Penny may be a lot of things... but she is not dumb, that's for sure. If you could equate the attention demanded by this little dog it would basically be that of Paris Hilton circa 2004 when she was in her media hype stage. I have tons of toys for her. (I thought about going eco friendly with them early on and that didn't work out so well.) I had to return tons of toys to Petsmart because she has the ferocity of a pit bull so she is basically confined to Kong toys. But back to Paris Hilton, who owned a Chihuahua too FYI (which Penny is part.) She demands attention and tons and tons and tons of it.
This past summer, after 5 months of failed potty training attempts, and my soon to be gone deposit because of my carpet at my apartment, my mother was able to potty train her. Bless her soul, this woman was a God send! She had her going outside on command, and inside on a puppy pad (in case of rain, blizzard, or long library hauls). I keep Penny in the kitchen for part of the day while I am in class, so it was important that I didn't make her suffer so we also trained her on the puppy pad. And it worked! At night she would go on it too, and so long were the days of piddle accidents.
Penny commandeering the bed
I moved back to my lovely apartment and things were great... for about a month. And then it all changed. I got busy and she wasn't having it. She wanted to be snuggled and played with every second of every day. I started to notice that when I took a shower, she had a piddle accident RIGHT NEXT to the puppy pad. And I mean maybe an inch away. Then if I fell asleep on the couch... another piddle accident RIGHT NEXT to the puppy pad. If I fell asleep with her though in my bed... NO ACCIDENT. She went on the puppy pad. I started to use my sleuthing techniques and with reason, logic, and deduction (and by that I mean my boyfriend figured it out) I realized that she was PIDDLING ON PURPOSE!
That little stinker was doing it on purpose and I was going through mounds of cleaner, paper towels, and puppy pads trying to clean the mess up. So I had to do something because this paper waste was getting out of control and frankly wasn't very green. So in my despair I was checking my email and I got an awesome Groupon for a pet relief station half off.
It isn't real grass, and is probably made of lots of plastic and synthetics, but here is my idea. If I don't have to buy a bunch of chemical carpet cleaner, puppy pads, or paper towels, it has to be better in the long run! Right? Plus since it resembles grass maybe it will work because she will think she is going outside all the time and will like using it because she is already trained to do so. I really hope her pavlov kicks in on this one because it isn't for lack of care that she gets like that. I am pretty sure it is spite. She really is adored and loved. I play with her all day long. As I am writing this to you I am constantly being interjected by a game of fetch with her that frankly she is winning.
So I am starting to realize that there is no cookie cutter way to go green with your pet because they have a personality of their own. I am starting to adapt my ways of thinking about sustainability to work with her personality and her needs to turn her green.
Stay tuned for some posts on eco puppy nutrition.
Friends FUR-ever,
Penny & Stephanie
Running Total
$22 for the relief station + 1 penny from last time= -$22.01
This week's readings focus on waste reduction and predominantly recycling. But I want to de-emphasize recycling (though still important) and re-emphasize reusing. While this is a not a common problem to your average eco enthusiast, many everyday folks don't realize that recycling isn't the main proponent in the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" saying, it is the last. We all know that we need to reduce, I mean heck, I talk about it pretty much all over this blog. Always keep in the back of your mind "How can I reduce my footprint?". But then comes reusing. It is often forgotten and recycling is focused on because most of us remember the blue bin in our first grade classroom that we put all our construction paper scraps in. So I am going to shift to reusing.
Our reading had a lot about reduction which I
found fascinating, but I got drawn to the section on electronic reuse. With the whole fuss about the new iPhone 5 coming out, and people camping in line, and acting like nut cases for a little hand held gadget that quite frankly doesn't do much more than the iPhone 4 really, strikes me as interest.
A cellphone doesn't go "bad" it just goes out of style. So what are you going to do with your iPhone 4 now, since you have been tirelessly waiting in line for the epic release of the iPhone 5? Are you going to chuck it in the trash, or just leave it in an empty drawer? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? And you better not say trash it or disassemble it!
