Best and worst of Luck.

Yeah, Dan here. I thought I'd post this in the morning, but I needed the sleep.
So, I go to bed wednesday night all ready to go to the Green River and have some fun with the WaterGuns I was bringing and have a good time...WRONG!!! I wake up in the morning feeling like someone shoved a brick through my nose and down my throat. Allergies finally hit me. The good news, we don't have school because of the storm (that I apparently slept through). so, I gladly take the day off to recuperate. Next I wake up at 2 AM feeling like said brick has been smashed over my last remaining top wisdom tooth. Good news again is that I wouldn't be able to get to school today because the bus system is out of order. Bad news, I can barely eat or drink anything. Darn Allergies...The good news is that I'll most likely be back in school on tuesday. See you all then!

It's Not Over!

2 weeks almost up for me and I love being a vegetarian surprisingly.I know I haven't posted in a long long while but in all honesty, I have nothing new to report. Still going fine with eating just veggies (obviously) and same with showers computer usage and buying locally. I bought an avo nice day from Greenfields market earlier today. Not to mention being a vegetarian has been a lot easier since my mom took me grocery shopping for vegetarian meals a few nights ago.

Video: Zachary, Chelsea, Pajamas, and Eileen

So we posted our video actually like before a lot of people (friday) but I didn't know that it had to be on the blog. So now, everyone can watch it. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DtV_qnyPYc

my post of postlyness

SO! I have done a very BAD job of blogging about my experiences this week. But in my defense, I really have not had anything to blog about! My lights have stayed off, my bags are all cloth and reused, my face has remained un-shaven, there have been no new toiletries, and my showers have been painfully short! the END

Delphinium

Friday 21^st, 2010

The challenges I choose to undertake were:

To use less electric lights

To not wear make up

No buying new clothes, only used.

To get no new plastic bags

and

To recycle EVERYTHING I can

As this being my last blog, I have made the executive decision to keep some of my challenges. I don’t care for the whole not wearing makeup thing, because see I love makeup and I think it is a good way to express what you think about yourself. You can enhance things you like, and cover things you don’t. So I don’t feel as though my make up makes a huge impact on the environment and it makes a bigger more important on my life. All though, I do think that I will keep up my recycling and my not getting plastic bags, those are both challenges that don’t impact my life too much because they are simple little changes. I feel like if I do theses few little things for the rest of my life, we make a difference on the environment.

Pansy

Thursday 20^th, 2010

The challenges I choose to undertake were:

To use less electric lights

To not wear make up

No buying new clothes, only used.

To get no new plastic bags

and

To recycle EVERYTHING I can

Today I was an exceptional rule follower. I don’t think I broke a single one of my challenges. I went to the Salvation Army, and hunted through the racks of clothing, and found a dress. That dress could have ended up in a land fill as someone’s trash, but instead it will be a part of my large collection of clothes. I also didn’t get a bag when I purchased it. I have been saving my iced coffee containers every day, and then when I have the car emptying my entire locker full of them into it to be recycled. I have found many things are recyclable that I didn’t know were like hot coffee lids, and some paper bags. I think the recycling everything has been the most rewarding challenge I took on, because it taught me about things I can use for the rest of my life.

Organic Vs. Non-Organic Burger - Our Video

Personal challenges:
1.) shorter showers
2.) staying outside an hour a day
3.) using no lights
4.) reusing bottles

My first week was pretty easy for the majority of my personal challenges. Using no lights is pretty easy since my house is usually dark for the most part. the only problem I Have with no lights is taking showers at night with no lights. I cant really see anything so i usually knock everything over in the shelves trying to get my 2 in 1 body wash. eventually i memorized where everything was in two days. The one thing i could not do is memorize the layout of my house i was always trying to find my way around for two weeks. Taking shorter showers was not supper easy since it feels like time flies by. So far the last two weeks i have not liked showers since they are short. Now that, that is over I'm happy. For reusing plastic bottles i just kept all my water bottles and filled them up with my well water, which is better than the other bottled water that i normally drink. If I want to fill up my Coke bottle i just go to a gas station in Turners and grab my fountain drink cup with me. Then i fill my fountain cup with coke and put it into the bottle and measure how many times it fills up, which is two times and pay for it. Staying outside for an hour every day was very easy for the past week and a half. The first day i was digging holes into the side of my hill i live on so that i can put stones into it to make a stone staircase up to my house, which was completed on the first day. The next six days were filled with following the rotor tiller and picking up big stones that it dug up. This just made me wish i did not live in New England because it s a pain to do. Now that i had all these stones i decided to make a stone wall at the bottom of the hill and by the fire pit. After that I helped my step-dad put tabacco netting up so that the birds dont eat our corn this year. During the next week i Helped my grandma, by breaking up her sidewalk so we could put a new one in. then i had to dig the dirt under it so the cement people could do their job. Then I came back the next day to move a huge dirt pile onto the bed my my step-dads truck so we could level out our drive way better. I mowed both my grandparents lawns on my step-dads side and my moms, which was an hour each. Then i figured on the last day i would take it easy for being outside for an hour and walked around Greenfield with a friend.

