Plasticized

I watched plasticized for my Environmental Science class. It was about a voyage to the north pacific gyres to collect plastic. In the movie the narrator doesn't seem quite convinced that the plastic is a problem. It starts out that they are collecting plastic bits and at first it isn't that much. They continue to sail on. The evidence becomes more and more overwhelming as they sail further and further out. There is a point in the film where their sail breaks and they have to fix it themselves and carry on. For a week of their journey the waters are harsh and the sky is pouring rain. Their catch does not seem significant. The scientist explains that with the rough waters and the weather that the plastics are being cycled down deep into the ocean. They then come along a calm time again. The scientist jumps in after a water bottle. They then finally come to what they were looking for, the so called plastic island. The narrator still doesn't seem impressed with the fact that it is not completely covered like an island. they begin to have fun and catch large pieces of plastic that have not biodegraded. This is because they simply can not biodegrade, they can only photo-degrade, which means the sun breaks them into smaller and small pieces but never gets rid of them. After this they head back to shore and your hear them report a lot of their findings. It was a very interesting documentary.

Most Important Environmental Issues

After all that we have learned this semester, our teacher wants us to now reflect on the most important and most interesting parts of what we learned. By far the two things that were most interesting and most important to me were the use of plastics and our food sources. Plastics are important to me because of the nature of what they are. Plastics are a single use item that does not biodegrade. I don't like the idea that something we use once will pollute the earth almost indefinitely. I also do not like that the plastics are polluting the oceans and harming animals. I think it is very selfish of humans to think that these matters don't concern us because its only harming the animals and ecosystems and not our own self. I think society needs to think about putting more regulations and bans on plastics. I think we need to change our thoughts about why we do what we do. Why do we use a plastic bag once and throw it way only so that it can go into the ocean and be eaten by turtles who are killed by the plastic bags and don't know any better? I know myself I am trying to be better about bringing my own cups for coffee and taking my own bags instead of plastic bags. Also refusing to use water bottles and taking my own water as well. I also am not a fan of our food industry now after learning a little more about it. I specifically was horrified by the treatment of the animals that become our meat. It has really prompted me to eat less meat and to really strive to eat better meat if I am going to eat it. To really research where it came from and how the animals were treated. Also I have been going to more farmers markets for my produce. I didn't like how the pesticides that are used on our produce are potentially harmful and harm those who live in the area surrounding. I think we all should make a better effort to know where our food is coming from and to use local foods. Pertaining to the food I thought it was interesting the difference between mono-crop farms and farms that rotate crops. Mono-crop farms plant one crop in the area and do not switch out whats being grown. It depletes the soil of nutrients and does not distribute them back. Farms that rotate crops will plant one crop and the next time they plant a crop that will distribute nutrients that the first plant took out to help keep the soil rich and nutrient rich. I thought this was cool and interesting.

Energy Use

For 24 hours I had to unplug from energy usage as much as possible for my Environmental Science class. I picked to do this on memorial day. One thing I realized is a good way to save energy is to get out. Why do I need to be inside all the time with all my electronics on all at once when I could spend time outside? One thing we did use was the bbq, which was gas, so that used some energy, whether or not charcoal would be better that gas for the environment though I am not so sure yet. Another thing I realized was that in the middle of the day when it is perfectly bright, why do I turn all my lights on instead of just opening the blinds and windows and letting natural light in. This saves energy. My roommate and I are already pretty good at keeping things unplugged from the wall so that was easy to keep up with, we don't keep our microwave, toaster, coffee pot, or hair dryers plugged in when they are not being used. One thing I did forget though was to unplug the tv. I already currently try to use my windows to bring in cool air if possible. Unfortunately it was very hot on Monday and I did end up turning on the air conditioner for a short amount of time. One thing that would help is if my apartments had better windows and sliding doors that would keep the cool in, the windows and doors are pretty outdated in that department. I didn't really drive that day. I consciously decided not to even though I forgot to pick up some things. So I called someone and asked them to bring the stuff instead to save driving time. The changes were pretty reasonable. It did make me think about wasting energy. I really could live with those changes like opening the windows and doors more for air flow and light. One thing I didn't do and could not really see myself doing is hanging up my clothes to dry. I usually do my laundry late at night and it would not be convenient not to mention we have some problems with theft in our area. I will however try my best to not waste when i do my laundry and to make sure to do full loads. We do have energy efficient appliances. I could also manage to take shorter showers and cut back on taking baths.

