Blog - Page 135 of 136 - Plastic Education

The Sustainability Game: Put Me in Coach!

It’s too easy to ride the bench…

When you look at sustainability as a whole, it’s overwhelming. The scale of such an immense problem as global warming makes us, as individuals, feel powerless. I’m 1 out of 7 Billion people on this planet. There really isn’t anything I can do except wag my finger at those corrupt politicians and fat cat businessmen making money off the destruction of our planet.

That’s why, year after year, despite our desire to be involved, we hang on the sidelines.

Yes, I’m guilty too. The truth is, I don’t have the time, energy, or know how to fight every battle. If you work and have a social life and want to have some free time to do the things you enjoy, you’re not left with a ton of time to be an effective activist for more than a few causes.

But that’s okay. You don’t have to play every position and be the MVP. You can be a role player and still enjoy success.

Sustainability is a team effort that won’t be solved by one global treaty or a new sustainable clothing brand. We need everyone tackling the issues they can. Let the politicians be politicians and the revolutionaries be revolutionaries. Let’s stop wagging our fingers and start using our talents to drive change.

Yes, some things are out of our control. But we can control the things we buy, the causes we support, and the habits we form. We can make an effort to do good in the work we do. We can donate some of our free time to a good cause. We can be informed citizens that make good decisions.

We should be confident that our actions make a difference and even if you don’t truly believe that, maybe you can take comfort in the fact that you’re making an effort to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

If you’re ready to get off the sidelines and into the game, do two things.

Be generally informed. Read a few books, watch a few documentaries. You’ll learn something new and be glad you did. Understanding makes doing way easier.
Do what you do best. It’s not enough to just be informed, you have to take action. A common finger wag is that people think they don’t have anything to contribute. They are wrong. No matter what your job or talent is, there is a way to utilize it to have a positive impact on the world.

Here are a few examples.

Activists – Many are weekend warriors, standing up for what they believe in by attending events and rallies in their spare time. Together, they raise awareness and promote change on a grass roots level. You don’t have to quit your job and join the Sea Shepherd crew to have an impact. Find a cause you believe in and join a group on meetup.
Social Media Managers – SM is very influential. If you can’t get clients who are doing something good for the world, volunteer some of your time to a cause that you believe in. They need your help.
Teachers – Today everyone has the chance to be a teacher. People around the world are sharing their knowledge over the web to collaborate and help others solve problems. You can start a blog or YouTube channel and become a teacher today. Are you making your own soap? Upcycling pool toys? Eating local? You can influence others.
Artists – Inspire and raise awareness through your art.
Waiters – The food industry is huge and it’s moving toward healthier, more sustainable options. An informed waiter can help educate customers about local or sustainable options on the menu and an inspired waiter may even be able to influence what gets added to the menu or where the restaurant sources its ingredients.
Admin Assistants – Assistants make a large proportion of decisions in an office and they can take the initiative to “green” it. Initiate recycling, buy fair trade coffee,
Researchers – Add your name to the ledger of human progress. Every piece of information we gather about our world contributes to our overall knowledge that we can leverage to make better decisions. Follow the rules of science and make your results public so others can continue to build upon it.
Businessmen – Profit isn’t the only bottom line. Make sustainability a priority in your business or lend your knowledge to a worthy cause as an adviser/volunteer.
Sales Reps – Work for a responsible company like Patagonia or start convincing people not to buy your product. If you get fired, go get a job at a responsible company.
Engineers – Build sustainability into your projects. Tech engineers can join startups or attend hackathons in their spare time to help solve some of our pressing problems through tech.

Let’s get in the game. Let’s be generally aware of how our actions impact the world and let’s act on the causes we are passionate about. Just because we don’t have time to start a community group doesn’t mean we shouldn’t join one. There’s room to make an impact in every aspect of our lives, and it adds up quick.

Chances are, your actions will inspire others around you too which will further increase your impact, so you can stop wagging your finger in disappointment and start raising your fist in triumph.

Get in the game!

Essential Documentaries for Conscious Consumers

Education for the conscious

The hardest part about being a conscious consumer is staying informed. While brands may change their environmental stance, social movements will rise and fall in popularity, and governments will sludge along, the core motivations behind my purchasing decisions remain the same. I configure my daily habits to support the change I want to see in the world.

