Reflection of Weeks 9-12

I cannot believe that we are already in week 12.  Its scary how fast time goes by.  Its getting to the point now that we are all getting really busy and stressed out, but I also cannot wait until this semester is over.  Once again we have learned a lot on the last few weeks, but at first I did not even realize it.  I couldn't really remember what we had talked about, but when I looked back it all came back to me.

Advocacy
We probably learned one of the most important things this week.  I would assume that before this week most of us had heard of the word advocacy.  The problem is that I didn't know what it meant.  It can be defined according to wikipedia as aim to influence public policy and resource allocation  descions within political, economic, and social systems institutions; it may be motivated from the moral, ethical, or faith principals, or simply just to protect and asset of interest.

 Some other important things to remember include:

• advocacy is not a direct service
• does not need to involve conflict

I never really realized just how important this was expesially to our major. I also never realized that it was one of our seven responsibilities.  Im excited to see how the rest of it goes and hope to learn more because it definietely does not come naturally to me.

Another thing that I learned was more about my political represnetatives .  Being aware of who are leaders are is the first step in the advocacy process.  Also I was surprised at how much I didn't know, and doing the research really made me realize that I need to keep more up to date on that.  It was also really nice to see the different representatives from the different part of the states and the local governments.

Smart Goals:

We also learned about smart goals.  Most of us thought that we knew what they were exactly, but it turns out they were a lot harder than you think.  There are certain things that you need to remember when formulating one and they include:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

I think its really great that we turned them into our eco-chic life style change.  I think that its a really good tool to use to motivate us.  I have been making concious efforts to try and meet my smart goal each week.  Its also great to see everybody else and how they are doing.  It makes you want to try out some of their smart goals too such as

• eating organic produce
• riding the bus
• taking shorter showers

One of my favorite activities that we did this quarters was showing our photo essays.  Im glad that we got to see everyones it was really great. I could not believe the neat stuff that some people just had laying around.  Its also really great to see the progress that people are making in being more environmentally friendly.

Overall I think that this class continues to have a great impact on all of us.  It has made us more aware of what we do and how we can change things that we don't like.  I look forward to the last couple of weeks.

Share and Voice: Go Green During the Holidays Too

Since the Holidays are coming up I thought I would do something Christmas themed. Did you ever wonder what to do with your old Christmas decorartions.  Im sure we have all gotten hand me downs from our parents, but what do you do with them after that.  After all that we have learned this year we all know what can happen if you throw them away.. bad things.  Any ways there is some exciting news out that I heard on WCCO 4 news in the cities. You can now recycle your Holidays too!  Recycling lights isn't really a new concept, they are just making it a lot more convient by getting ACE hardwear stores involved.  Not only are we recycling,  but we are now even producing LED christmas lights at Target.  This Christmas they are hoping to collect 200,000 pounds of lights!   I included an interactive map that gives you a list of locations to recycle your lights at. 

For more information in this article you can visit:
http://www.recycleminnesota.org/
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/tag/recycle-your-lights/

Here is a list of locations you can drop them off at:
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/community-projects/campaigns/recycle-holidays-2010#map

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

My smart goal is:

I will eat 2 servings of vegetables (serving= 1/2 cup) and 2 servings of fruit (servings= 1/2 cup) 4 days a week, for the next 4 weeks.


I have to admit, that I definitely did not meet my smart goal this past week. I really did try , but it was just to hard for me to do it when I was on the road so much. A lot of it was poor planning on my part. I should have thought ahead and went to the store and brought me own fruits and vegetables.


One of the biggest challenges this week was being tempted by all of the bad food that was offered to me this weekend. Also I went out to eat at restaurants a lot so I didn’t really have much of a choice. One good thing, was that I did eat a lot of veggies and fruit, but the bad thing was that they were not in their whole form. They were in pies or hot dishes, so they don't really count.


One thing that I noticed this week was how crappy that I felt over the weekend. Eating bad foods really does take a toll on my body. I noticed that I had much less energy, and got a lot of headaches. Its crazy how food can do that.


One of the biggest things that I learned this week is to remember to plan ahead, and that you cant rely that you will do it when you get there. Its hard when your in a new place to do that, but in the long run I think that it will really help out.


This week I will meet my goal, and I am going to try and surpass it by eating my goal all seven days this week. I know that I can do it, but I just have to get to the grocery store :) I am excited to see how the week turns out.


Blogged for the Eco-Chic lifestyle change Week 4 Hosted by Amy@Amy in the rain

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

Neat Things From Goodwill

 Since we talk about Goodwill in class, and the importance of buying used items when you can I thought it would be a good idea to show some of the things I have found at Goodwill since I have been in school.  They really do have some great stuff!

This is a picture that I have hanging in my room.  Its actually an old vinyl record that I found at Goodwill my freshman year.  Its a really fun was to decorate especially if you like music.  Its easy to change if you want to, and plus it was only around $2.00, so its a really cheap alternative to buying expensive new wall hangings.

There is a lot going on in this picture, but what I wanted you to see is the vase.  I got it for 50 cents, and they always seem to have a lot of them in a variety of shapes and colors.

This is pretty self explanatory.  My roommates and I got this table from Goodwill when we were going to move in,  Its a great place to find furniture.

The shoes and the scarf are also some items that I have found there and fell in love with.  The shoes were new with the tags on them even.  

You can usually find some fun glass wear there too!

Last, but not least my guitar.  I had always wanted a guitar, but wasn't serious enough about playing to be able to buy one.  So when I came across this I was so excited.  I bought it for $15.00 and needed to put one new string on it for $2.00, so it cost me under $20.  It is such a great find and its all thanks to Goodwill.  

Remember to that its important to remember to keep your eyes open there and don't be afraid to dig, because you never know what you might find.