Author Archives: aweicher

Earth Day 2021: Nature Walk

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Happy 51st Earth Day, Envirojunkies! As we begin to celebrate our beautiful Earth today, let’s take a moment to reflect upon some Earth Day history. Lately our country has felt somewhat divided politically, rarely finding a middle ground on issues. However, Earth Day was conceived as a unified movement made between a Democratic and a Replublican Senator. In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson (D) and Senator Pete McCloskey (R), worked together to create a globally recognized holiday to raise awareness and celebrate the Earth. April 22nd, a day in between spring break and finals season, was chosen because student involvement would be at its highest. It wasn’t until 1990 that Earth Day became a global event, allowing environmental issues to finally be recognized in governments around the World. Now, in 2021, over a billion people spread out in over 193 countries will join in the celebrate Earth Day Festivities. Here are some cheap and easy ways to celebrate Earth Day while making an impact. 

Turn Off

Since the pandemic, we are now more than ever engulfed by technology. Most weekdays, I spend around 4 hours on Zoom, and then I check my phone during breaks between classes. After class I leave to babysit, which is the only few hours that I get to spend outside without my phone. When I come home, I am usually so exhausted from the day that I turn on the Tv so I can tune out. This type of routine is so typical for people now, that we don’t realize really how out of touch we are becoming to nature. I cherish those few hours I spend outside just listening to the birds, and feeling the sun and wind on my face. 

This Earth Day, I challenge you to turn off your computer, phone, lights, and fan (if possible) and go outside. If you can, try leaving your phone at home so you can pay attention to all that is around you. Look down and notice the hustle and bustle of the ecosystem we have drifted so far from. Look up to notice all the animals that thrive in the trees. Each time you allow yourself to turn off your devices and tune into nature, the more you will notice and appreciate the ecosystem your community supports.

Tune In 

The term meditation might sound overwhelming for some people. However, meditation has numerous health benefits. Meditation can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and have a positive impact on your cardiovascular health. Studies have even shown that daily meditation can even improve your mood as much as an antidepressant. Sometimes breathing meditation can be hard when the mind is so chaotic, but here is a way to incorporate meditation into your Earth Day walk. Being mindful of your surroundings while on a walk around the neighborhood IS meditation, and can further your connectedness with nature.

Pick Up

While you’re enjoying this nature walk by really tuning into the present moment, pick up any trash you might see along the way. Once you tune into all that nature has to offer, you will realize how much you were consumed by technology. As humans, we consume, consume, and consume some more.. So give back to our Earth that gives us so much, and pick up even a few pieces of trash along the way. Once you give yourself some responsibility for the up-keep of our Planet, you won’t want to stop! 

Reach out to us on Twitter or Instagram and let us know what you did Earth Day 2021! 

Whatchu’ Drinkin?

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As most of you know, single-use plastic water bottles are a HUGE problem when it comes to sustainability, but let me paint an even better picture for you. It is estimated that over 15 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year. SO much plastic is being dumped that scientists are now finding traces of microplastics in the fish we consume. All human life revolves around the health of our oceans, whether we think it or not. Furthermore, 1 million single-use plastic water bottles are bought every minute in the world. However, less than ⅓ of this plastic will be recycled. It is naive that we assume that because we live in places such as Austin, TX, our plastic won’t end up in our oceans. Here is some advice to inspire the change within yourself! 

Tap Water 

Did you know that bottled water costs over 100 times more to produce than tap water? Well, the consumer must be paying for better quality water, right? Wrong! 25% of all bottled water is just tap water that was put into single-use plastic and sold. Essentially, you are just paying for well-advertised tap water which is costing you more than you think. A person who only buys bottled water spends around $1,095 annually, whereas a tap water drinker will only spend a mere $0.48 per YEAR. Who wouldn’t want over a thousand extra dollars in their pocket by making this simple switch? 

