Minneapolis, by starting something like this, they can eventually change the way the city gets their food and the way people thik about farming in general.

This Urban Farm group is affecting the happiness of the community as a whole. In collaboration with each other added with participation from the members of their community, they have created something that can help to improve their community as a whole as well as becoming much more sustainable.

Sources:

http://urbanplainsmag.com/2013/2013/11/05/minneapoliss-stones-throw-urban-farm-localizes-midwest-agriculture/

http://stonesthrowurbanfarm.wordpress.com/

https://stones-throw.herokuapp.com/

Etsy

There are so many traditional retailers out there. I was doing some research to find some that were a little bit different. Etsy is an online marketplace that allows people all around the world to connect to buy and sell unique goods. On the site you can find anything from crafts and decorations to clothing and jewelry for every occasion.

The people who run the site are located all around the globe. These places include: Brooklyn, San Francisco, Berlin, Dublin, London, and Toronto and the site is accessible to anyone around the world. So, basically someone from China can buy a handmade shirt made by someone in Canada just with the click of a button. Etsy makes it very easy for people to access anything they want.

Etsy is unique because it is a place for individual people or small companies to sell their products to anyone in the world. It is different from EBay and Amazon because it the goods on Etsy are made by the people selling them. Etsy is not a place to sell your old cell phone or your used college textbooks. This is one of the reasons that I find Etsy to be so interesting. Each product sold on the site is sourced and produced uniquely depending on the seller. In some cases, the consumer can even customize what they want and the seller will create it by hand. Many of the products sold on here are handmade.

Etsy has a lot of unique items to offer that are created by individual artists and small companies. Supporting these people and buying their products can really impact their success. Probably even more so than supporting a huge company like Target or Macys.

( http://www.etsy.com/listing/117163172/nameplate-bracelet-personalized-bracelet?ref=br_feed_13&br_feed_tlp=jewelry )

I looked at one product in particular, which was this nameplate bracelet. It is being sold by a small company called Luca Jewelry. This company uses Etsy to sell their personalized jewelry. So, if a person see's this bracelet and likes it, they would purchase it with specific personalization instructions. Then someone would create this piece specifically for them. This is how a lot of the products are on Etsy. I think that it is very cool and gives everything a very unique, one of a kind feel that cannot be achieved through products from some larger chain stores.

I was mostly intrigued by this uniqueness of everything sold on Etsy. A huge amount of the goods sold on the site are created by hand which like I said before, gives it a very one of a kind quality. I also think it is really cool to be able to support these small companies and independent artists so easily.

Sources:

http://www.etsy.com/about

http://www.etsy.com/listing/117163172/nameplate-bracelet-personalized-bracelet?ref=br_feed_13&br_feed_tlp=jewelry

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fashion/17etsy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226180

Food Security/Insecurity

What is food security/insecurity? These terms simply refer to whether or not one is able to access adequate amounts of food due to financial reasons, lack of resources or other reasons like locations of supermarkets, etc.

The main thing that really interests me about this topic is the correlation between food insecurity and obesity. There are many articles out there describing the relationship between these. I found a really good article by the Food Research and Action Center. In the article, they explain why food insecure people are vulnerable to obesity. The main reasons that they provide include:

-lack of grocery stores and farmers markets

-healthy food is often more expensive

-low income neighborhoods have a greater availability to fast food restaurants

-fewer opportunities for physical activities

-people struggling for food may overeat when food becomes available

-high levels of stress

           

            At first, I thought it was a little crazy that these two things could be related. But after doing some research, it really does make sense that food insecure people are much more susceptible to obesity. In food deserts, or low income neighborhoods, it may just be cheaper and easier to buy fast food or highly processed foods.

            I also did some research on the other consequences of food insecurity aside from obesity. Some things that I found were, mental health and child development. On feedingamerica.org, they explain that food insecurity in adults has proved to have a relationship with the number of mental health issues and behavior problems. These people may experience higher levels of anxiety and aggression as well. They also state that children who grow up in food insecure families are vulnerable to poor health and stunted development.

            All of these things are big problems that could be prevented by adequate food. Researching these topics really opens my eyes and makes me aware of the real problem of hunger in the USA.

(http://food-fight.info/food-insecurity/)

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/why-are-low-income-and-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-to-obesity/

http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger.aspx

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625113857.htm

http://tfbn.org/food-insecurity/

More on Subaru

In a study called RE:THINKING CONSUMPTION by Raphael Bemporad, Amy Hebard and Daniel Bressler, they write about how brands can overcome common barriers to purchasing more sustainable products. They list these barriers, some of the ones they include are: “It didn’t cost more”, “You got rewarded in some way” and “You had a better idea of what makes products environmentally and socially responsible.”

Last week, I wrote about Subaru and their green initiatives. I thought that the barrier that applied most to them would be the one relating to sustainability, “You had a better idea of what makes products environmentally and socially responsible.” So, essentially someone would say they chose one product over another because they had a better idea of what makes it environmentally responsible.