Documentaries haven’t been the sole source of my education or motivation for being conscious, but some have made a considerable impression on my world view. These three documentaries were especially influential and they represent pivotal moments of understanding in my journey to becoming a conscious consumer.

This list can easily be extended, but in minimalist fashion, here are the essentials:

1. The Century of the Self

2002 British documentary series by Adam Curtis
Time Commitment: almost 4 hours
Watch on YouTube: The Century of the Self

If you want to get up to speed on the history of consumerism, this is your documentary. The Century of the Self covers the evolution of our consumption based culture, drawing a direct connection between psychology and techniques used in advertising and public relations. The documentary does a tremendous job of outlining the history of our relationship with products and offers a rational explanation for why we have developed a superficial culture around fashion and commodities.

The Century of the Self is particularly intriguing if you’re interested in science. Through its four parts, this series digs deep into how Sigmund Freud’s psychological theories on our subconscious ‘primitive’ decisions have been used by public relations professionals to manipulate the public. Tied in with industrialization, this new understanding of human nature has been used to shape a consumer culture and offers a shocking explanation for where we are today.

If you really want to dig deep on the psychology of decision making, I recommend the book Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. He explains the two parts of our brain’s thinking process: 1. Fast, instinctive, and emotional 2. Slow, deliberative, and logical.

2. The Story of Stuff

2007 Animated documentary by Annie Leonard (now the executive director of Greenpeace)
Time Commitment: 21 minutes
Watch at storyofstuff.org: Story of Stuff

This quick documentary is a great way to learn about the lifecycle of consumer goods. If you’re wondering where all the “stuff” we buy and throw away comes from, where it goes, and how it’s impacting our environment, this film will answer your questions.

The Story of Stuff has almost 4 Million views on YouTube. If you missed the viral sensation when it was first released, now is a good time to go back and get caught up! And if the last time you watched it was when it went viral, you may want to take another look. It’s an inspiration for conscious consumers to take action and the movement has evolved into much more since the documentary’s initial release.

3. Food Inc

2008 documentary by Robert Kenner
Time Commitment: 1.5 hours
Watch at pbs.org: Food Inc

In an hour and a half Food Inc exposes the problems of industrial food production and shows viewers the solutions we can support. The film inspects the environmental, social, and economic impacts of industrial food production, revealing how unsustainable it is. The film dives into both the industrial production of meat, and grains and vegetables, highlighting the many unsustainable characteristics of each.

Food is our most frequent purchase and has one of the biggest impacts on the world. If you want to be an informed consumer and make conscious decisions about the food you buy and eat, this documentary is a much watch. Similar to Story of Stuff, Food Inc has also carried its momentum into a movement and offers several ways to get involved.

There are a plethora of documentaries covering environmental, social, and economic movements that would be great additions to this list. But as far as documentaries go, I consider these three to be the most influential in my education as a conscious consumer and I think they make a good base of education for anyone interested in understanding consumerism.

CITRUS House – Training Ground for Sustainable Urban Living

Sustainability Education Off Campus at Santa Clara University

Guest Post by: Blair Libby

In the neighborhoods surrounding colleges and universities, a growing number of houses are dedicating themselves to environmentally-conscious and sustainable living. At CITRUS (Community Initiative To Restore Urban Sustainability) House, students from Santa Clara University are practicing a cooperative and eco-friendly lifestyle.

CITRUS House began in 2005, when “House Mama” Lauren McCutcheon (class of ‘03) and her roommates decided to create a community hub for sustainable living. Under the mantra of “think globally, act locally”, CITRUS residents began to invite neighbors and students to documentary showings, potluck dinners, gardening parties, and on occasion, spontaneous jam sessions. The founders’ vision was to go outside of the college cocoon and seek human engagement, the most powerful element of a low-impact, community-building lifestyle. Sharing, contributing, and celebrating are the key aspects of life at CITRUS.

In the spirit of collaboration, CITRUS has most recently worked with SCU’s Food and Agribusiness Institute to host workshops on sustainability in the kitchen, organic gardening, and composting. The home is also a frequent host for LOCALS (Living Off Campus and Living Sustainability) and BLEJIT (Bronco Leaders for Environmental Justice Investigating Truth).

