Rosaria Karis

University of New England

What are you wearing?

June 29, 2018 / / 0 Comments

There are a number of companies that have taken it upon themselves to make sure that all of their employees get fair payment and humane working conditions, and that the environment does not get destroyed in the making of their products. Naturally, these brands will be more expensive, but the money will be going towards better practices. It is hard to believe that the people who made a $5 shirt are getting paid an adequate amount of money and that the environment was not destroyed in the process, so that is something to be conscious of.

 

What are the impacts of your clothing at every step of its existence?

 

           1. Raw materials

First, the material must be removed from the source. Cotton is grown in fields, silk from worms, fleece comes from recycled water bottles, polyester and spandex are made of plastic, etc. The people collecting these raw materials may face unsafe working conditions, be underpaid, and be exposed to harsh pesticides.

2. Fabric

Next the raw materials must be made in to thread and then into fabric. The fabric must get dyed to whatever color the producer of the clothing wants. These dyes are most often made of toxic chemicals what will later get dumped into waterways. (HISTORY- toxic rivers). Workers in this stage may also face unsafe working conditions, be underpaid, and expose to harsh chemicals that then pollute the environment.

3. Production

Next the fabric gets sewn into individual articles of clothing. The leftover scraps will be thrown away, which means they will be in a landfill until they decompose.

4. Consumer

Plastic particles break off from your clothing when you wash/dry them and will eventually end up in the ocean. Dyes irritate your skin, and the chemicals used to clean your clothes are bad for your health and the health of the environment.

5. Post-consumer

After you no longer want your clothing, you have some options of what to do with it, each with a different environmental impact. You can throw it away, donate it/hand-me-downs, upcycle it, or use old tattered clothing as rags for cleaning. Anything you can do to prolong its life before it ends up in a landfill will reduce its environmental footprint.

 

What are some brands that are trying to make things right?

  • L.L. Bean
    • responsible packaging
    • long-lasting proucts
    • responsible materials
  • Patagonia
    • responsible materials
    • fair trade
    • safe working conditions
  • Tentree
    • Commits to plant 10 trees per item purchased
    • Makes clothing out of sustainable materials- organic cotton, hemp, recycled polyester

 

 

What can you do?

  • Consume less
  • Consume smarter- opt for well made, timeless pieces rather than “fast fashion”
  • Choose sustainable materials like cotton over polyester and rayon
  • Purchase from companies with a commitment to sustainability
  • Buy clothes second-hand

 

What do others have to say about this?

  • Blogger Jessica Pierce offers this guide on how to make sure you have clothes that will last. She offers tips such as rotating through your clothing, wearing old clothes to do tasks like working out/cleaning so you don’t ruin nice clothes, and hanging your clothes to dry them instead of using a dryer.

What Did the Fish Say When It Hit A Wall?

June 27, 2018 / / 0 Comments

“Dam.”

 

Dams are problematic for two main reasons- fish and nutrients.

 

Pro-dam arguments

  • Some create a good amount of electricity
  • Some people believe they have historic value
  • They produce energy without the usage of fossil fuels

Anti-dam arguments

  • Many do not generate a lot of electricity/ have outdated technology
  • They block waterways for fish
  • They prevent nutrients from being able to travel down the river
  • They can change the rotation of the earth
  • Many older dams have structural failures

 

What is being done about this?

  • There are special types of infrastructure that are designed to help fish navigate past dams
    • Fish ladders, fish cannons, and removing the fish from the water to manually transport them
  • -Dams are being removed so rivers can start to return to their natural state
    • The Oroville Dam is having issues and its removal is being considered according to blogger Victor Davis Hanson. He says that even if environmentalists have not been successful in removing the existing dams, there has been a lot of success with the prevention of new dams being installed.

 

 

Other fish barriers

Culverts- man-made openings that allow water to pass through/under structures like bridges

Image result for culverts

It would be difficult for fish to navigate through these culverts because of the difference in height of the water and the bottom of the structure. There is a simple solution to this problem either switch to culverts with an open bottom (preferable) or make them deeper.

 

Image result for culverts

Fish would have no problem getting through these open bottom culverts. Nutrients are also able to flow through, which is why these are preferable.

 

What can you do?

  • Educate people about the problems associated with dams
  • Advocate for dam removal
  • Advocate for fish passageways

What do others have to say about this?

  • Blogger Yvon Chouinard discusses the problems associated with dams in this post on Patagonia’s website.  She writes, “…the danger isn’t coming from excessive drought or factories dumping toxic waste—it’s coming from the very hydropower dams that claim to bring us clean, green, renewable energy. The fact is, dams are dirty—and their destructive impact far outweighs their usefulness.” Hydropower can seem like an environmentally friendly alternative to oil and coal, but the truth is that dams cause plenty of environmental problems themselves. It is up to people to decide if this type of environmental degradation is worth it or if time and money would be better invested in other energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal to name a few.