Fridays blog!

Since it was Friday and the two weeks were pretty much up, I didn't care about following my challenges any more. By this point in the week I was just so fed up with this project so I ate meat and I used a disposable plastic water bottle. I didn't feel guilty at all, I was just so mad at that point that I was ready for this project to be done. If I were to ever do this again, I would make sure I don't chose any rules that affect the way I eat because I'm so busy lately that when I get a chance to eat I eat what ever is around me. Other than not eating meat and using a plastic water bottle, my day was alright. I didn't wear makeup and I didn't use any plastic bags.

Thursday's blog!

So, since I've been working crazy hours, I haven't had the time to blog. Last Thursday went pretty well, I followed all of my rules except for eating out. I went to subway to get something to eat before going to work. I was very pleased with myself that I didn't get anything with meat.
Since the two weeks was almost up I really wanted to wear some makeup. I just started to get mad that I couldn't look the way I wanted to just because of some silly school project. After arguing with myself about putting makeup on, I just decided it was only another day or two so I should just suck it up. Other than that, I had an okay day.

I'm not addicted to blog posts, I can stop whenever I want!

yeah. Just needed to embed my Low Impact Videos in this 'ere blog 'n stuff.
here's the first take. Turn your volume up it's a bit quiet. (Rhiannon and I/ 3:06)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj01n7Z26HU

This second one runs a bit long (Dan and Randall)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUivFNbz0yc

Andrew Schick

Hello.
My challenges are keeping the lights off in my room, gardening, turning off all electronics not currently being used, and taking 5 minute showers.

I've been gardening. I turned my lights on for a while during the video shooting process. That's been my only violation. As for the other two challenges, I haven't been doing to good. I basically forgot about the shower one, and it's so easy to forget to turn off all the electronics in your room.

In order to increase the relevancy to the last verse of our rap video, I'm also taking on another challenge of not getting pregnant, ever.

Garden in the Ghetto

YouTube

It didn't like embedding, so I linked it~

Edit: For some reason the audio is really quiet, so I'll reupload it tomorrow with that fixed

Seb Matt and Alex Video Challege Final - HighQ.dv

Emily, Karen, Corey, and Kelsie's vid project

Alex Nichols - ~~~

So I haven't posted anything here for a long time. I've still been doing my challenges. Adding things to the compost, planting and working in the garden, recycling things, and eating things fresh if possible. Actually, I fulfilled two of them at once when I pulled up one of my radishes to see if they were ready for harvesting. They weren't, but I ate the tiny radish. Without washing it. It didn't even taste that much like dirt.

We also finished our music video, which is pretty great.

One last post

this was a pretty occupying weekend. Saturday Morning I did some service work with my crew for 2.5 hours. we pulled two shopping carts out of the green river by the empty trailer park. We also found what we thought was an engine block. We coudn't drag it out of the water, so I called my dad and he helped us tow it out of the river, along with the help of a man who just happened to be there at the time. When we towed it out, we found out it was made of stone. it appears to be the top of an old street post. If you want to see it, ask myself, Katie Kuzmeskus, Mari Roulston or Mr. Hornick where it is.

Kate Kuzmeskus- SO i completely forgot about the last blog

I can't really spend much time on this, but for the last few days of the challenge, It was probably the hardest for me. I really wanted to wear make up, and I completely forgot all together about the last blogs I was supposed to do.

This weekened was hectic, that's why there was no blogging for the lack of blogging over thursday and friday. I used reusable bags, and I didn't have to use any plastic containers. Like I predicted the whole eating less meat was the most challenging for me, but I managed kind of. For the most part, it went well, but when the challenge was over, I sank my teeth into some nice steak.

So this challenge will continue to go on for me, just cause I think it's a good idea.

Last blog?

