Eye Opener: Week 8 Junk on the Brain

Here are some terms relating to Junk with definitions from Merriam Webster:
Antique- a relic or object of ancient times or: a work of art, piece of furniture or decorative object made at an earlier period and according to various customs laws at least 100 years ago
Junk - a (1) : old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form (2) : secondhand, worn, or discarded articles (3)
b : something of poor quality c : something of little meaning, worth, or significance

Flea Market -  a usually open-air market for secondhand articles and antiques.

Thrift Shop - a shop that sells secondhand articles and especially clothes and is often run for charitable purposes

Resale Shop - They usually sell mainly second-hand goods donated by members of the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. (From Wikipedia)

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. (Also From Wikipedia)

These terms have  a lot to do with environmental health. To start with all these things help keep stuff out of landfills, and also help stop new stuff from being manufactured (causing pollution, etc.).

 One place that I go to frequently in Duluth is Savers. They are located conveniently near the mall, next to target. They have really good deals on gently used donated items. I shop there frequently, that's actually where I found the pieces to make my Halloween costume.

Exploring on Junk Market Style, the first interesting project I saw was about a tricycle.  I think this is awesome just because it is a tricycle, anybody who doesn't think tricycles are cool can.... The second interesting project I saw was a silage shooter planter, which is great just because it is so simple, and looks great. A third project I saw was about a wheel well indoor planter, which interests me because I am really into growing my own vegetables, and this sounds like a great way to have a tomato plant inside over the winter.

Read n Seed 5: fourth quarter of Man vs Wild

The fourth quarter of this book is the last chapter, about the sea, and some extra info about Bear Grylls.  There are many ways you could become stranded at sea, the ones that some to my mind are Tom Hanks in "Cast Away", and obviously "Gilligan's Island". The most important thing that Grylls points out at the beginning of this chapter is that "Unless you sink, freeze, fry, or are eaten before you get there, reaching land will eventually be inevitable".  The point is to get to land, but that might be harder than you think. All of those things Grylss talks about can be avoided just by staying out of the water. The simple way to do that is to have a survival raft, without a raft it can be a matter of hours before you are dead. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't normally put a survival raft in my carry on whenever I get on a plane, so I don't know what you are supposed to do about that. Anyway, once you are in your raft, water is the #1 priority, it seems ironic to be stranded in an ocean, and not have anything to drink. One way you can make drinking water is with a make-shift solar still in your raft, also rainwater is probably the easiest thing if available. Finding food is much easier, seaweed is considered a delicacy in some places, but it must be rinsed in fresh water to be edible. If you have anything reflective, use it at night to create a concentrated light on the water, you will be able to grab fish with your bare hands.  Besides eating and drinking, all you can really do is hope for land or a passing ship, and of course, never give up.
Overall this book was great. I learned several important things. First is that the first step in survival is mental, if you are willing to go on, you will. Secondly is that you have to be creative, it would be really convenient if you got stranded with a survival kit with all the equipment you would need, but you have to be able to put your imagination to improvising.  And thirdly is that you have to be lucky, so save up your karma, it would be terrible to be in one of those situations, however rare you must still be prepared.
I think this book is very important, and I would recommend it to everybody. There is so much information in this book I barely skimmed the top.  If you know just a fraction of the stuff in this book, you will be just fine in any survival situation.

A Pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities; an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

I had a lot of trouble doing this eye opener. I looked at my shampoo, body wash, deodorant, shaving cream, and after shave, and the database reported for each one that they only had limited data on those products. It is really hard to write about something without good data. But then, my last option, toothpaste had good data. It appears that my toothpaste (Colgate) poses a relatively low hazard risk. What I find odd is the category that it had the worst score in, that is the flavor, just because they don't list all of they ingredients. That is good, but now I wonder about all the other things I use. The other products showed a moderate to low hazard, but that was with limited data. I wonder what the database would show if they knew everything about the product. I think that if this database had a little more data, it would be a little more helpful.