So you’ve heard of climate change… but how much do you know?

June 23, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Climate change is the warming of the planet due to the adding of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere

 

What are greenhouse gasses?

“any of the gases whose absorption of solar radiation is responsible for the greenhouse effect” (dictionary.com)

Examples: carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor

 

What is a “fossil fuel”?

A fossil fuel is simply a fuel that is created from fossils. Millions of years ago when plants and animals died and got buried under sediment and they decomposed. Over the years, all of that debris turned into what we know as oil, coal and natural gas.

 

How are they added to the atmosphere?

Burning of fossil fuels- coal, oil, natural gas

Cow farts

 

Do scientists actually agree on this?

Yes. They do. The argument that scientists are unsure whether or not climate change is occurring is simply false. There are certain aspects of the phenomenon that experts are uncertain about the exact impact they will have.

 

Why is 2 degrees Celsius  a big issue?

Think about the earth as a collection of systems that all work together to keep everything alive and well- kind of like the human body, right? Well, what happens when your temperature goes up 1 degree? Nothing too serious, but you can tell that something is a bit off. Another degree or two and things start to go wrong- sweating, nausea, lethargy. What about a couple more degrees? Irreversible damage and potentially death.

The same thing is happening to the Earth as things are heating up. Plants and animals are moving out of their native ranges to avoid the warmer temperatures. The ones that are unable to move in time are dying. The pH of the ocean is changing which is dissolving the shells of lobsters and other shellfish. The ocean is also expanding due to the law of thermal expansion.

 

What can I do about this?

Low investment-

  • drive less, use public transportation, walk or ride a bike
  • minimize electricity usage
  • plant some trees
  • support legislation in favor of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • support businesses with sustainable practices

Medium investment-

  • opt for white meat instead of red meat, consume less meat overall
  • petition to your local government officials for better legislation

High investment-

  • invest in a more fuel-efficient car
  • invest in renewable energy like solar panels or geothermal systems for your home

 

What do others have to say about this?

In this blog post, author Annick de Witt describes the link between the meat industry and climate change- explaining that “a global transition toward low-meat diets could reduce the costs of climate change mitigation by as much as 50 percent by 2050”

This post discusses the impact of our traveling habits on the climate. The more we cut back and opt for more environmentally friendly alternatives, the easier it will be to save the planet.

Is it time to bag the plastic bags?

June 20, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Plastic bags are another example of an everyday item that gets one or two uses before making its way to a landfill or the ocean where it will never break down.

Blogger Steph Newman from 1millionwomen wrote a blog that provides some facts about plastic bags that people might not know. For example, did you know that there may be animal fat in your plastic bags? Or that those “biodegradable” bags may not be so biodegradable after all and take years and years before they can break down?

When they end up in the ocean, they are eaten by turtles and other marine organisms that confuse them for jelly fish. The bags can get tangled inside the organism and cause them to starve to death because their stomachs become full of plastic, which has no nutritional value and cannot be digested.

Even if you are one of the people who properly disposes of your bags in the proper receptacles, there is no way you can know for sure that a bag that was once in your possession has never blown away and ended up being ingested by an animal. The only way to avoid this issue is to stop using them.

 

 

In areas where a plastic bag ban has been implemented, there have been immediate results where fewer bags have been found during beach cleanups in that area. Not only are these bans great for the environment, they actually save stores money because they no longer have to purchase the bags. Everyone wins in this situation. Together we can all end the usage of single use plastics.

Where are these bans happening? Check out this website for an interactive map of ban locations

 

What can you do?

  • Bring reusable bags when you go shopping
  • Bring plastic bags to stores with you and reuse them
  • Opt for paper if you must use disposables
  • Go bagless if you are able to carry your purchases
  • Advocate for a single-use plastic ban where you live

The impact of your plate

June 16, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Before I studied the environment, I used to eat meat. I never loved it but I didn’t know about all of the environmental issues caused by the animal agriculture industry. It wasn’t until I watched the documentary “Cowspiracy” that I decided to become a vegetarian and I have never looked back.

 

If everyone on the planet was vegetarian, we would have plenty of food to feed every single person on the planet but we are not using our resources wisely. The production of meat requires a lot of water, land for the animals, and land to grow food to feed the animals. These resources could be used to grow food to feed people, provide critical habitat for wildlife.

 

Did you know that cows are a major contributor to climate change? Cows fart a lot due to digestion issues with the food they consume. This releases copious amounts of methane into the air which is a greenhouse gas that is stronger than carbon dioxide. With less cows present on the planet, there would be less methane produced and therefore less greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

 

 

Check out these infographics that I created for a class project on this topic:

Meat Industry Infographics 1

Meat Industry Infographics 2

 

What can you do about this?

