I often find myself wishing I had certain products with me while I’m away from home. It is much easier to make environmental choices when you come prepared. The world is filled with one use plastic and whatever you can do to keep it out of a landfill is a step in the right direction. I suggest keeping these essentials in your car. That way you don’t need to lug them around everywhere you go. In my car I have a reusable straw. This comes in handy when you go to Starbucks or pick up fast food. You can even bring it into a restaurant. I also have a few reusable shopping bags. I will admit I forget them a lot when I go into stores, but it is a habit I am trying to break. You also can keep a water bottle in your car. For me personally this would come in handy when I go to school or work. I would just fill it us at a drinking fountain and be good for the day. Along with the reusable bottle you could keep a reusable cup. This would be helpful when going to Starbucks because you can ask them to put coffee in your cup instead of a plastic one.

I have stated before in a previous blog post that I do not eat red meat. My goal is to become a vegetarian in, or after college. I have always been fascinated with the vegan lifestyle and would love to someday become a vegan. A couple weeks ago I went vegan for a week. I wanted to test out the diet and do a review on my experience. Before I get into that week I’ll explain what being a vegan means. Being vegan means you do not consume any animal products. You choose not to eat any meat, dairy, eggs, and even honey or gelatin. There are other things that aren’t vegan, but I’m not going to take the time to list them all. There is a lot of controversy around this lifestyle but many people enjoy it, while thriving off its benefits. The 3 main reasons people make the switch to this diet is for the animals, environment, or their own health. Studies have shown animal products are not good for your body. Doctors such as Dr Esselstyn, Dr McDougall, Dr Kahn, etc. have found that major chronic diseases can be reversed, stopped, or prevented by going vegan. A person can really thrive on a plant based diet. If you do it right you aren’t deprived of any protein, vitamins, or the feeling of being unfulfilled by a meal.

I contacted a vegan who lives in Indiana to see his view on the lifestyle. His name is Gabriel Miller. He has been vegan for two years. In those two years he has been plant based for a year in a half. Plant based basically means you don’t eat anything processed. He is extremely passionate and owes going vegan for losing 100 pounds. His family is also vegan. His mother in law went vegan after being diagnosed with cancer. His dad lost 50 pounds and was able to save his leg from being amputated after going vegan. Gabriels sister also lost 50 pounds and became healthier after going vegan. I asked Gabriel what he would say to anyone skeptical of vegans and this is how he answered, “To the skeptical, all I can say is that I was in their exact shoes. I was studying livestock production, I believed that we needed high quality animal protein, I believed that I would wither away if I just ate plants, I thought vegans were hippies, I was following meat based diets (low carb, keto). And I wasn’t alone in these beliefs, this is basically how the world around me operated and how I was raised. But I began to realize that the world around me was just as overweight and sick as I was, and we were all eating the same things. So I gave a vegan diet a try and the rest is a positive history for myself and more importantly the people I love more than anything on this planet.” He goes on to say that what we have been told is good for us (meat, eggs, dairy) isn’t working. Gabriel told me he lives by this quote “No thing needs to die so I can live.”

I thought being vegan was difficult. It was obviously hard because it was my first week trying the diet. There was an added level of difficulty because my family eats normally and I would have to have a separate meal. The temptation of other non-vegan food was the hardest for me. Contarary to popular beliefs vegan food can be just as good as non-vegan food. I just didn’t make that great of food for myself so I craved other food. I felt very healthy throughout the week. I usually eat candy, candy, and then more candy, so it felt good to eat a carrot. I ate a lot of vegetables and fruit with added carbs. I needed to meal prep or buy more food options because I mainly stuck to the same thing all week.

Here’s what my usual day of eating would look like.

Breakfast- Oatmeal, banana, granola.

Lunch- Salad, fruit, nuts, pretzels with peanut butter.

Dinner- Pasta or Rice with veggies, fruit, dessert (pie or vegan ice cream).

Overall the food I ate was good. I felt full after meals, and ate snacks when I was hungry. From going vegan for a week I lost 3 pounds, my skin was clear, and I just felt healthy. I would definitely recommend going vegan. I think what happens a lot of the time in the meat or dairy industry is awful. Mass producing livestock isn’t ethical and it isn’t something I want to support. What made me give up red meat was watching slaughterhouse videos. The scared look in a cows eye while it was being forced into a stun gun was heartbreaking. It fought so hard to escape and I couldn’t ignore the millions of animals suffering for my personal wants.

 

 

Earth Day was Monday the 22nd of this month. I was excited to celebrate it in my school because we have a spirit week dedicated to Earth Day. It is so important for us to have this day to acknowledge that the choices we make everyday effect our Earth. So really it is Earth Day everyday, but without a fancy title. In honor of Earth Day I thought why not blog about interesting facts about the Earth.

Earth was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago.

The coldest place on Earth is Antartica. Temperatures can drop below 100 degrees F.