Climate Change

For my Environmental Science class we have been asked to research a little bit about climate change. According to EPA the climate is changing and has risen 1.4F over the past century. This is resulting in sever global weather changes. The large release of carbon dioxide and green house gases by humans is the biggest player in this climate change. Climate change can affect everything from rainfall to human health and that's why it is important that we preserve our environment. Climate change also can effect species like the polar bear, which we learned in class, and agriculture. Skeptics think that global warming is a product of political agenda a desire to raise taxes. They also say that the globe has always went through climate change and it cant be proven that human impact is the source of this. If this were to continue in 50 years, it seems that there would be a lot more natural disasters and erosion. If there is more erosion then that can cause damage to many coastal homes and possibly some harm to citizens. Also there would be possibly drought and a fight to survive on the water we have.

Amy's Farm

I went on a field trip to Amy's Farm with my environmental science class. It was a very great experience. We first walked through the herb garden and they told us about their Turkey share program. After that we visited the chickens and pigs. He then told us about the heirloom tomato's they recently started growing. We then visited three very large steers that are apart of their steer share program. After that we visited two cows, one was a jersey cow and one was a regular cow. He explained to us about the way cows are meant to eat wheat and grains and how this makes the milk more pure and safe to drink and makes the cow more healthy. We then took a walk through some of the produce. We tried some broccoli and it was the most delicious broccoli I have ever tasted. We then saw the composts which they consider the lifeblood of the farm. They explained that they use a type of farming that puts nutrients back into the soil to help keep the soil useable unlike the current industrial farming methods of farming only one crop on one piece of land over and over again. We then saw some animal and went to the produce store. They told us that we could go and volunteer as well which sounds really fun.

The movie Tapped

I watched the movie tapped for my Environmental Science class. It was a real eye opener to the reality behind bottled water. It started off with the harsh reality of how much of our earths water is drinkable. Out of the 75% or more of the earth covered in water, only 1% of that water is drinkable. That's crazy! On top of that we act and believe that this resource will be here forever. In Maine they had a conflict with Nestle who came in an began pumping the cities municipal water. Municipal water is the water used or tap water. Nestle was pumping the cities water and then selling it back in plastic water bottles for profit while the city underwent a drought for a few days, leaving the citizens and nursing homes importing water. This system seems to be a system on profit and not the citizens well being. Not only that but the production of water bottles themselves are leading to major health problems to those who live near the plants. It also has some major effects on the ones drinking from the bottles. Out of the whole FDA they have one person overseeing the quality of bottled water, and the person who submits the reports and does the testing on the water is the company itself. How does this seem fair? Unlike the plastic bottle industry, the municipal water gets extra precautions. Per amount of people living in the city, the municipal water company must check the water a certain amount of times a month to make sure that water is not contaminated for its people. We wouldn't know this though with the false media we are fed that municipal water is dangerous and unsanitary and that our plastic bottled water is "highly" regulated by the FDA and therefor safe. The bottled water is just municipal water that is filtered. It often times though contains very harmful chemicals, mostly chemicals that are leached from the plastic itself that the water is contained in. Things like BPA and Phalates that are endocrine disruptors and act as estrogen in the body. they are now linking these to many serious illnesses we face today. BPA specifically is practically the FDA's dirty little secret. The movie ended with some information on how plastic is effecting the environment and the oceans specifically, how animals are suffering from the plastic we are using. It ends with some information on the successes against water bottles and how you can help.

