Chris Jordan- Running the numbers: An American self-portrait

Senior year of high school, our resident artist was a man named Chris Jordan. I really liked Chris' work because it had a message. I think it was impossible to anyone in the audience to ignore the message that he was trying to convey through his photography. The first picture that he showed us was of a bunch of paper bags. Looking at it far away, it kind of looked like tree bark, but if you looked up close, it showed 1.4 million paper grocery bags. The caption read that 1.4 million paper bags are used in the U.S. every hour.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#paper-bags

To be honest, its really hard to pick a favorite picture because all of the statistics are shocking, and really makes one think about everything that they use or buy.

One that I do think stood out to me though was a huge gray looking picture. The caption says, "Depicts 426,000 cell phones, equal to the number of cell phones retired in the US every day."

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#cell-phones

Heres the link to his website, because the statistics that he points out are hard to ignore:

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#light-bulbs

you can see his other pictures by clicking on the thumbnails on the right hand side

Tuesday - Laura

Since the end of the school year is quickly approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to figure out what to do with my textbooks that I will no longer need. I was searching amazon as well as many other websites to see how much money I could get for each book. Since the majority of my books are not textbooks, many of the websites could not give me any cash back. After talking to a few of my friends about how frustrating it is to have this stack of 12 books taking up space in my room, one of them told me that I should look into a guy here at Elon named Brian Allenby. Brian is a Junior at Elon who works for Better World Books. This a company that takes books and gives you cash for them. One of the cool things about selling your books to Brian, versus another website, is that for every book you give him, his company gives one to a child in Africa.

After looking more into this program, I found out that so far Better World Books had raised over $9 million for literacy and has given over 4 million books to children in Africa and other literacy efforts.

Also, every book that has not been found the proper home is recycled. So far, they have re-used or recycled over 60 million pounds of books, reclaimed more than 720,000 pounds of metal shelving from libraries across the United States, and also prevented 19,000 tons of carbon offset on BetterWorldBooks.com shipping.

This is such an easy way to help the environment as well as help raise the literacy rate in countries that are not as fortunate as us.

Check out the Better World Books website at betterworldbooks.com




If you have books that you want cash for, contact Brian Allenby at ballenby@elon.edu
He will meet you wherever it is convenient, scan your books and immediately give you cash for them. (He also buys them for more than the bookstore!)

American Spending

When I was looking up statistics on American debt, I read that, "Most studies show that the average consumer with credit cards still has more than $7,000 worth of credit card debt." Our country spends more today than we did twenty years ago. On the Forbes website, I came across a paragraph that said, "Americans moved in recent generations from cooking at home to eating out because they think they don't have time to cook." In reality, going out to eat costs about four times more then it would to just stay home and cook (not to mention having to pay for gas prices.) One statistic that I found particularly shocking was that middle income families spend about 1% of their income on education. If so little is being spent on school, then were is all their money going? Apparently an average American family spends about 2.5% of their income on electricity. Why do we spend more on phone and TV bills than on education? As a nation, we have our priories mixed up.

Eggs...

Since the Lorax does not really have any specific thing on anything besides consuming less I am going to steal some of You are What you Eat’s thunder and research an Easter favorite,  The Cadbury Crème Egg.  The Cadbury Crème Egg is my favorite candy of all time.  Let me just give it a rundown.  Based on a 2000 calorie diet the Cadbury Crème Egg has 9% of your recommended fat intake, 1% sodium, 8% carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar and 1 gram of protein.  All that combined adds up to 150 calories, and by now it does not seem that bad for you, but we’re going to list all the ingredients now. The ingredients are: Milk Chocolate (sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavours) sugar, glucose, dried egg-white, calcium chloride, artificial flavour, colour.  May contain peanuts, tree nuts.  Now that we look at all the ingredients we see that it might not be too good for us, with all the artificial flavors, and processed soy ingredients.  I especially like the milk ingredients part which I don’t even know what that means, milk ingredients???  I also do not like the glucose and calcium chloride.  I think if they made it all natural and un-processed it might taste even better than it does, which would be awesome.  I am surprised that they have real egg white in them which is good.  As far as where their made they are produced in the UK, and Canada, which is fine by me and I have no problem supporting food produced in the UK and Canada.  I’m not going to give up Cadbury Eggs because their one of my favorite candies and deserts.

