Being smart, well-informed people, you are probably already aware that virtually all the produce you purchase at the supermarket has pesticide residue and preserving agents to keep it fresh. But did you know that not all produce is equal when it comes of the the amounts of these chemicals contained in each? Or that other foodstuffs can also contain significant amounts of pesticides? Foods grown organically, on the other hand, are required to be grown pesticide-free, meaning that the risks associated with consuming pesticides decrease dramatically. Unfortunately, organic foods are often spendier than non-organics because they are often more expensive to produce. Fortunately, there is an answer! In 2010, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted a study in which they tested the contamination levels of a variety of produce and other foods, the result of which was the list of the "Dirty Dozen" foods which contain the highest pesticide levels. Even if, like me, you can't to afford to purchase all of your groceries in the organic section, the EWG estimates that individuals can reduce their pesticide exposure by up to 80% if they switch to buying these 12 items organic.
The Dirty Dozen: (In order from most to less contaminated)
Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach
Nectarines
Grapes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Blueberries
Lettuce
Kale
Collared Greens
Fatty meats
Milk
Coffee
Wine
Chocolate
Check out this site to learn more about why each of these foods made the list:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist
One major obstacle that we are faced with, even when consciously trying to live sustainably, is the question of, "Who is right?" or an even more disturbing one, "Who is telling the truth?" Groups' and individuals' political, religious, or monetary agendas often (unfortunately) get in the way. Thus we, the consumer, are charged with being active, informed, and even skeptical when considering our purchases and choices. Yes, this will take more time, more label and fine print reading, and more internet searches, but it is well worth the effort. Think of yourself as the sustainability detective, and as you investigate, ask yourself these questions:
1) Is my information coming from a reputable source?
Url's ending in ".gov", ".org", or ".edu" are generally more widely trusted than ".com," which could have been created by anyone from your grandma to your crazy neighbor down the street. And while both of those people may be perfectly nice, it does not mean their claims are based on anything other than hearsay.
2) Is there evidence supporting their claims?
Many claims, as indicated above, are based on something heard from a friend, seen a TV show, or read in the news. The scary thing is that even news programs may be biased and may therefore skew the data in order to better support their own claims. Be a wary consumer! Double-check the evidence such claims are based on. Even without becoming a professional statistician, most people can recognize when data are are being tampered with.
3) Who provided the funding for this research?
Most businesses depend on funding from outside agencies in order to conduct research on their products. Often, the funding agencies stand to benefit from this relationship, and therefore have their own motives behind the transaction. Determine who is actually funding the research and whether or not they are actually interested in sustainability at all.
Don't be a passive consumer, and don't let yourself be "bought" by large corporations or groups. Use your abundant resources to your advantage. Find a source you trust, search for evidence, and look at who is behind the scenes supporting the product or claim. Only then can you be confident that you have made every effort to determine what is accepted as Fact and what is Fiction regarding environmental sustainability.
**To get started, try looking at some of the links on the left, which were recently voted as some of the top environmental sustainability blogs by the Mother Nature Network
There's nothing quite like packing up and moving to remind us just how much stuff we have and how quickly it accumulates. I've been trying to figure out over the last couple of months where I even kept half of my stuff in my last apartment, and why, even with a whopping SEVEN closets, it still barely all fits in the new place. More than anything, I want to purge clean, which for me involves throwing out anything that I haven't used for the past year or two. And while this ritual might make me feel less guilty about having too much stuff, I am still haunted by the specter of the trash can full of stuff I just threw out. It's at that point I realize I shouldn't have accumulated all those things in the first place.
I think that most people suffer from consumer-itis to some degree. For some it may mean binge shopping, for others (like me) it may be a slow accumulation followed by a purge. Even if you make the responsible choice and recycle your unwanted materials, it is still waste, and will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere. My advice, though it can be a hard pill to swallow (even for me), is to avoid accumulating in the first place. Consider this as a challenge; rather than simply feeling that you shouldn't be buying something new, think about how you could acquire it used, or better yet, how you could make it out of materials you already have. Not only will this prevent the buildup of clutter, but it can also be extremely rewarding. How impressed will your friends be when you tell them that you built that dining room table entirely out of post-consumer recycled scrap wood donated by your local lumberyard? Okay, that is a little bit beyond my skill-level, but you get the point. Don't be drawn in by the "buy buy buy" mentality with which we are constantly being blasted by the media. Forge your own path, and discover you might have a great time doing it!
