How Coronavirus has Changed the Way We View Disposable Products

The coronavirus pandemic has globally impacted every industry and the way we view things. Recently, I read an article about how many grocery stores are banning the use of reusable bags which means there's a higher demand for plastic goods. Because plastic is so cheap and convenient, there's a resurgence of the amount of plastic being used in the food industry.

Restaurants have had to transition to carry out options rather than the traditional seating of a restaurant. The carry out food industry has been booming which means more plastic and single use products to transport the food. As society was transitioning into using reusable products, the coronavirus has changed the way we think.






















While there is no evidence, the coronavirus is being transmitted through food or plastic is safer, the use of reusable products are off limits. Throwing something away that came outside the house feels safer to consumers. The governor of New Hampshire and the state of California have banned the use of reusable bags.

A recent PEW Research Center Survey found one out of five adults have used a food delivery service rather than making food at home due to COVID-19. As this pandemic worsens, people are more attracted to use plastic and single use products because they feel safe. How will this affect the environment?

While grocery stores and restaurants continue to consumer plastic, as individuals we can make other efforts to cut back on plastic. Try ordering out less and still continue to make food at home during the pandemic. Stop using single use plastic bags at home and try reusable products in your own home. Reuse the plastic bags rather than just throwing them out, can be used to carry lunches, trash bags, and other ways.

Top 10 Tips to Begin Living Sustainable Life

We live in an era where people are becoming more aware of their decisions and at least want to live more sustainably from reducing waste or reusing materials. I read a great article on Gineers Now, here is the link https://gineersnow.com/engineering/environment/top-10-tips-on-conscious-consumption-sustainable-living. As I have said before in my blog, little changes in your every day lifestyle can make big differences in the world. That's why I will provide 10 tips, and if someone starts being conscious of one of them, they will begin to make a difference.

Here are the 10 tips to living a sustainable lifestyle:

1. Reduce Use of Single Use Plastic - for example plastic straws, plastic utensils, and plastic cups and plates are a waste and can only be used once. If a product can only be used once, then must be disposed it's not a sustainable way of living

2. Cut Down on Meat Consumption - agriculture and farm animals are the biggest contributors to climate change

3. Reduce Food Waste - start composting food scraps and start own garden to produce vegetables

4. Support Fair Trade Products - fair trade has raised standard of living and reduces risk and vulnerability to farmers

5. Be Conscious When Buying Products - consider what you need rather than want and consider how long the product will last and can it be recycled

6. Use Public Transportation - using gas powered cars causes greenhouse gases which hurt the environment or consider carpooling to reduce number of cars on road

7. Give Presents that are Experiences - give gifts like tickets to a game or amusement park rather than a toy that will be thrown away within 6 months

8. Adopt, Don't Shop - talking about animals, visit a shelter rather than buying

9. Reduce Electricity - simple things such as unplugging chargers when not using and turn off lights when not in room

10. Practice the 5 R's - reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and refusing. Use energy saving light bulbs, shorten showers, buy reusable products, be aware of plastic usage, and buy environmentally friendly products

These 10 tips are all important, but take one at a time. For example, try to unplug all chargers when not using, turn off lights when you don't need, and shorten your shower. Make these a habit which will change your lifestyle slightly, but will make big differences in how you life a sustainable lifestyle!

Top 7 Environmental Issues in Construction Industry

The other day, I was reading a very interesting article and thought it was perfect for my blog! The link to the article is https://theconstructor.org/construction/top-7-sustainability-issues-construction-industry/39362/ if you want to read the whole thing, but I am going to summarize the main points.

The construction industry consumes about 60% of the world's natural resources as construction materials and developing buildings. Here are the top 7 sustainability issues with the construction industry:
































1. Global Warming - the carbon dioxides emitted by using fossil fuels when building, and the greenhouse gases emitted in manufacturing, transporting, installing, and maintaining construction materials
2. Loss of Natural Habitats - land consumption of natural resources results in loss of biodiversity which leads to loss of species
3. Acidification of Construction Activities - the process of fossil fuel combustion emits large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen which dissolve into water bodies
4. Air Pollution - construction results in airborne particles that are invisible but cause harm to humans and the environment
5. Toxicity - increases in atmosphere with presence of heavy metal
6. Water Resource Pollution - pollution of water resources reduces the ability to perform groundwater recharge, depletion and pollution cause hydrological cycle to alter
7. Deforestation - construction demands large land areas which forces humans to take over forests

This article really interested me because I see new construction sites popping up where I live all the time. New housing developments and school building near my house, the woods are being torn down so I have seen this effect firsthand. It's important to educate yourself and be aware of the effects of our choices have on the environment. Living sustainably means reducing carbon footprints, but these huge construction sites are not helping.

Susatainable living is about smart consumerism

I recently read an Aspen Times article about the owners or EcoRoots, Antonia Pitica and Alin Turcea, who saw the issue of overusing plastic in their everyday lives and decided to do something to change the way they live their lives. They believe "By removing plastics from everyday choices, individuals have the power to make a collective difference for the planet. Some everyday items made of plastic are: grocery bags, to-go cups, water bottles, and toothbrushes.