This may be my very last post on this blog and I would like to say it has been a pleasure writing on here about how I am trying to make a difference in the world. I would also like to say sorry to poor liz who I spelled her last name wrong in the video, I swear there was an e there but movie maker cut it out just like it says celebrit instead of celebrity. I have done very well with carpooling for the past couple of weeks, and I have yet to bring home a plastic bag which is amazing. I have also been keeping up with recycling, it's been challenging but I have done a good job. last keeping the lights off has been really easy and I hope it has made a difference in the electric bill. I don't have a lot to say today, But I am hoping that I can keep up with these changes until college. Like I always say, "You can't change a person, but you can persuade them."

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! at the motorcross challenge center! watch monster trucks do AWESOME STUFF!!!! YEAAAGGAAHAGHAAAA

For the past two days, I have been working on my video project almost constantly. It's awesome, that's all I need to say about it. I haven't had the chance to really garden lately, although I did weed and water yesterday. I really like gardening, although planting things is most definitely the most fun. Weeding is pretty dull, and watering takes 5 minutes, so planting things is at the top of my gardening list. I don't know why it makes me feel so peaceful, especially because if I had been told to do it, I probably wouldn't enjoy it at all. It's a nice time to disengage from school, and I find that the next day I get a lot more work done at school, and don't have to do nearly as much at home. During this challenge, I read a book series of books that I wanted to read, something I haven't done in a long long time. I really enjoyed the extra time I felt I had when I spent a half an hour gardening rather than a half an hour watching TV or something.
Using only one glass was a good challenge, but it turned out to be really difficult when living with my family, who has had the mantra "put it in the dishwasher!" repeated over and over at them. I am now just keeping track of where my glass is, and if i can, I will pull it out of the dishwasher and use it again.
I haven't played any video games for two weeks, YEA! Chelsea didn't believe i could do it. This includes flash games at school, which I usually did during my ASCs. I think I will continue to stop my self from playing games at school, so that I don't have to come home and sit in front of the computer from 6 until 9.
I haven't eaten out, but I did buy some food at a convenience store a couple of times. I did only buy stuff when I was really hungry and wasn't going home for a while, so I was kinda proud of myself for this challenge.
Really proud of the quality of our music video so far, editing it today, wish me luck.

Tomato down!!!

This is a post for Thursday, I meant to post then, but forgot. On Thursday I had just gotten home from my frisbee game, and I went outside and started weeding the few tiny things popping up into my garden, its much easier to weed if you get the plants when they are small. While I was weeding I came across the destruction of one of my small tomatoes, It was utterly destroyed! I immediately thought to blame my sisters dog, but it turns out it was a cutworm, my mom could somehow tell what had killed it. So I planted a pepper nearby where my brave tomato plant had fallen. As for my other challenges, they are moving on smoothly, sorta. The single cup challenge is getting really difficult, but I am using the same cup more than once or twice, and keeping track of where I leave it, so I suppose that's progress. The no video game challenge is going fine, although my brother just bought a new game, and I really want to play, I think I can hold out until Monday though.
The no eating out challenge is probably the most difficult to define for me, I haven't gone to any restaurants or fast food places, but I have bought food at convenience stores. I'm not sure if this counts, but I will continue to think about whether or not buying a drink is eating out.

...

The low impact challenge wasn't really much of a challenge to me at all. I found that going outside, planting something, turning off unnecessary lights was quite easy. the only hard one was buying bottled water. It was too hard for me to just suddenly stop doing something I'm so used to doing and actually like doing cause it seems easier. Going outside more was wicked easy cause I wanted to go outside and as I spent more time out in nature, I found myself happier with myself and I felt more motivated. Spending more time out in nature benefited me and I am thankful for this project.

Weekends

Began filming our video for the Low impact challenge. in the end we couldn't get it off the camera in time. But that should be easy to solve. we just need to grab the film off it, then we can post that directly to Youtube.
Well, I guess i'll go over my goal for the week.

1. Use lesslights at home-Check
2. Turn off computer when not in use-Check
3. Shorten shower times to 5-10 minutes-Double Check
4. Make an avatar for the Four Rivers Blog-Triple check

I think that I didn't really have to change much in my daily life to meet these goals, but I still got the desired effect. I used less resources and had a lower impact on the environment.

done?

Well I'm not completely sure but I believe today is the last day of the challenge, but if it's not then it's too late anyways; I already ate meat and shaved this evening. Oh my, shaving was miraculous, to be able to feel the smoothness of my face was a feeling of utter joy; remembering what it feels like to be a child. I think Meredith will enjoy my new shaven face as well (she doesn't know that the challenge is over either). As for the meat, well truthfully I ate meat about 3 minutes before the day (and the challenge) ended so I guess a Bg+ is in order. The only sad thing about eating the meat early is that sadly the Polish meat-roll that I ate (no offense to Alex for he is a wonderful cook) was not really my taste. But nevertheless, it was meat.

