Monday, November 28, 2011

Eye Opener: Photo Essay


I was thinking for a few days what I wanted to do my photo essay on and realized how much UMD has done within the last 4 years that I have been a student here to become more sustainable. I've heard that the business school as well as the new engineering building have been built with sustainability in mind but I wanted to focus on the little changes in the rest of the school that are making a big difference!

On the second floor of Bohannon the women's restroom has some simple reminders to students about conserving water and energy. There was a map on Lake Superior with the caption "Every drop counts." This was placed right about the sink as a reminder to not waste water while washing hands. It is helpful to get your hands wet and then turn the sink off as you lather, and then turn the water back on to rinse off.


There was also a sticker over the light switch suggesting that people turn the light off when they leave the bathroom. When I came in the light was off which I of course noticed right away. I think this is great! It is a smaller bathroom with only three stalls so it is not used very often. Such an easy and effective way to save energy.
I also noticed that the soap in the bathroom is Green Seal Certified. I find it interesting that this soap is not used in all of the bathrooms at UMD. I wonder how expensive it is compared to the other soap the school purchases











All around campus there are new trash and recycling containers. Some of them are for cans, paper, bottles, and my favorite is the trash can outside. The trash can uses solar energy to reduce garbage pickups by 80%. It wasn't until I noticed that tidbit that I started thinking about the tons of garbage that UMD must produce! I think it would be great to start a composting site in Bagley Nature Center.






When I was home I was surprised to find that the local small town bar was also becoming more sustainable! They have installed toilets that use less water while flushing and included instructions on the stall door on how to properly use them!


Monday, November 21, 2011

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Currently there is the Federal Water Pollution Act (also know as the Clean Water Act, bill number 33) which does set requirements for water treatment but it has not covered all the bases. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act takes it one step further and demands that publicly owned treatment works don't intentionally bypass any streams that need water treatment before they flow into the Great Lakes. The water treatment centers may not want the extra work that comes along with treating additional streams, but with the passing of this bill all streams would be accounted for .

Because we live in the Great Lakes region we are the ones who are most affected by this. Most of our drinking water comes from the Great Lakes. It already is at risk of pollution because of how accessible it is, but why would we want to allow water treatment centers to skip over streams that need cleaning. If we ignore this problem we will not have safe drinking water unless we spend much more money on the treatment of the water once it is already in the lake. If this bill is not passed the water treatment centers will benefit from not having to spend the additional money on treatment.

Others in surrounding areas are also affected by this because many people use the Great Lakes for drinking water!

The money that we spend in taxes go towards the community budget which is in control of the treatment of water. Purdue University explains that when you receive your water bill, if the company gives water to more than 10,000 people, there will be a report of the water quality included. This is helpful because many of us so blindly take things as good without question if it comes from the government. The report also tells where the water comes from!
If the companies were to not treat all the water that goes into our lakes, they would be able to save time and money. They would surely benefit from this but it would harm all of us that drink and enjoy the water of the Great Lakes.


Cities that are located on the Great Lakes benefit greatly from the location. Duluth, Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee all pride themselves on being located on the lake. They are often used for recreation like swimming, fishing, and boating. If the streams were not treated correctly, all of these social benefits would not be enjoyable.

The biggest barrier to passing this act is money. The city may have to raise taxes in order for the treatment centers to have enough money to treat the streams that they may have been avoiding previously. It is hard to come up with money when so many people are in debt. It may be possible however that there would be less money needed to treat the water after it had been in the lake so some of the budget could be shifted around.

Community members will need to play a large part in getting this bill passed. It is important to educate others on where our drinking water comes from and the large effects it has on our health. It is also important to write to our representatives so that they know how we feel about the issue and that it is important to us.

I think that people that are for water quality will want to support this cause. Also, women with young children will see the safety issues with their children drinking poor quality water.

I would try to find a way to keep taxes the same but have enough funding to ensure that all streams that flow into the Great Lakes have been properly treated. This will hopefully come from money that is already in the budget for water quality, but it will be done in a more efficient way.

I want policy makers to vote Yes on this bill. I want to be able to know that what I am drinking is safe water, and will continue to be safe for years to come!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Share & Voice: Environmental News Network

The Environmental News Network offers a bunch of top stories in America on the environment and how it affects our body.  It is not run by the government which is something that comes in handy when trying to look at things from a different point of view.

One of the articles I read was Saving the Environment One Spoon at a Time. A spoon has been developed that   only takes 3-5 weeks to biodegrade. We've talked a lot about bags while shopping, but I hadn't given much thought to how many plastic utensils are used especially with how much our country relies on fast food. The spoons have a similar texture as a milk carton so they aren't all that sturdy. Hopefully they can improve them a bit so that it is easier to eat!