Dried Mango

For my blog this week in my Environmental Science class we are researching one food we particularly like. I chose dried mangos and dried chili mangos because both are my favorite snacks. My absolute favorite is the Davis Lewis Orchard chili mango slices, this is the product at this site http://www.davislewisorchards.com/chili-mango.html. The mangoes use: Mango, Sugar, Chili, Salt, Citric Acid, Sulphur Dioxide, Color FD&C Yellow 5/6 and originate in Thailand. There is not much information about how it is made or where the products came from besides Thailand. One thing that is a little annoying is how much plastic they use to wrap the tiny amount of mangoes you get in the pack, they should probably find a more Eco-friendly way to package them. They don't really have any nutritional value good or bad, the only thing that may be concerning is the sodium. Another thing that might be concerning is the Sulphur Dioxide and the Color FD&C Yellow 5/6. According to the sources I have read it seems that Sulphur Dioxide would be dangerous to lungs and respiratory systems of a not so healthy person, possibly causing asthma but those who are healthy are not to threatened by small doses of it. Also, the food color FD&C yellow 5/6 is one of the most irritant colors that are out there causing more allergic reactions out of most the colors, this color also may have a link with asthma and maybe even hyperactivity in children when mixed with other compounds but these are still being tested. The dried mangoes without chili I like from Gerrard's but I could not find much information on them like I could the chili mangoes but would thing they are made relatively similar without the chili. I do also notice a difference in the mangoes where Gerrard's taste more like real mangoes as were the Davis chili mangoes taste a little more gelatinous. The mangoes from gerrards are definitely more natural just by taste alone maybe leaving out more unnecessary chemicals?

Food Inc.

I was given the option to watch some movies and read some books to earn Extra Credit for my Environmental Science Class. I watch "Food Inc." for my first movie. It was a horrifying movie. It really makes me angry at the way things are how things are made and how animals and humans are treated in the process. The first segment was primarily about chicken and beef and how it has been made into a factory assembly line instead of a real life event. It was terrifying to me seeing the conditions they were in and their gruesome deaths. One thing that really hurt me was that they modify the chickens to have larger breasts, but in doing so the chickens are so heavy they can't support their own weight. I also was really concerned by the way that our food is fed corn. It interested me when the local farmer made the point that we always ask how are we going to do this instead of why are we doing it. Cows and Chicken never ate corn before we came along so why are we doing it now? On top of that, to think that Ecoli is a direct result of corns reaction inside the animals stomach, which produces a unique atmosphere for this bacteria to grow rapidly in. And besides the cruel treatment of these animals, the corporations are using illegal immigrants to work these factories in VERY dangerous working conditions. If they are caught working there, the companies don't get in trouble but the workers that have been producing our foods for years are getting harsh punishment. I am not saying they shouldn't be in trouble but why are the companies exempt from being put in jail for their actions? There was a section about an organic food event and Wallmart but I wasn't completely understanding why organics were teaming up with these Monster Companies to produce organic foods and it makes me question whether those brands are really organic after the partnership. It then ended with some information on Monsanto and the roundup resistant seeds he created. I have seen videos on him before and it is distressing the way he treats the farmers. I guess the overall idea doesn't feel as overwhelming and terrible as the way the meat was treated and the health risks but the fact that Monsanto can patent something and then use extreme harassment and sneaky tactics against poor local farmers is very sad. This movie did not make me want to eat that processed and modified food anymore when I think about how it relates to my health. After watching this movie it makes me think about if I even cut out most of these things could I have my energy and health back possibly? This movie was very attention grabbing and people need to watch it.

Waste

This week in my Environmental science class we have to write a blog about the waste we produce in a two day period and how we can reduce that waste. In my household, me and my roommate only created about 1/8th of a 13 gallon bag and only 1/2 of a one gallon bag. We virtually use no waste at home really. We aren't huge consumers and most our waste is just wrappings on food. At work between me and my coworkers we created 2 13 gallon bags and 1/2 a 13 gallon bag but the last half is syrup bottles we recycle. A few ways we could reduce waste is to possibly buy a reusable bag for groceries, I however could not do that this week with lack of time and money. We could recycle but we don't really use much plastic bottles, I know I don't drink out of plastic bottles much and I don't drink canned soda or either so we don't have anything to recycle. Going to a farmers market may reduce some waste but I am not to sure it would because they may still put your produce in bags but I have not tried it yet. As for work I don't really have a choice in whether I can reduce waste or not. I work for Starbucks and that is teaming with things that you throw away. We were supposed to then measure two days changing our habits but seeing as I don't make much waste at home there really wasn't anything to change and at work I have to use our products and throw them away. One thing I already did that reduces my waste at work is measuring things in our metal pitchers instead of using paper cups like my coworkers, but I already did that before this assignment. We do also recycle cans and bottles at work as well which is hopefully a little helpful.