A common excuse I hear when I talk to people about environmental sustainability is, "What could I possibly do to stop global warming/climate change? I'm just one person!" Just so we're all on the same page, let's define some terms first. Global warming refers to the rise in Earth's average temperature and is directly attributed to a variety of anthropogenic (human-induced) drivers including increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the destruction of forests and other plant life (which, when alive, serve to decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by consuming it during the process of photosynthesis). Climate change, on the other hand, refers to changes in the Earth's weather patterns over long periods of time. While climate change has occurred throughout all of Earth's history, when we use this term today, it generally refers to anthropogenic climate change, which appears to occur at a much faster rate. Finally, environmental sustainability is used to describe a ideal system wherein human consumption is equal to or less than nature's capacity to renew those resources. If this balance is shifted so that humans consume more than the Earth can handle, the abundance and diversity of organisms will decline. If over consumption is severe (as some argue it is today), this drop will become even more precipitous. Increasing population sizes is putting greater pressure on Earth's natural resources, and the effects can be seen clearly today. Coral reefs, for example, have all but died in only the last decade in many areas of the Caribbean and western Pacific oceans.
That all sounds daunting, but there is an acceptable response to the question posed above, and it is simple. Each and every person contributes whether or not humans are environmentally sustainable. We know that our collective actions are grossly unsustainable at present. The only reasonable way I see to reduce the group's footprint is to decrease our individual impacts. Never fear though; this doesn't mean we need to all stop driving or using electricity (not that that wouldn't be amazing!). In fact, there are some incredibly simple actions that have already started to take hold in many places around the country and the world. These things should be no-brainers, and I hope that in the coming years they are considered commonplace. The following is a list of actions I would consider commandments for working towards environmental sustainability, but it is by no means comprehensive. Please feel free to add your own ideas to the list!
1) Take your own bags to the grocery store
Tim Minchin sums it up nicely below.
Don't forget that you can save those thin produce bags too. Throw them right into your canvas bags so you don't forget them next time you head to the grocery store.
2) ALWAYS choose glass over plastic when selecting items in the grocery store.
3) Use Tupperware containers rather than plastic baggies to store leftovers and lunches.
4) If you must use plastic baggies, wash them out and reuse them (unless they had raw meat in them).
5) If you must use bags from the grocery store, reuse them when you get home. Paper can be used to store recyclables in, and plastic bags can be used as trash can liners (among other things).
6) If you have a choice, WALK or BIKE instead of driving.
7) Better yet, don't own a car at all, then you won't even be tempted. Carpool or take the public transportation to your destination.
8) Turn off lights, unplug appliances, and keep the windows shut and sealed when the air conditioner or heater is running. This will not only help increase efficiency, but will also keep your energy bills lower!
9) NEVER drink bottled water again. Bottled water alone produces millions of tons of waste every year. Challenge yourself to bring your own water bottle rather than dumping more plastic into our landfills!
10) Buy locally. Whether it is food, clothing, or furniture, the more you buy locally, the more you cut transportation costs and carbon dioxide emissions, thus saving you even more money! Buying locally can also help sustain your community.
I hope these start to get you thinking about how easy it is to live sustainably!
My life, as it stands at the moment, revolves around several distinct themes. The first is science. I love science because there are a limitless number of questions to be asked, and one of my great passions is experimenting and researching in an attempt to find the answers to some of these questions. Creativity is key here, because the path from question to answer is usually nonlinear, but must often be approached by novel means. Another theme is my passion for environmental conservation. As a paleoecologist, my primary concern is how organisms affect and are affected by their environments through space and time. My interest in paleoecology stems from many years of thinking about environmental issues such as destruction and sustainability. A third theme, which is really more of a circumstance, is that as a graduate student, I have learned to live by the motto, "If it's broke, fix it." Living on a limited budget is nothing new for me, but for perhaps the first time in my life, I have begun to see it less as a hindrance and more as a motivator. I've discovered the intrinsic rewards of reducing, reusing, and recycling. My hope is that, in writing this blog, others will also realize that living frugally is not about deprivation of needs and wants, but is actually about a responsibility which transcends economic classes and pushes us to make lifestyle choices which will be mutually beneficial to both ourselves and to the environment.
To that end, this blog neatly synthesizes the great themes of my life, and I hope that it will serve as a jumping-off point for your own discovery of what frugality means in your life. Every person will be different, and therefore must adjust his or her needs and wants within the context of environmental and economic sustainability. If these pages provide you with some ideas, I will consider it a success. The best education is reciprocal, however, so please share your thoughts and ideas with others so that we can all learn and create together!