Situated in an urban area (outside the city of San Jose), CITRUS helps demonstrate to students that no matter where you end up, it’s possible to live with reverence for the planet by living intentionally and respectfully. Some of that urban sustainability is realized in the San Jose Bike Party. Every 3rd Friday, a group of nearly 30 students meet at CITRUS to bike to downtown San Jose, where they join up with the thousands of other community cyclists taking part in the ride.

In addition to growing backyard tomatoes, leafy greens, peppers, herbs and fruit trees, living in CITRUS means making a commitment to cultivate sustainable eating habits. The kitchen is stocked first from the garden, then from the local farmer’s market to buy what’s in season. When residents include animal-derived foods, they try to obtain them from farmers and ranchers who are certified humane, organic, and the like.

Practicing vegetarianism or veganism become habitual for most tenants. According to current resident Jordan Webster (class of ‘16), “eating and shopping at farmers’ markets changed my diet dramatically – I went from eating meat daily to a mostly vegetarian diet.” And all those red plastic cups? They’re washed and reused too.
Besides food, taking shorter showers, air-drying clothes, and using green cleaning products or natural alternatives are crucial to a sustainable community. As students come and go every four years, they leave behind furniture, dishes and other household tools, some of which can be inherited and shared between generations of residents. Whatever is discarded is picked up and offered to incoming students and neighbors around Santa Clara.

CITRUS’ vision is that it continues to be a “training ground” for sustainable living in the urban environment. The students who live and visit there have an opportunity to educate, share, and experience a culture that’s often missing from college students’ lives. In inspiring others, CITRUS acts as a seed for lifestyles that tread more lightly on a beautiful planet.

About the Author: Blair Libby is a senior at Santa Clara University, studying Environmental Science and living in CITRUS House.

Consciously Consuming Media

Give your attention to the good stuff…

Voting with our wallets is great, but there’s more. We have the power to do good and change the world in almost everything we do. Beyond the physical things we consume, we should also be conscious of the digital media we consume.

The apps, the websites, the subscriptions… although much less tangible, money is changing hands in the digital world too. We support businesses most directly through the apps and subscriptions we purchase, but we also support business with the attention we give them. Our time spent in an app or on a webpage drives the statistics they use to set the price of their advertisements.

Advertising is the easiest example, but it’s not the only way companies make money through digital mediums…

A quick overview of how our attention translates to cash.

After working in the tech space for two years – trying to raise money during most of it – I became acquainted with the “important” metrics to determine the monetary value of an app or website.

How many people are using your app
How often are they accessing your information
How well can you classify your audience
How are they interacting with your app

All of these metrics are meant to get to the true question: How much money can you make from the attention your app/website is attracting? The more eyes on the screen and the more defined your users are, the more valuable the advertising space is.

More users and more interaction is also the basis for other ways of monetizing. Users can simply pay for a service by buying an app or buying things within an app. Some apps like DuoLingo (the language learning app) even have their own currency. The more you play the more ‘lingots’ you get, allowing you to access more features of the app, and of course you can buy credits with real money if you want to jump ahead.

Another popular model is a subscription or premium (aka freemium or upsell) service like Pandora.

Sites and apps can also make money through affiliate marketing. This is a popular strategy for fashion blogs. You blog to build a following, recommend a product, and share part of the revenue when you send your readers to an ecommerce site.

Not everything has to be about money all the time though, so big ups to those out there who develop and blog just because they love it.

The upside to consciously consuming media.

Understanding how an app or website is making money helps me decide which ones to support and which ones to boycott. Almost just a valuable on an insight, this knowledge also helps me develop habits to prevent myself from binging on mindless content and losing chunks of my life to bad YouTube videos and news about the Kardashians.

A few perks of consciously consuming media:

Support companies that are doing good – Just like voting with my wallet when I buy things from the store I’m voting with my time when I visit sites or use apps.

Save time so I can do more of the things that make me happy – Get off the screen, out of the chair, away from the desk, and into the world. Yes.

Learn new stuff and meet new people – There are so many great communities to join, people to meet, and interesting things to learn. When I’m not tied up in junk content I have time to explore valuable places of the interwebs.

Improve my outlook but consuming less mindless content and more inspiring content – Substitute the status updates from people you haven’t seen since high school for an inspiring nat geo article about a project to clean up the pacific ocean garbage patch and you’ll have a better day.

How to consciously consume media.

Manage your subscriptions.
I make conscious decisions about how to manage the apps and digital subscriptions I have. I’m continually unsubscribing from email lists I no longer find useful which really helps cut down on my inbox clutter. Rather than delete that stupid email every week, take the extra 30 seconds to unsubscribe.

I also go through my subscriptions every few months to make sure I’m actually using them. Too often we get excited about a cool new service, sign up, and forget about it. Meanwhile the auto payments are chipping away at our bank accounts. Save time and money with a little housekeeping every now and then.

Turning off notifications is huge.

Apps want to ping you as much as possible without totally pissing you off, “Come back and spend some time with us!”. That’s why notifications are automatically set to notify you anytime anything happens. I don’t need to know every time someone likes, retweets, or mentions me on Twitter. I just check my feed a few times a day and see them all at once so my day isn’t chopped up into fifty tiny distracting Twitter sessions.

When I download a new app I’m excited to jump in and just start using it. But if I can, I try to setup the notifications and sharing settings right away so I don’t have to do it later. Sometimes I’ll go back and make adjustments if I’m getting too many notifications.

Paid vs Free – the real value.

I always used to use the free version of apps and fight through the ads, but I didn’t save much money and it devalued my experience. Back in the day when I used Pandora I would set my birthday to 1930 so they thought I was an old man and the ads were less intrusive, but even with little tricks like that the ads are still there interrupting your music stream.

For the most part, paying for no ads (there are usually other upgrades too) is worth it. I justify the $10 a month for Spotify premium with beer. A pint of craft beer in most cities is going to run you about 7-8 bucks with tip, maybe $12 if you want a Sculpin. I forego 1 beer I would have otherwise had once a month and I put that money toward Spotify Premium. I have no problem skipping one beer, on one day, for a month of ad free music.

Media is something we often just accept as part of our daily lives and we don’t realize how much of an influence it can have on us. While I love using the tools my iphone and laptop give me access to, it’s a lot of work to keep myself in check. It’s easy to slide down the slippery slope of mindless entertainment, but by understanding the world of digital media and developing some simple habits we can do good and improve our quality of life.

How College Loans Exploit Students

Have we put college degrees on a pedestal?

We are becoming ever more conscious about the products we consume and the companies we support. It might be time we do the same for higher education.

When I graduated high school in 2007 skipping college would have been unfathomable. Everything before college was framed to be preparation for the real deal, the true test, the big leagues. If I didn’t pursue the golden bachelors degree, my parents would give me the old, “we’re not mad, just disappointed” talk and I’d be flipping burgers at the BK Lounge for the rest of my life.

While high school grads may still have similar expectations, many could still be working at The Lounge after graduation – with an extra serving of $20k of debt.

For many millennials this right of passage has become a burden. Today’s cost of higher education and the job quality a degree earns has diminished the value of a degree and rightfully has us questioning whether going to college is really worth it the investment.

This TEDx from February (12min) succinctly covers the productization of our education systems and offers a consumer-driven approach to revolution. Find a brief summary of the talk below.

“Even a bankrupt gambler gets a second chance but it’s nearly impossible for a student to have their student loan debts discharged.”

How College Loans Exploit Students for Profit, Sajay Samuel

Q: Why are college grads returning home to live with their parents after graduation and working at coffee shops?

A: Our education system is driven by profit which has turned a college degree into a product and undermined the reason we go to school. It’s taken a toll on the passion of learning and

Summary:

Three main points:

Higher education is a consumer product
1. Today we talk about higher education as an investment as if we are economists.
2. Degrees have become a way to classify students as they graduate so employers can hire them more easily, not a pursuit of knowledge or passion.
3. The US News and World Report ranks colleges just as The Consumer Report ranks washing machines.
4. The industry refers to teachers as service providers and students as consumers.
5. Sociology, Shakespear, soccer, science… are all content.
6. The whole package is profit-driven.
Student debt is profitable
1. Student debt fattens the profit of the student loan industry.
2. Sally Mae and Navient (two student loan giants) – posted a combined profit of 1.2 Billion in 2014.
3. Just like home mortgages, student loans can be bundled, packaged, sliced, and diced, and sold on wall street.
4. Colleges and universities that invest in these securitized loans profit twice. Once on your tuition and once again on the interest from your debt.
Diplomas are a brand
1. “When students are treated as consumers, they are made prisoners of addiction and envy”
2. Upselling education “college is the new high school” but why stop there. People can be upsold on certifications, re-certifications, masters degrees, and PhDs.
3. Higher education is marketed as a status object. Buy a degree, much like you do a Lexus or a louis Vuitton bag, to distinguish yourself from others, so you can be the object of envy of others.

The Facts About The American Education System:

In 2015 40 Million Americans were indebted for their passage into the new economy.
From 2000 to 2012 state and federal funding for education decreased by 18.5% per student.
Between 2000 and 2012 higher education costs increased by 62%.
Average annual wages have declined for every educational category.
45% of students who enroll in higher education do not complete it in a timely fashion.
33% of college graduates remain underemployed.

The Bottom Line:

Tuition Costs Are Up
Public Funding is Down
Family Incomes Have Diminished
Result: 25% can’t make their student loan payments

It’s time to demand to know what we are paying for. Maybe education should have a warning label that helps potential students make more informed decisions. When you buy a car it tells you how many miles a gallon to expect. But most students go into college blind on the recommendation of others that education is a must.

Why would you pay more for college if you aren’t going to earn more when you get out?

If consumers start treating education like a product:

Administrators would be incentivized to manage costs better.
The cost of majors would change depending on how much a student can make with their degree upon graduation.

Whenever we buy anything else we consider the return we will get for our money… It’s time we do the same with higher education.

If you’d like to become a regular:

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Why I Say No To Swag

I feel like a living billboard and no one is paying me…

Commonly referred to as swag, promotional products have infiltrated my life. Companies seem to love printing their logo on generic products like pens, cell phone accessories, koozies, hats, bags, thumb drives… you name it. They hand them out everywhere, always trying to give them away so their brand can become part of my daily life and it seems like people can’t get enough.

Going to the beach? Don’t forget that Rockstar Energy Drink hat a rep gave you at Coachella last year and those Bank of America sunglasses you got when you dropped in to make a deposit. Grab a cold beer from that free Miller Light cooler you picked up at the ballgame, and don’t forget to bring the Geico koozie they gave out at the car show.

A little bit about the promotional products industry

ASI Central, the promotional product industry’s largest membership organization boasts that promotional products are a $22.2 billion industry. The industry, made up of suppliers and distributors, is so big there are conventions and online platforms to connect the two. Suppliers source the blank promotional products from manufacturers; distributors take small batch orders from businesses, customize the promotional products, and deliver them to their clients.

While certainly a popular marketing technique today, promotional products date as far back as 1789 when commemorative buttons were first used. But the movement really gained momentum in the late 1800’s when a newspaper owner, Jasper Meek, started giving out branded hand bags to school children for their books. The marketing message was blatant, “Buy Cantwell Shoes”. Sales increased, brands quickly realized the value, and soon large companies such as Coca-Cola joined the rush.

Today, the industry is running stronger than ever. Globalization has made it unbelievably cheap to source promotional products from overseas so just about anyone can join in on the bonanza. And they do. I even received a bag of swag from my dentist the last time I went in for a cleaning…

The (negative) impact of swag and getting past it

If you want to see the impact of the promotional product industry on clear display, head to a sporting event. The last few games I attended were prime examples.

At the Gulls game they gave out a free hat; the Bruins game it was a plastic hand; the Padres, a towel. At every entrance the excitement of an unexpected gift was beaming from the faces of attendees, but at the end of every game swag cast its shadow over the stadium, littering the rows and walkways.

In a span of hours you can see the full life cycle of promotional products. An event-goer is enticed by a free product, sports it for a short period of time, then loses interest and disposes of it. Cradle to grave. These products are made to be disposed of and are simply a cheap investment with a potential for huge rewards for a brand.

These seemingly free products have an impact on the way we feel too.

Have a free pen, have a free hat, have a free this, have a free that. But, all this free stuff takes its toll. Obviously the environmental impact of all this producing and throwing away is terrible, but what about the price we pay as recipients?

Once I accept a promotional product I’m a walking advertisement. I’m a brand advocate just because someone handed me a free piece of swag. But that’s not me. I’m selective about the things I buy and the types of companies I support.

I support brands that are responsible, brands that are conscious about their social and environmental impact, not brands that use cheap marketing tactics to drive sales. So when I accept a free piece of swag I’m contradicting my personal beliefs.

Nothing causes more stress than dissonance between your beliefs and your actions – when what you’re doing on the outside is incongruent with what you believe on the inside, stress builds up.

That’s why I deny promotional products and I feel good about it. For the last two years I’ve been denying swag and I’ve been pretty surprised at the reactions. Really? It’s free… you don’t want it?

Nope!

The social awkwardness is by far trumped by my resulting peace of mind. I don’t miss the empty feeling I used to get when I reached that inevitable moment of throwing the giveaway in the trash – or even worse, leaving it on the ground of the stadium. I’m no longer an advocate for a brand I either don’t support or know nothing about. Most importantly, I’m taking a stand to show that swag has gone too far and I’m not going to perpetuate its effectiveness as a cheap marketing tactic.

When we stop accepting promotional products we prevent ourselves from becoming walking advertisements for brands and promotional products lose their value. I live swag free and I’m happier because of it.

Making Progress on Local & Sustainable Cotton Clothing – The North Face

The North Face: Backyard Project Round 2

What started out as an experiment by The North Face has turned into a whole new line. Thanks to the demand of conscious consumers, companies like TNF are looking for ways to source and produce their garments more responsibly.

The North Face just launched their second installment of The Backyard Project, an almost completely local and 100% domestic clothing line. This line of cotton tees and hoodies for both sexes is grown in Arizona, processed in South Carolina, and sewn in California. This expansion of their original project, which started with a unisex hoodie, shows opportunity for growth in the domestic clothing market.

The roots of the Backyard Project

The North Face started this project in 2014 as a test run with one unisex hoodie. Working with Fibershed and the Sustainable Cotton Project, they were able to source Cleaner Cotton fibers from local farmers and complete most of the manufacturing locally.

Cleaner Cotton is a product of the Sustainable Cotton Project which brings together farmers using biological farming practices that exclude the use of pesticides and herbicides. This process eliminates the 13 most toxic chemicals used in conventional cotton cultivation. While not organic, the environmental impact of this cotton is much lower than conventionally grown cotton.

Fibershed connects the community of growers and artisans which allowed for everything other than the carding, spinning, and knitting of the cotton to take place locally. Due to the fact that there were no mills in the region to do this work, it was completed in North and South Carolina by family owned mills.

This Year’s Line

The North Face has scaled their operations considerably from last year, moving up from 1 unisex hoodie to 7 new styles of hoodies and tees in eight different colors. To supplement their California cotton source they have started sourcing cotton from the Arizona based The Natural Hue Company. They have also moved the majority of their production to Los Angeles, which has much more apparel manufacturing infrastructure.

Overall, this second line is slightly less local, but still holds true to the ‘Made in the USA’ and environmentally/socially conscious ethics they set out to meet. It’s certainly a big step in the right direction. Success in this product line will undoubtedly spur similar projects.

Highlights of the Backyard project

No petroleum based dyes – they use a strain of cotton whose natural color eliminates the need for synthetic dyes.
Less waste – The North Face produced a new, more efficient pattern to reduce fabric waste between cutting and sewing of the material
Local jobs – the process supports over 100 American-based manufacturing jobs
Conscious at scale – 16,963 garments made

In a time where 95% of apparel in our closets is produced overseas, it’s difficult to find the same sources and services in shore. In their 2014 experiment, The North Face proved that it is possible to produce local and responsible products at a reasonable price. And, because of the success of their efforts I expect them to continue growing this clothing line!

Image Credit: 1) The North Face

How To Reduce Your Food Waste – Quick Tips

A few new habits will add up quick.

