h2oh?

This week our assignment was all about water. 

Where does my homes tap water come from? Well obviously my water comes from the faucet ;) Kidding! I actually had no idea exactly where Riversides water comes from. So I did what everybody does when they don't know the answer to something; I "Googled" it! I found out that all of Riversides water comes from groundwater resources pumped from local area wells in the Bunker Hill, San Bernardino, and Riverside Basins. The water starts out as local rain and snow that falls on our mountains and foothills, and flows down into our underground aquifers. I couldn't figure out exactly what well my water comes from, but I did find an interesting map that layes out the entire Riverside area and pinpoints where specific basins and wells are located. 

OK. So now the question is... is Riverside water safe to drink? The answer surprised me. Yes! Our Annual Water Report even claims that our water is among the safest and cleanest in the nation. (Seriously? Seriously.) Apparently, California's drinking water standards are among the highest in the U.S. Riverside conducts over 17, 000 lab tests each year and the results of those tests meet and surpass all clean water standards. (To find information on your city's water, search your city name + annual water report) 

Who's in charge of tap water standards? Ultimately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) but also included are other federal agencies, congressional mandates, state regulations, local municipalities, and private organizations. All of these set out to follow standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, the first law to mandate drinking water standards. At a minimum, public water systems must meet federal standards, but states can also impose additional regulations. The California Department of Public Health is in charge of California's drinking water, for example. Federal regulations set by the EPA set legal limits on levels of certain contaminants in our waters. A full list of drinking water regulations can be found here. 
For Questions about your water you can contact The EPA's Safe Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Who's in charge of bottled water regulations? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees regulations pertaining to bottled water. Does it make sense that our bottled water does not have the same guidelines for "safe drinking" as our tap water? No. In fact, the FDA does not require companies to publish where their water comes from and if it actually has any contaminants. I remember when the biggest story on the news was that Aquafina bottled water was merely tap water and people acted like it was the end of the world. But shouldn't they be happy since tap water has stricter regulations than bottled? But wait, I thought all those pictures of white mountains and clean waterfalls on my water bottles meant that my water was crystal clean?! Because the regulations on these bottles are less strict than tap, there's really no way of knowing where the water came from. So why buy bottled? Because its convenient. Except a reusable bottle is just as convenient and does not horribly impact our environment like the plastic bottles do, which require more energy to make, ship, and "recycle" than most people think. The process of making and recycling those bottles also create toxins and occupy space in our landfills. A great video explaining the breakdown process of plastic bottles used for our bottles water, called The Story of Bottled Water, can be found here. 

Cereal, Beetle Juice, and a "Green" Company...?

This week we were asked to pick a food item that we enjoy and research whats in it and where it came from.

I chose Special K- Fruit & Yogurt blend.

yummm!

I am obsessed with cereal and always have been. I generally eat a bowl of cereal once a day, not always at breakfast either! I'm not a fan of kids cereals that are full of sugar on sugar on sugar. I love Raisin Bran, Chex, Honey Bunches of Oats... things along those lines. But when I came across Special K Fruit & Yogurt my cereal eating experience was forever changed (OK, maybe it's not that drastic, but I need you to understand how much I love this stuff!). I have no doubt that I could eat nothing but a box of it for an entire day.
When I picked my favorite cereal for this assignment, I admit I was hesitant. Do I REALLY want to know the nitty gritty about something I so often eat? I mean... it's supposed to be a healthy choice but should I risk finding out whether or not that's actually true?
Welp, here goes!

Ingredient list: Rice, whole grain wheat, sugar, whole grain rolled oats, wheat bran, contains 2% or less of vegetable oil (palm kernel, soybean and canola), dried apples, corn syrup, salt, brown sugar syrup, brown sugar (sugar, molasses), nonfat milk, soluble wheat fiber, malt flavoring, rice flour, natural and artificial flavor, polydextrose, tapioca dextrin, confectioner's glaze, whey, soy lecithin, nonfat yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk; heat-treated after culturing), maltodextrin, honey, molasses, cinnamon, citric acid, lactic acid, red 40, blue 1, BHT for freshness, sodium sulfite to protect color.
Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), reduced iron, niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12.

If you're like me, before this assignment, you probably just skimmed through that list (rice, whole grain, blah blah blah vitamins and minerals blah blah). But in taking a closer look I actually made quite a few faces while reading. Why is there salt in my cereal?! And what the heck are these "natural and artificial flavors?" Plus I'm pretty sure I have no idea what the last few ingredients are let alone an answer as to why they're in my cereal.