Safe Dog Toys

I thought this was really cool and relevant to our class. This week I am not blogging because I have an in class debate but I thought these dog toys were cool because they are phalate and bpa free dog toys! Keep our dogs safe from harmful chemicals!

Campus Sustainability

For this weeks blog in my environmental science class we had to think about campus sustainability on RCC campus. When assessing campus sustainability it is important to think about many different factors. Thinking about energy would be the first thing I would think to assess. How much electricity are we using per building or per classroom. Another would be how many students go to RCC and how many of those students drive their own car or carpool, or could we have a program to promote carpooling? We could think about water use. How water is used in our cafeteria and how much is used in the bathrooms? We could also think about waste. How much waste are we making and how are we disposing of that waste. Looking into making sure our campus has good plant life would be important as well. Another factor could be where we are getting our food sourced from, are our foods local or not? These are a bunch of factors that RCC could use to assess their sustainability. We also had to look at another campus' assessment and survey it. In Berkeley's assessment, they used energy and climate, water, built environment, waste, purchasing, land use impacts, and transportation to assess their sustainability. The last part of the assignment is to make your own assessment plan. I would want to look into the food at RCC. I would probably interview the kitchen staff, specifically the person in charge of ordering the food. Maybe pay attention to the brands and companies that RCC orders from on a regular basis. This wouldn't have to be a long process because generally a kitchen always orders from the same company. After gathering information about the foods being used and where they come from you would have to do some research on where those brands and companies source their food from. We would want to measure how much of the food used in the kitchen is locally grown and sustainable. I would probably get permission to do this from the head of the kitchen and convince them to let me assess it for business sake. Better quality food can produce more revenue but moreso a happier healthier student. If the student is healthier then they are more likely to succeed in school which is the ultimate goal of the school at whole.

My 20 Minutes in Nature

For my Environmental Science class this week I had to go outside in nature and sit for 20 minutes and observe what I saw. My boyfriend happened to be interested in this outing so he came with me. On the walk to our spot we observed our surroundings and enjoyed the walk there. We sat down on some rocks and started the timer. I first looked for any abiotic, or non-living, things that might be in the area hoping to give those biotic, or living creatures, time to warm up to us. There was a lot of dirt of course and it was early so the ground was still a little wet. There were a few plants near by that caught my attention. There was a fairly tall plant with a green and greyish color and thick leaves with hairs on them; it had little yellow flowers. Mixed in with them was shorter stuby green plant that had lots of little leaves and little purple flowers on it, both of which I had a hard time finding a name for. I noticed a lot of these two plants and then some dead shrubs. Then I looked out further and noticed tumble weeds all over, very big ones, along with a large what appeared to be weeping willow and a large bush with red stem and large hand like dark green leaves; I also couldn't find a name for it. Then I noticed a lot of different chirping noises. I saw quite a few crows and little brown birds flying in the sky. Then two big friendly golden retrievers ran up to us and a small pudgy brown mutt dog. They said hello with some licks and then left. Then we noticed on the yellow plant that there were small grey worms with yellow spots. They were hiding on the plant and were camouflaged perfectly. Then the timer went off and we began to walk still looking out for more little critters. I did see a plant with big green leaves and tall stems with yellow flowers and across a large green leaved plant with a ladybug eating it. We saw an ant trail and two big hives, one hive had a big black ant with red and the other was a red ant hive. I saw a brown beetle that was a little speckled and fat and what appeared to be a black bee or fly with yellow spots on his sides. My favorite was the big black beetle though. There were quite a few walking around. What made me like them was that they seemed pretty smart. My boyfriend was being a brat and was pretending he was going to step on it to make me sad and mess with me. Well the little guy flinched when my boyfriend pretended like he was going to step on him. When he realized he hadn't been stepped on he ran off and hid under a plant. I got really mad at my boyfriend for scaring the poor little guy but honestly it was really cute and cool to see that the bug understood what was going on. I wish I could have found more names for these animals but I couldn't find pictures like them online. I think most of them were weeds. Here are some pictures:

Chemical Hazards

This week in my environmental science class we had an in depth discussion on some hazardous chemicals we come into contact with everyday. We were asked to research two chemicals in products we have at home and to research them and the hazards they may cause to human health. The first chemical I researched was the chemical paraben. Paraben is often in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The product that I found it in was deodorant. I had actually heard about its harmful effects a few years back and didn't think anything of it since I was young and foolish. Parabens are considered a possible threat to human health because they act like estrogen in the body. It high doses of estrogen you can have an increased risk for cancer. What I found interesting when I originally learned about parabens was that they are linked to breast cancer, but that they are only hazardous in high doses. I don't think that it is ironic that we put large amounts of deodorant with parabens on our underarms near our breasts, and that one of the biggest risks parabens cause are breast cancer. Smaller possible risks are allergic reactions but overall this chemical is not considered toxic. The second chemical I researched was sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoride is most commonly known for being in our toothpaste to prevent cavities, though is considered only mildly toxic. Fluoride accumulates in the body quicker than our body can filter it out. It is also linked to reproductive problems such as low testosterone and early puberty. Fluoride is also listed among the top 100 chemicals that are known for having evidence of developmental neurotoxicity, which simply is damage to the brain and may be associated with alzheimers and has made people question fluorides effect on the brain and intelligence. Fluoride was also found to reduce thyroid activity, fluorinated countries have a higher rating of hypothyroid than in non-fluorinated countries. Fluoride is also said to be damaging to bones and possibly lead to arthritis, and also is damaging to stomach and intestines. The second part of our assignment was to choose an item in our home with one of these chemicals and choose an alternative for them. I chose to look into other toothpaste options seeing as I don't like the idea of ingesting more chemicals than necessary. Toothpaste is very easy to make. All you need is baking soda, salt, water, and some flavoring such as peppermint, vanilla, almond, orange, spearmint oils. First mix your 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 teaspoon of flavoring and a few drops of water and mix until thick paste forms. Add more dry ingredients if it is runny and store in a container. If you are not so crafty or don't have time like I don't, you can also look into getting yourself a childs toothpaste, which often leaves out fluoride or I found that toms is an option for fluoride free toothpaste. I tried it out and it works great and does not taste as strong. Also when looking into the toothpaste I found that they too have paraben free deodorant. With that remember to take time to make good choices about the products and chemicals you are willing to consume.

Biography for Environmental Science

I am Karmae Zitzner and for my Environmental Science class I get to write blogs pertaining to the material we are learning in class. My first blog however gets to be a biography. I was born in Corpus Christy, Texas in 1991 making me 22 year of age. I have lived in many place including Navado, Tahoe, Sacramento, Wrightwood, Rancho Cucamonga, and Riverside. I currently live on my own, I work full time as a barista at a local hospital. I have a pet Weimaraner named Sophie; I worked with her for 3 months in obedience training and she isn't always the most obedient, but she is the best dog I could ever hope to have. I also have a boyfriend who is super cute and is a creative writing major. I really love spending time hiking with my dog; I trained her to hike off leash and it is very relaxing taking a hike with her. I also really enjoy drinking tea and coffee, sometimes paired with a good book. I am going to school to major in Accounting. I plan on getting my bachelors and then taking my CPA, which stands for certified public accountant, exam. I plan to work in hopefully a corporate setting. I do not know which section of accounting I want to work in seeing as I like a lot of the different sections, but as I study more I know I will find which I like, I am leaning towards payroll accounting. I am taking this environmental science class in all honesty because I need some science units for my associates and this class happened to not have a lab included, which makes things easier on me with work, but I am excited to learn about environmental science anyways and am confident I will come out of the class learning something valuable. For this assignment we also were required to take an assessment on our ecological footprint. An ecological footprint is basically the amount of land it would take to provide resources and assimilate waste for a person or society. My ecological footprint was 4.5 earths to provide for me. The largest parts of my footprint are food and services. According to my assessment, I could cut down on animal food products to cut down on global acres. Using products that use less packaging or are 100% post consumer would also help my lifestyle cut down. Also, I could use solar panels and more energy efficient appliances as well to cut down my footprint.