CORN!

I have been putting this off for days! My mind is brewing like crazy after I saw a commercial from the Corn Refiners Association saying that "corn sugar" (commonly known as High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS) is just as safe as typical table sugar. I'm going to jump into some research to get some evidence. Obviously the Corn Refiner Association is going to give nothing but praise to the product that bring them much profit every year. HFCS is in beverages and a lot of processed foods. I'm interested in the environmental, economic, and health impacts mainly.

I have already found out so much during my initial research! What do you think I will find? Are we being lied to by our government about the safety of our food? Do we not care what the consequences could be if we continue to be involved in mass agriculture? We aren't eating our corn crops in the traditional sense anymore, we're making fuel and sugar out of them!

Summer Projects!

It's not enough to just talk a big game and have no "action" to go along with it! So I have decided to dive into some projects this summer! This is what I have so far!

1) Plant a victory garden! I'm interested in how to effectively plant a personal garden, not only because it is a green thing to do, but because of the economics behind it. After supplies and yields how much am I saving then if I were to purchase them at the store. I'm also going to start researching the kinds of pesticides and other chemicals that store bought produce is subjected to and compare the health statistics too! Joy!


2) Start composting efficiently! I have been throwing garbage in my compost and stirring, but I want to run it more efficiently and educate myself on how to properly manage a  compost pile. This way I can properly inform others! (This will also cheapen the price of supplies for my victory garden in the future!)

What other things can we do to lessen our footprint? These are just two simple ideas that I have decided to turn into something real! All it takes is an idea... I know you have some!

Making Sacrifices!

The L.A. Times posted an article about how California has proposed to vote to ban styrofoam products by January 2014.

Polystyrene, or by popular nomenclature styrofoam, accounts for 15% of water pollution. Not to mention it takes forever to biodegrade in a landfill, that is if it actually makes it that far. Styrofoam is made from oil (non-renwable resource), which involves the pollution-filled processes drilling, processing, and shipping, and recycling this product just accounts for more pollution. So would a law banning these types of products be the answer? I believe that on an environmental level, we have dug a hole so deep that it will take some sacrifices in order to get out.

First thing that comes to mind is do we really need styrofoam? There are alternatives we could use. Some argue it's unconstitutional to just take something like this away from people, or think about all the jobs lost in the styrofoam industry. So if we didn't getting rid of them completely what could we do? Then I  thought, why not tax these products to make money to clean up the mess they leave behind. The businesses using them could also start charging people (like at restaurants) for using these products. I think this will sway people from wanting to use styrofoam, and persuade some to make other choices, while at the same time not removing them completely from society. Don't you think it is time to start paying the price of pollution? Some stores already charge for plastic bags, and some states charge a deposit on plastic bottles, and other items.

See the theory I have is that once it is in the trash people don't think about it (out of sight out of mind). I know if I had to pay even a dollar for a styrofoam container at a restaurant, I would either eat my food or leave it. What do you think? What other sacrifices should we make, or can we make? Will laws like this work, and if they do does it mean more are coming?



Link to article - L.A. Times Article

Ozone Defense

There’s a silent killer lurking in our community. You can see it on really hot days. That haze coming off the ground you see when your driving or walking across campus. 

Ozone (O3)

A less stable triatomic allotrope of oxygen (0), Occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere which is not where the problem lies. However, ground level ozone (sometimes referred to as tropospheric ozone), is a secondary pollutant that is created when sunlight reacts with air polluted with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. These NOx and hydrocarbons mainly comes from the transportation sector. Ozone is a key component of smog, and in the past there have been incidents where poor air quality could be directly attributed to the deaths of many in the Post WWII era. The Great London Smog 1952

Health Effects

The health effects of ozone pollution include decreased cardiovascular and respiratory functioning and is correlated to many diseases and ailments. Health Effects of Ground Level Ozone. This is a link to the EPA website's health risk page for ozone.

Climate Change and Human Impact

Global warming coupled with all the burning of fossil fuels have cause many areas in America to reach levels of ozone that have began to raise some eyebrows. The EPA breaks down the rating of ozone into 6 different categories in the Air Quality Index (AQI): Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous. Most of America has been slipping into the Moderate to Unhealthy range and the situation is even worse in the summer. 

This problem was created by humans, and the solution can be too. I think more research into renewable energies is in order! We need to cut our dependence on fossil fuels. Mass transit, biofuels, and better fuel economy are just a few of the options that have come out. 

Air Quality Forecast!

http://www.weather.com/activities/health/airquality/

Go to the link above, select a state, and you can see the Air Quality Forecast for that particular area’s major cities. The thing to notice is the principle pollutant is almost always ozone, a secondary pollutant, think about that one. 

GREEN HOCKEY!!!!

So I also have to share this link that mixes my two favorites things hockey and environmentalism. On this site hockey players can recycle their broken composite hockey sticks and get $10 off their next stick purchase. They are just getting this thing started, but what are great idea! Hockey Green Link!

How can we make the activities we do more sustainable?

Beer Can Surfboard!

Check out THIS LINK !!! This dude took old beer cans and made a surfboard out of it! Pretty cool, but this got me thinking. What kind of stuff can we all make out of recycled crap that's laying around the house!? I recently started ripping apart old magazines in an attempt to turn them from dust collecting garbage into coasters, desk organizers, etc. I also took old glass pickle jars and I used them as storage for cooking utnesils. I was thinking about decorating those with the magazine to give it that recycled look... Anyone out there have any ideas for how they could "RE-USE" stuff that would be otherwise thrown out/recycled?

Okay sorry for the hiatus!

I set this thing up months ago... did a "test post", and never touched it again! Lately I have had a plethora of thoughts swimming through my brain stew though so let's see if I can get a string of posts going! Look out!