One thing I really like about this website is that in the article they offer a lot of links. This makes it very easy to understand what you are reading because you can look up anything you need more information about!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act (Introduced in House)



Title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharges into the Great Lakes.
Short Title: Great Lakes Water Protection Act

Sponsor: Rep Dold, Robert J. [IL-10] (introduced 1/25/2011)
Cosponsor: Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 1/25/2011

Latest Major Action: 1/26/2011 Referred to House subcommittee.
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Recommendation: Vote YES for H.R.425 : Great Lakes Water Protection Act

My Political Representative: Congressman Michele Bachmann

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Share & Voice: Water Bottle Solar Lights

I've attached a youtube video that I hope you can take the time to watch! It is in another language but there are subtitles and it is so worth your time!





This Youtube video is about a village in the Phillipines where there houses are so close together that there is no space for windows. Because of the lack of windows the houses were in complete darkness except for those who could afford a bit of electricty. 

Solar Demi can up with the idea to upcycle plastic water and pop bottles. He fills them with water and a bit of bleach, and then attaches them to the roof of the houses through a hole. The body of the bottle hangs into the house and when the sun hits the top of the bottle the whole thing lights up which is enough light for their small houses!


After seeing the negative impact that plastic water bottles have on us and our environment it was nice to see a way people are using what once was garbage in a way that has changed their lives.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

I am going to share with you some of my political representatives. This is important for knowing who to talk to about making changes

President: Barack Obama, Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111

Congresswoman:Amy Klobuchar,U.S. Senate/Democrat
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244


Congressman:Al Franken, U.S. Senate/Democrat 
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20500
202-224-5641 


Congressman: Thomas Huntley, U.S. House of Representatives/Democrat
351 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-2228 

Governor: Mark Dayton, Democrat
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155


State Legislator: Mary Murphy, Democrat
343 State Office Building
100 Rec. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
 St. Paul, MN 55155

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Reflection: Weeks 1-7

I have really been enjoying taking this course. I have learned so many things already and we are only half way done.

Week 1-2: These weeks were overwhelming because of all of information about the blog. We have a large class which made it difficult to get everyone's problems solved all at once. I feel much more familiar with blogger now and do not run into the problems that I used to.

Weeks 3-4: This was when I really started enjoying the course. I chose to read "Last Child in the Woods" for my read n seed and learned many things about how the next generation is being negatively impacted by their lack of interaction with the environment. I loved the outdoor activities we did. They were great ice breakers and we also applied the simple activities to real life issues and discussed how we solved them.

Weeks 5-7: I have always known that we have problems with food and that it is genetically modified but it wasn't until we watched "Future of Food" that I really started understanding the big issue and how it is negatively affecting our farmers. Also, we need to stop being so worried about the convenience of our food. "Fresh" pointed out how we don't take responsibility for where and how our food is produced. We can't simply buy things blindly off of the super market shelves. Watching "Green" was especially eye opening. I have heard of Cancer Alley before but had no idea how serious this problem is. The rate of childhood cancer is startling and it is scary that they are doing such minor improvements to supposedly make the are more safe.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

Some terms about junking defined:

An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features.
  • Sellers Auction in Duluth auctions many antiques. Their next auction is November 5th at 4:30. They are located at 2103 ½ W. 3rd St.
Junk is discarded material, such as glass, rags, paper, or metal, some of which may be reused in some form.
  • Calvary Crushing and Recycling is a junkyard. It is located at 5197 Lavaque Road, Duluth, MN. You should be able to walk around the property and find junk.
A flea market  is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered.
  • Lake Superior College has an annual flea market and car show. It takes place every August at 2101 Trinity Rd.
A thrift shop is a shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.
  • St. Michael's Used A Bit is a thrift shop in downtown Duluth at 16 N 1st Avenue West. They can be reached at (218) 722-2171.
Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
  • I did not find any specific locations for upcycling, but if you went to the junk yard you would be able to find junk to upcycle.
A resale shop is a store that sells items for a second time.

These are all great ways to re-use items that would likely end up in a landfill. Also, if we re-use items it saves us from having to go out and buy new items. If there was less production of products that would be linked with less pollution.
I currently do not do many of these except for going to flea markets and consignment shops. Now that I know of the resources in our community, and the great ways to re-use items, I do plan on being more active.

After visiting Junk Market Style I found many great ideas for projects to upcycle.

This is an old record player, with the creator's favorite Johnny Cash album, attached to a frame and on display on the wall. I think its a great way to personalize and really spice up the walls. 


This was really creative! The creator took apart an old sewing machine and made jewelry with the pieces. I am showing a picture of a necklace but she also made bracelets and earrings. 


This junker found a grate which was likely used for cooking on the grill, she turned it into a magnet board. It is also handy because it has a lip on the bottom to set things on.