My health obsession

Throughout my posts I have related saving money to maintaining good health. On this post I’m not planning on changing my pattern. This summer I plan to never drive my car. This seems like a bold action to take but I realized that everywhere I plan on going this summer is in biking distance. This will be the ultimate saver of money; I drive a BMW 328xi, which takes premium gas so obviously my pockets were getting murdered. I have been long distance cycling all my life so that lifestyle won’t faze me. This summer I have a job at the YMCA which is two minutes from where I live so biking from my house to the center wont be hard. What my biggest challenge will be is biking into the DC which normally is a 10 minute drive for me, so if my calculations are correct, on bike it will take me about 20-30 minutes depending on my energy that day. As the summer goes on I will get more and more fit and the commutes will probably be shorter. I’ve been researching the affects of biking every day and of course it makes you a healthier person but it will also raise your mood and spirit. When you can reach your target heart rate on a daily basis it will relieve you of anxiety and stress (not that summer is stressful). I am committed to achieve this goal and in the process save myself money and also my parents money. Along with the money and health aspect of this challenge I will also be doing a small favor to the environment by limiting the gas that goes into the air from driving. SO I’m killing three birds with one stone by not driving my car. The bike I will be using will be a FELT Z2, this is one of the lightest FELT models you can buy and while you use less of your body while riding it, it is a faster and smoother bike for long distance. The other bike that I was thinking of using would have been a slower bike that would make me exert more body energy and would make me reach my target heart rate faster, this bike is the FELT F95. Seeing as how I am riding on a bike all summer I don’t see the point in using a slower bike especially because I will be making trips that are pretty strenuous.

Saturday - Laura

After discussions, our group decided that we would focus our blog post for the weekend on Consumerism.

Originally, I was not really sure what consumerism is exactly but after looking into it and doing more research I realized that it is the concept that the consumption of unnecessary goods is what helps our economy.

A family friend of mine works at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, so I figured she would be a good person to talk with about the blog and the topic. The museum does a lot of things to help the planet and nature, one of which is the Planet Earth Celebration each year. During this day long event, people are encouraged to bring plastic grocery bags that are then braided and wrapped around a giant "plastic bag ball" that the Museum has created. This ball is supposed to represent the number of plastic bags that are used worldwide per minute - 1 MILLION. This ball is then used as a bowling ball to knock down pins that are made from Culligan Water Bottles. She mentioned to me the importance of not buying plastic water bottles and instead using re-usable ones. This is because it takes almost a half of bottle of oil to make each plastic bottle...which is ridiculous.

This whole Planet Earth Celebration is directed towards focusing on recycling products and also only buying organic, environmentally friendly products.

So not only does this idea tie into our main group topic, but it also helps partially diminish consumerism.

Here is the Museums website that talks a lot about the celebration that takes place yearly......http://naturalsciences.org/about-us/news/?select=1043
Also, if you "like" the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences facebook page, they are having a contest to see who is the most green and reuses and recycles the most.... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1446401502#!/naturalsciences

SUMMER

Since summer is quickly approaching, I figured that searching for some good summer items would be a good thing to blog about. Although not everyone is excited that bathing suit season is coming up, a good way to prepare for that is to eat organic foods that are healthy for you. Although an ice cream might sound more appealing than a piece of fruit, choosing the healthier alternative is what I chose to do when it gets closer to the summer (and something I probably should do all year). A good place to go, like I mentioned in an earlier blog, is LoYo or any other frozen yogert place. Not only is the frozen yogurt good for you but it can also satisfy that craving that you might have for an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Instead of piling on the Oreos or hot fudge, put healthy things on your frozen yogurt, such as different fresh fruits and granola.
Another thing that I looked at was bathing suits that are made out of organic materials. I do not have any bathing suits that are made out of organic material, but there are many positive reasons why you should look into what you buy and how the fabrics were made. The number one material that is used for making clothes is cotton, which requires a lot of chemicals. All clothing that is labeled “organic” uses material that has been made without using chemicals or pesticides. By buying organic clothing, you are not only bettering the environment, but you are also putting a healthier alternative up against your skin.

