I was looking on the Sierra Club, Green Home site and came across the picture to the left with an article attached to it titled, "Side effect of plastic: Aggressive Kids" This got my attention because I have a refillable water bottle that I purchased from REI that has that label on it.





Looking further into the article it talks about how studies have been done that show Bisphenol-A (BPA) as being extremely harmful; causing cancer, has been shown to alter the endocrine system causing early sexual development, changes in fetal development, sperm production, and malfunctioning hormones are also results of BPA ingestion. The article also talked about how some bottles companies that are claiming to be BPA free, actually containing BPA because of the lining they use. As a consumer, this made me really worried about the bottle that I had purchased but the article offered some alternatives.

Here are some alternatives.
-Stainless steel- Unbreakable, portable, and safe, stainless steel bottles are one of the best reusable bottles to own
-BPA-free plastics: Look for plastic beverage containers made from high-density polyethylene (#2 HDPE), low density polyethylene (#4 LDPE), or polypropylene (#5 PP).
-Aluminum bottles– There are manufacturers out there that offer true BPA-free aluminum bottles, just be shopping-savvy
-Glass
-Ceramic mugs

The problem I had with these alternatives is that they don't offer specific alternatives. The article said that some claiming to be BPA free aren't so which BPA-free plastics are acceptable? I would like to know!

The link to the article:
http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/featured/side-effect-of-plastic-aggressive-kids/

Re-Evaluate EF

My EF has been going well so far. My first set of reduction goals were:

• Walk, bike, or take public transit whenever possible.
• Eat lower on the food chain-going meatless for at least one meal a week.
• Take shorter, less frequent showers
• Buy less! Replace items only when you really need to.

So far, I'm satisfied with the fact that I am now always more aware of the potential impacts that my actions have on the environment but my first set of goals need a little fine tuning.

• Taking 12 minute showers at most. I want to gradually work my way down in time so it's not such a shock to the norm but still a relaxing time.
• Take the bus still when its after 5pm or the weekends. I still drive to intramural volleyball, which is early enough were I can take the bus. I have been driving to my home town less which cuts down my overall driving because it is a 120 mile (2 hr.) drive, which saves me gas $ too!
• Continue to eat less red meat. I usually make one big family size dish with red meat and the left overs will last me the week or substitute for PB & J/turkey sandwiches.
• I definitely stay away from the mall and Fred Meyer's as much as possible because I get sucked into deals or just see something that would be really cool to have even though later I think about it and decide that I really don't need it.

So I want to work on my first goals more and add a couple more:

• Remembering to take the reusable grocery bags that I bought in the store with me and
• unplugging electronics to save energy when I am not using them.

All of these goals are manageable because there are easy means of doing them, it is just remembering and being conscious of my decisions.

Current Event

In the New York times today, there was an article called, "Energy Star Appliances May Not Be Efficient, Audit Finds". It says, "The Energy Department concluded in an internal audit that it does not properly track whether manufacturers that give thier appliances and Energy Star label have met the required specs for energy efficiency". We were talking about this Energy Star just this last week and this article says that no one is regulating the claims of being energy efficient. This is exactly the problem with many marketing claims of products. Consumers used to not think anything of a claim on a box that said "all natural" or "energy efficient" but now because these claims are hollow, consumers are reluctant to believe real claims, making it that much more difficult for companies doing well to be recognized. On Sept. 30, the Energy Department and E.P.A. signed a memo of understanding that seeks to address some of the shortcomings detailed in the report. The report committed both agencies to having all of their products evaluated by certified independent labs. This is a good step in the right direction although there have been no dates set to achieve these goals. For now, consumers need to be aware that Energy Star doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot.

Because of the freezing, cold weather earlier this week I did some research on ways to keep my apartment warmer in the winter. I found a site that had a few easy tips that will warm you right up!

The first suggestion was to: make use of textiles. This means swap out your thin blinds for thicker curtains. A lot of heat will escape through thin paned windows so this will insulate well.

Second: always keep blankets and comforters handy. Instead of going to crank up the thermostat grab a blanket and get warm quickly

Third: Energy efficient heating. If you have a portable space heater, use it! Why heat up the whole apartment when you could just heat up your bedroom or the living room?
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/keep-warm-small-houses-460909

I live in an apartment and we rarely have to turn on the heat as it is because we live on the top floor and are in the middle of the complex. When it gets really cold out and the people that live around us haven't turned on their heat yet, it gets pretty chilly. In my apartment already we have tons of blankets in our living room and bedrooms. Right now there are six blankets on our 3 couches! I also just got a space heater earlier this week for my room! A one time purchase of $27 but there was one cheaper for $17 so it's affordable to stay warm. I had also been thinking about purchasing curtains for my room for a while now. After seeing this article I have seriously contemplated it and have looked for curtains that will match my room. =)

For my assignment, I looked up Jergens Ultra Healing moisturizer and it showed up on the high hazard scale as a 7 our of 10. When looking through my OED book though, I did not find any of the ingredients on the list so I will continue to use this product but I also want to try something new that was a zero on the scale. I want to try Vaseline as a moisturizing product with little hazardous toxicity. The next time I go to the store, I'm going to pick some up and try it out compared to my lotion.

Successes and Struggles + Current event

Last week I set my goals and this week means that I should be reflecting on how they are progressing.

For my walk, bike and take public transportation whenever possible goal, it’s been okay.... I take the bus to campus everyday I have class. This weekend though, I had a group meeting on Sunday at 3:00pm. I decided to drive there because I was running late, completing other things and then wanted to go to the rec center afterwards to work out and didn't want to have to worry about when the bus was going to come get me. I also could have walked home although it was probably a 30 minute walk from that side of campus, it still isn't too far.

For my eat lower on the food chain goal, I made one meal with sausage in it that gave me leftovers for the entire week. I also had Top Ramen for a couple meals this week, the starving college students' food. =) And some PB J's! Overall I did manage to cut out a few meat meals for the week.

For my taking less/shorter showers goal, this one was tough for me. I tried to work out in the early mornings so I wouldn't have to shower to get ready for the day and then shower after I worked out so this was successful. On the other hand, I was so tired some of the mornings that I would jump in the shower just to wake up or warm up and then work out and then need a shower so this is one that I can continually be working one the most.

I have also found that if I don't drive anywhere, I purchase less because I don't browse just to have something to do. I've been getting most of my school work done early because I have been staying home and not wasting time walking around the grocery store.





On another note, I found my current event in TIME dated Monday Sept. 7th 2009 called, The Four Day Workweek is Winning Fans.

An energy saving experiment is took place in Utah that involved 17,000 people. They are the first in the U.S. to mandate a 4 day workweek for most state employees, closing offices on Fridays in an effort to reduce energy costs. They still worked the same amount of hours but just 10 hours a day. Many people were very pleased with the shift in hours. The only problems people really had are trying to find day care for longer hours.

I think this is a great idea! People everywhere always want a longer weekend in order to get things accomplished, spend time with family, go on vacation, and many other things that a two day weekend doesn’t allow. It would give people time to relax and enjoy the days off that they had would not cause so many sick days. For me personally, I would much rather work a longer shift than have to be there more days on end. And plus, if there is a commute involved, who wouldn’t want a day off from that!

Here's the link to the article
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919162,00.html