Reusable Plastic Water Bottles

If a person drinks around 4 bottles of water per day, they will waste 1460 single-use plastic bottles in a year. Even if that person only purchased 1 single-use plastic bottle every day, they would still be wasting 365 water bottles a year. A person who uses a reusable plastic bottle every day will not have to throw away one single bottle that entire year. Reusable plastic water bottles are the most cost-effective bottle to purchase since they will be quite a bit more affordable than stainless steel bottles. Reusable plastic bottles are easy to clean, especially since you can see through them it will be easy to spot any areas that need special attention. However, since these bottles are still plastic they are still more likely to end up in landfills and our oceans. First, when it comes to picking the perfect plastic water bottle, be sure to look for bottles that are BPA-free and PET-free. These are harmful chemicals that can leech into your water over time, especially when left out in the sun or a hot car. Second, make sure the bottle you buy is dish-washer-friendly so that it doesn’t warp when subjected to high temperatures. 

Stainless Steel Water Bottles

Stainless Steel water bottles are the BEST option for the environment, and here is why! Stainless steel, unlike plastic, is not porous, which means it will not leak any toxic chemicals into your water, even if subjected to high temperatures. Stainless steel makes these bottles resistant to rust, bacteria, corrosion, and mold too. Furthermore, Stainless Steel water bottles are 100% recyclable and are much more likely to stay out of landfills. These water bottles are also more environmentally friendly to produce than other materials. Although stainless steel bottles are more expensive than reusable plastic bottles, they are much more durable. The only downside to stainless steel bottles is that when they are dropped, they can sometimes dent. However, the benefits outweigh the cons. Make sure that when you are purchasing a metal water bottle it is Stainless Steel, rather than aluminum. Researchers have found that BPA can still exist in Aluminum, so it is best to steer clear of them all together. 

Hopefully, this information will inspire you to make a cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly change in your life! Most of the United States has clean and safe tap water to drink, so finding a filling station near you won’t be a problem. Let us know how your journey to switching from single-use water bottles to reusable ones has impacted your life! 

Apps For Environmentalism

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The number of people worldwide who use smartphone technology is continuously increasing, now there are close to 3 billion users worldwide. More smartphones mean more opportunities for App development. There are a seemingly endless number of apps available to users, whether you have an iPhone or Android. Now, in the palm of your hands are many opportunities to step-up your environmental impact through these new apps. Here is a list of three great Earth-saving Apps and what makes them worth the download! 

Earth Hero: Climate Change  

Earth Hero connects you with reliable climate data from around the world, as well as practical ways to take individual action on the Climate Crisis. Earth Hero has easy signup, which took me less than 30 seconds to register for. When you first access the App you will answer five questions that give you an estimate of your carbon footprint. Once you’ve answered all the questions, you will see a breakdown of your carbon emissions compared to the U.S and the rest of the world. It’s time for change! You can set personal climate goals and track your progress on reducing your emissions. Can’t think of any climate goal? Well, don’t worry because Earth Hero Provides hundreds of actions you can apply to your life. 

Brightly: Eco-Community

The Brightly App is another great app for sustainable living. The Brightly app is unique because of its interactive nature. Brightly connects you with thousands of other environmentalists who are interested in a wide range of sustainable topics. You can meet people through direct messaging them, or you can join one of the hundreds of group chats that are available based on your interest. For example, I love being a plant mom, so I joined a group forum called “Plant Lovers”. Brightly also has a tab for all current climate news and a tab for sustainable searching by topic. Topics include; shopping guides, home and lifestyle, fashion, beauty and wellness, food and kitchen, and environmental podcasts.  If you’re looking to join a global community of environmentalists then this is the app for you! 

My Little Plastic Footprint (MLPF)

It is MLPF’s mission to help you improve your plastic footprint by going on a “plastic diet”. The world consumes too much plastic, but you have the opportunity to reduce your use of plastic. MLPF starts by calculating your Plastic Mass Index (PMI), which is based on the number of plastics you consume, the size of those items, the frequency of their use, the probability of that plastic ending up in the environment, and the availability of alternative products. By using this app, you can find alternatives to your plastic products, and educate yourself by taking quizzes that help educate you on the uses of plastics and how to reduce that use. For example, Did you know that you can easily make your own deodorant? No?  Me either, before taking the MLPF bathroom quiz. I encourage you to download the MLPF app and discover all the easy and fun ways to go on a “plastic diet”. 

Now making an individual impact on the Climate Crisis is even easier through the use of smartphone technology. Hopefully, one, if not all of these apps interest you enough to download. Each of these apps has such valuable information at your fingertips. Download now and be the change! Tag @envirojunkiess on Twitter and let us know about your environmental journey!

