Reflection: Weeks 9-12

Wow, I know I say the same thing to start every reflection but WOW the days are just flying by! How is it week 12 already? I don't even realize how much stuff we have actually done until I do these reflections and actually take the time to look back on the past weeks. 
My favorite thing that we have done lately is our eco-chic lifestyle goal. I am glad that I finally had some motivation to get my butt in gear and start taking the bus to school. I only live eight minutes away from school but it has been amazing to me the amount of gas that I have saved over the past few weeks. I am actually pretty proud of myself for keeping up with my goal so well. I am constantly setting goals for myself but if they end up falling through it's never a big deal because I'm usually the only one that knows. Having other people tracking my progress has really kept me on track with this goal and it has made me reconsider changing my goal setting strategies for the future. 

Coming in at a close second place finish would have to be the photo essay we did. It was fun to let our creative sides out a little bit and practice our picture taking skills :) It was awesome that we got to share our photos with the entire class and let them in on what we had been working on. 
Another thing we have been working on is our advocacy project. I know it's bad to say, but I am horrible at keeping up with the political aspect of things. I am glad that I was able to take a look at some of the important people that help to make the decisions in Wisconsin and realize how easy it is to get ahold of them and make your voice heard. 
Over the past few weeks we have also watched a few films in class. Which I also really enjoyed. I really like watching the documentaries we have been lately because it's great to get to know a lot of the facts and not as much fiction about certain topics. 
Overall it has been another great couple weeks and I'm looking forward to finishing out the semester :)

Share and Voice 6: Saving Energy During The Holidays

The Holidays are usually a very expensive time of the year. Not only are the decorations running the electric bill a little higher, but there's also presents that need to be bought, big meals to be cooked, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention the cold weather this time of year isn't very easy on the heat bill. But wait! You're in luck! There's a TON of ways to save money and energy ruing the holidays! Here are a few ideas:

• Switch to LED lights
• Use a timer on your lights and decorations
• Decorate with candles
• Unplug appliances etc. when you go on vacation
• Plan ahead so you can cook multiple things at once instead of turning the oven on and off multiple times

Of course these are only a few ways you can save. There are lots more! Check them out at these awesome websites:

• About.com: How to Save Energy During the Holidays
• Consumer Energy Center
• Suite101

Share and Voice 5: Make Your Own Christmas Decorations

As a kid, I remember one of my favorite things about Christmas was making homemade Christmas decorations at school. I would either bring them home and use them to decorate, or wrap them up and give them away as presents. Not only is making your own decorations fun, it's a good way to save money too! I found this really neat website that has TONS of ideas for making your own Christmas crafts. Here are a few of my favorites:

* Using old burnt out light bulbs to make ornaments.

* Using an old cds and juice can lids to make cute snowmen

* Using old ornaments and lights to make a centerpiece













Check out the website for hundreds of more ideas!  Free Christmas Crafts  Enjoy!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

My SMART goal: I will take public transportation to school three or more days of the week for the next 10 weeks. 

Well, now that things have settled down a little bit, it's been much easier to meet my goal. Obviously I wasn't able to take the bus anywhere last week because I was home for Thanksgiving, but this week has shown much more promise. I have already taken the bus Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week! 

One of the biggest challenges for me this week was the temptation of driving my car to school due to the weather, but at the same time it makes me want to take the bus more because I don't want to have to drive if the roads happen to get really bad. I actually bought a new hat and mittens to make it easier for me to be outside now that winter is setting in a little harder. I am very surprised at how good it is making me feel to actually be meeting my goal this week :) My plan for next week is to make my SMART goal a little bit more challenging and take the bus 4 or more times next week. Wish me luck!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain.

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

For my photo essay, I chose to focus on unsafe living conditions in rental housing. The pictures I took are from a friend's house of mine whose landlord is very untimely with any problems they are having with their house. 

This first picture is of a panel that got pulled out in the basement in one of the bedrooms. As you can see there is moisture and mold behind the panel which is not safe for living and is definitely not up to code. 

These next two pictures are of the front door at their house. The doorknob is broken  and the lock doesn't work so the aren't even able to lock their front door! They weren't even given a key to that door when they moved in!                                                 

 

This is one of the many windows that are painted either partially open or shut in their house. Can you say fire hazard?

This is picture of their bathroom sink. As you can see it has been clogged for quite some time. Pretty disgusting if you ask me.


Make sure you know your rights as a renter. Don't let your landlord take advantage of you or your roommates. UMD has a pretty helpful website for knowing your rights and regulations. Check it out here:https://vcassl.d.umn.edu/kirby/off-campus-housing/