The Power of Bicycles

 

 

Portland company B-Line Sustainable Urban Delivery is trying to change the way that goods are delivered by using bicycle powered freight delivery.  In 2009, Mr. Jones founded B-Line that delivers a range of goods including produce, baked goods, coffee, bike parts, office supplies, and an array of other things. The bikes cargo boxes are similar in size to small commercial vans (they are 60 cubic feet with a 600 pound capacity), but are having no negative impact on the environment. They currently have a fleet of 6 bikes that can make 150 deliveries a day according to Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones came up with this idea after realizing that delivery vans more often than not are not at full capacity. The company was expecting $400,000 in revenues in 2013.

 

 

Source: NY Times

In-Drive: Making me see my impact

 

In-Drive: Saving me money

Earlier this week I received my semi-annually statement for my car insurance. Although I was expecting the bill any day my heart sank as soon as I pulled it out of the mailbox. However, this time they were offering me a way to save money of up to 50%! I immediately began doing the research to figure out if this was something I was interested in, although I knew that saving that much money had me hooked.

 

In-drive is a device that is attached into your car and tracks how and where you drive. It then grades your driving (on an A-C scale) and determines your discount accordingly. These grades are based off of five criteria: annual mileage, left turns, right turns, braking, and acceleration.

 

So what's sustainable about that?

What I found interesting about this device was that it was able to help you drive greener with eco-data displays. It is able to tell you the MPG that you were getting on the highway and city, and also a combined measurement of the two. This device is also able to tell you what the carbon footprint is of your car! I think knowing this can make me more aware of the impact that my daily driving has on the environment and can help me to make wiser choices like not driving as often or carpooling more frequently.

 

Source: In-Drive

 

Ecological Footprint Update

Only a couple weeks into my footprint reduction, but I can see that my goals are actually being put into motion!

1. My first goal was to reduce my eating out consumption to only once a week and I can definitely see that I am working my way towards that goal. I can't say that I've only gone down to once a week, but I have definitely cut it down considerably. I am making more meals that will last me more than one day so I don't have to cook as often which has been helping considerably.

2. My second goal was to reduce meat intake to only once a day. I can say that this goal has gone the most positively. I haven't had any troubles cutting out meat for lunch or dinner (depending on the day) and have actually found that I'm eating a larger varieties of foods.

3. My third goal was to reduce my shower times. Although I have yet to put a timer in the bathroom I can ensure that I have cut down my shower times considerably. I try to "get in and get out" rather than stand in the shower like I usually would. I do occasionally still have that extra long shower, especially on cold mornings!



TRESemme

TRESemme-used by professionals
Unlike most products I've used I have been using TRESemme shampoo and conditioner for quite awhile. I usually like to change products every so often to experiment and see what I like, but I've found that for me TRESemme leaves my hair exactly how I want it; plus it smells amazing. The product I chose specifically was the Split Remedy shampoo.

Oh, the chemicals
Looking at the ingredients list is an overwhelming task. As I looked at each ingredient I realized they all had one thing in common from my perspective: I had no idea what any of them meant. Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, glycol distearate, tocopheryl acetate, and the list continues. I couldn't help but think that my lack of understanding of the ingredients label didn't just end with my shampoos. This is a common thing in almost everything I buy. Maybe I've always had a belief that my products wouldn't be hurting me because what kind of company would produce something that could cause health risks. Maybe consumers lack of knowledge has gotten us into this situation in the first place.

After looking up my shampoo on EWG's Cosmetic Database I found that my product scored a 4, which was only a moderate risk on the scale. However, two of the ingredients in my product were ranked as high risk. One of those being DMDM Hydantoin, which scored a 7/10. According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics DMDM Hydantoin is already considered a known human carcinogen by many government bodies including the United States National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Although the cancer risks from absorbing are not as well studied, people can be exposed by inhaling the gases from the product.

Ingredients:
Water, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl bataine, sodium chloride, dimethiconol, glycerin, fragrance, carbomer, styrene/acrylates copolymer, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, tea-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, citric acid, glycol distearate, EDTA. DMDM hydantion, peg-45m, ppg-9, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, pvm/ma copolymer, polysorbate 20, cocamide mea, polyquaternium-28, mica (ci 77019), titanium dioxide (ci 77891)

Can I live without TRESemme?
The answer is, of course. I realize through this that I should be more aware of the products I am buying and what ingredients they contain. I use so many cosmetic products and I can only imagine what the rest of their ingredients are. When shopping I need to look for safer alternatives that can help to protect myself and the environment against these risky ingredients. Because lets face it-do I really want to be washing my hair with a product that has ingredients linked to cancer?

My Ecological Footprint

Let me start off by saying wow, this was not what I was expecting at all. I know that I'm not the most "earth conscious" consumer and it really showed when I saw my results. I try to recycle when I can and turn lights off when I'm not in the room, but I am aware that there is always more that I can be doing. What I found even scarier was that I was lower than the country average-by almost 1.5 earths! Although this is only a short quiz, it really shows how much more we can, and should be doing to protect our planet and sustain life for many years to come. Although I am only one person, I think that small steps by individuals are what is going to improve this planet for everyone.

1. My first goal to reduce my ecological footprint will be limiting my dining out on a weekly basis. With a busy work and school schedule it's easy to convince myself that eating out is the best solution. Not only does this contribute to a large consumption of unidentified food sources, but it is also an unhealthy lifestyle. By reducing my dining experiences to only one time a week, including fast food and sit down style meals I hope to reduce waste and become more aware of the places my food is coming from. I will attempt to plan meals and buy groceries I need to make these meals in an effort to reduce waste.

2. My second goal also has to do with food consumption as I felt like it was on par with the country average and I felt it would be the best for me to change. For my second goal I will try to go meatless for one meal a day (excluding breakfast because I normally do not consume meat for that meal). As I already do not consume any red meats (pig, cow, or lamb) it has been a goal of mine to continue to cut out the meats that I do consume. I feel that this will be a good start to reach the goal that I have been trying to see through for over a year.

3. My third goal will be to take shorter, less hot showers. I am addicted to taking long, hot showers and I realize this is not good for the environment or my bank account. In an attempt to take shorter showers I will try to limit myself to no longer than ten minute showers (this may not seem very short, but to me that is one quick shower!)

I hope that my goals will help to reduce my ecological footprint and I can continue to think of other ways to improve my impact on the environment.