Eye Opener: Photo Essay

For my photo essay I chose to take a suggestion that fit well with what I am doing as a part of the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change.  I kept track of all of the things that I have eaten over the last week.  I eat a diverse selection of food and because of this some is easy on the environment, while others are potentially damaging.  For my Eco-Chic Lifestyle change I wanted to eat more organic and locally grown foods to help the environment, now I feel like I need to take it to the next level and make sure I am disposing these products the right way.  (I do recycle, by the way)

These products can all be recycled. But the plastic bottle is the type of damaging pollutant that can find its way into the environment and can take a long, long time to decompose.

The worst thing about the fruits or vegetables I buy is the packaging they come in.  Most of the time they come wrapped in plastics.  I also had eaten raspberries and blueberries but the containers had already been thrown away before I could snap a photo.  The foods themselves decompose rather easily.

Most meats and cheeses are sold in plastics because of their ability to be re-sealed and their ability to preserve freshness.

Foods that come in cardboard products should still be recycled if possible.  But some times the process that they have been made for their product makes them unable to be recycled.  For example of cardboard gets a coat of wax, it can no longer be recycled.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change 3: Weekly Update

As I stated in part one and two, my SMART goal is: I will eat three servings of organic fruits/vegetables each day for the next three weeks.  For the last week, I fell short of my goal two days, while exceeding the 3 serving goal for the other 4 days.  I had two full days of class and internships on the days I missed, and it helped me understand how people would want to grab the quickest thing they can when they need to eat during a busy day.

One thing that I have loved doing lately, and had taken for granted growing up, was a having a serving of vegetables with dinner.  In keeping with the time of year this week, I have made stuffing and corn with some of my regular meals of chicken.  I love making my meals into combinations and two of my favorite things are corn and stuffing.  I kind of made a 'famous-bowl' of stuffing, corn, and bbq chicken for dinner at work tonight.

As I said before I feel better knowing how my food is grown and contributing to the local economy, but it comes at a monetary price.  I still believe as long as I have the means to pay for it, it is worth it.

This week I learned how a busy schedule can keep you from meeting your dietary goals.  It can  be hard to get the kind of food you want when you only have 10-15 minute in between getting to the places you need to be.

I will keep doing this goal for the following week.  I have exceeded the goal on some days, and fallen short on others.  This makes me feel like I have found somewhat of a balance.  I think that overall my average of organic fruits and vegetables is about 3 per day.  So I feel like even though I have failed some days, I have succeeded overall.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction

• What is the issue/problem?
•  In the wake of the BP Oil Spill, tourism has been on the decline in the Gulf region.
• What current legislation has been proposed to address this?
•  H.CON.RES.309 Title: Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recovery fund focusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.

Who is affected by the issue?

• Who is affected the most?
•  The people associated with the tourism industry in the Gulf.  In May, some hotels in Florida reported a cancellation rate of 50% because of oil spill concerns.  As of June 23rd, Florida's tourist numbers were down 10% below expected numbers across the state, that adds up to $2.2 billion in lost income.
• In Alabama, the drop in visitor numbers what much worse.  The industry reported a 50% drop in visitor numbers.
• Who loses, and what do they lose?
•  It is not just the hotels that lose money, all the surrounding tourism industry is affected also, including restaurants, fishing expeditions, and diving tours to name a few.
• As far as the bill goes, the 'loser' is BP.  But 500 dollars to help repair damage is not the loss they are concerned with.  They have already taken a massive public relations hit as well as massive losses from the lost oil itself.
• Who gains, and what do they gain?
•  If the bill is passed, there will be money ($500 million) to help with the relief efforts for the regions environment.

What are the consequences of the issue?

• For the individuals mostly affected?
• For people who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood, this issue can not go understated. Many people who fish for a living were simply out of work for the duration of this spill.  For the short term, gross revenue losses for Louisiana are estimated to be $115 million to $172 million, according to a study released on Friday, October 15th, 2010/
• For their families?
• The losses translated into a job loss of 2,650 to 3,975 "full time equivalents" and an average earnings loss of $58 million to $103 million.
• For society?
• People have lost their jobs and had their livelihoods altered by a company that they have nothing to do with.  Everyone is bearing the brunt of this catastrophe and it is important that those people be in mind when we move to do something to repair the issue.

