Continuing the Conservation

A lof of college campuses make the effort to go green and recycle very easy by providing recycling bins and constructing buildings that are very eco-friendly.  Leaving school and going home, we must make more of an effort to go green and recycle because the tools to do so might not be as readily available to us a home.  In no way does this mean that we should give up and only try to help the planet while we are at school.  Even though it might take a little more effort and a little extra work, it is still a very small price to pay in order to help the environment.  Here are some things that you can do:

If you are walking around with a water bottle and you do not see any recycling bins, do not just throw it in the garbage.  Just take it home with you and put it in the recycling at your house or just reuse it the next time you need to drink water.

On a college campus, it is very easily to go many days or even weeks with out a car because everything is so close.  Going home, it might be a little harder to do this, especially if you live in a suburb or rural area.  Take public transportation or car pool whenever you can.  If it is not possible to do either of these things, run all of your errands at the same time in order to save gas.  Not only will this save you money but it will also reduce the amount of toxins being released into the air than if you would have to make multiple trips.

I know one of the first things that you are going to want to do when you get home is to take a long, hot shower that actually has decent water pressure.  Try to refrain from taking really long showers because it is a huge waste.  If you want to relax while you are cleaning yourself, try taking a bath.  They do not waste as much water and you can stay in them for longer.

There are so many other things that you can do when you leave college to go home in order to stay green.  The important thing to remember is that even though it might take a little extra effort on your part, it is definitely worth it in the end.

Wrapping Up the Year- Literally

With less than two weeks left until the school year is over and I go home for the summer, I have begun to think about how I am going to clean out my entire dorm room. As I go through my things, I have started to gather all the loose papers and textbooks that have occupied my desk and drawers throughout the year, and the pile just keeps growing. Packing definitely requires a little strategizing, especially if you don't have a car that you can stuff everything into after your last final exam and drive home. So here are some tips to help you stay organized and have less of an impact on the planet while cleaning out your dorm room:
1. Recycle. I know this seems obvious, but the first thing I do when packing is find everything that I don't want to keep and throw it away. All my old papers are mixed in with trash or other things that can't be recycled, and my first instinct is to grab the whole pile and toss is in the garbage. But it only takes a few minutes to separate out the recyclables and carry them to a different disposal bin, so if you're anything like me, don't take the lazy way out this year and toss everything in the garbage in one trip.
2. Sell your textbooks to another student. Although websites like Half.com and Amazon are great for buying and selling used textbooks, chances are there is another student on campus who is using the same book next semester. So save some money and fuel on shipping and sell your books to a fellow student.
3. Store your stuff. Chances are you won't need everything in your dorm room during the summer, so make your life easier and find some friends to split a storage unit with. You can leave some of your things close to school so you can help avoid shipping a bunch of cardboard boxes home this summer. Saves you the hassle and is nicer on the planet!
4. Use plastic bins. If you do decide to store some of your items this summer, consider buying a few stackable plastic storage bins that you can reuse every year. This way you aren't using tons of cardboard that is going to be thrown away at the end of the summer, plus you can use the bins to store stuff under your bed during the school year.
I hope some of these tips help make your final weeks a little less stressful and easier on the planet!

Pro and Con

We have all heard that protecting our environment is a goal that is being expressed more and more frequently. From hanging posters around campus, to obvious displays on trashcans to decipher where to properly throw away waste, we are led to believe that we are helping the environment so much. Yes, every little effort counts but we all still remain unaware to the impact of all of our actions. We simply just do what is easiest and most convenient. I know that I am a corporate of this as well, but how many times have you had trash and are too lazy to put the each piece of waste in the proper disposal compartment? When you are going somewhere within close proximity and simply take too long of a shower or spend too much time getting ready and instead of walking you get in your car? We are all corporates of this.

