Summing It All Up! and continuing onward!

            I was skeptical about this blog thing at first. I've kept blogs for various reasons and other than create random Internet content I could not easily erase or detach from my identity; I don't feel they served much of a purpose. Enter this blog, a mandatory assignment for my Sustainable World class. I did not start this project with the best attitude. I honestly did not see the reason behind keeping this blog. At first it seemed like a mandatory weekly nuisance, one more thing I had to do.

            Then something strange happened, I totally got into it! Seriously, this blog turned into a space to put it out there. Write my thoughts on some of the issues in sustainability and my own life and even rant a little! Somehow, this blog became my favorite component of the class! So much so that I wish we had all been reading each other’s blogs through the semester. So, I went to the discussion where we all post the blog links and checked out what we all had to say. I loved seeing others journey's with their blogs as well (although, I think I may have been more into the assignment than most). It would be cool if in the future this assignment included a component where we read and comment on a few other blogs.

            Indeed, I think this blog will likely live on well beyond this course. I think it’s a good space to keep my thoughts on what I am studying, my path to a Ph.D program, and my evolving view on our sustainable world! After I survive my finals, this blog will become a place where I share the next steps on my path with personal and academic sustainability, with a special section of the blog dedicated to my intense hatred of one-time-use disposable plastics and my crusade to eradicate them from my life! This is my 12th and last official blog for SUS110. But just the beginning of the Sustainable Hillary Blog!

So just for fun here are some pictures of me loving our beautiful planet!

 

 

because i want my father to call me doctor

          It feels odd talking about my path to graduate school on my blog for a freshman level course (SUS110), but here I am re-tooling with a science/sustainability academic background on my path to apply to Ph.D programs in sustainability. I am quite nervous about applying for graduate school this fall. Finding a program with full funding is very important to me and to achieve this there are many things I need to accomplish. Honestly, I find the pressure (I put on myself) stressful. Sustainability is a hot field and it is likely the job I will work after graduate school does not yet exist. Ideally I will be working in some form of direct action to solve current and future challenges. The applications deadlines are this fall and between now and then there is so much to do!

• I need to narrow down the list of schools I want to attend – this includes doing extensive research on current program faculty and research to ensure the programs are a good fit for me and if possible visiting the schools.
• I need to identify and three professors who can write stellar letters of recommendation on my behalf. This is not as easy as I had hoped. I have one amazing letter set and ready to go but I need two more and this makes me nervous. I want to ask a professor from my undergrad years but she is retiring in May and I am not sure after 10 years and with her impending retirement she will still be a good option. Not to mention the concern I have over finding they ever-elusive third letter.
• I need to update my CV and find someway to describe all of the awesome I have learned, created, and participated in over the past few years. This is especially critical as it is what perspective schools will use to assign RA and TA positions. 
•  I need to send transcripts from multiple schools, GRE scores, and other documents.

          This list continues on with several more things I need to accomplish just to apply. It is all a bit stressful, but none of the above things are nearly as stressful as the pressure I feel regarding the personal essay required by all of these programs. In addition to serving as a writing sample, this very sort (usually no more than three pages) essay is used to clarify my specific goals in seeking a graduate education. Something tells me this flippant answer I usually give to family and friends “because I want to make my father call me doctor” will probably not suffice.  

The simple truth: I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I WANT TO FOCUS. 

          The past two years of science based undergraduate coursework have left me interested in more areas of sustainability than I previously knew existed. I began my journey wanting to focus on water in the developing world, while this is still a huge concern for me I’m not sure if this is the best focus for my research and graduate work. But if you ask me where I think I would like to focus, I am unable to identify anything specific. Gahhhh! I’m having a sustainability identity crisis. At first I was hopeful this blog would help me direct my concerns, but instead this blog has only furthered my confusion and left me in a panic!

The clock is ticking I have 5 months to find a focus!

AND....Just in case you are thinking about applying to grad school, I found this video super helpful!

I Can't Breathe!

I have asthma. 

Earlier this year, I had pneumonia. 

My lungs are weak. 

There are days I find it hard to breathe.

Which is why it makes me mad that the air quality in the Phoenix Metro area is abysmal. There are days like today, which hurt. There are days where I need to use my rescue inhaler several times.  There are days where I hesitate to leave my house because the air is so bad. All of this makes me angry because, as a born and raised Phoenician, I can remember a time when I didn't have these problems. Only ten years ago, the frequency of breathing issues was lower for me and many Arizonans. So what changed??  

People! 

The population of Arizona has skyrocketed in the thirty years I've been here.