Scientists believe Earth may have had two moons.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on land reaching 1,388 feet below sea level.

As glaciers melt because of climate change, we’re losing fresh water.

Oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface, but humans have only explored 5% of that. This means 95% of Earth’s seas have never been seen.

 

I find myself checking labels on containers very often to see if something is recyclable. I have always been confused by the changing numbers inside the recycle sign. Some things can’t simply be thrown into a recycling bin. You actually should check with your local recycling to see what they take. I am lucky enough to have a recycling truck come to my house once a week and pick up the recycling. They have guidelines that should be followed like washing out your jars and cans. I thought I would share other ways to recycle things that can’t just be thrown into the recycling.

Clothes 

Clothing falls into the reuse section of recycling. You may not think of giving clothes to Goodwill or shelter for the homeless is recycling, but it is! Unwearable clothes can be donated to local animal shelters as well.

Glasses

In most areas of the United States your local Lions’s Club or eye care chain will collect these. Lenses are reground and given to someone in need.

Ink Cartridges 

Staples takes old ink cartridges and gives you money back to buy new ones. It is usually a 2 dollar reward.

Phones

Cell phones and older corded or office phones can easily be recycled. You can bring them into places like Verizon to recycle cell phones, and staples to recycle corded phones. You could donate your old cell phones to a program called HopeLine. It provides phones to domestic abuse survivors.

Batteries

Staples has a national battery recycling program so you can recycle at your local store. Ikea has recycling stations for them as well.

Holiday Lights

Home Depot recently launched a recycling program for Christmas lights. So if yours ever burn out you know what to do with them.

Makeup Containers

It takes such little time to go through makeup products. Clean them out and send them to brands like Mac, Origins, or Aveda for responsible disposal.

Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Without the proper disposal fluorescent light bulbs can leak mercury into the ground. You can recycle at a local Ikea.

Mattress

If you can find any mattress recycling factories near by they are recyclable. They break down the mattress and use it to make clothing or even wallpaper.

Crayons

Over 100,000 pounds of crayons enter landfills every year. You can donate your used crayons to Crazy Crayons in Colorado. Just ship them to the company.

Save the bees is a phrase referring to threats on bee populations. Eight species of bees have been placed on the endangered species list. The loss of population is often blamed on pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when the majority of worker bees disappear and leave behind a queen. Bees are very beneficial and worth saving. They are the single most important pollinator of food crops in the world. About one third of food we consume relies on bee pollination. Other animals like birds, bats, and even insects rely on bees as a food source. Without bees we could lose avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash, and sunflowers for oil, cucumbers, citrus fruit, peaches, kiwis, cherries, cranberries, and melons. So next time you come in contact with these insects do not kill them. Usually if you leave them alone they will leave you alone. You can actually take the initiative to help our buzzy friends. Planting flowers, herbs, and shrubs can benefit the species. Some bee friendly flowers are sunflowers, geraniums, dahlias, zinnias, cornflowers, and poppies. Helpful herbs can be lavender, thyme, rosemary, fennel, sage, and cilantro. Lastly the best shrubs that benefit bees are hibiscus, honeysuckle, hydrangea, and citrus plants.

I thought I’d fill my readers in on my life a bit and stray away from my typical content. I just enjoyed my last spring break as a high schooler. We thankfully had two weeks off of school. I was lucky enough to join my boyfriend and his family on a cruise the second week! His family was very generous and lovely the whole trip. It worked out perfectly that his cousins and their significant others came because we all get along really well. The cruise line that we took was Carnival. I really enjoyed this cruise line. They emphasized the environment many times while I was on board. The cruise stopped at two different ports in Mexico. This was my second time out of the country because last summer I traveled to Europe. The partially unpleasant part of our trip was the drive to New Orleans where we boarded the ship. We left a day early and rented a house in New Orleans. It gave us a chance to explore the French Quarter and stop at a few museums. I tried a seafood gumbo along with many other things during the cruise. A highlight of the cruise was it was all inclusive, so “free” food 24/7. But I loved the activities on board such as dive in movies, stand up comedy, live music, mini golf, and so much more. The best day of the trip was in Cozumel, Mexico. We were taken to a resort that you were able to snorkel with stingrays, swim with dolphins, and kayak. There was also free food and drinks where I got to try authentic Mexican cuisine. We all swam with dolphins and I had a blast. We got to interact with the dolphins, but we did not ride them. The best part was that there were babies! I was a little skeptical if swimming with dolphins was ethical, but the habitat they were kept in is nothing like Sea World. There was a ton of space with natural sand and rocks like you would find in the ocean. We stopped in Yucatan (Progreso), Mexico a day later where we mostly shopped. I loved experiencing new cultures. It may not have been the best way to experience it though because I would assume the areas we visited have been partially taken over by tourism. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to travel, and hope to do it again sometime.

For the past few weeks I have been focusing a lot on African elephant poaching. In my English class we have to write a series of papers over a pressing topic, and I chose African elephant poaching. Below I am going to add an exerpt from one of my papers.

African elephants are native to sub-Saharan Africa and the rain forests of Central and West Africa. They are the largest land mammals, who are known for their trunks and tusks. Unfortunately these well-known aspects put them at risk every day. They are hunted for their lucrative ivory tusks. This threat is leading to their extinction. African elephants who once numbered in the millions now have a population of 352,271. Although poaching and ivory trafficking is illegal, the laws are often neglected and unenforced. Many do not want to face the gruesome reality of this issue. Conservationists, local wildlife rangers, TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, cannot preserve them all. If this rate of killing continues many sources state African elephants could be extinct in 50 years.

This is just a peek into the issue at hand. It is our duty to save a species unable to save themselves. The World Wildlife Foundation is working to protect African elephants and you can too. On the website you can adopt an African elephant. My sister adopted a grizzly bear for me one Christmas and it was my favorite present! It is 55 dollars for the high quality stuffed animal, photo, adoption certificate, species card, and gift bag. The link to the website is down below!

https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/African-Elephant.aspx?sc=AWY1800OQ18317A01909RX&_ga=2.223903515.1833714428.1552484795-657998850.1492399036

I’m always looking for ways to be more eco-friendly, so why not start in the bathroom? We tend to encounter too much single use plastic in our daily routines if we don’t choose products wisely. I just recently took the initiative to swap out some of my single use plastic products to more sustainable items. I have listed 5 products below that help achieve this eco-friendly goal. If you’d like to buy any of these items they will be listed under the shop it tab.

Bamboo Toothbrushes

I’ve said it once, two times, and I’ll say it again. Bamboo toothbrushes are so worth it! I have done a review on the brand of toothbrush I use prior to this post if you’d like to check it out.

Bar Soap

Switching to bars of soap instead of bottles is the easiest change of all. Bar soap can replace hand soap, body wash, and face wash.

Shampoo Bar

A shampoo bar is pretty much bar soap but for your hair. All it takes is water and a bit of lathering.

Recycled Toilet Paper

Recycled toilet paper is made from copy paper previously used in homes or offices. It is really beneficial when it comes to preserving trees. You can definitely find this product on amazon if it is not available in local stores.

Safety Razor

A safety razor is a better alternative to a disposable plastic razor because it is reusable. All you have to do is change the blades every once in a while. It also has many shaving perks.

I understand being an environmentalist isn’t for everyone. I would consider myself one, I mean I do have and environmental blog. Sometimes it is frustrating when people don’t care or understand the problems we face revolving our environment. I truly care. I have always been shy and quite. I don’t like involving myself in other peoples discussions or life much, but when it comes to the environment I can’t help myself. I usually don’t have the courage to stand up for what I believe in, but when it’s this important I do. Saving our planet and limiting pollution should be everyones priority. Without clean air to breath, clean water to drink, and an Earth to walk on what do we have? I know switching to a bamboo toothbrushes or cutting all ties with plastic straws won’t save the world, but it’s a step in the right direction. I’m tired of hearing “I won’t make a difference” as an excuse for doing the right thing. We have to be the change. No one else is going to fix these major environmental problems for us. I might not be making a huge impact on reducing waste or pollution, but at least I’m doing something. Can you say the same?

I recently noticed the amount of plastic used in grocery stores. Not only the grocery bags, but almost every product is incased in plastic. Sadly all of the things you walk by in the store will soon be sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. It is almost impossible to walk into a grocery store and leave plastic free. There is many ways to reduce plastic usage while shopping though. I’ll link the products from amazon. To find them visit my shop it tab.

Reusable Grocery Bags

This is the easiest way to cut back on plastic while shopping. Single use bags are terrible for our environment. They often end up in places they shouldn’t be like bodies of water or outside polluting your streets. It can take up to 1000 years for these bags to decompose. Reusable bags are affordable and so much more sturdy. I recommend keeping them in your car so you never forget them when you’re on the go. If you do forget them ask for paper bags next time.

Reusable Produce Bags

I think reusable produce bags are so cool! There are a few different types. Some are cloth but most are mesh bags. You can buy these on amazon or even at target. It is actually unnecessary to use a bag at all, but a lot of people like to. For all the bag lovers out there I highly suggest this product.

Buying In Bulk

A great way to avoid packaging all together is going to stores that have bulk bins. You basically can bring in your own containers or bags and fill them with the product. Usual bulk items are pasta, rice, beans, granola, cereal, and other dry goods. You can not only save money while buying in bulk, but the planet too.

Avoiding Unnecessary Packaging

Something I find crazy is how supermarkets sell overpriced precut produce in plastic. The real deal is two feet away and cheaper. It may be more convenient for you to buy precut pineapple but it’s not worth it. What I’m trying to say is avoid food sold in plastic when you can buy it plastic free. Also don’t buy plastic utensils and straws even though you want to.