Conservation

Big Thanks

daytonkm — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:19:20 +0000

Hey All,

The semester is winding down, and I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you who have followed my blog and taken the time to comment on it. I hope that I have made some what of a difference in your worldviews, perceptions, or just thoughts in general. Maybe I’ve even helped a few of you save a few bucks here and there, who knows. I just feel that this is such an important topic, especially given our present economic/environmental states.

For those of you who made it to our showing of Food Inc. last night, we had such a great turn-out and I really appreciated all of your support. I know that I personally love that movie, and learn something new with every viewing…hopefully you feel the same!

It’s Movie Time

daytonkm — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:30:01 +0000

Hey All!! Just wanted to let you know that this Monday (April 26th) your classmates Kaity Karnes and I will be hosting a movie night in Maury 205 at 7pm. We will be showing Robert Kenner’s Food Inc. For those of you who have seen it, you know it rocks. For those of you who have yet to watch it, feel free to read a little about it on my previous blogs. It is a movie that will cause you to question, re-think, and maybe even change your perspectives on our food industry, what you eat, and where you buy it. I really encourage you to come, if not to broaden your cultural outlooks, then to get a point for our advocacy events!

BAM

daytonkm — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:15:42 +0000

So I had to write about this experience!!! I was in E-Hall today (actually like 10 min ago) arguing over whether or not they even have bathrooms in the place (Because you know how there aren’t any bathrooms in D-Hall?). Well anyways, so I finally lose the argument and find out there are bathrooms in the place, mosy in, and do my business. When I look down to flush, guess what I see?!!! Green handle! Looks like President Rose is one step ahead of me on the green initiatives and has already incorporated dual flush toilets into our university. Props.

#1 or #2?

daytonkm — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:25:53 +0000

First semester I went and visited my sister at Keene State College in New Hampshire. Known for their environmental progressiveness, I wasn’t surprised by many of the things I saw on her campus…until I went into her bathroom. At first glance, everything seemed normal, your typical abode. However, when I went to flush, something green caught my eye: the handle of toilet. An arrow was drawn next to the handle explaining that you flush up for liquid waste and down for solids. Strange, I thought, why does this make a difference? According to a newsfeed on their website “These handles give the option of low (1.1 gal.) or higher (1.6 gal) flush amounts, depending on your needs. The half gallon of water saved per flush will add up to significant water and money savings over time”. Pretty fancy huh? In search of more information, I looked online and found this interesting stat on ‘how stuff works’ “Most modern dual flush toilets use less than a gallon of water (3 liters, approximately) to flush liquid waste and around 1.6 gallons (6 liters) to flush solid waste . This is a big savings over old toilet styles that used five gallons (19 liters) or more for each and every flush”………I’m thinking President Rose should be made aware of this green initiative!

Money in the Bank

daytonkm — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:42:43 +0000

I went into Common Wealth One on campus this week, and picked up a brochure that caught my eye. The slogan read “Who says you can’t save money and help the planet at the same time?” And I thought to myself, what a wonderful blog idea. So I grabbed one, and came home and read it. Here’s their pitch: “so you can spend green, save green and earn some green all at the same time”. Let me break this down for you. By shifting to online banking, you are benefitting the environment in several ways. First off, you’re not wasting gas by driving to the bank (lets assume you don’t walk or bike). Second, you are saving on paper because you aren’t getting a printed receipt, bank statement, or filling out a withdrawal/deposit slip. Their main catch here is their interest rate that they offer if you decide to switch to online banking, stating that they will help you earn some ‘extra green’ for your contributions in going green. Kinda cool right? If you’d like to check out more on this topic, click on this link and it will take you to Common Wealth One’s webpage.

Women: No longer in the Kitchen

daytonkm — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:01:34 +0000

So I heard a rumor the other day: dish washers are more eco-friendly than hand washing your dishes. I couldn’t believe my ears (or luck), and immediately discredited the statement…until I got home. I began to do some research online about the logistics behind this claim, and sure enough, found that I was in luck. The University of Bonn in Germany (and lets be honest, those Germans are some smart peeps) has been doing recent studies on the subject, and come up with some very interesting data.