Lets start with things on the list that caused me confusion.
1. Malt flavoring. I know that malt is a type of beer (right?) so whats it doing in the cereal? thanks to Google I was able to find out that it is an extract that comes from barley. It is added to things for flavor. It is not gluten free.
2. Polydextrose. It's an artificial fiber. I had no idea the fiber was not all-natural, since Kellogg's claims that Special K is a "healthy" choice. Everyone knows that natural is better than articifical. I found an article from www.slate.com that states the following: "Recent FDA approvals have given manufacturers a green light to add polydextrose to a much broader range of products than previously permitted, allowing food companies to entice health-conscious consumers who normally crinkle their noses at high-fiber products due to the coarse and bitter taste of the old-fashioned roughage. These fiber additives serve dual purposes—they can serve as bulking agents to make reduced-calorie products taste better, such as the case with Breyers fat-free ice cream, and carry an added appeal to consumers by showing up as dietary fiber on food labels." I don't know about you but that seriously just blew my mind. (you can read the full article here http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2009/03/dietary_fibber.html)

3. Tapioca Dextrin. More or less a thickening agent and surprisingly, is listed as a natural fiber.
4. Confectioners Glaze. "it's the same ingredient as shellac, the chemical sold in hardware stores that's used for sealing and varnishing wood floors." "Shellac is actually a chemical secreted by female lac bugs (Laccifer lacca)" SAY WHAT??? You're telling me I'm eating beetle juice??

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033217_confectioners_glaze_shellac.html#ixzz2OdBKH8M6


5. BHT. researching BHT was a life changing experience, no joke. It's an additive used to preserve the fat in food. It literally means Butylated Hydroxytoluene and is listed as an antioxident but is a CHEMICAL that is also found in skincare products such as lotions and soaps, jet fuel, embalming products, and certain oils. It is also a known stabilizer in pesticides and gasoline. Yep, you read that right. BHT is known to cause abdominal pain, confusion, dizziness, and nausea (that makes total sense to me now that I know what it is). It is combustible, harmful to aquatic organisms, and can possibly cause liver damage, kidney failure, and thyroid issues. Additionally, BHT is secreted through urine. You know what that means? It's potentially infecting our water systems.
A great article on BHT (and a cool find as far as "green" websites go!) can be found here: http://2ndgreenrevolution.com/2012/02/07/bht-the-secret-in-your-cereal/

OK. In trying to find out more information about the cereal I immediately went to www.specialk.com. The entire website is dedicated to The Special K Plan (a diet plan involving the company's wide variety of products). While searching for some information other than ingredients I was led to the Kellogg's website (Kellogg's is the maker of Special K products). The information I gathered about the Kellogg's company was actually surprising. In 2011, Kellogg's was named number 36 of 100 Best Global Green Brands. Kellogg's is also dedicated to reducing landfill waste accumulated by the making of their products, reducing energy use as well as water use, and reducing their emission of greenhouse gases. You can look at their sustainability report in its entirety here. 

 

It was news to me that Kellogg's is not just available in the United States but in all of North America, Latin America, and Europe. But where exactly do these products come from? I know, obviously, that the ingredients for my Special K come from a farm, then go to a processing plant, then onto a truck that takes it to the store where I then purchase the cereal and take it home. Kellogg's actually states that their company is dedicated to working with "local" rice farmers in Louisiana. In 2012 they actually created a Rice Master Grower Program, which was established with the help of the Louisiana State university Ag center, to help assure product quality while boosting the economy for the local growers. Cool, right? I had trouble finding information about the source of supply in other countries though.

 

OK. So now I have a summary of ingredients and a general idea of place of origin. Do I agree with Kellogg's that their Special K cereal is "healthy?" Well... I wouldn't necessarily say that it's healthy... just healthier than other breakfast cereals. Did you know that Kellogg's also makes Cheez-Its, Keebler, and Famous Amos products? Seems funny to me that a company that markets themselves based on their achievements in providing a healthier product, also makes such unhealthy things, too. Based on the sole ingredient BHT I can say that I probably won't be eating this cereal any longer. Notice I said probably, haha. Knowing that BHT is in A LOT of things nowadays is frightening. Although I already knew everything has preservatives these days, especially my precious cereal, I didn't know exactly what those preservatives and chemicals were... it was nice when I could eat my cereal in complete ignorant bliss. ::sigh::

 

 

 

 

Lights, Camera, Sustainability...?

