Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

WEEK 5:
What we choice to eat has a major impact on the environment and week 5 was a huge wake up call to that fact.  Our eye-opener this week was the CSPI activity.  I did three different assignments that showed me how my diet effects the environment and my health.  I was encouraging to see that even the smallest change can make a huge difference.  Next, we watched the video "Future of Food".  I thought this video was really interesting and it changed the way I look at my food choices.  The question that I have been asking myself is, where did this come from, instead of just randomly picking the first thing I see.

I began reading my book Omnivore's Dilemma and so far it has been one of my favorite parts of this class.  Watching "Future of Food" was a great introduction to the food industry and Omnivore's Dilemma explores the topic as well.  I am excited to continue reading and to learn more about the history and future of food.

WEEK 6:
In class on Monday we watched the video "Diet for a New America" which gave even more interesting information on the food we eat.  I learned a lot of things about the cattle industry that I didn't like such as the treatment of the animals and the pollution of drinking water.  After watching the video I have cut down on the amount of meat I eat and have decided to quit eating red meat all together.  I think it is a good choice for my health and for the environment!

I also learned some fun things about blogging!  There are so many things you can do with a blog.  I am planning on finding something cool to add to mine soon.

I have added on to my SMART goal this week.  I am going to try and drink 8 glasses of water a day! The last few days have been tough but so far I have made my goal.  Have a great weekend everyone! See you on MONDAY.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

My SMART goal: Over the next ten weeks 10 weeks I will use reusable water bottles 100% of the time when drinking water and other beverages such as coffee, gatorade, and juice. 
I feel like I am acheiveing my SMART goal.  I have had a few draw backs but overall I have used a reusable container for my beverages.


Successes: I feel like I am drinking more water and cutting down on the amount of waste I produce.  I never noticed how often I purchased plastic containers and I feel like I am saving money too! 


Challenges: I had a few draw backs this past week.  I wanted a "hot apple blast drink" from Caribou and I purchased one and didn't use a reusable container.  I also purchased an orange juice from the school store and it came in a plastic bottle.  

Feelings: I felt greedy when I bought the drink from Caribou because I knew I was going against my SMART goal but I did it anyways.  I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought.  This same feeling of guilt occurred when I purchased my orange juice.  But overall I thought I did a good job. 


What I learned: I learned that by not drinking out of plastic containers I am saving a lot of money and reducing the amount of waste I produce.  I also am drinking less soda and sports drinks and that is good for my health because it lessens the amount of sugar I consume.  


Next Week:
I plan on making my goal more challenging by adding drinking up to 8 glasses of water a day.  As of now I have not been keeping track of the amount of water I drink so this will be a challenge for me.  We will see how it goes! :) 

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Eco-chic with Amy

Share & Voice: Trails.com

I love going hiking and being outside and I found a website that will make it easier to find different trails anywhere around the United States! It is called Trails.com and all you have to do it search for your desired area and the website will give you surrounding trail options.  I searched Duluth and it gave me seven trails in the area along with their distance, skill level, location, and other interesting facts.  I think this would be very helpful if you were on a vacation and wanted to find a trail. I hope you guys get a chance to use this site!