What is the economic impact of the issue?

• What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
•  In a study realeased by the U.S. Travel Association commissioned from Oxford Ecpnomics, could cost the tourism industry in the Gulf between $7.6 billion over 15 months or as much as 22.7 billion over three years.
• In this worst case scenario, Florida's $60 billion dollars a year tourism industry would sustain more than 3/4 of the financial losses of the region.
• What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
• Although we wont be able to undo the losses already sustained by the oil spill, there can be measures taken to help jump start the industry again.  The U.S. Travel Association hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on marketing fund directed at the oil spill recovery could generate $7.5 billion in tourism that would help offset some of the regions projected losses.

What is the social impact of the issue?

• What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
• Tourism supports more than 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region.
• Data from the website tripadvisor.com has shown that there has been a 30% drop in searches compared to a year ago for Fort Myers Beach.  Fort Myers Beach is still oil free. This helps paint a picture of the stigma associated to the region as a result of the oil spill.
• What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
•  It is hard to imagine good can come of this issue after all the suffering it has caused, but if big oil is forced to undergo changes to their standards of drilling to prevent this from happening in the future I feel like there is a benefit to be had.

What are the barriers?

• What are the barriers to addressing this issue?
•  The barriers at this point, are getting the bill to vote.
• And letting people know that this is a problem that still needs attention.
• How can they be overcome?
• You can contact your political representative to help facilitate movement on the issue.
• And help by spreading information to the public, showing that there still is plenty to be done in regards to the social, economical, and environmental impact of the oil spill.

What are the resources?

• What resources will we need to address this issue?
•  Groups like the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S.Travel Association.
• Where and how can they be tapped?
•  As they are already doing, they can conduct studies to show how this is affecting our land and industry.

What is the history of this issue?

• What is the history of the issue in the community?
• On June 3rd, 1979, Mexico's government-owned oil company, Pemex, had an oil well blow out.  This one leaked oil for 290 days.
• On March 24th, 1989, Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef off the coast of Alaska and spilled its cargo of crude oil.  This was the largest spill in U.S. history until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010.
• What past efforts were made to address it?
•  The Oil Spill Recover Institute (OSRI) was created by Congress in 1989 to help identify and develop the best available techniques, equipment, and materials for dealing with oil spills in the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
• What were the results?
•  The OSRI has helped document, assess, and understand the long range impact of oil spills on the regions natural resources.  It has helped improve the efficiency of oil spill recovery in the region.

Allies & Opponents

• Who would support this issue?
•  The tourism industry in the Gulf Region would be the strongest group of supporters, but I think that the whole country can sympathize with their situation.  I do not believe this is a controversial issue to support so there would be a great number of allies in this situation.
• Who would oppose this issue?
•  BP would be the only opposition to the issue, and I believe that they would find benefits in it.  As I had stated before, they have taken a massive public relations hit, and while they are doing a lot to help with the effects of the spill, they can still do more to help with the perception of their company.
• How can you involve allies and opponents in advocacy efforts? (What common ground can you share? How can you create a win-win for your allies and your opponents?
•  I think everyone would like to live in a healthy environment, and steps are being taken to stop the pollutants caused by this catastrophe.  But we also need to look at the social ramifications and help the people whose lives have been altered due to job loss rebuild their lives.

My Recommendation
As I stated in an earlier Advocacy Project post, I support this bill and its potential for the long-term economic impact for the Gulf Region that goes along with it.

Resources:
Hotel Online
ABC News
APEX News Network
TIME
Oil Spill Recovery Institue

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change 2: Weekly Update

As I stated in part one, my SMART goal is: I will eat three servings of organic fruits/vegetables each day for the next three weeks.  To this point I have only fallen short one day by one serving.  I have accomplished this by substituting some of the foods I eat and when I eat them.

One thing that helped me be successful is keeping better track of times I eat.  Instead of making a meal whenever I am hungry or going for the quickest thing, I have substituted having a piece of fruit in these spots.  I used to crab a couple cookies, make a bowl of cereal or chicken fingers, now I am having an apple, orange, or banana.

The biggest challenges I am seeing with this aside from maintaining a new lifestyle to me would be making sure I always have the food in the house, and economical issues.  It may be the season that I am doing this challenge that makes the food more expensive, but I have noticed that organic is even more expensive than I remember during my time working at a grocery store.

