Reflection: Weeks 9-12

Summary:
For weeks 9-12 of this blog, a large majority of what I discussed, especially in the Eco-Chic posts, was about what food I eat and what I put into my body.  For my SMART goal I choose to help the environment and local economy by buying and eating more organically and locally grown food, to cut down on waste in production of these foods.  But in an Eye Opener exercise, I showed how much food of mine is still being packaged in materials that aren't as easily broken down by the environment.  After seeing some of the things I have seen in the class to this point, I know every time I go to the grocery store I will be looking for ways to help the environment with the things I buy.

Color changed to show the spread of oil

New skills:  One of the more interesting things I learned in this semester, not just the last four weeks, was how to research bills that are to voted on.  It is also very easy to find out a lot about the people affected by the bills we are checking out.  The information age has saturated the internet with information that we can use as an aid to show the need for change.  In my case, I found a bill that called for BP to give $500 million in aid to the coastal communities of the gulf in order to aid the suffering tourism industry in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.  Through reading many articles about this oil spill and ones before it, as well as financial reports of the affected areas, I came to the conclusion that this was a necessary bill and personally look forward to reading news of progress being made in the region.

Where I can improve: I want to continue to grow as a researcher, blogger, and planner.  I want to be able to achieve the goals set for myself for the next quarter of the course.  My goal for personal nutrition has remained the same (Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change), and I will succeed with it throughout its duration.

Share & Voice: Quantum of Solace: Who owns water?

Where can a guy get a drink?

I recently watched the newest chapter to the James Bond film franchise called Quantum of Solace.  In this film, the main antagonist, Dominic Greene, helps facilitate new leadership into struggling countries in exchange for land in the countries under the stipulation that his corporation owns whatever they find.  He is the head man of a corporation named Greene Planet, and it is an environmentally interested group that mentions restoration and preservation as some of the things they want to/are helping with.  However his corporation is also a utilities provider who, once the new dictatorship takes place, forces a contract for double the price of water as the country had before.  To make matters worse, they often times will do what they can to cause drought in the areas that they inherit.  Many of the countries that have this transition take place, are third world countries that have barely enough of what they need to survive before this, don't have a choice but to pay the outrageous prices.

Even bottling companies do a version of this, but because we have other options, and people pay at their own free will, no one does anything about this because it isn't a pressing issue.  Just because the companies in our own countries don't have evil villain haircuts doesn't mean they can be trusted to do the right thing.  Water is a resource necessary to everyone's survival, and I don't believe anyone should be able to lay claim to it.   

My question is this:  Do you think that anyone should be able to produce/sell water for any margin of profit?  Meaning, should anyone make money on an essential part of life? 

Would it be possible to have worldwide legislation against producing water for profit above a certain percent?

A lot of people have their thirst taken advantage of.  There are sporting events, festivals, and theme parks that charge a couple dollars for a bottle of water.  Even when I was in Vegas, I asked a bartender for water during the day, and he set one on the counter and said it was $4.50 with a straight face.  How do you feel about this?

Share and Voice: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

GreatGarbagePatch.org
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Wiki

Both of the above websites have information on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is a large "gyre of marine litter" cause by pollutants into the environment.  Most of these pollutants are debris from land fills that has found its way into oceanic currents and begins to come together to form a large patch in the ocean.  This is a large problem for aquatic life as often times fish can mistake this for food, and the toxins in the plastics they digest are adversely affecting the species' hormones as well as killing the fish.  And if you follow the food chain, fish that eat these pollutants are eaten by other animals, and so on, all the way to our own lunches and dinners.  So the next time you don't recycle a plastic bottle, ask yourself this: Do you want to eat part of that later?

For more information regarding this issue, please visit the websites listed above.  Everyone can help make a difference, as with most big problems, it starts with the little things.  Don't be trashy, recycle!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change 4: Weekly Update

For my SMART goal, I decided I would eat three servings of organic fruits and vegetables a day. This last week I spent five of the days back in my hometown of Grand Rapids, and didn't bring the food I had bought with me. And it being Thanksgiving, I spent most of my time eating the food my mom prepared for our family dinner. I did however bring a few apples and oranges back from Duluth with me so while I fell short of my goal for 4 of the days, I did manage to eat a serving or two per day as a snack.

The biggest challenge I faced was the traveling. I didn't want to spend extra money for some food I may or may not eat and then transfer it back to Duluth, so I just brought what I could back to GR for snacks. I felt bad that I couldn't follow through on my goal for the week, but I know that my circumstances changed from their norm.

I know that for the future, if I have goals like this, that I may have to plan and make extra sacrifices in order to meet them.

I'm going to continue on with my goal because I still feel like I can obtain it and feel like it is a good one for me to continue to live healthy. Having said that I want to be more diligent in following it for the duration of the goals timeline.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy @ Amy in the Rain.

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