The popular non-profit organization Greenpeace tested the iPhone in 2007 to determine if it was as green as Apple has been saying it was, and they were unpleasantly surprised. In many components of the phone phthalates and brominated compounds which when burned turn into dioxins were found in tests conducted by an outside laboratory sponsored by Greenpeace. According to WHO, "Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer." They are even in what environmentalists call "the dirty dozen" when it comes to persistent organic pollutants. Basically they are really dangerous. Even more, Greenpeace found that the iPhone had a battery soldered into it so you couldn't even recycle it yourself if you want to replace the battery and continue to use it granted that was all in 2007. I wanted to find out how eco friendly the new iPhone 5 is since Apple has a mission to be as green as much as they can. In their reports they claim that the new iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 both are mercury, arsenic, BFR, and PVC free which is great because those were what was causing dioxins. But lets take notice to the follow:
Click on the image for the full iPhone 4S report from Apple
Click on the image for the full iPhone 5 report from Apple
Did you notice a 20 kg CO2e spike from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5! That is roughly the weight of an average 4 year old! WOW Apple... really sounds like you are committed to being green.
So I obviously started googling to find a way to reuse or recycle an old iPhone because let's be honest that is a lot of CO2e.
So what are some of your reusing options you ask?
1. Re-Sell your iPhone on eBay
... and make some $ back for the ridiculous amount you spent on this one
2. Turn your cell into a Remote using a simple app.
Yup, it is really easy and since you most likely have a bunch of Apple products it will work for your iTunes and Apple TV so you don't have to buy one. Other apps will give your more expandable functions as well.
3. Don't buy a Kindle... Just download the app... it's even FREE!
You won't need to spend more on an iPad or a Kindle when you can download it for free and use just your old iPhone exclusively as your new E-Reader. It is even more convenient because it is smaller.
4. Turn it into your fancy new alarm clock using just a dock (which you probably already own anyways)
Why wake up to a screaming buzzer when you can wake up to some sweet tunes. Your old iPhone already has your 10,000 song library on it, so wake up to a new song every day and use it exclusively as your alarm clock.
But if none of these are your cup of tea, and you prefer to drink the Koolaid then you can always
They offer a buyback program in concordance with PowerON where they estimate the value of your phone, you ship it in, and then receive a gift card to spend on Apple retail. So, not too bad of a trade off if you were going to get rid of your phone anyways; I guess you could always spend the gift card on a new adapter you are going to need since all of your accessories aren't going to work on your new iPhone 5. But hey, you recycled and that was on the of things that Captain Planet taught your right? Or was that your Kindergarten teacher?
Either way, no matter whether you traded your phone in, are still reusing it, or someone else is, it isn't leaking dioxins into the environment. Which was the main point I wanted to get across here. Capitalism, though necessary for our economy, and part of the American culture, doesn't need to be environmentally unfriendly. Sending your stuff back to Apple is kind of a great idea. It is going to get reused in another new i*insert another totally cool thing, like CAR here* and help me sleep a little better at night. With natural resources depleting, and everyone having excess things they don't even use there is no reason why we shouldn't Reduce, Reuse, and yes I am saying it Recycle.
So way to do your part Apple... Well kind of... but not really.
What can I say, I am still a Capitalistic American... But hey I still care!
P.S. I don't own an iPhone, I bought a used HTC on eBay and gave my old one to a friend who broke theirs! So see. It is really possible.
P.P.S. I feel totally accomplished right now because I did all the aforementioned phone jazz without even realizing I was recycling and reusing!
This past week in class we were discussing whether or not we believed in nature being truly present in a city. I happened to come across a really interest photo of a tree root system adapting. Enjoy!
In an attempt to green Penny I have been on the hunt for new sustainable hobbies for her. I have decided to keep a penny (the actual one cent coin) tally to see how much I can accumulate by the end of the semester. See how it plays out on my first adventure...
Since she is a pup she has a lot of energy that needs to be exerted. The only problem is, as a grad student, free time doesn't come often and when it does it is usually used to do the necessities. I.E. being errands, groceries, cleaning, resting if I am lucky, etc. Basically the not-so-fun stuff. I find myself often mindlessly throwing a ball for her around the house so that she can get some exercise other than our multi daily walks around me apartment complex. Since I live in a dog friendly area, it is necessary for me to constantly keep her on a leash, not to mention that the little bugger is quick and doesn't like following direction so letting her run about in one of our smaller grassy areas is unthinkable. All that comes to mind is cars screeching and her in the middle of the street.
