Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of Omnivore's Dilemma

First Quarter: Industrial: Corn

Chapters 1-7

Pages 15-109

This sections explains where our food comes from and how it is produced.  Corn is in 1/4 of the foods we eat.  The book starts by explaining the history of corn and how is has come to be in 14 of the foods we consume today. Pollan covers many disturbing topics from mass production, processed foods, feed lots, obesity, subsidizing, and all of the politics behind it.  

There were many amazing facts brought up in this section of the book. A few that I thought were really interesting were: 

Facts

• Early in the twentieth century American corn breeders figured out how to bring corn reproduction under control and to protect the seed from copiers this eventually lead to the seed patents.  Soybeans are also found in 2/3 of all processed foods.  
• Government spends up to $5 billion dollars a year subsidizing cheap corn.
• When you add together the natural gas in the fertilizer to the fossil fuels it takes to make the pesticides, drive the tractors, and harvest, dry, and transport the corn, you find that every bushel of industrial corn requires the equivalent of between a quarter and a third of a gallon of oil to grow it-- or around fifty gallons of oil per acre of corn.  
• According to the surgeon general, obesity today is officially an epidemic costing the health care system an estimated $90 billion dollars a year.  
• Three of every five Americans are overweight.
• The United Nations reported that in 2000 the number of people suffering from overnutrition --a billion-- had officially surpassed the number suffering from malnutrition-- 800 million.  
• 19% of American meals are eaten in the car.

Implications:

The things I have learned in the book so far are very disturbing and shocking.  We should care where are food comes from and we should care how our technology has effected our society.  Even though Americans are over weight the Government and food industries keep pumping cheap corn into every food product they can in order to make a profit. We need to take control of our own lives and make better choices for ourselves and for the environment.  When we buy processed food products, fast food, meat, ect. we are saying that we agree with what is being done in the food industry and that we want it to continue.  I am as guilty as anyone but reading this book is making me think twice before purchasing these items.  

 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: 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 the first week of my SMART goal has been going smoothly.  I purchased a new water bottle and I have only used a non-reusable container once this week.  

Successes: I did forget my water bottle one day this week but instead of buying a plastic one I just used a empty glass that I had in my locker.  I have been drinking a lot more water since purchasing my water bottle and I have noticed that I have had less headaches! I have always had a problem with headaches and migraines and I find that the more water I drink the less likely I am to get one.  

Challenges: I accidently bought a coffee at the coffee shop the other day and I didn't bring my reusable coffee cup.  I didn't realize until after because it is such a habit for me.  I will just have to keep trying!  I also attended a meeting and they were passing out free bottles of water.  I was thirsty but I made the choice to turn it down.  

Feelings: I was proud of myself for bringing my water bottle most days but when I forgot and bought my coffee I was disappointed in myself for not remembering. At the same time I thought I made the right choice in turning down the bottle of water at the meeting.  It was a small sacrifice but it was worth it. :)

What I learned: I learned that even a small thing such as carrying around a water bottle can be hard because it is one more thing to remember.  I hope that eventually it will just become a habit.  

Next Week: I plan on keeping the same goal for next week and doing my best not to forget to use a reusable container.  I will also try and drink more water throughout the day.  Wish me luck!!

"Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy"

Share & Voice: My brother

My brother is 24 years old and he graduated from the University of Minnesota Moorhead in 2009 with a degree in Sociology.  During his last year of college he became really interested in living a sustainable lifestyle and eating organically.  He decided to accept an internship working on a farm 50 miles outside of Duluth.

The La Finca Farm is a CSA farm where members purchase a share of the harvest before the growing season begins, paying for their share in scheduled installments. Once the harvest begins in mid-June, Summer Share members receive a weekly delivery containing fresh, certified organic vegetables, fruit, and herbs. Following the Summer Share in October, Fall Share Members receive the best of the fall veggies, and the Winter Share extends the season to the end of January! They also offer a free range chicken share with delivery in summer or fall. Members also receive a weekly newsletter with preparation tips, recipes, and an update from the fields.