Here is a link to an organic bathing suit site…
http://www.whiteapricot.com/fab_finds/rm_top_swimsuits.php

Organic stuff

searching organic stuff in google and this came up.  I figured it was appropriate for all the ladies in the class.

Organic Jewelry

JT-Saving my money and saving my life

Since starting this blog i have cut down my use of tobacco and also of red bull. For the past 8 weeks I have bought a tin of Grizzly Mint pouches every week which cost-3.20$ so 3.20 x 8= 25.60$. So for 8 weeks ive wasted my money on a cancer causing product. Now my Red Bull intake over the past 8 weeks is also outrageous, I would say i bought 2 12oz cans everyday. 1 can 12oz costs 2.99$ or 6$(2 cans) x 8= 48$/week. So the 48$ x 8 week= 384$ WOW. 384$+ 25.60 (tins)= 409.60$. So for the next 8 weeks of my life and hopefully past that I will be saving 409.60$, I am happy that I figured out how much money I am wasting and now im ready to save all of it. Both habits that im cutting out are bad for me so I will also become a healthier person.

I am proud to say that since we've started this project, I haven't bought anything except for food. There are the minor exceptions though, with my preexisting magazine subscription. But other than that, I've been thinking about things I need and not just want. For this weeks challenge, I started recycling more. Since I recycle so much at home, I figured I should recycle other than just bottles here. I set up two trash cans in my room, one for paper products and one for regular trash. Before, I just combined both. It made me realize that I go though a fair amount of paper products. Also, Laura and I have started using reusable cups instead of ones that can be easily tossed. I think I'm making progress with this project. But I obviously still have a ways to go.

Searching

I am continuing my goal of minimum consumption.  Right now I am in the search for an organic golf course relatively nearby I'm having some trouble but once I find one I will put up another blog post.  This weekend I'll check if the course we are playing at is green or not but I doubt that it is.  Which is a shame

Tuesday - Laura

After dinner, a few of my friends and I went to the new frozen yogurt place on the edge of campus called LoYo. Considering that the main point of the “Lorax” is to conserve money and recycle, I was very proud of myself for the choices that I made tonight. As we walked up to LoYo, we saw a sign outside that said “Buy One, get one free”. So for the four of us, we only paid for the price of two. One of the cool things about this frozen yogurt place is that they use all organic foods and ingredients that are locally grown. Originally, I was not planning on getting anything when we walked in. But since my friend got something, she got one free...so I couldn’t let it go to waste. When I was in there, I also noticed that all the plastics and cardboards that they use to serve their yogurt in, like the spoons and cups, are biodegradable and made from recycled products. This is not only good for the environment, but it also made me feel good about how I was following the challenge that my group had been given! Although I do prefer YoZone over LoYo, for the remainder of the school year I will get Frozen Yogurt from the environmentally-friendly organically and locally grown place rather than the place with all artificial flavors and toppings.

JT "Dipping"

For the past year while at Elon I have picked up this new disgusting habit called dipping. Tobacco is horrible for you and can cause cancer. I have become addicted to it and now feel I that with this challenge it is the appropriate time to drop the habit. Originally I dipped tobacco because I wanted to see what all the hype was. Now I dip to relieve stress which is horrible. In my health and spirit class my teacher has given me an good alternative to dipping which is meditating, by taking out time from your day to inhale and exhale. Lately I have been putting the dip down and have began meditating. Not only is meditating healthier then dip but it almost revives your mind and body. My head has been more clear sense I have had this resolution and I am able to do more with my days. This challenge is essentially decreasing my risk of getting cancer and making my days more eventful. The main point of the "Lorax" operation is conserving money, while meditating I have not bought a tin for about a week. I save 5$ every week because I dont have to but time, this conserves the use of a harmful and also the bad affects of having to recycle something that wont degrade in the eco-system for decades.