So in an attempt to find her a new place to run and play in I remembered hearing about Bloomington's unofficial dog park from a professor last semester. She had said about how great of a place it was. So I started asking around and one of our fellow pet bloggers Allie P. told me that it is located near Griffy Lake. So I grabbed my boyfriend (who happens to know where everything is in Bloomington, and thank God for that since I barely know where I live) hopped in his car and set off for Griffy. It was a beautiful drive up there and he recounted to me the numerous amounts of time he and his brother would go flying down the hills on their bikes when they went on excursions. We finally started getting near Griffy and to my utter shock the lake was NON-EXISTANT!!!!
Let me reiterate about how shocked I was. I had done a bathymetry study on the lake only last semester and knew roughly the size and depth it should be. So to my surprise when we drove up and got out of our car and saw this...
Lake Griffy drained.
Photo courtesy of Bloomington Government
I was shocked. The lake was gone, dried up, and a grassy vegetated dry wetland looking area was taking shape. Immediately I had thought it was due to the high temperatures and relatively no rain that we had this summer. But once I got home I learned it had been drained to repair the dam in that area. So we explored the area for a bit and decided to hike up to where the lake remained (which looked more like a pond) and near the dam because that was supposedly where the dog park was.
I like to check things out before bringing my dog. Call me the over protective parent, but she is on the smaller side (8 lbs) and I worry about her health, mobility, and safety. Just remember SAFETY because we will get back to that soon.
Once I got to the top of the ravine we had a beautiful overlook of the pond. The sun was setting, it was one of the first cool nights, and there was a cute little family fishing over by the rocks. On our way down the ravine we got to the dam where you need to cross to get to the dog park. My boyfriend walking ahead of me, being the Hoosier that he is, is a lot more in tune with nature than I am... therefore not as fearful of his surroundings. Just as we were crossing the dam I let out a huge gasp, grabbed ahold of him and pulled him back. We had just crossed paths with a full grown Copper Head Snake. I am from Chicago so snakes are not something I am accustomed to seeing ANYWHERE! Not even garden snakes. I don't like snakes, they are scary, hiss at you, and oh yeah could easily kill an 8 lbs. dog.
This doesn't do it justice, it must have been at least 4 ft long.
Of course once I realized that it was a bit of a ways away we could take a good look at it then. But a man behind us came up quickly and started talking to us about it. Mind you he also grabbed his fishing pole and started to prod at it to see if it was alive while telling us how venomous and dangerous they are. So we quickly snapped a picture and this scene began to play in my head...
Now I know many of you are thinking what a silly girl I am for being so terrified of a copper head because they are fairly common in Indiana and the are definitely not a JLo killing Anaconda. However, mind you my mission. To find a SAFE place for Penny to run wild and free. I just can't bring myself to take her somewhere that she can suffer a fatal snake bit while I am trying to exercise her in a sustainable way. I thought it was going to be a nice little play place for her to make some friends and interact with run free and not get eaten alive by an anaconda.
So if any of you readers out there know of somewhere that I can take her where I don't have to be paranoid of snake bites please let me know because at this point she is still confined to the grass spots at my complex due to her curious and puppy like nature of getting close to everything. I just won't risk it with her.
Stay tuned for the next Penny For Your Thoughts adventure where I emBARK on a green dog food recipe. Will it come out? Will she like it? Will I even be able to get the ingredients?
Friends Fur-Ever
Stephanie & Penny
Running total of pennies collected from good sustainability ideas: -$0.01
P.S. Don't forget, if you are considering getting an animal always adopt from your local shelter. There are good animals out there that deserve homes and as Bob Barker always says "don't forget to spay and neuter your pet."
The chapters for class this week happened to be about building and
changing policy towards being environmentally friendly and about urban
sustainability. Rather than reverberating the general highlights, I thought I
would give two anecdotes about my time working on building urban
agriculture at Loyola University Chicago and my time working at Lake County
Stormwater Management Commission doing policy work.