EcoRoots started to think how they could substitute these products with reusable ones that care about the sustainability of the planet, also while educating the public about the importance of everyday choices. EcoRoots is creating this minimalist, go green brand that considers future generations. EcoRoots believes they have an obligation to future generations to address pollution and climate change issues. These are issues our society faces but little to none change their action in order to help the situation.

As I've stated in this blog before, it's all about taking little steps to a more sustainable lifestyle, it's not a change that'll happen overnight. Most of the time it just takes one step in order to change your lifestyle completely. The founders of EcoRoots started their sustainable lifestyle journey by starting to bring reusable bags to the grocery store, which turned into trying to avoid plastic wrapped products, and switched to biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes.

I enjoyed reading this article because it reiterates a lot of points I've made throughout this blog about changing to a sustainable lifestyle. The main points are small steps will create big changes and it's not a process that happens overnight. If you are someone who wants to live a more sustainable lifestyle, think about your everyday routine and how much plastic and waste you create, then try to reduce that waste a little bit with one change tomorrow and make it a habit.

Food waste rising through coronavirus pandemic

I read an article published by the National Geographic written by Elizabeth Royte discussing how people are still wasting any enormous amount of food every day and these facts are from that article which will have the link below. 

Anyways, the response of the coronavirus has been people hoarding groceries and restaurants closing, which means more people are cooking at home. The biggest source of food waste in the United States is households, where leftovers go bad and are thrown away, milk spoils, and produce wilts. Nervous grocery hoarders are starting to understand they can't eat all the food they have bought, so food is going to waste when grocery stores are empty, and some can't even buy chicken. Even though waste at restaurants are slowing down due to the closures, it's likely to rise for restaurants who are shifting to only take-out. 

“This is a period of colossal readjustment,” says Andrew Shakman, founder of LeanPath, which develops technology to reduce waste in the food-service industry. “Food waste per meal tends to increase for our customers when their sales volumes are lower, so we expect operations that are running at partial speed to become more wasteful per meal served.” This quote is from the National Geographic article. 

So, what can be done? People who are cooking at home need to learn how to utilize all their groceries by keeping things organized or learning new ways to cook leftovers. Also, people need to understand food date labels, there's no reason to throw out food after its "best-before" date. 

Learning these new skills to maintain low food waste in a household is something that should be carried out throughout a lifetime, not just during the coronavirus pandemic. Hopefully, the things we learn during these times can be continued after this is all over. People are beginning to see the effects of food waste and food insecurity which will hopefully shift people into living a more sustainable lifestyle.

How coronavirus impacts the environment

Over the past three weeks, the only thing people have heard about is the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world causing countries and businesses to shut down in order to contain the virus. The coronavirus has stopped air and ground travel in regions around the world, which is actually reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Without factories and travel, the pollution levels around the world have been decreasing.

Even though the reduction in emissions is helping reduce pollution, it's not enough to shift climate change. In other points of history, economic slowdowns such as WW2 and the Great Depression, these events have made slight changes in emissions but haven't changed the overall trend.

As economic activity has slowed, the air quality in Europe and China has been temporarily improved, finally China can see blue skies. The way millions of people have changed their daily lives shows how it's possible to do help climate change. Some officials believe the pollution reduction in China has saved more lives than the coronavirus has taken. According to a Stanford scientist, the reduction in air pollution have helped saved over 77,000 lives in China either under the age of five or over 70.

The coronavirus is scary due to the unknown and how it spreads, people are going to grocery stores to stock up on food and toilet paper which has brought up another environmental issue of wasting food or resources. Due to the pandemic, the population is more aware that it's important to not waste food or resources because supplies are low more people are becoming self-aware of how much they waste.

The virus is forcing us to change the way we live our lives, we can't just go to the grocery store and expect everything to be stocked, it's forcing everyone to look at how they live their lives and forces them to make changes in order to help the environment by reducing waste and pollution.

This is an opportunity to act and drastically change the way we live our lives in order to help the environment. There are lessons to be learned socially we can easily change and it can have great health benefits. Improving air quality and reducing pollution will enhance everyone's life.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Top Worst Products for the Environment

The list above are the top 5 worst products for the environment that college students use the most in their everyday routine. College students must be educated about the consequences of each decision they make. For example, if college students understood how bad single use razors are for the environment they would switch to a reusable durable razor that will last years. 

Plastic bags are recognized for being bad for the environment, but it's estimated between 500 billion to one trillion are used world wide. Stop using plastic bags and invest in a durable re-usable grocery bag. 

How often do you buy a coffee on the go? Paper coffee cups are bad for the environment and the quickest solution is to invest in a reusable travel coffee mug. Some stores reduce the cost of the coffee when customers bring in a reusable mug too!

Plastic water bottles are a big problem in the pollution around the world. 1,500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second in the United States. Investing in a reusable water bottle will keep the drink more cold and reduce your carbon footprint. 