For this weeks assignment we were asked to assess how sustainable our campus is. For those who don't know what sustainability is, it basically means how "green" something is. We were asked to compile a list of areas that can be measured for sustainability. Here is the list I came up with:
1. Are paper towels still used in campus restrooms?
2. Is the air conditioning on campus powered by "Energy Star" units?
3. Does the cafeteria use plastic utensils or reusable utensils?
4. How much waste is accumulated on a daily basis? Where does this waste go?
5. Is recycling available on campus?
6. Are buildings built with "green" materials?
7. What types of resources are available online as opposed to paper?
8. Where does the cafeteria food come from?
9. Are their community gardens on campus?
10. What is done to preserve plant life?
11. How much water is used on campus?
11. Is smoking allowed in any area?
12. What is transportation for students like?
13. Pesticide use?
14. How well is the land used?
15. What kind of lighting is used throughout campus?

Next we were asked to look up what other campuses have done in regards to sustainability assessments. In other words, how they figured out their ecological impact, not solutions to the problems they found. A great example I found is from the University of Oregon (really, is their any surprise there?) In regards to the Universitys Materials Management they assessed the extent to which the campus incorporates sustainability into the procurement and disposal of packaging, office supplies, furniture, computer equipment, and chemicals for custodial, landscaping, research, and teaching use. They also assessed their materials management through trends in solid waste and recycling, as well as efforts to reduce waste and properly dispose of waste and hazardous materials. They figured out that solid waste is a big problem in the campus society and the effect landfills have on the environment. They then looked at the dollar amount spent on goods and services (over $132 million dollars during the 05-06 fiscal year) and the amount of waste sent to landfills each year.

The entire University of Oregon assessment is available at http://uplan.uoregon.edu/subjects/Sustainability/SustDDprojects/UOSustainabilityReport.pdf
I recommend skipping down a few pages to the "Indicators" section if you're interested in the actual assessment process.

Next in the assignment we were asked to pick one of the factors we listed (above) and devise a detailed assessment. I choose to look at lighting throughout the campus. What kind of lighting is used? What is the cost each month spent on replacing lighting? Are lights motion censored? What time do lights turn on at night and how many lights on campus turn on during that time? How many watts are in each bulb used? How many bulbs are needed to light up a room? Are all bulbs turned on or is it every other bulb? Who is in charge of making sure the lights on campus are energy efficient, if applicable? If not applicable, why isn't lighting a concern? Is solar lighting available anywhere on campus? What kind of lighting is used to power classroom projectors? How much money is spent on projector lighting? How much is spent each year to light up the football field? Do high schools that use our football field for graduations pay a fee? How much is that fee and is the lighting cost factored in? When do parking lot lights turn on and when do they turn off? Are all areas of the parking lots lit up?
In order to conduct such an assessment, I think my first step would be to contact the President of the school,  Dr. Cynthia Azari and explain my assignment and ask her for permission as well as resources. I would need to examine light bulbs in every room (classrooms, bathrooms, the gym, office buildings, parking lots) and find out what kind of lights are used. I would need information on how lighting is controlled, how the football field is rented out, and so on. I would ask for help from the administration as well as student services. I would need to do research on the different types of lighting available and which is the most energy efficient and compare it to the lighting currently used.

 

Dead Birds, an Orange, and a Bike...

Yesterday I walked to my back door ready to take in nature and all it's glory, when my attempt was quickly brought to a halt. When I opened my back door, there lay a dead bird in the middle of my porch. Because I am ridiculously afraid of birds, I slammed the door and ran to the opposite end of the house. Funny for everyone else, not so funny for me. Turns out my cat decided to drop off the bird as a little present for her owners. She was very proud of her accomplishment, purring and meowing as my mother preceded to dispose of the bird. Discouraged but not defeated, I proceeded back outside (OK, it took me a few hours to overcome the shock and fear) to observe a little nature. The reason for hanging out in my backyard all of a sudden? Our assignment this week was to find a spot, anywhere, outside and sit for 20 minutes and record what we see. When given the assignment I quickly dismissed the thought of sitting somewhere as simple as my backyard, but realized that maybe I'm wrong, maybe there are more things to be seen in the unexpected place.

Now, I know what you're wondering, where's the picture of the dead bird? Yeah right. Like I said I slammed the door and ran and didn't return until the carcus was long gone. I did, however, take a picture of the killer cat.

In the case of the cat and blue bird, the cat played the role of the predator (the chaser)  and the bird was the prey (the chased). Unlike most predator-prey relationships, the cat did not feed on its victim. Interestingly enough I know that blue bird nests are often overtaken by the Sparrow, another inhabitant of my backyard. When Sparrows overtake a nest or smash the eggs of blue birds the blue bird again becomes the prey. The Sparrow and Blue Bird compete for resources (food, shelter, etc) within their niche (the way a species lives within their ecosystem).