At Loyola I was privileged
as an environmental action and leadership minor to have a hands on capstone in
a Sustainable Agriculture class… one that has forever changed the way I view
agriculture. My first day of class I was taken up to the rooftop garden and
told to build to plant beds, so I picked up a hammer, some nails, and went to
it. We built plant boxes to bring into the greenhouse to start growing the
plants that we would eventually move from the greenhouse to a plot of land we
were going to restore in an urban agriculture demo site for the city. Loyola is
a very affluent school, due to its private education tuition costs, so we were
able to easily get an endowment from the school for supplies to build season
extenders for the area. My group went on to make French Solar Pods, which were an
incredible feat in themselves. We put our good engineering skills to use and
mastered carpentry to design our own version.
We also supplemented the pods
with a low cost version that I created from hay bales, a tarp, and a pole to
keep the snow out. During my time of venting our little kale plants I was
subjected to many police interrogations. In this area vandalism is a typical day-to-day
action and I would consistently have to give my IDs and have campus security
come to verify that this indeed was my project and I was allowed to be working
on these sites.
This was unfortunately my
last semester at Loyola. But it did not stop the initiative. To our surprise
the university continued to welcome it with open arms, continues to fund the
site, offers it as a class and an outside club, and has become a very popular
urban redevelopment agriculture demo site for the city of Chicago. I had put
many hot hours outside digging our plots and many others in the cold frost of
the Chicago fall building this site. Occasionally when I go home, I like to
stop by and take a peek at the garden. They even have a fully functioning
composter that they use and have garnished enough vegetables to add to the
dining experience and the farmers market. I was fortunate enough and strong willed
enough to pursue a grant from Loyola University to help our class get the
funding for this site. We built some of the most intense proposals I have ever
done. Loyola was so impressed that they funded our initiative. Here I learned
that change is possible as long as you have the backing of the community.
I am sure that Loyola now
receives some tax subsidies and extra government funding or what have you for
this initiative, but they have also built a secondary campus that was given to
the school as an endowment into a whole sustainable campus. The food that the
dining hall/restaurant to the hotel there serves is local, organic, seasonal, and
mostly grown on site.
The campus is located in
Lake County, which I had the fortune of interning at this past summer doing
Stormwater Management at their commission. I was in charge of redoing a National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination Phase II website rebuild. This is a
requirement in the Clean Water Act to force municipalities to ensure stormwater
protection in their area to promote the wellbeing of their watershed. In
Illinois, watershed management is integral because of its close connection to the
Lake Michigan.
After pouring over the
Clean Water Act for about two weeks trying to understand Phase II I finally
came to the conclusion that not only was I confused, but also if I was an
“expert” (if I don’t say so myself) how the heck were regular municipal workers
supposed to understand this. That was the day I finally understood the
Stormwater Management Commission’s purpose. It was to make all these very
complicated, yet entirely necessary laws and permits achievable.
I spent the next two
months finding links on the EPA, videos, products, other sources, demo sites,
demo communities, and other forms of watershed protection measures for them to
be able to complete the necessary Best Management Practices required by the
Clean Water Act and the NPDES Phase II permit for them to finally succeed.
Although I finished the
rebuild outline, it is still under construction by our web designers and has to
be approved by the Board of Directors before the site can go live. If you
clicked on my above link you would be able to see what a mess it is. I will
post a link to the new one in a later blog post when it has finally gone live. I
cannot wait to see my hard work finally available to help municipalities.
One more thing I realized
was the great necessity that the commission was. Stormwater management is so
complicated and NPDES Phase II is a requirement yet an unfunded mandate that
without my work, I know many communities in the future will fail. Working in a
county commission has taught me the sense of community necessary. Without our
strong network of employees who constantly fight for our commission to continue
to be funded and become presented as a necessity in the community as well as
our strong backing by the board of commissioners, water sustainability in this region
would be unheard of.
Here is a little video for
you that helps explain what NPDES Phase II is about and is the majority of
local initiatives that I worked on in the community to promote sustainable
watershed development.
Penny may be a lot of things... but she is not dumb, that's for sure. If you could equate the attention demanded by this little dog it would basically be that of Paris Hilton circa 2004 when she was in her media hype stage. I have tons of toys for her. (I thought about going eco friendly with them early on and that didn't work out so well.) I had to return tons of toys to Petsmart because she has the ferocity of a pit bull so she is basically confined to Kong toys. But back to Paris Hilton, who owned a Chihuahua too FYI (which Penny is part.) She demands attention and tons and tons and tons of it.
