In “Chemistry in the Environment”, we will be exploring the movement of numerous chemicals through the environment which are harmful to humans and/or other organisms, along with their toxicological effects.  Reading about, learning about, and discussing these chemicals may inspire you to examine your own lifestyle choices and surroundings, and to eliminate or replace some products and practices that have harmful effects. This blog is an opportunity for you to try out some alternative practices and share your recipes and experience so that others might benefit.  The obvious things to write about may be replacing vinegar for home cleaning solutions and similar types of products, but you can think about this more broadly and write about any practice that you’d like to try changing that would eliminate or reduce the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. For example, instead of buying a new pair of socks, you might learn to darn your old socks.  In that case, for your blog entry you could write about the environmental or human health effects of some of the chemicals that are likely to be associated with the manufacture of new socks, follow that up with instructions on how to darn socks, and then write a bit about your personal experience with it. Did they fall apart 2 days later, or last through the rest of the semester?  Was it super time consuming, or quick and easy? For each blog entry (up to 3), you will receive some extra credit toward an exam or assignment.  The quality of your post will determine the number of points (typically ranging from +2-5%).  There is no limit to the number of entries that you submit, but you will only receive extra credit for up to 3 posts.

Instructions for posting: Hit the “+New” button at the top of the page and include a descriptive title for your blog. Add a photo if you have one using the “Add media” button. Write a 2-3 paragraph description of both the (1) toxic effects of the thing that you are replacing, and (2) your approach and experience with testing out the alternative.

Have fun and get creative!