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.