More people means more cars, more cars means more pollution, this coupled with industry in Maricopa country, dust from a drought climate, and pollen from non-native plant species has created the perfect storm for those of us with breathing problems.

I think we have a responsibility to the living world to improve our air quality and reduce toxins and particulates in the air. The chemicals we put into the air make others lives more difficult or even deadly. In Phoenix, this is especially evident during the summer months when smog and dust linger over the city center. Ground level O-zone, can inflame and even cause damage to the lungs and airways; reducing over all respiratory function.

We all share the atmosphere and we all, as global citizens, have an obligation to make choices that ensure air and atmospheric quality for everyone. The Clean Air Act was an attempt to create standards for air we breathe. This was a significant move in the realm of public policy to ensure everyone's air is clean. However, more than 50 years after the legislation was introduced, some people (myself and lungs included) do not think the laws go far enough to reduce emissions. Technological innovation and evolving human needs mean we can not only meet the standards set forth by the policy, but we can improve upon them. All the more reason attempts to chip away at the EPA regulations are so horrifying.

I would like to have everyday be a good lung day, to go on a bike ride or a hike without worrying about the air particulate count, to breathe clean chemical and smog free air.
K thanks Bye!

Why do we hate the Gulf of Mexico so much?!

          The environmental curve balls we throw at the Gulf of Mexico along the US coast are far and many, in addition to wetland degradation, the recent BP oil spill, and climate change impacts on the region; there is an annual Dead Zone Hypoxia caused by agricultural and urban runoff in the Mississippi River. First documented in 1972, this area then sees a spike in algal growth followed by a large decline in available oxygen as the algae die and sink to the bottom of the water column where they decompose. The result of this is oxygen poor water (less than 2ppm). This biological phenomenon occurs, during the summer months, and is deadly to oxygen dependent marine life in the region. This also has an impact of the gulf economy, which is dependent on the health of the fisheries along the coast.

          The most surprising aspect of the hypoxia is the lack of action to mitigate the magnitude of chemical runoff into the gulf. From a social justice perspective it appears as if the wealthier and more politically powerful agricultural industry and cities along the river are in control of the conversation on the issue. (What a shock...)

           Suggested strategies to alleviate the problem include waste water recycling and treatment, changing the kinds of fertilizer and chemicals we use, and restoring natural spaces along the river where water can naturally filter out excess nutrients before running back into the aquifer. However, I have little optimism these will be implemented on a large scale as this problem has been persistent for over forty years and yet very little action has been taken. Further inaction could have dire consequences for a region that is already ailing from environmental damage and degradation.

Why Waste Annoys Me: Part Three of a Three Part Blog - Water

Part Three: Water Water Everywhere, or so we think...

 

American's use so much water! I didn't realize how odd it was to take a 15 minute shower everyday or wash my clothing after wearing it for an hour until I moved to Italy in 2004. I found myself sharing a six bedroom house with one shower and 13 women. We were all international students living on a very tight budget. I was one of only three American's living in the house. I experienced my first wake up call when we were trying to work out a shower schedule and I had it brought to my attention that I used the shower for much, much longer than everyone else. My European roommates were able to shower in under six minutes and it was considered more than enough time. They quickly schooled me that water is expensive and it is rude to use too much. I was in culture shock but wanted to be a good roommate and I did what it took to keep my shower time around six minutes. 

The next shock came when it was time to do my laundry, it was €8 per load! Woah! Not expecting laundry to be so expensive, I reevaluate how clean my clothing was and only washed what really needed it. The reality of waters true cost was settling with me. I realized how lucky I was living in Arizona to have relatively inexpensive clean water access. I mean its a desert, it barely rains, and my water bill is my least expensive bill! Thank you government subsidy.

This concept stuck with me when I returned to the U.S. I noticed I used much less than those around me. I started asking questions about water. 

*Where is our water coming from?

*How much water do Arizonan's use?

*Why is it so inexpensive compared to other countries?

In Arizona we act like water can not be wasted. We water our lawns to a bright green year round, we love our swimming pools and golf courses, and our agricultural habits show no sign of change based on current water trends. This is scary and wrong. In the Phoenix area it has rained twice in 2014. We should be panicked, we should be in drought mode, but no...we carry on as if nothing is wrong. IT'S SCARY!!! The US Water Footprint is huge and yet there is some strange culturally engrained idea, that there will always be more water; some odd belief that we are exceptional and water scarcity is only an issue from those in less developed countries. I worry how ever growing populations and wasteful water practices will impact us in the not so distant future. There are human, environmental, and economic consequences to our waste. Water scarcity will bring war, famine, and disease. Why haven't people woken up?