The Bonn study proves that compared to hand washing your dishes, dishwashers use 1/2 of the energy, 1/6 less water, and less soap! “Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher. The study also rated the cleanliness achieved, again in favor of the washing machine (sorry grandma).” How wonderful is that news! So ladies, when men try to tell us our place is in the kitchen…we really know they’re lying!

If you want to check out the study, visit Bonn’s website for more info.

Come Out and Celebrate Spring

daytonkm — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:35:53 +0000

I was looking on the Harrisonburg Farmers Market website today, and realized that spring is here!!! For the Farmers Market this means their hours will now be on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7 am- 1 pm. And starting June 3rd the market will be open on Thursdays from 4 pm- 7 pm. How wonderful! The more exciting aspect of this coming of spring is the fact that they will be having a celebration of spring tomorrow (April 3rd) from 7 am- 1 pm. There will be live music (10 am- noon), cooking demonstrations, Gardening advice (for those of you who read my blog and are going to try out their ‘green thumb’ this spring), and of course, lots of Food and Goodies to be bought and consumed. The best part about this whole fiasco? You are celebrating your contribution to sustain our environment by buying local and learning how to bring the green movement into your household. Hopefully see you guys tomorrow! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Recyclables

daytonkm — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:03:54 +0000

As I was looking through my cabinets today for a clean glass, I realized that a good portion of our dishes are re-usable goods. For example, we save a lot of jars (salsa, jam, canned peppers, etc) and re-use them as drinking glasses. We also re-use large yogurt containers as well as the plastic to-go boxes from restaurants or on campus dinning as excellent tupperware containers. We even have a couple ‘borrowed’ bowls, cups, plates, and various silverware from D-hall. Not only does this save us money on purchasing dishes/china, but it encourages recycling and re-using of glass and plastics. Although individually this has a minor influence on the environment; collectively, if such efforts were implemented on a grand scale, there would be a substantial decrease in the demand for metal, plastics, glass, etc. Overall leading to a lower production of these products.

Food Inc.

daytonkm — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:17:04 +0000

Sooooooooooo I couldn’t resist posting another blog related to food after blogging about buying local. This is most definitely due to the fact that I recently watched Robert Kenner’s MIND BLOWING documentary ‘Food Inc.’ I know several of my friends have told me that they Michael Moore has turned them off from documentaries, but fear not guys, this isn’t a Moore video! Food Inc touches on so many sensitive subjects being tossed around the public sphere these days: questions about the morality of the food industry, reasons why buying local is better, confirming organic, and much more. On top of discussing these important issues, the film includes interviews with the author of ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’, Michael Pollan, as well as Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface farm in VIRGINIA!!! Check out this website on the documentary, and be sure to watch the trailer for it that I’ve also attached. And remember to please, please, please watch it. You’re diet won’t be the same again!

Buying Local

daytonkm — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:57:13 +0000

I know that several others in our class have decided on Buying Local as the topic for their blog, but I felt that I couldn’t possibly leave such a huge part of conservation out of mine! Especially since this morning I went to the Harrisonburg Farmers Market to do a little shopping. I can’t encourage fellow classmates enough to check out the Harrisonburg Farmers Market as well as the Dayton Farmers Market . All of the farmers are so open to talking to you about their farms and farming techniques, and so quick to engage in conversation. It’s truly a wonderful environment to immerse yourself in, especially on a beautiful Saturday morning. Buying local contributes to conservation because it takes away from the miles that food normally travels to reach grocery stores. By making sure that your food is bought locally, you are nixxing those GHG that would be released into the air if the food was traveling miles and miles! Also, think of how much fresher food harvested days, hours, mintues before you buy it is compared to food that has traveled for days to reach your table. Because I’m no expert, I was surfing the internet and stumbled across this awesome website that can fill you in a little more on the benefits of buying local, ranging from environment issues to human health. It’s really cool! Enjoy your Saturday everyone!