In Lit 101, we have been discussing how to live sustainably in the 21st century when faced with challenging issues such as pollution, excessive consumerism, and detrimental food sources. In response to these negative environmental changes, I will be changing six aspects of my livelihood for the following week. These aspects include transportation, food, consumerism, technology, positive impacts, and health and happiness. I will be making these changes in order to challenge myself and to experience alternative lifestyles which are sustainable and healthier for the environment. My changes will be as follows:
1. Transportation- Because I work in Georgetown, I take the bus or an occasional taxi about eight times a week. Since I do not have enough time to walk the three miles to work, I will mostly focus on taking the bus instead of a taxi and ensure that I am always carpooling in some way. This will ensure that I am not personally contributing to excessive harmful carbon emissions or pollution to the environment.
2. Food- This week, I am going to delve into raw foodism. After reading No Impact Man and Eating Animals, I decided that there really is no justification for the cruelty inflicted upon animals nor for the artificial products inserted into our meats. As a result of this reasoning, I became a vegetarian. In order to “push the envelope,” so to speak, I am going to see how much effort and work goes into becoming a raw foodist. This means only eating fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, or other foods that have been prepared by means of dehydration. I anticipate this to be the most difficult aspect of the living experiment because, whilst being a vegetarian at AU is a breeze, being a raw foodist will prove to be much more challenging.
3. Consumerism- This week, I will not purchase goods outside of food products to ensure that I am not frivolously making purchases. I expect that this will result in making less waste, as I also am going to re-use all my potential waste products at least once.
4. Technology- Admittedly, I am currently using social media sites much too frequently. I often find myself procrastinating by checking Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. To reduce my dependence on these social media sites, I am going to keep a daily count of how many times a day I check these websites in the hopes of reducing my use by 50 percent by the end of the week.
5. Positive Impact/ Political Action- This week I will be participating in a fundraiser for Push America, which raises money for soldiers which have been wounded in combat. This will help me become more involved in the AU community and make me more aware of the needs of local and national soldiers.
6. Health and Happiness- The one thing that I truly love to do in my spare time is run. I have been running since 7th grade, but, since coming to college, have lost sight of my passion. I will use this week as an excuse to rekindle my love for running as I intend to register and then start training for a half marathon. This will serve as motivation to continue my career with running as well as encourage me to push the mental and physical boundaries that I haven’t experienced since coming to college.
Is Push America affiliated with AU at all or is it just a separate organization that AU students are helping fundraise for? Awesome blog post by the way :)
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