Check out this quick video to help quantify just how much water the average American uses: 

Some scientific reading and statistics on water for anyone interested in reading more: http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Hoekstra_and_Chapagain_2007.pdf

______________________________

Waste Part One

Waste Part Two

Why Waste Annoys Me: Part Two of a Three Part Blog - Plastics

Waste Part Two: What's with all the disposable plastic?

I hate plastic, this is a hate that is only rivaled by my hatred from our culturally engrained dependence on plastics.

Here are some of many reasons for my intense hatred of this material:

• plastics are made from petroleum, the same oil we know is responsible for mass global environmental degradation among other evils. 
• plastics are filled with chemicals, that have a known impact on the health of humans and other living organisms and their production releases toxins into the air.
• the majority of the Great Pacific Garbage Island is made up of plastics. With six times more microscopic plastic debris than zooplankton.
• our landfills are packed full of disposable one time use plastics (such as grocery bags), which take an estimated 500 years or more to bio degrade.
• contrary to public belief, most plastics can not be recycled.

 

Consider how much plastic you consume on a daily basis. How much of it was necessary? Really? Think about it? Did you NEED your coke to come in a plastic bottle? Or could you have purchased the same coke in a glass bottle? (A bottle that is then returned for reuse). Did you NEED to put each piece of produce at the grocery store in a plastic bag? Did you NEED plastic bags at the store when you purchased one t shirt? Probably not! In fact, there is almost no facet of our daily lives that needs plastic. Specifically one time use plastics. These items are the worst offenders among the plastics as they have a high rate of pollution and wildlife degradation and are used for a very short period before being discarded.

You don't need the plastic so just don't use it. I promise your life will continue to flourish without it. I save hundreds of dollars a year actively avoiding plastics; from the discounts I get for bringing my own grocery bags, to the beauty of the itzy rityz reusable sandwich bags, I save money (i feel like I say this in every blog) and the environment. You can take your plastic crusade to the next level as well: recently I noticed some of the products I like to buy no longer come in non plastic packaging. As a result I've started sending emails to these companies requesting they make a change to their product packaging to more sustainable materials, hopefully, if enough of us do this these companies will make changes. In the meantime I am doing everything I can to avoid buying the product finding alternatives or making my own things, like mayonnaise, shampoo, and cleaning products; which can then be stored in reusable glass jars and bottles.

Please, don't consider this post an "I'm so much more sustainable than you" post. I'm not! I just really really hate plastic and want very much to see its eradication from our lives. I implore you to be a part of the movement to a plastic free lifestyle, take the pledge. 


I leave you with this! 

TED Talk:  Dianna Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fddYApFEWfY


_________________________________________________
Waste Part One
Waste Part Three (coming soon!)

Why Waste Annoys Me: Part One of a Three Part Blog

Waste Part One: The Diva Cup

I'm gonna come right out and say the thought about over consumption that most often fills my mind,  "American's are wasteful pigs." Yes, that is harsh. In fact, it is judgmental and short sighted, nonetheless it is how I feel about the issue. Stranger still I am not the perfect no impact person; although I wish we all could be, rather I am only aware of the waste and angry about it. We have created an economy dependent on mass consumption and extreme waste. This has as much to do with our abuse of natural resources as it does our need to acquire more and more "stuff".

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel helpless, and I do as much as I can to reduce my overall impact, especially how much waste I generate. But, I also want to do more and the way we have structured American lifestyles and culture makes this very very hard. In my opinion too hard! I imagine this is why so few people make changes to their daily life and consumption, because it is very complex to make these changes. This three part series will focus on some of the easy and cost effective changes I've made and how others can do the same.

The Diva Cup

What is the Diva Cup? Only the greatest most amazing menstrual product in existence.

The Diva Cup and other menstrual cups, are one of many ways women can save money and reduce their impact on the planet!

Its a biological reality that women menstruate; our consumer economy figured out just how lucrative this is and created a disposable solution about 100 years ago. This solution has since filled our landfills, with tampons and sanitary pads. Around the world these same products wash up on our beaches and float through our rivers. If you're thinking "ick" you are right! Products which typically contain polyethylene plastic, carcinogens like dioxin, and synthetic fibers in our water! I don't want this in my body and I certainly don't want it in my environment!