Read n seed 4: Third quarter of "Man vs Wild"

For the third quarter of "Man vs Wild" I read chapters 4 and 5. These chapters are about survival in jungles, and deserts. Now I realize how unlikely it is that any of you would ever be in a desperate situation in one of these places. Therefore, I will just highlight a few of Grylls's techniques, and try to bring out some things that can relate to everyday life.
When it comes to being in a jungle, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed. This can be linked to the roots of the phrase "urban jungle", because of the seemingly sinister and complex force that makes everything seem as though the cards are stacked against you.  A jungle can be the same way, there is so much going on around you, that if you're not paying attention you will be lost quickly. The first rule of the jungle is to stay alert. Fear is a very common reaction because of all the new things around you. Imagine spending all your life in a small town, then one day just dropping into the middle of New York City, it would probably be overwhelming for most people and fear is the natural reaction. But Bear Grylls points out that fear won't help you, so you have to remain alert to overcome the situation.  One important technique that Grylls covers is where to put your shelter. It is important to sleep off the ground, the ground is covered with snakes and other creep crawlers, which might carry venom, diseases, or just bite, and that can quickly become a deadly situation. Grylls suggest building an A-frame pole bed.
Lets move along to deserts, as I don't want to bore you too much.  He says that deserts are probably the most hostile of place on earth. This is because of the defining element of their character, that there is no water. His most important advice of this chapter is really important I think. That is, stay away from the desert. This is something I take into consideration frequently, I stay out of situations that are that bad. Too often people fail at whatever it is, because they did not understand what sort of situation they were getting into. That being said, if you do ever find yourself stranded in a desert, the first thing you want to do is get out. Get out of the desert, find your way to water. To find water look for vegetation, cacti can be more helpful than you think, it is fairly easy to get water from a cactus.  Also follow animal trails, they usually lead to a water source. Gullies are fairly common, and they usually lead to a stream, then to a river, and then rivers will almost always find their way to civilization.

Think first - Act later

Read 'n' Seed 3: Second quarter of "Man vs Wild"

This quarter of my book covers chapters 2 and 3. These chapters were about surviving in the mountains in summer, and sub-zero terrain. These chapters, being relatively specific, were not nearly as exciting as the first chapter.
The first point Bear Grylls makes about mountains, is that they are vulnerable to extreme weather no matter what the season. Might find yourself on a warm sunny mountainside, but that can quickly escalate into a freezing, windy place. Therefore, if you are in an emergency situation on a mountain, is go down. At the base of most mountains you will usually find an abundance of nature, and probably a source a fresh water. One interesting point he makes about finding a shelter is that although caves are common and seem like a good place to live; other creatures, such as bears and snakes, have already thought of that, so they should be avoided. Water is critical in any survival situation, this book points out that there are alternatives for water if you can't find any on the surface. Collecting dew, or gathering water from plants, or making a still. As far as food goes, Grylls suggests observing the wildlife. If deer or squirrels can eat a certain plant or nut, although it might not taste great, it is probably edible. Lastly, If you find a main waterway, such as a river, follow it, they usually lead to civilization.
Then when it comes to sub-zero temperatures, things get tricky. Cold weather is extremely dangerously, and hypothermia can kill in a matter of hours. One element that is surprisingly helpful, and usually bountiful, is snow. It is very easy to turn snow into a source of hydration. But, you should not eat the snow directly, you must melt it. Eating snow will burn precious calories while lowering your body temperature. Another overlooked fact of snow is its insulating qualities. Snow shelters can be an easy way to make an effective shelter. One thing to be careful of when traveling is avalanches, to avoid them travel in the morning before the snow has been heated by the sun and when the threat of avalanches will be less.

Survival is about thinking smart, not just sweating hard.

