Local Marine Shrimp?

Did you think it would be possible to have fresh, marine shrimp in Michigan? Well I learned a way that I can! I learned in class of a man who is raising his own marine shrimp and selling it in Okemos. This is very exciting in my opinion because I can have shrimp alfredo and not buy it from Meijer, where the shipping and transportation costs alone are enormous! Also these shrimp are not depleting the amount in the oceans. The only questionable thing is the sustainability of aquaculture. I can't think of any major reason aquaculture would have negative effects, other than the energy the indoor recirculating system burns by running. I imagine, though, that those negative effects are outweighed by the positive benefits of mainting shrimp populations in the oceans and eliminating transportation/processing/preserving costs.

I think I'll be making Shrimp Alfredo in the coming weeks. 

Also, I found out about some Co-op gift shops in Old Town, Lansing where I might do some Christmas shopping. They are second-hand, but they are locally made. I much prefer supporting locally made products to mass produced ones. I think it is a suitable alternative option to purchasing second-hand. Don't get me wrong, though, I am going to look at second-hand shops as well.

P.S. Happy Snow!

Spriiing Break!

Ah, the never-ending battle of saving money. That is my life as a college student. It seems that as quickly as I save it, it is spent again. Books, bills (...speaking of, rent is due tomorrow!), and those necessary vacation trips that will create memories for a lifetime. Okay, so maybe vacations aren't really necessary, but if I can't have fun now as a college student, when will I find the time later on in life?

I have a confession to make! I have bought a plane ticket to Hawaii. Yes, I can hear you. All those tons  of carbon spewing into the atmosphere for one Spring Break trip. In my quest for sustainability, did I consider how my desire to travel would effect my impact on the world? Honestly? Not at first.

I didn't even think about my "green ideals" when I decided to go with roommates to Hawaii for a week in March. But when I reached the end of my purchasing process, it asked me if I wanted offset the carbon I would produce by purchasing a little luggage tag that had the word "ECO" on it. While I don't exactly know how effective such a purchase could be, I decided to do it anyway. It was only an extra $7! I wonder now, though, if this is an example of green-washing or legitimate attempt at going green. Either way, I would have gone on this trip. Now I can feel a little bit better about it. As far as I can tell after some research, it's legit!

Timely reflections on consumerism

The man himself!

Reading John Kenneth Galbraith's writings on "The Theory of Consumer Demand" (that is a link to the abridged text of the overall book, The Affluent Society) brought up a great point, in my opinion. Sure, we all talk about how all of our consumption is a bad thing, but did we ever think about the cycle of consumption we are locked into? Why do we consume so much if we need very little? Why do I crave new shoes or the fanciest Apple product?

Galbraith said it is because advertising tells us we need it! Think about it. To quote him:

"A man who is hungry need not be told of his need for food. If he is inspired by his appetite, he is immune to the effect of Messers. Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. The latter are effective only with those who are so far removed from physical want that they do not already know what they want. In this state alone men are open to persuasion." [Note: I am assuming the aforemention Messrs. are advertising gurus. Also, the italics were my own.]

This water came from a pure mountain!

Surprisingly I had never thought this through before. Why do Americans, among others, need to have commercials for food? Bottled water? Because we actually have no great need for it! Were I in desparate need for water, I would not need at TV commercial tell me which mountain spring it came from in an exotic country. I would just drink the water.

With the surplus of production in Western society, producers had to do something to entice us to buy beyond our needs. Hence, the rise of advertising. I find this very interesting. A whole sector of our business is perpetuating the constant consumerism that causes so much trouble environmentally. In order to change it, we wouldn't just have to change people's habits, but also remove or completely alter portions of our economy.

After coming to this realization, I will be more suspicious of advertising I see and attempt to see past all the bru-ha-ha about the newest toy. Even though iPads look pretty sweet ...

Christmas Presents

Ahh, the season is upon us. This weekend, after everyone stuffs themselves on turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes (mmmhmm, my favorite) and a variety of desserts, Americans will do what they do best. Shop! Black Friday (what an ominous name) and the newer Cyber Monday are the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Although, I have already heard Christmas music in Meijer and seen signs for the Biggest Sale Of The Year! That point aside, patriotic Americans will dutifully cram in to shopping malls and department stores to spend every last cent on Tickle-Me-Elmos, video games, jewelry and iPads.

I am sitting in my apartment procrastinating homework for my Media & the Law class by thinking about what I want to buy my family for Christmas presents. I was also thinking about my efforts to reduce consumption this semester and wondering how well I have done so far, when it hit me. Why should I participate in the consumerism-driven circus of the next few weeks? Do all of my friends and family really need brand new items? Why don't I purchase Christmas presents at second-hand shops? There a tons of cute little stores that sell used items - items that are perfectly usable. I could even not buy things for some people at all, I could use my newly developed photography skills and make personal gifts for each person.

I have to say...I am excited about this idea! It gives me a chance to give people more personal gifts than just another piece plastic-eye-candy from a department store! :D

Sustain-a-what?

Today while at CVS Pharmacy I purchased Organic Wear blush and bronzer. I wasn't planning on purchasing green makeup until absolutely necessary, but I decided to buy it after discovering my prescriptions were suddenly covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and therefore only five dollars! But this got me to thinking, how is buying this green make-up making my life more sustainable? What is sustainability anyway?

Merriam-webster.com tells me that the definition is "of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged."  This definition, however, doesn't relate directly to my life. Traveling to CVS for supplies doesn't equate to harvesting a resource for me. The resources have already been harvested and I am simply using them. I don't have control over the resources harvested, except through the indirect power of the consumer. So what does sustainability mean specifically in my life? I've thought about it and while I don't have much control over the amount of resources being harvested right now, I do have control over how much of those resources I personally use and how much I "give back" to the planet in the way of recycling and being picky in my product purchases. 

I feel like the majority of the human population is living out of balance in their environment. Most creatures on this planet live balanced existences - if they don't, they soon perish. Nature is the equalizer who calls in the debts owed. I honestly think the theory of natural population control over time has some merit. The laws of nature are harsh and one population can exploit resources for so long before there isn't enough to sustain any population. Already our population is facing distribution and scarcity problems for many. Whenever I think about this, I think about the people of Easter Island. How can that situation not apply to the whole world - an island of resources in space?

The key to a successful population is balance. Give back to the system as much as you take out of it. The residents of Easter Island failed to give back as many trees as they took and they soon ran out of trees. I, personally, do not have the power to guarantee everyone individually will give back to the system as much as they use. I can, however, try and do the same in my life. This is sustainability to me. Giving back as much as I take out. If that means recycling as much as I can and paying a little more for "greener" products, then that is what I will do. I will recycle all of my paper (and there is a LOT of it). I will bug my roommates about turning off lights and unplugging electronics. I will continue to try to balance my lack of funds with my desire to buy local or eco-conscious foods. All of this, not because I actually believe recycling this one can will make that big of a difference in the overall scheme of things (except indirectly, as I discuss in a previous post), but because these acts balance out my equation. I am doing all I personally can, or at least as much as I am currently willing (I am not willing to give up my car quite yet ...). This whole blog is an experiment, really, to see how much more I can give back. Maybe, if I give back enough, it can not only equal out my equation but also someone else's!

Sticker Shock

Buying groceries in bulk is better for the environment, right? That's what I am telling myself because after one trip to Sam's Club for groceries and other essentials, I am out $400. There goes that paycheck! I didn't realize saving money would cost so much. Luckily, the cost will eventually be split between me and my other three roommates, but as an initial payment it was quite a lot.

Only a fraction of the total, which filled the back of a jeep.

But of course, we won't have to buy toilet paper or paper towel for months. There is less packaging on all of our products and everything was cheaper per unit. So overall, it was a good thing. Plus, I won't have to pay for groceries for a long time (not only because we have a LOT of food, but also because my roommates now owe me money and will pay for future trips to the store.

While I was loading all the various foods and toiletries onto the conveyor belt, though, I had to wonder. How can all of this pure consumption be good for the environment? It is hard to see exactly how much extra we need just to live in a college apartment when you buy it in small quantities over time. When you buy a month or two's worth all at once, it really hits home. If I need 48 rolls of toilet papers and 10 containers of Clorox wipes to survive, I don't think I could make it in the wilderness. Then again, all of these supplies originally came from nature at some point. We have just diluted them and morphed to until they no longer resemble anything natural. It sort of proves how much we have separated ourselves from the wilderness.