The average woman uses over 9000, tampons in her lifetime. Think about the implication of this for our landfills; packaging, plastic applicators, and the products themselves all require more and more resources, energy, and waste. By comparison one tiny diva cup can last for years and can be used over and over again. I won't go into the finer details of use and how (for that you can go here), instead I want to use the example of the diva cup as a way I believe we can shift how we consume and improve our overall quality of life. While the product itself is only used by women the benefits can and will benefit everyone. Sometimes being sustainable is expensive, think solar panels and electric cars, but more often a sustainable choice is easy convenient and saves money. The diva cup is an amazing way to do just that. Ladies, you can reduce your impact on the planet and your wallet as well.

_______________________________________________________
Part Two
Part Three (coming soon)

Monterey, California – Inspiration for Environmental Conservation

I am writing this while sitting on the beach, overlooking Monterey Bay. I was reflecting on my life and the path, which lead me full circle to this very spot on the beach.

I first visit Monterey, California when I was six years old, during a trip to visit family in San Jose. The city and surrounding area on the coast of California is historic and beautiful. The city is somehow both, quiet and filled with life. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I saw the life that lives in the ocean for the first time. I remember gazing into the tanks marveling at the underwater world in awe.  

I saw my first shark that day, and I will never forget the moment, as it sparked a life long love affair with the ocean, the environment, and biodiversity. The shark was so smooth, she moved so easily and quickly through the water, I had to know more.

I spent the next several years of my life obsessively learning everything I could about the ocean. I read every book, and watched every documentary I could get my hands on in the library. I begged my parents to take me to the ocean; at every chance I was underwater, snorkeling, swimming and marveling at a world so very different from ours.  At 12 (the then minimum age for a certification), while on a family vacation in Hawaii, I became a certified PADI Open Water Diver.  I saved for two years to pay for the training costs; indeed many of my decisions in my early years were driven by my passion for the ocean.

I spent many summers diving in Hawaii, in love with the colors of the coral and the fish. As I grew older I began to see the correlation between the health of our oceans and the influence of human impact. My understanding of an ecosystem in or out of balance became apparent in other biomes as well. A born and raised Arizonan I could see our desert withering in the way of rapid sub-urban growth. The ocean was only one of many ecosystems in peril. As a teenage this angered me.

Time marched on, I moved forward with my life. I went to university and obtained a masters degree. I found myself moving into adulthood and completely disconnected from nature and the ocean. Life was in the way. So I quit, I quit it all. I returned to my first love, the ocean.

I travelled around the world carrying on an international love affair with coral reefs, deserts, rainforests, glaciers, jungles, savannahs, and every other diverse and magical land our planet has to offer. I traveled for years, across entire continents, and then it happened, after several months in Southeast Asia, while sitting on the beach in Thailand (apparently I do a lot of thinking at the beach); I knew where I wanted to go with my life. I had been around the globe in the last two years, during which I worked and traveled through 15 states and 18 countries. A common theme emerged: American’s are wasteful. In Canada, our northern counterpart, efforts to recycle, conserve and reduce environmental impact were apparent everywhere. In rapidly developing countries like Guatemala, and Thailand there was strategic development that left room for nature, people (including the wealthy) were more careful about what and how they consumed resources.

In countries with widespread poverty and income disparity, like Cambodia and South Africa, water and food security took a central focus; mass consumption had not yet trumped necessities. While working in Utila, Honduras I repeatedly found myself without access to fresh water, the little island just seemed to run out. Water to drink was expensive and forget a 15 minute hot shower. Nonetheless, despite hardship, the people of these nations were happy. They didn’t need a car for every person in their household. They could live happy full successful lives with much less.

Seeing this had a huge impact on me. It changed how I view “stuff” and how I consume.  The lessons I learned from traveling the world brought me to where I am today. Studying Environmental Science and getting ready to apply for graduate programs in environmental sustainability. I believe we can all live more sustainable lives and I want to be a part of that change.

And to think it all started with a shark.

Peak Phosphorus – Is “Dooms Day” around the corner?

After doing some extensive reading on the subject earlier in the semester for this Sustainable World course, I have been haunted by the notion of peak phosphorus! Phosphorus is critical to the very existence of every living cell on this planet. Critical cell growth, development, and processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration are contingent upon phosphorus. 

 (The Calvin Cycle)

 

The issue of course is the very role it plays in life, which is resulting in its ultimate depletion. Phosphorus is so key to growth of living things that we are mining it to enhance the growth and production of our food. Fast growing bigger plants means more food for more people. However, when the phosphorus is gone it means more people will starve.

The notion of peak phosphorus feels very “dooms day”, nonetheless, we literally cannot live without it. It is this very reason I am so concerned. Very few people seem to be worried, little to no mainstream media is addressing this issue, and the phosphorus cycle is not taught regularly in school science classroom. I wonder how many people even realize how critical this resource is to our existence and its continued presence is key to preventing starvation. 