OK, I'm starting to feel bad for the poor Blue Bird... NOT.

As I watch two Sparrows fly from bush to bush, I am thankful that they are there to eat all the insects and bugs (another example of predator-prey relationships). But don't think the Sparrow always wins. Cats often eat Sparrows. I noticed a black cat and an all white cat laying under my patio furniture. Where did these feral cats come from and why are they here? Are they competing with each other to catch the Sparrows for food? Or are they stealing my cats food that is kept on the back porch? Also, I've heard that parasites kill Sparrows (an example of a parasitism, when one organism feeds on another)
Is it going to far to say that the interactions between the Cat, Sparrow, Blue Bird, and Parasites is an example of a food web?

In the center of my backyard we have a big, beautiful orange tree. I'm always too lazy to pick oranges from the tree because I have to spend so much time picking up fallen oranges off of the ground. In my observations that day I noticed one orange in particular laying on the ground. At first I though it was rotting away, but when I looked closer I noticed it appeared to be half eaten. It was covered in ants and fruit fly were surrounding the air above it. Were the ants and flies a part of interspecific competition (when two species compete for the same resources, such as food)? Or were they each eating the food, living among each other?  Take a look at this orange. It looks like someone took a bite out of it, right? I'd hate to think someone was eating oranges off of our tree, just hanging out in our backyard. Maybe we have raccoons?

I realized that I haven't spent a whole lot of time in my backyard this winter. Because as I was sitting there I noticed my bike. covered in vines and moss. I had stood my bike up against the chain link fence and forgot about it. The vines grew up and around the bike making it almost impossible to see. When a species uses another species to grow and thrive like this without having a negative effect on the original species it is known as commensalism. In this case my bike is an abiotic (non-living) species. Here is a picture of my poor bike. I really don't think I'll be able to save it, it looks pretty rusted under all that bush.

More examples of some abiotic things that I saw are tumbleweeds blowing in the wind, and clumps of fresh cut grass upon the sidewalk.

Like I said, I originally never anticipated being able to complete this assignment from the top step of my back porch. I guess this shows that "nature" doesn't have to be on a mountain top or a hiking trail or out on the beach. I encourage you to conduct your own nature observation in a simple place and see if you're surprised by the things you see.

I knew my feet were big but...

The fact that it would take about 4.4 Earths to provide enough resources if everyone lived like I do does not surprise me much; I know I don't do enough to have a lesser impact on our environment. What does surprise me is some of the reasons why my footprint is so large. I never stopped to think about how the animals I eat effect the environment in a negative way, like using up acres of land. Or that acres of land are also being used because I purchase products that require a lot of packaging and/or are not from recycled materials.

19.6 acres of the Earth's productive area would be needed to support my lifestyle, the majority of that being used for energy land, and about 45% of my total footprint is due to services that require that energy. Getting energy efficient appliances would definitely help out. My electricity bill is definitely more than it should be. I recently became aware of the amount of things I leave plugged in to electrical outlets at all times and the energy it uses to run that. My house does not have central heating and air, so we use space heaters and window air conditioning units to heat and cool. I know that these require tons of energy to run, and investing in central heating/air will reduce energy costs a ton. My house is old and needs to be weatherized to reduce costs as well.

Want to find out your ecological footprint and explore ways to reduce it? visit www.footprintnetwork.org/calculator. Compare your footprint to mine! You can also see how your footprint compares to that of your countries by following the links under the "Frequently Asked Questions" section that you can access after you are done taking the quiz.

I don't know how to save the world...

Forget "Clean Eating," this is all about Clean Blogging. Environmentally friendly blogging for today's not so environmentally friendly generation. Honestly? If you're looking for expert help on How to Save the World one plastic bottle at a time... this is not the place to turn. This blog was created as an assignment for my environmental science class. Every post on here is part of the assignment, and every post on here is a learning experience for me (on both the environment and how to blog).

My name is Kristina, and I am Sociology major with an emphasis in Social and Behavioral Studies. I plan on working for DPSS, specifically with children who have no one else to help them. I spent a good majority of my adult life trying to take my education and career in another direction, but events seemed to always lead me back to Social and Behavioral Studies. It is truly my passion and I cannot wait to start my career.

So whats a Sociology major doing an environmental science class? To learn! I took a similar class in high school with a preconceived notion that Republicans do not care to preserve the environment in the same way that Democrats do. Being a Republican, my dedication to the class was lacking and I did not retain any of the information. Now the older (and the much wiser) me is here to learn about the impact I have already made, and will make, on our earths environment. I am as open-minded as they come and I hope to learn how to make a difference in a way that I can share and pass on.