The laziness of our society is having a direct affect on our environment and the conditions in which we live in. When someone does not put waste in the appropriate recyclable disposal bins, then the entire bin is taken to trash. This contributes directly to landfill. We all know the symbol that appears on material that is recyclable, so the question is: how long does it take to locate this? It may only take a few seconds out of your day to look for the symbol on the bottom on a bottle or container, but it benefits our environment tremendously. Cars- People tend to take advantage of the convenience they offer getting from one destination to the next. It is also easy to just get in a car and drive to "get away" or run errands just for fun. Amongst college students, all of the necessities can be bought on campus or somewhere extremely close by therefore driving can be avoided. Buy things at places that are close by and in walking distance. The excess fuel that is saved will be a step to saving and helping the environment. Buying needs that are close by can also benefit the local economy as well. Buying locally can help decrease fuel usage because food transportation will not be as strenuous on the environment trying to ship foods from one side of the country to the other.

Being lazy is an easy lifestyle to embrace. The affects of being lazy affect us, those around us, and our surroundings. Although it is easy to embrace, it is easy to avoid as well. Be aware of your actions! Take ownership of what you do! Such small actions add up and end up taking a toll on ourselves and the environment. What are the pros of being lazy? A better question to ask is: what are the cons of being lazy? The list goes on and on...

Silent Spring

While it is important to talk about conservation, consumption and the going green movement, it is also essential to look at where the movement came from. People such as Henry David Thoreau who document a spiritual connection to nature and John Muir who create organizations dedicated to preserving this connection. Many claim that one particular woman is credited with sparking the environmental movement, Rachel Carson.

In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring. It details the harmful effects toxins have on wildlife, particularly birds, and how pesticides are not only killing animals but also humans. Silent Spring shook America when President John F Kennedy validated her findings by having his Science Advisory Committee look at the pesticide industry.

Carson’s book was revolutionary. It took an unheard of issue and revealed the horror contained within. Since this publication, the world has been aware of the harmful effects of pesticides and has tried to work to minimize them.

All of this just because of one book. This goes to show that not every movement needs to start with trumpets and fanfare. Carson saw a problem and solved it the only way she knew how; writing. This isn’t to say you need to go out and write a book on every environmental issue you’re passionate about. It does mean, however, that you can make a difference. Find an outlet you excel in and apply it to saving the environment. If you work hard enough at it, it may just make all the difference in the world. 

Click here to buy Silent Spring

It's Not That Hard To Be Green

When people talk about going green, everyone always assumes that it takes a lot of effort and money and requires major lifestyle changes in order to make a difference.  This is not true.  There are many little things that you can make adjustments to in your everyday life that are at little cost to you but are at great value to the environment.  We are going to explore a few of these adjustments that you could make that would change the saying, "its not that easy being green" to "its not hard to be green."

A one time switch that can be made is using fluorescent light bulbs.  The bulbs that you are currently using are going to run out sometime and when you go to the store, walk past the incandescent bulbs and go for the more energy efficient ones. It's as simple as that.

When you are driving, make sure you always follow the speed limit.  You use less gas when you are driving slow.  Not only does driving slower help you save the planet, but it also helps you to save yourself from getting in trouble with the law, so its a win win situation.

When using energy guzzling appliances such as the dishwasher or the washer or dryer, make sure they are full before running them.  Not only does this make sure that you are not using double the amount of energy but it also prevents you from having to waste your time unloading the dishwasher twice or folding laundry twice.  This simple change allows you to save time while saving the planet!

Plant trees in your backyard.  Not only will planting trees help put more oxygen back into the environment, but when it grows, it will also give you a shady place to relax under during those hot summer days.

For more simple ways that you can save the planet, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109111927.htm.  Remember every little thing you do counts in the effort to improve the environment we live in!