Batteries can be dangerous to the environment due to the chemicals that are used to make them. Also, mining for these resources is terrible for the environment. A battery contains one or more of the following metals: lead, zinc, mercury, lithium, as well as acids. 

Disposable razors are made with blades from cheap steel and handles made from cheap plastic. Two billion disposable razors are discarded in the United States each year. Since most of it can't be reused they are placed into landfills. 

The simple solution for most of these products is to invest in a reusable product that can be used for years and years. Single use and disposable products are detrimental to the environment since none of the product can be recycled, it ends up in the landfill. 

Tips to Help College Students Go Green

The term "Going Green" is similar to living a sustainable life, as in it's a lifestyle that in environmentally friendly and make conscious decisions to help the environment. Practicing more eco-friendly decisions will result in changes of habits. When changing one's lifestyle to a more green one, each student should think about where their food is coming from and how much trash he or she produces in a typical week.

Here are some tips to help student's change their lifestyle to help the environment:

Ride a bike around campus. Rather than driving a car around campus for a short distance, invest in a bike since it'll keep the rider in better physical shape while reducing carbon emissions. Riding bikes can be a fun hobby which can help propel more eco-friendly practices in someone's daily routine.

Unplug electronics when not using them. This tip helps reduce the amount of energy used in dorm rooms. Today, college students bring several electronic devices and all have different chargers that often stay plugged in throughout the whole semester, be mindful and unplug when not in use. Also, use energy saving light bulbs in dorm rooms.

Place plants in dorm room. Rather than buying aerosol air fresheners, use plants to improve air quality in the dorm rooms.

Use reusable water bottle. Instead of buying large cases of plastic water bottles where the plastic bottles get piled up in the dorm room, use a reusable water bottle. It keeps your water cool throughout the day and reduces the amount of waste someone produces in a week. 

Recycle! Most college campuses offer recycling in the on-campus living, it's important to properly recycle.

Avoid wasting water. Turn off water when brushing teeth rather than running it the whole time. Be mindful of the length of showers, try to reduce time.

These are some simple tips that anyone can put into affect tomorrow. Small changes will result in a large impact in the environment's health. It doesn't have to be a major change in someone's life to start to live a green life, people just have to take it one day at a time.

(Picture from Princeton Review)

What is sustainable living?

Since my blog will be about sustainable living, it's important to define what sustainable living means to me and the importance of living a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable living is a lifestyle where an individual or society tries to minimize the use of the Earth's natural resources and personal resources. People who practice living a sustainable lifestyle attempt to reduce their consumption of natural resources by altering methods of transportation, diet, and energy consumption.

Information is always better understood through firsthand experiences. In the link below there is the "Ecological Footprint Calculator" which is a quiz to find out how many Earth's it would take in order to current lifestyle I live. When I took the quiz, it told me if everyone lived liked me, it would take 6.7 Earths in order to sustain my lifestyle.

Ecological Footprint Calculator Quiz: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/

I will share some simple and easy ways to change your lifestyle into a more sustainable lifestyle that uses less Earth's and personal resources. The first is REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE. Don't buy plastic water bottles or use plastic bags at the grocery store, rather buy a reusable water bottle and use reusable grocery bags. Reducing amount of waste is the most important part of the 3 R's, since it's the easiest, so be conscious of the amount of waste you produce as an individual. 

The next thing to do in order to live a sustainable lifestyle is unplug phone chargers and other appliances when not in use in order to reduce energy consumption. Also, take shorter showers and don't run the water when brushing your teeth in order to reduce the amount of water used. Living a sustainable lifestyle can be challenging, but making minor adjustments to your everyday routine can help save the planet, such as no more plastic water bottles or unplugging appliances when not using.

Introduction Post to My Sustainable Lifestyle Blog

This is my first blog post on "Living a Sustainable Lifestyle as a College Student" and the reason for this post is to inform my readers the purpose of this blog and why it's important to me. I grew up in Western Maryland near Lake Linganore located in Frederick, MD.

I spent most of my free time as a kid exploring outdoors with my friends and families. My favorite childhood memories are riding my bike to the lake to go on boats, swim, and jump off cliffs into the water with my friends. I still have a passion for the outdoors especially hiking and fishing that I still enjoy when I am back home.

The reason for my blog is to educate my peers about how to live a more sustainable life that is helping the environment while saving them money. Small changes in your everyday routine can significantly reduce the amount of waste an individual causes throughout one's life.

If more people become aware of the environmental impacts their every day decisions make, they will be more likely to make environmentally conscious decisions every day. College students often don't take the time to think about how their decisions impact the environment,  so educating my peers about environmentally friendly alternatives can make a big impact to help the environment.

Throughout this semester, I will be discussing the importance and how to live a sustainable life by providing reusable products, ways to improve air quality in dorms, reduce waste in the kitchen, how to properly recycle, ways to educate peers, promote environmentally friendly options to school, etc. I am far from being an expert about this subject, but I believe it's important to educate one another about the reasons behind being environmentally conscious throughout our lives because people need to understand the reason why behind their decisions and why I believe it's important to live a sustainable lifestyle.