Now that it's all over, the challenge, I suppose the teachers expect some type of reflection. Well here's my small little reflection: The challenge has taught me to savor what we have (lights, water, phone time, etc...) and while I don't know how much of my "cut-downs" saved the world, it was a good taste of the simpler life. This might be almost everyone's response but even so, I mean it; all of it. It wasn't half bad. 'Twas an experience, and a good one at that.

Goodnight.
Sleep tight.
Turn off all the lights.

Low impact finale

1. RECYCLE [coughcough]

2. Walk anywhere under 2 miles

3. No unneeded lights

4. No plastic bags.

Woot! Last day doin' low impact challenge for me! Wait, no, I mean woo! Curses, Nick Mesloh!

Anyways. Firstly, my last blog post was named after the song "Of Love and Colors" by Lisa Germano. I recommend you check it out, although most of you either wouldn't like it or don't actually read peoples posts and are only doing this because we have to.

Secondly, I'm urging the walking thing upon ye. If you walk, you can get nice, shapely, muscular legs like mine.

Okay, I'm done joking about my legs now.

So I guess I should do some kind of reflecting in this...I was going to wait until midnight, but my parents shut off the internet around 11. Now then, where to begin eh?

I can't really say I learned anything out of this. I kind of took the easy way out because, well, I hate working. That's a lie. It's more that I hate trying. Not that I have a small comfort zone, more so that it just works that way. My family's too big to do something drastic like eat all local foods. There was a birthday the same week we started. Red hair makes it hard to not shave. Not eating meat would be something akin to a two week fasting/starvation.

Face it, I take the easy way out whenever I can. Even if it means I suffer...at least I'm honest.

So am I gonna take anything away from this? Am I going to spend the rest of my life peeing outside and not shaving?

No. The only thing I'm taking away are new thoughts on Superheroes, thoughts on not wearing underwear, and a need to research that thing about ink and font sizes. Those, plus that one thought that I'll probably die never sharing.

By the way, who was it who commented on said underwear post? I'm curious.

So here ends my blog posts for the low impact challenge. Can't say it was fun, nor can I say it sucked.

May it rot in cyberspace Hell for all eternity.

5/21/10

My goals:

ride my bike instead of using the car to get to school, work doesn't count
use the computer for homework only, as well as email having to do with college
not use the radio or CDs, except for in the car driving to work
shower goal stays the same: 5 min or less

I met all of my goals. I rode by bike to school and then to the Miller Falls Rod and Gun club. I shot a .40 caliber SIG semi-automatic pistol. It was amazing!! There wasn't time for the Remington shotgun or the AR-15 assault rifle with a silencer so that is tuesday. Then from Montague I rode my bicycle to the greenfield library, then CopyCat then back home. My favorite hill was Poet seat going into greenfield that turns onto Maple Street was almost scary. Its been such a good day.

Eileen's Challenge

It's the last day of the challenge, but I have chosen to keep my commitments until midnight. It's getting harder and harder as the seconds tick by though. After walking the mile from school to my house in 85 degree weather, I wanted so badly to take a long cold shower. (Actually I needed to at that point, I was GROSS!) But I stuck by my commitments and only took a 5 minute shower. (And no I am no longer GROSS!)
I'm really sad that tonight will be my last organic and local meal. Well, I'm sure it won't be my last, but my mom is super excited to have me eat the same thing as the family for the first time in two weeks. My family isn't into the whole..eating healthy thing. They say would rather eat rubber. I know it's partly not true, my mom loves veggies as much as I do. But she isn't one to eat a healthy meal every night. So I've been cooking a separate dinner for myself for the past two weeks. I think my mom saw it as a stab at her cooking. :)
My latest contribution to reducing my paper use, came a few minutes ago when instead of filling out a survey and mailing it in, I took it online. That way is so much more convenient! Not only does it not use paper, but it saves me 47 cents for a stamp and I don't have to remember to mail it in, I just hit send!
Overall this project has been fun. I've learned a lot and had some pretty interesting insights, but I'm definitely okay with it being over at midnight! I can't wait to see the films though!!!!