What are we to do?!

Clothing, Consumption, and Sustainable Purchasing

I love fashion. I enjoy clothing and playing with current trends. I hate how unsustainable the majority of clothing production and purchasing is. Think about the last item of new clothing you purchased. Where how and with what were the materials grown? Where was it manufactured? Where do you buy it? How much did you spend? How often do you actually wear it? All of these details and all of the other factors inherent in the process from production to consumption have an impact on the environment, the economy, and human equity.

For example, cotton, long considered the most pesticide heavy crop in the world, takes labor (which may or may not be paid a fair wage), water, and energy to cultivate the crop. Then because of our global economy the cotton is likely shipped all over the world to be turned into a t-shirt for someone's charity event or local team sport. Giving the single shirt a larger carbon foot print than many other products. The process of dying the fabric alone uses several gallons of water and then washes the dye residues into the water systems nearby.

This impact on people and the planet has dire implications. Most people buy way more clothing (not to mention most products) than they need.

I bear witness to this almost everyday, I am the manager of a local consignment clothing store in Scottsdale and see the extremity of waste on a daily basis. Here are some examples.

 

Both items with the tags still on them. The 4,000 sq/ft store has several hundred more like this. In addition to the thousands of clothing worn only once or twice before being deemed "unwearable".

However, I believe  the purchase of resale clothing, via consignment or thrift, is the answer to one of the challenges faced by mass consumption. Buying pre-owned takes the burden of production off to the environment. When you choose to buy resale you are reducing the burden on our natural resources. AND your bank account will benefit as well. 

To drive home the point, here I am dressed entirely in resale clothing. Something I do almost everyday.

dress, cardigan, scarf, shoes (not pictures), earrings: total cost $12.50! Giving these clothes a second chance, takes a little bit of the burden off the planet; and reduces the need for one less t-shirt. 

One of Those People

Well it happened again today, at a Super Bowl party, I had one of those awkward conversations with someone who denies climate change:

Person: "Gee. Winter sure does seem warmer in Phoenix than it was 20 years ago."

Me: "I'm a born and raised Phoenician and personally I've see a huge change in the winters here. I miss wearing a sweater more."

Person: (in sarcastic tone) "Well I know its not 'global warming', my sister back in Minnesota says its been the coldest and worst winter for her in years."

Me: The term global warming is a bit funny, what it really means is the world is experiencing climate change with an overall increase in average global temperature."

Person: (unpleasant tone) "Oh, you're one of those liberal anti-business environment people...."

This is when I chose to walk away. WTH?! Was my explanation of the term global warming to "science-y".


When did caring about the changing planet and the life that lives on it automatically label you a "liberal, anti-business, environment" person?

Understanding and advocating for the very real science proving the changing climate of earth does not inherently make someone liberal. It is beyond depressing, that something as significant to continued life on earth as this issue, has become a liberal vs. conservative thing. Addressing our evolving global climate and the issues it brings humanity should be a human thing. We have one earth and without it we would not be here to argue about politics.

Moreover, how in anyway, seriously anyway, does my mention of climate change in the above conversation indicate that I am anti-business. Climate change is anti business, just ask the store owners who lost their business to hurricane Sandy last year, or farmers who's soil is changing with the weather.

So, what is so terrible about being an "environment person". I love the environment, I love nature and I want to continue to have and appreciate it. I study environmental science and ecology because I care so much about preserving the beautiful gift of bio-diversity that is our planet's ecosystems!

Sigh...

How do we change people's perceptions?

First Post

hmmmm.....first post, not an easy endeavor considering I burned out on blogging over two years ago. Honestly, I'm not crazy about creating "forever" internet content. Blogs are forever, even if you delete them, privatize them or never tell anyone about them; blogs like everything we do on the internet never truly disappear.

I guess this could be an allegory for how we use and abuse resources on our planet. Many of the choices we make are "forever". So many of the components of sustainability are focused on stopping actions that will have consequences for generations to come. For many people this is a daunting prospect. Why should they change their behavior when the consequences are decades (or longer) down the road? I hate those people.

So here I am, with a blog to talk about sustainability, sustainable development, and the environment. I'm not sure if there is some grand impact this blog will make (my previous blogs certainly do not). The goal of this blog is to share my thoughts in an honest and unedited kind of way. This can and will include, bad grammar, "light" profanity, and controversial - sometimes cynical commentary. You've been warned.