Monday - Garrett

So this project hasn't actually been all that much of an issue for me.I don't have a car, so I end up walking everywhere, cutting down on gas consumption. I don't really shop for anything. I haven't bought groceries since I've been in college as I eat every meal at a dining hall. The one thing that I thought I could cut back in was doing laundry, but again I have a small advantage over the typical college student. I play college football, and while that is not directly related to laundry (and as such reducing on water consumption and spending money on detergent, drier sheets, etc.), there is something that I have only recently begun to take advantage of. After every practice, your clothes get washed. Now I decided to try something and my everyday clothes in with my football gear to see if it got washed. I came back the next day to find that yes, the clothes did get washed. So now I take dirty clothes with me to practice to get them washed. I save money because I don't have to buy detergent and drier sheets and I reduce the amount of water used as my clothes get cleaned with everyone else's on the team. This was my one big cut-back for the Lorax so far. Now i just have to figure out what to do next week.

4/8/2011

So far on this 90% less consumption project, I have only consumed gas in order to go play golf.  I have carpooled last weekend, but it is hard to carpool every time I go play because everyone has such different schedules.  I have been recycling all my cans, and bottles and not using lids on any of my cups.  As far as consuming less I don't really know how to do it without not buying food and gas.  I have only been driving to go play golf and nowhere else.  I have been turning off all the lights whenever possible, right now I am writing this blog post in the dark.

Wednesday- Emma

Unfortunately, like Laura, shopping is my kryptonite. While this project is going to be hard, it's obviously going to teach me a life lesson. I never really thought about the money that I was spending...at least not until I realized I was out of it. But where was all that money going? Most likely to magazines and new clothes and other useless products. Although I now realize that I do spend carelessly, I am proud to say that I consider myself a pretty green person. I don't remember the last time I bought a plastic water bottle, I NEVER leave my car running for longer than it has to, and I unplug everything when I'm done with it, or leave the room. I grew up in a family that recycles everything, and it usually makes my skin crawl when I see people throw away plastic bottles in the trash. Although recycling might be easy for me, controlling my spending will be a challenge. It obvously sounds spoiled to say that, but until recently, I never really thought about how much energy was being exerted in order for me to wear a new pair of jean. Now that I realize that most of my clothes and other products are from countries FAR away, I'm going to stop my spending (or at least cut it down MAJORLY).
I promise to take this project seriously, and hopefully by the end of the semester, my spending habits will have changed DRASTICALLY.

Tuesday's Post - Laura

I am a shopaholic. At least I can admit it, right? The worst part is, though, that more than half of the things I buy are things that I don’t need. Clearly, that’s an issue. Whether it’s a pair of expensive shoes or a new Dooney and Bourke school bag, I will look for any and every reason there is to buy something. One might think that with all the spending that I do I would look at my bank account and see that my balance is quickly decreasing and seize my spending, but that is not the case. That is why this group challenge is so great for me. For example, at the beginning of the school year, I was convinced that getting mail was the absolute BEST thing that could happen during the day. Since my mom obviously didn’t send me care packages every day, I decided that online shopping for sandals, dresses, boots, and any other material thing I thought of was a good alternative and would make checking my usually empty mailbox much more exciting. Unfortunately, my dad, who manages my money, caught on to my newly acquired habit and made me return the majority of the things I had planned on receiving. What is more disappointing than getting a package of brand new clothes that you have to return immediately? Since my dad has now caught on to my online shopping “addiction”, I am now very limited and controlled on what I can spend my now limited amount of money on. In order to start the challenge my group is given, I am going to start being more conscious on my own about the amount of money I spend per day. While doing research for my last group project, I realized that there are many other places that the majority of the population lives on less than $10 a day, some even less than $2. Not going out every few days to get YoZone and not online shopping for things that I DON’T need is something that I can do so that I become more conscious and appreciative of my own money. Although I did just find a really cute tote bag for the summer, I guess I will just have to wait until I really need it.