Karen's Low Impact Goals, Day 9

My four goals are:
1. I want to use my paper recycle more effectively, and keep old paper to use later.
2. I want to reduce the amount of pages that I print and that I use for homework.
3. I will try to put my computer in sleep mode whenever I am not using it.
4. I will try to work a little in the garden daily, and move towards leftovers or unprocessed foods rather than things from a box for snacks.

On the last day of the challenge, I have just escaped from the bug ridden tomato bed. It might be cool and drizzling, but the insects are still swarming. I planted four tomato plants today, trying to spread them out with enough space between them and all the other plants. I have found through this challenge that I enjoy working out in the garden, especially when I have something particularly productive to do, like planting tomatoes, or cucumbers, or beans. I sort of hope that even though the challenge is over I will continue to help out in the garden a little. I really need these kinds of challenges every day, not just for a specific project, because being out in nature helps me to de-stress. Because of this, gardening a little every day, so as to eventually eat less processed foods and become more sustainable without use of the supermarket, was my favorite challenge. I think that there is really a link between peace and working sustainably with the earth. The act of educating children with nature, for example, so as to help motivate them and balance them throughout life, is in itself a way that humans are acting as the earth's tenders. What gives us joy is helpful for the earth, because it reduces the amount of fossil fuels emitted from packaging and transporting store bought food, and also because it is nurturing the land. This is part of what I discovered by trying to garden a little every day, which is not something that I previously had thought of myself doing.

My other challenges, to reduce my paper use, not print out as much, and use my paper recycle more effectively, were also slightly eye opening. It was not that I discovered anything particularly new, but just that I realized how much paper I use and how much I already have. I rarely ever use a full sheet of paper, and I will disgard a piece of paper, both sides, when it has just one line written on it. In this challenge reusing paper was difficult, because I was using the backs of papers from everywhere throughout my binders. However, I believe that I can actually gain organization out of this, by keeping all my notes for the day on only one page, as long as there is not previous writing on it. Today I did have a difficult time finding paper to take notes on, and I had a hard time finding my math notes later because they were not in order. The only paper with some space used and some space clean was in an obscure location. Yesterday I made sure not to print out my spanish project, and sent it by E-mail instead to Ms. Beardslee, which I usually never do. Despite this, I definitely look forward to clean sheets of paper to use, even if I do continue to write as much as possible on one page.

I think that goals like the paper recycling goal help people to become more aware of their own consumption, and that this is significant in helping to lower our environmental impact. I also believe, however, that an environmentalist should not be defined as a person who participates in these kinds of challenges regularly, maybe someone who runs their house on solar power, and who only uses recycled paper. We have to go beyond this to find our role with nature again. It is something that cannot be found only by eliminating impact, but by finding an impact that we can make, a sustainable way to work with the earth.


I felt that the challenge of turning off my computer was very simple. All I had to really do was change the computer settings and it did the work on its own. I would like to continue doing this, letting the monitor shut off when I am not using it, but I do not think that it is a particularly meaningful challenge. It is sort of like buying organic food at the grocery store and then feeling better about what we eat; it is just another easy way to stave off the guilt of not being healthy. Real change comes from lifestyle change, even though habits like recycling paper certainly help lead up to this. We need more gardeners! We need more people who see themselves as the earth's tenders, and make a way to live from this goal.

I learned from each challenge, but what I felt the most was being outside. I want to use less paper and shut off my computer, but the feeling I will take with me is of my hands plopping a plant into a hole, patting the soil around it, and the way my yard looks like a green forest jungle with light filtering in sideways sometimes. And how I wish I could be out there all the time. It is definitely important to get us to think of our consumption and the impact we have as members of a complex society, but in the end what is most important is not using the computer more to save paper. It is getting off the computer and experiencing what you are actually trying to help-and then living it.

Pro Active Remix Recycling Video

The End: Post #9

Challenges:
Whole Group:
Turn off lights that are not needed (Reduce CO2 emissions)
Personal:
Plant something every day (Offset carbon emissions)
Don't shave (Reduce polluted water/waste)
No plastic bags (Reduce waste/use of fossil fuels)
I will take shorter showers (Reduce CO2 pollution and waste water)

So I feel like something great is about to end, but it feels good in a way too. I look forward to shaving my (rather scruffy) face, taking a shower where I don't have to rush out. Not using plastic bags was not that hard and it is one of those things that I think it would be good to continue, even if I don't have to. I never did get around to planting anything, but I have no doubt that my mother will require my service at some point in relation to her garden. Turning off lights will not change, at home I always do because of the whole solar thing, and almost anywhere else I don't really have control over the lights. It has been a good two weeks, but to some extent I'm glad it's over.
-Timm