Eternal Expectation Creates Current Contentment

I don't mean to talk about different religious views on life after death or how to get there because that is not the purpose of this blog, but I have to notice that people with a certainty of life after death (usually eternal in a new, better, maybe even perfect place) live a more content life now and are willing to sacrifice more now in light of that future belief.  Now, I also do not advocate coming to a conclusion about life after death or deity by this means--no one should come to believe something regarding these for the purpose of treating the earth better, but it remains true that such an attitude will be a response.  Let me start with a story of sorts:

I visited a jail yesterday morning, and I have visited countries such as Laos, Thailand and Mexico where people have far less than my twenty year old friends on Elon's campus.  But some of those prisoners and Laocians are eternally more content with their life because of their belief in God.  It makes me notice how much my friends, even in their abundance, complain.

They pay thousands on thousands of dollars to attend college, get textbooks put together over years of research by multiple people, attend classes taught by instructors who have studied the material years beyond their own, and they complain about grades, homework, and the teacher being a little boring.

They have shoes to cover their feet, different kinds of shoes for different purposes, all kinds of clothing to match and suit their style, different clothes for each season, and they complain that the weather is too cold or raining.

They have access to a wide variety of food, nutritional facts to maintain a healthy body, dining halls that have the food prepared for them, kitchen areas in most dorms, and they complain about the chicken in Colonades (a dining hall) being too bland.

Many of them have cars to drive to any nearby store when they need something and the convenience of gas stations compared to biking, walking, determining their schedule on public transportation, or relying on a friend's free time to drive (or not having the convenience stores with everything under the sun), and they complain about other drivers slowing them down.

They've had doctors to prevent their teeth from rotting and discoloring, showers to clean themselves every morning, hair products, contacts to cover up failing eyesight, surgeries to heal broken bones, access to all kinds of fitness and activities, cell phones to make plans within seconds and keep in contact with long-distance friends, laptops to do just about everything you can imagine, but still I see people walking around sad, upset, discontent, easily angered, and even depressed.

All the stuff I've listed is just stuff and I haven't touched on relationships (of which I don't think I even need to explain the complexness).

Anyway, the point: even in the midst of incredibly good things, people are never content and happy all the time because they expect perfection (just like we expect people to do the "right" thing and don't thank them every time they do not do the wrong thing).

Maybe we expect perfection because we were made for perfection, but we've gotten in the way.  Maybe our bodies and the earth slowly decay because we need a new earth and new bodies that won't fade.  That's when the people content in this life say that this happens after this life.  Like I said at the beginning, I will not discuss any beliefs on how to get to this eternal life or a God/gods role in this, but it makes me wonder--so I figured it might make you wonder.  Coming to a conclusion on these things will affect our relationship to the earth and how we treat it.  Think about it.

Finish Your Plate

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends $7,000 on food annually. The Department of Agriculture estimates that at least 25% of this food is wasted.  Here's a handful of helpful tips to avoid the waste of food when it seems like we have so much that a little waste does not matter--because we want to keep a global perspective.
Have a plan when you go grocery shopping.  Impulse buying usually leads to unneeded extra food or uneaten food, plus a larger dent in your wallet.
That also means it would helpful to plan meals out during the week as much as possible.  America helps their people out by having all the nutrition facts on our food, so you could even plan eating healthier by planning these out (the problem then lies in the momentary desires when I want some chips or ice cream, but those can be fought or replaced with other snacks).
Eating the same meal multiple times a week would allow you to buy in bulk, which is usually cheaper.  Sometimes bulk is the only way you can buy, and this way you would not have extras laying around in the back of cupboards.
Cutting down fast food is always a plus.  When you go out to eat, consider sharing dishes.  If you are on a date, it could be romantic.  If you are a group of four friends, maybe order three dishes and share them family style (because sometimes one plate is just a little too much for each person), especially if the restaurant is Chinese--they dish out a lot of chicken.


The competition of the will for doing all this is time because while this will potentially improve health and decrease waisted food and driving time, the planning behind all this will take more time organizing and then cooking the food yourself.  It will come down to what you value most in each season of your life and what your resources allow you to do.  Consider the pros and cons of each decision but know that there will always be both with every decision.