My feelings towards this experiment changed before it started.  I am somewhat indifferent towards the corporations that overwhelm the food industry.  But by making this switch, supporting what I feel like is a more natural way of life, and supporting local industry, I feel like I have a more clear conscience.  Is that worth the extra price I pay?  I think so, as long as I have the means to pay for it.

One other thing I learned during this is how to prepare vegetables for meals.  I learned how to core lettuce, which I had never been done before.  I also noticed while at Whole-Foods that they have organic milk, and it comes in glass!  I am considering trying this too, but I think the milk comes in half gallons and it is nearly as expensive as a gallon produced by Kemps or Arrowhead.  Still, I would like to try it.

For the next week, I will keep the same goal as I have now to be certain that I am able to maintain the change.  At that point I will re-consider to modify my goal.  One thing I would like to try this week is the organic milk mentioned above.

"Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain."

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Goal: Promote health for all through a healthy environment.

Objectives: Improving water quality monitoring and surveillance will reduce exposure to contaminants in drinking water, fish, and shellfish, and recreational waters.

Track the Nation's success in reducing exposures to toxic substances and hazardous waste, thus minimizing their effects on the populations health.

Progress: Water quality in the U.S./Mexico border region met/exceeded target.  (I am assuming this is before the BP oil spill crisis)

Disparities: No data for water quality available.

Opportunities and challenges: The passing of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act in October 2000 amended the Clean Water Act to (1) establish a national grants program to improve consistency of water quality standards, beach monitoring, and public notification approaches and also strengthen national information collection.

Emerging issues: Beach monitoring programs are typically run by local health agencies and vary by location. Monitoring results are inconsistent because agencies use indicator organisms and varying monitoring frequencies.  As part of its beach grand program, EPA has set performance criteria that States and other governments must meet to receive beach grants.  These criteria are expected to improve the reporting of beach advisory data.

Proposed bill: H.CON.RES.309


Title: Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recover fund cofusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by he Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.

Sponsor: Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] (introduced 7/29/2010) Co-sponsor: Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11]- 9/15/10

Latest Major Action: 7/29/10 Referred to House committee.  Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

My Recommendation: Vote "Yes" for H.CON.RES.309 Referred to House.

My Political Representative: Congresswoman Amy Klobuchar

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

Over the next 10 weeks I will be setting a goal for myself to help improve my own life and also be environmentally friendly.  SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely.  These adjectives help create efficient goals for people looking to set them.

My goal:  I will eat three servings of organic fruits/vegetables each day for the next 10 weeks.

http://wholefoods.coop/

This lifestyle is eco-chic because I will be trying to buy locally as much as possible.  I plan on going tothe Whole Foods Co-Op and find some new foods to help me find diversity in my diet.  I prepare most of my meals myself, but I would like to have more balance in keeping fruits and vegetables a part of my meals to keep me healthier.  This will also help contribute to less waste as fruits and vegetables are more easily broken down by the environment.

I chose this goal as a part of other goals I have recently set for myself.  I had been struggling with some other areas of my life lately and it had started to take a negative impact on my health.  I have begun to exercise more regularly in an effort to help me have more energy, reduce stress hormone, lower my weight and body fat percentage, and aid in getting more regular sleep.  As a part of all this I am placing more emphasis on a well rounded diet to aid in the process.  I feel like I can learn more about foods I would like to eat, help the local economy, and be responsible about my planets future, all in one goal.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President:
Barack Obama - Democrat
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: 202-456-1111
Website

Congress: 
All Franken - Democrat
320 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5641
Website

Amy Klobuchar - Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244
Website

Governor:
Tim Pawlenty - Republican (Incumbent
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-3391
Website

U.S. Representative:
Chip Cravaack - Republican
Cravaack for Congress Campaign Committee
P.O. Box 951
North Branch, MN 55056
651-317-9245
Website

State Representative:
Tim Faust
567 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-0518
Website

County Board:
Gary McInerney
500 SW 5th Ave.
Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Dale Christy
dchristy@ci.grand-rapids.mn.us

Joe Chandler
218-259-9298
jchandler@ci.grand-rapids.mn.us

Ed Zabinski
ezabinski@ci.grand-rapids.mn.us

City Mayor:
Dale Adams
1806 Fraser Drive
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Home: 218-326-8119
Website