(www.subaru.com)

If I were help Subaru to position a product in a different way in their advertisements in order to eliminate potential purchasing barriers, I would make sure it was very clear that they are making huge efforts as far as sustainability. We will take the Impreza 2012 for example. Subaru has so many positives that they can use to their advantage like, the fact that they have set up a vehicle recycling project team to design future vehicles that are easier to recycle, and that all Subaru vehicles meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards which measure the environmental impact of each vehicle individually. Plus they were the first plant to achieve zero landfill status. And on top of that, the Impreza 2012 is a PZEV vehicle which stands for partial zero emissions vehicle. So basically, it produces much less emissions than other vehicles. If I were Subaru, I would focus my advertisements on the PZEV feature. This is something huge as far as being eco-friendly. If they make their sustainability efforts known, and make sure everyone understands PZEV this would be a huge selling point. They could sell a lot more cars and eliminate many barriers if they were just more thoroughly informed about the product and company. This video explains the companies story with sustainability, and this one explains PZEV. Subaru could use these points when trying to advertise the Impreza 2012 to customers. They would eliminate the barrier of, “You had a better idea of what makes products environmentally and socially responsible.” And then they would potentially sell a lot more vehicles.

Sources:

http://www.subaruofkeene.com/subaru-environment.htm

http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/impreza/index.html

http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/glossary/g/PZEV.htm

http://drive2.subaru.com/Fall04_SubaruAndTheEarth.htm

http://www.greenstudentu.com/eco_lifestyle/the_subaru_eco-friendly_assembly_plant.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSONpjtK6f8#t=43

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa-DA_UMl6E

Subaru

Subaru is currently imparting change in the way that cars are produced. They are aiming to use up less natural resources and help theenvironment. In the recent years they have put in a lot of effort into becoming zero land fill and more sustainable in general.

The Subaru headquarters is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  I found a great video on youtube about how they have become a zero landfill plant. They have been working towards a healthier environment with a more sustainable company. They have been changing the way they produce their cars to find a way to use less resources. For example, they have stopped getting in car parts that require extra pieces to be trimmed off, thus reducing their amount of waste. They are also making sure to recycle all of their scrap metal rather than throwing it away.

Some say that Subaru is just doing this as a marketing plea. However, I was unable to find any reliable sources to prove that they weren’t. 

In my opinion, they are just trying to better our environment and that just happens to make more people want to buy their cars. Many people like seeing that companies are environmentally friendly and will begin to support them more once they find that out. I do not think that Subaru is advertising the fact that they are trying to be sustainable only so that they can get more business. I believe that Subaru really has good intentions and wants to become more green.

Sources:
http://www.subaru.com/csr/environment-sustainability.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2008-02-18-green-factories_N.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOGI5WnPLZk

FREEGANS

Have you ever heard of a freegan? The word freegan was made from combining the words “free” and “vegan”. Freeganism is a consumer culture that can be defined as “a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive had eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which me may never even consider.” (cite: freegan.info) Many of these people believe that consumerism has made us very wasteful. These freegans use alternative strategies of living that use up minimal resources. Freegans practice many different methods of this such as, waste reclamation, waste minimization, eco-friendly transportation and rent-free housing. Waste reclamation is essentially dumpster diving or, searching though trash to find food. Waste minimization consists of free markets where people share and trade goods, and other methods like the Craigslist free section. Eco-friendly transportation involves community bike programs and other ways of sharing and minimizing transportation pollution and cost. And finally, rent-free housing mostly involves squatting, or restoring abandoned buildings and living in them forfree.

I found this consumer culture to be very interesting because it is a completely different culture and lifestyle than what I am familiar with. It is such an extreme form of green culture; I find it very fascinating and I think that it is something I want to learn even more about. After reading several articles about freegans, I was curious about several things in particular: how much useable food is actually in the trash, and how do free markets work?

I found an article explaining more about how much useable food is thrown away. The article claims that 50% of US food goes to waste. This means that there are large amounts of perfectly good foods that get thrown away. So, if these freegans can get to this food waste in time before it goes bad, then it is good to eat.

I also did some research to help me find out more about freegans and free markets. There is a free market in New York called the Really Really Free Market that doesn’t use trading, but uses sharing instead. Their company description states, “The Really Really Free Market is a bazaar & celebration, where capitalist notions of interaction are discarded, and we have fun trying new models of exchange. Expect and share gently used clothing, books, household items, small working electronics, toys, CD’s and DVD’s, crafts, tools, food, skills and more.“  Free markets generally happen once a month and people bring things that can be used again by other people. These markets mostly focus on the idea of giving.

After doing some research and learning about freegan culture, I think it has changed my perspective on green consumption a bit. I realize that I could never live in  such an extreme lifestyle, but it does make me think about some not so dramatic ways that I could improve my consumption. I have a lot of respect for people who can go freegan and live their lives like that. But I can tell you that personally, I could not do it. The best I can do is to make changes in the way I live my life to use less resources and be a bit more green.

Sources:

http://freegan.info/

http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/dumpster.htm

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/zip/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Squatters-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/07/29/freegans-dumpster-diving/

http://www.oprah.com/world/How-Far-Would-You-Go/

http://inthesetimes.com/article/3287/a_freegan_world

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Really-Really-Free-Market-NYC/288012211374?id=288012211374&sk=info