After watching the video in class I now have a new appreciation for what he is doing.  It is a lot of hard work but he feels like he is learning a life skill and plans to grow his own garden in the future!  Not to mention he brings me fresh organic veggies every time he comes to visit. :)

Its a jungle out there...

Eye Opener: CSIP

I took the tour of our food supply on the CSPI website and learned some disturbing things.  It is scary to learn where are food is coming from.  Between the pesticides, the cattle filled with antibiotics, fertilizer factories, polluted rivers and the inhuman practices in slaughterhouses we are setting ourselves up for a disaster.  Not only do these practices harm the environment our health is also in shambles.

Next I took a look at the Green Calculator these were my results:

I thought since I don't eat a lot of meat my scores would be better but the since I consume dairy and eggs I still am effecting the environment with my food choices.

After reducing my servings of cheese, milk, yogurt, and eggs my scores improved:

With even the smallest change the effects on my diet and the environment show great improvements.

I pledge to protect my health and the environment, I will eat a more plant-based diet—more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts and fewer fatty meat and dairy products. When I do eat animal products, I will emphasize ones that are lower in fat and raised in humane ways that minimize harm to the environment.  I took this pledge because I now understand how my choices effect my health and the environment and even the smallest change helps.

My "eating green" grand total was 17 which is considered "good"


Types of foods with the highest score:

Vegetables, Fruit, and whole grain bread.  I scored the highest in these categories because they are the healthiest foods and I usually get all the required amount of servings.

Types of foods with the lowest score:

Cheese and dairy.  I scored the lowest in these categories because they are animal products and I eat too many servings.

Which category do you need the most improvement?

I need the most improvement in the environmental category.


What can you/will you change to improve the score?


I will eat less dairy to improve my score.  I will start by cutting back to the amount of cheese I eat.


Summary

This "eye opener" was very interesting.  I think it is amazing how the choices we make effect the environment in such a big way.  I have control of what I put into my body and I am going to start to make better choices.  In the past year I have basically stopped eating meat and I thought that doing that was enough to help the environment and my health but now I see that cheese and dairy products have the same negative effects.

Share & Voice: Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi.com provides celebrity gossip and news that helps celebrities share their positive messages on topics covering environmental, humanitarian, animal rights, and vegetarian issues.  In America we are fascinated with celebrities and I think it is a great idea to show how they are involved in the "green" movement.

They cover topics from film and music to events and fashion.  On this website I learned that October is Vegetarian Awareness Month!

Check out this website and see if your favorite celebrity is GREEN! :)

Reflection: Weeks 3 & 4

I learned a lot this week! We started by meeting with the TA's to figure out what we were missing on our blogs.  I found this very helpful. I also picked out my book that I am reading for read 'n' seed. I have started and im already loving it!  I really enjoyed class on Monday.  It was awesome to hear everyone's plans for their eco-chic lifestyle change.  It inspired me to set my SMART goal which is for the next ten weeks to drink out of a re-usable water bottle 100% of the time.  I have already started this project and so far I havn't ran into any obsticals and I have been drinking more water!  The most eye opening part of class was completing the ecological footprint suveys and finding out that my lifestlye is contributing to global climate change.  I thought watching the Inconvinent Truth tied in really well with this concept.  I really enjoyed the video and it opened my eyes to what is happening in our world and also that I am a direct contributer.  However there is hope!  I am confidnet that if I continue my eco-chic lifestyle change and if I make other small changes I will do my part to repair the damage that has been done.  Save the Polar Bears:)

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

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.

How is this lifestyle change Eco-Chic? 

This change will reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases that result from manufacturing water bottles and it will cut down on the number of plastic bottles in stuck in landfills .  

 

This change will not only benefit the environment but it will benifit me personally.  I will drink more water becuase it will no longer be convinent to buy a soda or sports drink.  It will also save me money.  I spend a lot of money on soda, gatorade, juice and coffee.  This change will help me focus on drinking water. 

Why is this lifestyle change important to me?