  • The best thing you can do is limit your consumption of meat. It is the #1 thing you can do to reduce your environmental footprint
  • Become vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan
    • If that is too intimidating for you, try practicing “meatless Mondays” where you just go one day a week without eating meat
  • Try to change negative attitudes about veganism and vegetarianism and teach people the many benefits of limiting their meat intake
  • Eat white meat instead of red meat because it has a smaller environmental impact
  • Eat locally sourced meats that did not have to travel far to get to you

 

For more information

Everyday household changes

June 13, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Household products are used by everyone every day and are having a major environmental impact when you add up all of the pieces. Between the excessive packaging and the chemicals in the products themselves, we can all be doing so much better.

 

Let’s start off with cleaning products.

All of the chemicals that go into your toilet, sink, or tub all eventually get washed into the ocean. Water treatment plants remove solids from the water, and they sanitize it. There is nothing in place to remove harmful chemicals or microplastics from the water. The only way we can deal with this type of pollution is to stop contributing to it.

Use this website to search the products you use and find out what is in them and whether or not they are a hazard to your health. If they are dangerous for you, they are dangerous to other living beings as well.

In addition to the products themselves, we must also think about the packaging they are in. Remember that every single piece of plastic that has ever been created still exists because it does not break down.

 

I have a challenge for you– try to take it upon yourself to keep a list of every single plastic item you touch in a day. You may be shocked at how quickly your list will grow.

Think about all of the plastic that you have in your bathroom alone- toothbrush, floss, toothpaste tube, bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and the list goes on. Luckily, there are plenty of environmentally friendly alternatives to all of these things!

 

As a consumer, you have the power to influence companies and encourage them to become more environmentally conscious. Businesses adjust their strategies based upon the wants and needs of their customers. We have seen plenty of examples of this as restaurants adjust their menus to accommodate for gluten free and vegetarian customers. Change will come when people demand for it to happen.

Unwrapped Life and Lush are examples of companies that are doing something to take on this particular issue. Have you ever heard of a bar of shampoo? I hadn’t either until recently when I saw a video about it on Facebook. Because it is solid, it eliminates the need for a plastic bottle to contain it- a great way to reduce your environmental footprint. Did I mention they also use natural ingredients and do not test on animals?

 

What can you do about this?

  • Follow online tutorials to make your own products without harsh chemicals!
  • Buy things that are not wrapped in plastic
  • Contact companies that have excessive packaging, ask them to do better
  • Opt for paper/wood alternatives instead of plastic
  • Choose to buy from companies that have a focus on sustainability
  • Clean less often and use environmentally friendly supplies
  • Concentrates use less plastic packaging per amount of product
  • Larger containers use less plastic per amount of product than smaller containers/travel sized products

 

Check out some of these environmental alternatives-

Do you have a killer in your home?

June 9, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Anyone who has had/known an outdoor cat knows that they like to bring you “presents” sometimes- usually some sort of dead animal that they have just recently killed. It may not seem like this cat has a huge impact on the area because maybe you only see one or two kills every couple of days or so, but cats are responsible for killing billions of wild animals every year. It is estimated that they kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds every year, as well as millions or even billions of other animals including rabbits, frogs, rabbits and snakes.

Cats are incredible hunters- they have the speed, skill and precision. Even if they are well fed, cats will kill animals just because they can. They often do not consume their prey. Billions of animals are dying for no reason other than the fact that the cat was quicker.

 

It is easy to say that your cat doesn’t contribute, but you do not know that. If you are convinced that your cat does not hunt, I encourage you to attach a GoPro or another small camera to them to see what they do. You may be surprised with the results.

During a time of environmental chaos where species populations are steadily declining due to a number of factors, the impact of cats is detrimental to many populations. With the high rate that birds are dying at, many species may soon be endangered to become extinct.

 

What can you do?

  • keep cats indoors
  • leash train your cat
  • put a bell on your cat’s collar-these are not very effective, but their intent is to alert animals of the cat’s presence so they have a better chance of getting away
  • Teach other people about this and encourage them to not let their cats outside

Light pollution

June 6, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Just like noise pollution, light pollution is a different kind of environmental disturbance that people may not think of. The word “pollution” usually makes people think of bottles and cans on the side of the road or toxic chemicals in their local lake or river, but it Is defined as “the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.” The presence of light during the nighttime when it is supposed to be dark can have harmful effects on wildlife.

 

What are the impacts of this?