Water Saving Strategies

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Water usage is often overlooked when considering how to make your lifestyle more sustainable, however, reducing your water usage can save you a considerable amount of money and resources. In 2019, Austin American Statesman published an article that found that the average Austin resident consumed about 120 gallons of water per day. Reducing your daily water usage starts with mindfulness. Taking a little bit of extra time to become mindful of your water habits will allow you to make the most of your water-saving abilities. 

Included below is a water footprint calculator, which helps you analyze your water usage. 

https://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/personal-water-footprint-calculator/

Sometimes it can be hard to put those statistics into practice, so here are some simple but effective ways to reduce your household water usage! 

Bathroom 

According to Statista, bathrooms take up the largest percentage of water usage in the average household. So, reducing your water usage in the bathroom is the most cost-effective way to reduce your impact. Here are three tips to help you save water. 

  1. Turning off the Tap while brushing your teeth- sinks use 1.5 gallons of water per minute, so turning them off while brushing your teeth can save A LOT of water!
  2. Skip the baths and stick to showers- an average shower uses 25 gallons of water, whereas a bath uses around 75 gallons of water. 
  3. Install water-saving devices in your toilet and shower- Here are two affordable options to reduce your water use for your bathroom: 

(sold on Amazon for $7.99)         (sold on Amazon for $9.99) 

Alternatively to the “Toilet Bank”, you can fill a plastic water bottle with water, or brick and drop it in your toilet to displace the amount of water being used. 

Kitchen

One of the most helpful tips for reducing water consumption in the Kitchen is being mindful of what goes down the drain. All the water (and other liquids/materials) that goes down the drain, is sent to a water treatment facility to be cleaned and used again. Therefore, it is best for the treatment facility, and our bodies to try and limit it to only water being poured down the drain. 

  1. Don’t dispose of medicines, paints, or any other pollutants down the drain- although it may be a liquid, it shouldn’t go into our water systems. 
  2. Scrape your plate- Before washing your dishes, either scrape your plate leftovers into the trash or a composite bin if possible. 
  3. Dishwasher over hand washing- Hand washing can use up to 27 gallons of water, whereas a dishwasher uses around 3 gallons of water per load. 
  4. Plug the sink- If you don’t have a dishwasher, just plug the sink before you wash your dishes. You can use this water to soak the dirty dishes and save a lot of water. 
  5. Thaw food in the refrigerator- Although we have all been in a pinch to thaw meat by running the faucet over frozen goods, it will save gallons of water if you can remember to thaw your meat in the fridge the night before. 

Lifestyle

Lastly, here are a few lifestyle tips that might help you reduce your water usage! 

  1. Purchase eco-friendly cleaning products- Switch to bar soap products. Bar soap has a carbon footprint far less than bottled soap because of the water used to make bottle soap. Bar soap typically has more eco-friendly packaging than the average plastic bottle of liquid soap. Also, avoid using products that contain phosphate. 
  2. Eat less Beef- although eating less meat is sustainable in so many ways, it also helps reduce your individual water consumption. Beef is the most water-intensive meat and uses 15,000 liters of water for 1 kg of meat. 
  3. Switch from Coffee to Tea- a cup of coffee uses 140 liters of water, whereas a cup of tea only uses 34 liters of water. The average cup of coffee has 95mg of caffeine in it, but Yerba Mate tea has 85 mg of caffeine in it, and it has numerous health benefits that coffee does not have. 

Hopefully some of these tips will inspire mindfulness, which will allow you to save money and water! Be the change you want to make for our planet and your pocket. 

Make sure to tweet us @envirojunkiess and share with us what you think about reducing your water usage! 

Citations: 

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/start-saving

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/bathroom-faucets#:~:text=Specification-,Faucet%20Flows,per%20minute%20without%20sacrificing%20performance.

https://www.thespruce.com/water-saving-devices-instayourselfll–4096495

https://www.statesman.com/news/20191223/conserversquos-word-austin-per-person-water-use-hits-historic-low#:~:text=Austin%20Water%20officials%20tallied%202019,more%20than%20548%20square%20miles.

https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.stedwards.edu/statistics/1175087/residential-end-uses-of-water-in-the-united-states/