This change is important to me becuase I need to do my part to help the environment.  I think this will be a relativly easy habit to get into and it is something I can do for the rest of my life.  I have used a reusable water bottle in the past for water but I think the most challenging part of my goal will be to refrain from buying soda and gatorade.  I also will need to remember to bring a reusable bottle for my coffee.  Im excited to start this change and see how it will benifit my health and save me money.  I think it is a win-win situation!

Making the change!

Starting NOW I am done using plastic bottles!

I also blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 Linky Party hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy. 

Eye Opener: Ecological Footprint

According to the Earthday footprint quiz it would take 3.2 earths to provide enough resources for everyone to live my lifestyle and according to My footprint quiz  it would take 3.88 earths to sustain life if everyone lived like I do. I also took the Travel calculator Quiz and according to it I am average.  At first I thought there had to be a mistake because I try to do things to "be green."  It was shocking to see how my lifestyle can have such an impact on the earth.  I am obviously not doing enough to help the planet.  I realize now how selfish I am being and how wasteful I am.  I can adjust my everyday behaviors to reduce my ecological footprint.  I sometimes forget to unplug appliances, I drive my car too often, and I almost never air dry my clothing.  I also now see that I am too much of a comsumer.  I like to shop and I buy too many clothes that I don't need.  I also have always wanted to have my own garden but I have just been too lazy.  There are many ways I can reduce my ecological footprint so now its time to do something about it! 

Read 'n' Seed: Omnivore's Dilemma

Omnivore's Dilemma is a New York Times bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us - whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed - he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet. (Review found on Amazon.) I chose this book because I recently finished reading another book by Michael Pollan called The Botany of Desire and I really enjoyed it.  I am excited to learn more about where our food comes from.  This book has 20 chapters and is 391 pages long.  This book is already divided into three sections. I will divide the last section into two parts in order to have 4 posts.

1. Section One:
Industrial: Corn
Chapters 1-7; Pages 1-109

2. Section Two:
Pastoral: Grass
Chapters 8-14; Pages 123-262

3. Section Three:
Personal: The Forest
Chapters 15-17; Pages 277-304

4. Section Four:
Personal: The Forest
Chapters 18-20; Pages 334-391

I can't wait to get started and share what I learn with everyone!

Share & Voice: Greenzer

http://www.greenzer.com/
Greenzer  is a website that is designed to make shopping for "green" products easier.  On this website there are Greenzer  products but also  products from other green merchants.  I like this website because it is a good way to shop "green" but still be able to choose from a wide variety of products.  There are many products ranging from computers to apparel to beauty. Take time to visit the websites blog .  Thank you for reading my post!

Reflection: Weeks 1 & 2

(Picture of Pelican Lake at Fair Hills Resort) 

Week one:

In the first class meeting we did the "star wars activity" which made us think outside the box. I thought it was a very eye-opening activity and it made me reflect on why I didn't think of another solution to the problem. I think this class will open my eyes to new ideas and new solutions. Next, we learned how to set up our blogs. I thought I would catch on faster than I did but I am getting the hand of blogging now.


Week Two:  


In the second class meeting we looked at the environment from a political point of view.  It was fun to hear everyone's ideas about the quotes that Dr. V showed us.  I realized that the class has a lot of different point's of view.  I am excited about this because I think I will learn a lot not only from Dr. V but from the class as well.  Next, we watched a short video about global warming.  I never realized the extent to which the government censors information that is presented to the public.  The permalink blogging assignment was challenging for me but I eventually got it figured out. Im excited for the next class next week!  Have a good weekend!

:)

Welcome to Jordanne's Jungle!

Hi! My name is Jordanne Even and I am from Detroit Lakes Minnesota.  I am a Community Health major with a psychology minor.  I also play basketball for UMD. This is my first time blogging and so far it has been a lot of fun.  My blog will focus on what I learn through the semester concerning the environment.  I am very excited for this class!

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. (Place labels gadget below blog header but above blog text). All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

1. Jordanne@Jordanne's Jungle 
2. Karly F.@Karly's Karing Habitat  
3. Maggie F.@Maggies Environmental Lifestyle 
4. Hailey G.@Hailey's Healthy Environment  

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile."

Thank you for reading my post! Have a great day. :)

Blogged for the Welcome Linky Party  hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy .