LIFESTYLE PROJECT
Discussions in class may have left us thinking about changes we could make in our lifestyle that would be beneficial to the environment, would be realistic to make, and might even improve the quality of our lives.
The Rules:
The idea of this project is to make changes in your lifestyle that will have a beneficial effect on the environment. The changes aren’t difficult, but they are significant. Mostly they will require planning and thinking about your actions.
You will slowly increase the degree or frequency of the changes, week by week, for a total period of three weeks. You can pick which days will count as your “project days.” The first week you will make changes in 3 categories for one complete day. The categories you choose should represent a significant change in your life. So, if you never drive, you may not choose the "Leave your car at home" category. The second week you will make the same three changes for 2 complete days. The third week you will make the same three changes for 3 complete days.
Keep a journal with entries for each day that you complete your project requirements. In the journal you should record exactly what changes you made. In addition, you should comment on the impact that these changes had on you or on those around you. How does all of this make you feel? If you discover that you have failed at something, discuss this, too. You might consider making the journals themselves environmentally-friendly; use email, write on the back sides of scrap paper, etc. The journals are also the basis for grading the project. For each week of the project the journals are graded out of 25 points. The weekly grade is based on the completion of the assignment and also on the quality of the journal and the degree to which you are adhering to the project. It is difficult to assign a letter grade for something so subjective, but some criteria include the effort you put forth, the depth to which you describe the details of your project, your sincerity and the commitment you demonstrate.
The Lifestyle Project involves making changes to your personal lifestyle. If you feel that these changes might negatively affect your health, happiness, and well being in any way, or if they conflict with your religious or philosophical beliefs, then you may choose another assignment. Choose any three categories from the six choices below. Don’t pick something that you already normally do, as the idea of this project is to make changes. Some changes won’t be possible in your particular living situation, so obviously you can’t pick those. But be sure to make significant changes. For instance, if you have a car, but normally don't drive it much, then just saying that you walked everywhere is not a significant change. However, if you normally drive by yourself to campus each day, go home for lunch, return to campus later, there are significant changes that can be made here. For instance, maybe you carpool with a neighbor or roommate and simply stay on campus all day (instead of going home for lunch). This is a significant change.
THE CATEGORIES
HEAT or AIR CONDITIONING - Expand your comfort zone by turning your heat down 2 degrees Fahrenheit from its normal setting. Continue lowering the heat by 2 degrees every week until you have reduced it by 6 degrees at the end of three weeks. The heat reduction applies for the entire week. Or if you are using air conditioning, turn the thermostat up 2 degrees each week. This option is limited to those who have control over their own thermostats and who have cooperative housemates!
GARBAGE - Spend each project day producing no waste at all. You will have one waste-free day the first week, then two days the second week and three days for the last week. The idea of reducing your input to landfills follows a certain hierarchy. The best thing is to reduce the amount of garbage you make by simply using less, buying less, and wasting less. The second option is to reuse whatever you can to avoid buying new things that will eventually end up as garbage. Recycling is the last option, to be used only when the first two options fail. So on your waste-free days you must live by these rules, and not contribute anything to the landfill on those days. Even though some types of plastics are recyclable, if you aren’t able to recycle a particular type of plastic, it counts as garbage. Make sure you write on both sides of the paper, make copies only when necessary, and use the backs of old paper instead of using a fresh sheet. It is considered cheating to just hang on to something until your waste-free day passes, and then throw it out. Toilet paper does not count as garbage; it goes to the wastewater treatment plant, not the landfill. Cigarette butts are exempt from this category as well because quitting smoking is beyond the scope of this project. However, all butts must be put in the garbage can, not on the ground or out your car window.
ELECTRICITY AND WATER - Trim the fat off your excess energy consumption by reducing your water and electricity needs by at least 50%. To do this, you can do the following things: turn the lights off when you’re not around; turn on only one light instead of two; study next to a window; leave the TV and the stereo off; cook meals that don’t require lots of burners at once or long cooking times; use the microwave instead of the stove or oven; take a shower at half the usual duration; turn the water down in the shower so it’s not full blast; take a cooler shower; don’t leave the water running while washing, shaving, brushing your teeth, or washing dishes; skip the blow dryer and electric razor; don’t use any unnecessary appliances; run the washing machine and dishwasher only when totally full; and hang laundry to dry instead of using the dryer. If you do all of these things it is possible to cut your consumption by 50% or more. The first week, you’ll do this on one day, and you will add one more day each week, until you have three days for the last week.
LEAVE THE CAR AT HOME - Experience the thrill of the outdoors by riding your bike, walking or taking the bus in your daily travels. Hitching a ride with your friends or roommates does reduce the amount of driving, but is also just too easy, so avoid that option unless there are no other alternatives. You will start with one day and increase the number of car-free days per week by one, until you have three days of bike riding (or whatever) during the last week.
EAT EFFICIENTLY - The production of meat requires a large amount of water and energy, and also produces considerable waste. Approximately ninety percent of the grain grown in the US is fed to livestock. If you ate the grain crop directly, instead of the livestock, you would be using resources more efficiently. For example, 16 pounds of grain fed to beef cattle produces only one pound of edible meat (Cunningham and Saigo, 1999). The majority of the calorie content is used up by the animal for metabolism. This means that you ingest only about 6% of the original calories produced by the grain crop. Another way of looking at this is by the amount of water required to produce different foods. For example, it takes 160 gallons of water to produce a loaf of bread, but it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef (Cunningham and Saigo, 1999). By reducing the amount of meat that we eat, we can have a smaller environmental impact. So, for your first week, spend one day feasting on healthy and delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and yes, even cheese doodles; just cut out the meat on these days. Add one vegetarian day each week, until you have three days by the end of the project. You should also be very vigilant about not wasting food during the project. Think of all the resources that go into the production of the food that are wasted if food is thrown out. Note: If you eat a balanced diet otherwise, you don’t need to worry about getting enough protein without meat. An average adult needs about 40 grams of protein per day (Cunningham and Saigo, 1999). Vegetarian sources of protein include whole grain bread (4 g per slice), beans (7 g per serving), pasta (7 g per serving), peanut butter (7 g per serving) and yogurt (11 g per cup). In any case, you should consult a physician or nutritionist before making changes to your diet or if you have any questions about your ability to complete this aspect of the project.
CREATE YOUR OWN CATEGORY - There are many different things that you can do to lessen your impact on the environment or to have a positive effect on the environment. Be creative and come up with your own way of making a difference. You could write letters to your senators, volunteer with the Sierra Club, spend time cleaning up the woods, set up a carpooling system or recycling system in your residence hall or workplace, find ways to educate others about the importance of conservation, or change your lifestyle in a way not described in the categories above. Invent your own category and discuss it with your instructor before the project starts.