Food waste is a big issue many of us are unconsciously contributing to. The good news is, it’s not hard to drastically cut down on our food waste and by doing so we will also save time and money. 🍕+⌚+💸=👍

You can start right here, right now, with these simple tips:

Be More Conscious About What You Buy

Don’t buy produce in bulk – Unless you are sure you’re going to be able to use it all, buying produce in bulk is a bad idea because it almost always perishing faster than you think – If you do a lot of your shopping at Costco or other bulk stores, make it a habit to swing by a smaller grocer on the way home. Even better, take a break from your busy life once a week to walk to farmers market and get higher quality, local produce.
Don’t shop hungry – We tend to buy more than we need when we shop hungry because our eyes get big and everything looks appetizing. Simply eating before going to the store will help you make more rational purchasing decisions.
Plan your meals better – When you know what you need to buy for your meals during the week you can get just the right ingredients and reduce the superfulous stuff.
Make a list – Take an inventory of what you need at home so you know what to buy. When we wonder through the store without direction we buy things we don’t need and forget the things we do need. Make a list and stick to it. You’ll save time, money, and will reduce your food waste.

Reduce Your Food Waste At Home

Take expiration dates with a grain of salt – Expiration dates are an estimation made by the producer, not a cold hard fact. They should be taken more as a recommendation. The only foods required by law to have expiration dates are baby formula, the rest are just added by producers to sell more good. For most foods the smell test is your best indicator – if it smells rotten don’t eat it, otherwise you’re probably safe. I’ve been trusting my nose for the last 10 years and have yet to get sick from eating spoiled food.
Organize your refrigerator better – Finding old moldy leftovers in the back your fridge is the worst! Take the time every few days to bring the older food in your fridge to the front so you don’t forget about it. This is especially important when you bring new groceries home because new groceries often push everything else to the back. The way you store your food also has a big impact on how long it will last. Learn how to store your food the right way.
Utilize your freezer – When you have perishable food you know you can’t eat, wrap it up and store it in the freezer before it goes bad. This is most often the case with produce, but I will also freeze bread, leftover pizza, etc. My mom will even freeze a gallon of milk from time to time. It’s important to properly prepare before you freeze. For example, fruit will freeze just fine, but don’t defrost a banana and expect it to turn out great. I like to chop up any fruits I freeze and use them in smoothies at a later time.
Eat your leftovers – Taking your leftovers to work for lunch is a great practice that will save you time and money. I also recommend having a leftover night any time you start to get a build up and feel you need to take action. Some things like fish just don’t make good leftovers so keep that in mind when you’re at the store. It’s better to error on the side of too little rather than too much with most dishes.
Start a compost – In terms of efficiency, composting is not nearly as good as reducing waste in the first place, because it only recovers about 1% of the energy used to create that food in the first place. I encourage composting, but it should be the last resort in your food waste reduction strategy. You can learn how to start a compost in about 10 minutes if you want to start today.

Support Movements To Reduce Food Waste

Rob Greenfield – This grassroots activist is gaining fame for his anti food waste campaigns where he diverts discarded food from grocery stores to people in need. He regularly goes dumpster diving to recover perfectly good foods and raise awareness about the magnitude of waste. Watch his TedX on How To End The Food Waste Fiasco for his story and tips on reducing food waste.
Demand grocery stores donate instead of dumping – #DonateNotDump and demand they sell ugly produce #DemandUgly – Talk to a manager, email a representative, send a Facebook message, or tweet.
Check out Think.Eat.Save. to find news and movements around food waste prevention.
Spread the word! Talk about it, join an online community, and stay up on the food waste reduction movement.

Need Some Inspiration?

Weird Al’s got you covered: Eat It

https://youtu.be/ZcJjMnHoIBI

Food Waste in America – The Facts

The facts about our food…

Last Week Tonight does a great job of bringing us the news in an engaging and amusing fashion. It’s one of my favorite ways to digest news and learn about absurd situations we, as Americans, have found ourselves in. The Food Waste episode was particularly jaw dropping so I’ve revisited it and brought you the highlights.

Food waste is a growing problem in the United States and we should all be aware of its impact on society and the environment because we all play a part in solving this dilemma. Understanding the implications of our actions makes us much more likely to make adjustments to our lifestyle, which is why I’m bringing you a taste of the truth about our food system.