Light pollution can have a devastating impact on sea turtle hatchlings because they cannot make their way to the sea after emerging from their eggs. They are supposed to follow the moon in order to find the water but get confused and follow lights coming from land instead. They can die from exhaustion, get run over by cars, or get eaten by predators. Every species of sea turtle is currently endangered to become extinct so this is a huge problem.

 

Some animals that are only active during the night will remain in hiding all night because they are waiting for it to become dark. Because of this, they may miss opportunities to eat or breed.

 

What is being done about this around the world?

  • Street lights are being removed, some places are implementing more reflectors so that roads will be lit up by your headlights and the area will be dark when no cars are present at night
  • Lights are being shut off along coastlines during the time of year when turtles will be hatching and volunteers help guide them to the water
  • the clips of the turtles from BBC’s Planet Earth have raised awareness about this issue

 

What can you do about this?

  • Keep outdoor lights off when possible
  • Advocate for fewer street lights
  • Ask stores to do the same

Sounds of Pollution

June 2, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Noise pollution human impact

Noise pollution is something that everyone is exposed to, yet most people know nothing about it. It is defined as “annoying or harmful noise (as of automobiles or jet airplanes) in an environment” (Merriam-Webster). Just because you cannot see it does not mean it’s not there.

This type of pollution exists in the water as well. The sounds of boats, jet skis and especially sonar are littering the ocean. Marine animals communicate by sound, and their calls can be masked by the human noises that are present. The anthropogenic noises are also extremely loud and stress out the organisms in the water.

 

Who does this affect?

Birds- some birds cannot hear mating calls over the sound of human-created (anthropogenic) noises

Bats- bats can have difficulty finding prey with echo location in noisy areas

You!- exposure to excessive noise can be linked to higher stress levels, high blood pressure, anxiety, hearing loss

 

 

What can be done about this?

minimize the pollution itself–

  • quieter cars like electric or hybrids
  • turn down music volume and bass levels
  • limit usage of boats
  • limit usage of boats in densely populated marine areas

 

minimize your exposure–

  • wear noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs
  • use a white noise machine to mask the harsh noises
  • avoid noisy areas such as cities or areas that are under construction
  • highway barriers

 

how to make your home more sound-proof-

  • add an area rug to tile and hardwood floors
  • hang thick tapestries or canvases on the walls
  • soundproofing tiles can be used for more extreme results

 

Are straws really necessary?

May 31, 2018 / / 0 Comments

The day I stopped using straws was day I saw a certain video of a turtle on Facebook. Turtles have always been one of my favorite animals, so I decided to click on the link to see what was going on. The people on the boat had pliers and were trying to pull something out of its nose. It was a hard video to watch because it was bleeding, making distress noises, and was clearly uncomfortable. At first, they thought it was a worm or some kind of parasite, but it wasn’t until after the object was dislodged that they all realized it was a straw.

After watching the video, I asked myself if straws were actually worth the pain they can (and do) inflict upon many animals. How can I say with confidence that it was not my straw in that video? How can you? It was not a risk that I was willing to take anymore so now I choose to go without them.

 

What are the impacts of straws?

According to Ocean Conservancy, 1.6 straws are used per person per day every day. Millions of straws end up as marine pollution and wash up on beaches all over the world.

It is believed that plastic can never completely decompose. Instead of breaking down into elements that can turn into something else, plastic just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that are known as “microplastics.” These are an issue because they are being absorbed by marine organisms (that then get ingested by humans), they are in our drinking water, they are found in grains of salt, and not enough research has been done on understanding what effects these are having on human health.

 

What can you do about this?

You can take Ocean Conservancy’s pledge to “Skip the Straw” whenever you can. By signing this pledge, you agree to not use straws when you are given an option. Sometimes at restaurants, your drink will come out with a straw already in it- but you can ask when you are ordering if they could please not give you one. Sometimes they will still give you one out of habit, but it is important to keep trying and not lose hope. Every straw you skip will add up and contribute to the overall cause.

You can encourage your friends and family to also stop using straws. I’ll be honest with you- they might make fun of you at first or call you a crazy hippy, but if you can get them to understand the major environmental impact they have versus the minor amount of convenience they provide you, then maybe they will also choose to reduce their usage.

I understand that some people have a strong affinity for straws, and some people such as kids that need lids on their beverages or those with disabilities may require them in order to drink their beverages and I do not want to be insensitive to that. Another alternative is to use more eco-friendly straws such as these paper ones, these plant-based, 100% biodegradable ones, these reusable glass ones, or even this foldable keychain straw.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can contact local businesses and ask if they would consider only giving people straws when they ask for them. Many restaurants have already done this either for the environmental cause, or because it saves them money. It is completely free to just bring your cup two inches closer to your face to drink and not use a straw. Ocean Conservancy provides a pre-written letter that you can present to businesses if you wish to do so.

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