Eye Opener: Week 2 CSPI

My eating green calculator was off the charts. Apparently in one year I consume 1.8 acres of grain and grass needed for animal feed, that seems like a lot of grain. The number I think was low was that I only use .6 pounds of pesticides to produce that animal feed, I thought it would take a lot more than that to grow all that grain. I cause the use of 72.4 pounds of fertilizer, and the animals produce 12444 pounds of manure. That's a lot of manure. I guess I do eat a lot of meat, so those numbers are fair.
As far a the "Improve your diet" part goes, I choose not to change anything. I think that I eat a healthy amount of protein. I do, however, think that where I get my meat from makes it more environmentally friendly. I rarely buy meat, most of what I eat is wild game that I harvest myself. I don't see how I could reduce the amount of dairy products I consume either, without sacrificing some health. But what I can do is help educate people who use those same resources to produce less healthy food, empty calories, or junk food. Because I think I do what I should for the environment, I chose not to take the pledge. Although I will take some of their information into consideration.
Then when I got to the score your diet page, I found that the amount of dairy product I consume seems to be the worst for the environment. My best column was the health score, and that makes sense, because I try to eat healthy. The big numbers in fruits and vegetable really helped that score. My worst column was by far the environmental score, I guess that might be because I never really thought of that. But, again, the dairy products seem to hurt my score a lot.
Overall the reports showed that I eat Relatively healthily, but I should become a little more aware of the environmental impacts of my diet choices.

Read N Seed 2: First Quarter of "Man vs Wild"

This week I started Man vs Wild, and I am really enjoying it. The first chapter is basically an introduction to nature.  Bear Grylls discusses how most people think of the natural world as "wilderness", but it's not. The natural world is much simpler than the complicated man made world that we live in. We are meant to do more than stare at pavement, go for a hike, its good for you, I promise. "The world is small", is a myth, think of all the places you've only seen pictures of. Was there a Walmart in that picture? Also he discussed how we have two responsibilities to the planet: one is to understand and protect it, and the second is to enjoy it. The point of this book is to encourage you to explore and enjoy what nature has provided.
What happens when all the technology you rely on fails, or is unavailable? Say the power goes out. You can't sit at the TV for entertainment, you have to interact with people, step out of your comfort zone. If you depend too much on technology, you will won't be able to survive in an emergency without it.
The first step in a survival situation is psychology. I think this relates a lot to everyday life. I once had a coach that I think summed it up pretty well, "Whether you think you can, or think you can't. You are probably right". In every survival situation, although physical fitness plays a role, you are dead the instant you give up mentally.
The second step is fire. Fire will do amazing things for you. When you are alone, in the cold, in the dark, or all three, fire might seem like your best friend. Fire can provide you with all of the following: light, warmth, somewhere to cook, a way to get dry, and keeping away animals and insects. Grylls goes in depth on how to build a fire without all the modern tools, but here is a quick video overview on how to. As you can see it takes lots of patience, and maybe some practice.
The third step is food. It may be hard to believe, but most people can actually go at least a week before eating. Finding stuff might be easier if you just look around. One thing that a lot of people forget is hygiene when preparing meat, as well as just eating with soiled hands. Just one small stomach bug could leave you dangerously dehydrated and tired. Here is one thing you might not have known you can make a meal of.
The rest of the chapter is about not making your situation worse. Things that might seem like common sense now, can be questionable in a survival situation. First is stay out of the elements; stay by the fire if it is snowing, under a pine tree when it is raining, etc. And the second is don't get more lost, unless you know where you are going, don't waste your energy.
The implication of this part of the book is both to tell you about all the things you could be doing besides sitting in an office, but to lay out some guidelines on what to do when things go wrong. So instead of sitting on the couch drinking beer this weekend; take a hike, go canoeing, or spend a night in a tent somewhere new. But before you go, make sure you are prepared if something goes wrong.

Eye Opener: Week 1: Ecological Footprint

I took the IUHPE Ecological Footprint quiz. It told me that if everybody were like me we would need 4.8 planet earth's to provide enough resources.  This is really interesting, mostly because I think that most people don't live like me. I feel like I live relatively conservatively compared to a lot of people I know. One thing that really skewed my number is the amount of hours I spend flying, I'm a private pilot, so I spend a lot of time in the air. I do think that I make up for that in the miles that I don't drive however. I take the bus to and from school everyday, and a rarely take a car somewhere, unless I need to.
In short, I guess there are a few more little things I could do to use less resources, and help my utilities bill also. But the best thing for the environment would probably be for me to help other people be more environmentally conscious.