Facts About Food Waste

As much as 40% of all the food produced in the United States never gets eaten
Americans throw away $165 billion worth of food every year… About 20 pounds per person every month
Americans throw away enough food every year to fill 730 football stadiums
The amount of food we throw out has increased by about 50% since the 1970’s
In our households we waste between 15 and 20 percent of the food we buy

Reasons Why Food Waste Is So Upsetting

In 2013, 49.1 million Americans lived in food-insecure households
The food itself isn’t the only thing wasted. Think about all of the labor and natural resources that go into producing that food
The aggregated waste from landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times as potent as CO2
Food waste is expensive – we are essentially throwing away up to 1/4 of the groceries we buy

Main Contributors To The Food Waste Problem

Aesthetics – sub-par produce never even makes it to the shelves. Even though these fruits and vegetables are essentially the same, if they are not aesthetically pleasing they can lose up to 2/3 of their market value for farmers. There is no economic incentive for farmers to donate the food. Because of the time and money costs associated with delivering the food it’s cheaper for them to just throw it away.
Overstocking – produce shelves of supermarkets are over stocked to appeal to the psychological aspect of shopping. If there are only a couple of pieces of produce left on the shelf they are interpreted to be the “last choice” as shoppers assume they weren’t previously picked for a reason.
Sell By Dates – 91% of consumers reported that at least occasionally they had discarded food past its ‘sell by’ date out of concern for the product’s safety. Sell by dates are actually decided on by manufacturers. With the exception of baby formula, the US government does not require any food to carry and expiration date. Supermarkets discard food items that are past their labeled expiration dates and do not donate it due to a “health and safety issue” even though there has not been a single lawsuit filed against a supermarket for donating “expired” food (Food donators are actually protected from law suits by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act).

It’s shocking to see that we can have such an abundance of food, yet still have almost 50 million Americans experiencing food shortage problems. The extensive waste begins and ends with the actions of each individual. As soon as we each change our habits, we all take the first step toward solving this crisis. Learn how you can reduce your food waste with a few new habits.

The Full Food Waste Clip from This Week Tonight with John Oliver

How Jeans Are Made – A Quick Overview

How much do you appreciate a pair of jeans…

Jeans are everywhere all the time. They are by far the most popular choice of clothing around the world. They range all the way from Levi’s classic 501’s to diamond studded jeans valued at $1.3 Million. Yes, that’s right, there is a pair of jeans by Secret Circus retailing at over $1 Million.

No matter your style, it’s important to know where your jeans came from so you can properly appreciate them. I find that when I understand what it takes to go from a ball of cotton to a product on the shelf, I treat my clothes differently. This process has changed a few things for me –

I am more careful about the quality and quantity of jeans I buy.
I take better care of my belongings so they last longer (not limited to just my jeans).
I break in my own jeans.

This quick overview will give you a much better idea for how jeans are made. The full 10 min video is included at the end if you’d like to hear all the details (in a British accent).

How Jeans Are Made

Getting The Cotton – Cotton is grown and harvested.

Cotton is Processed – The raw harvested cotton is run through a sifting machine to remove seeds and stems, resulting in bales of refined cotton.

Carding – The cotton is combed and pulled into a web, then stretched together into thick strands called slivers. Slivers are then pulled and twisted into a fine yarn.

Cotton is Dyed Blue – Cotton strands are dyed blue.

Cotton is Weaved Into Denim – Blue cotton strands are weaved into denim. For most denim, 1 strand of white cotton is weaved into every 3 strands of blue cotton so that it isn’t too blue.

Denim is Prepared for Sewing – The denim fabric is cut into patterns by hand – notice the chainmail glove being worn by the saw operator.

Denim Becomes Jeans – The cut fabric patterns are sewn together by hand and rivets, zippers, and buttons are added.

Some jeans are finished here, but most modern style jeans are “distressed” aka manually broken in. There are several steps to this process which vary depending on the style. A few of these tactics are outlined below.

This is how jeans get their faded and worn look….

Manual Fading – Jeans are slipped onto a pair of rubber legs which fill up with air making the jeans taught. Then they are: sanded by hand, worn around the edges with a grinder, and stained with a spray gun.