The End

The end. The project ended as soon as it started. Looking back and evaluating is the easiest part. 

We live in a digital world and we constantly depend on machines and technology to do things for us. Constantly, the media tells us how to live, what to buy and what will make us happier. But we are not happier. We are only creating a consumerist society. 

For the past week, I tried to use only public transportation. But when I had to go home for Easter, I had to drive my car around to get the necessary ingredients to prepare the Easter basket and for the breakfast. I like driving my car, I listen to music and it gets me places fast. But I realized that while driving with my best friend, I was not spending time with her. We were both listening to music consumed in our worlds. The next day, I decidedd to take a trip down the main road close to my house and I found many boutiques and antique stores with a lot of little things that have history, that belonged to someone else. Just like Jonathan Safran Foer and Colin Beavan mentioned in their books, these things have history and they have value. Unfortunately, our society no loonger appreciates that value because we have an abundance of stuff. 

During my stay at home, my mom dragged me into shopping with her which also went against my project. I did not buy anything for myself but I saw my mother carry out a bag full of new shirts and jeans. The stuff that she did not need because she already had a closet full of the same stuff. The stuff she will wear to work to make money, use that money to buy more shirts and wear those to work or other places....and the cycle goes on. Some critics of our society today are indeed correct. It is a cycle.

What about the treatment of chickens and turkeys and other animals that we eat? Walk into TDR or any other restaurant/cafeteria, it is almost impossible to find anything without meat. I was not allowed to eat meat for this week due to a religious observation. But the last two days of the project, I was exposed to anything and everything that was available. Even a simple salad usually contains meat. Just to think about how the animals were treated whose meat is currently on your plate. It's crazy! We should do something!

Last but not least, trash! Everything (not over exaggerating) comes in plastic/paper cover! I like buying bagels from Einstein's in MGC and the bagel is given to me in a paper wrapper. All candy is in plastic covers. Yesterday, I was waiting for breakfast in TDR hoping that it would be a better option. And when one of the workers carried out a full tray of eggs, the tray had a plastic cover on the top. It is everywhere! Plastic covered in plastic on top of more plastic!

Now, the hard week of no trash, no plastic and no technology is over. It is over for me but the environmental impacts that our current lives have are still there. What will we carry away from this project? What choices will stick with us? These are the most important parts of the project.

Mid-week Update on the Project!

As the project goes on, I am faced with more choices and more findings and more new ideas. Picking this week for the project made my project that much more interesting since it is Easter weekend and I left campus to go back home to Connecticut. So here we go down the list to learn about more of my failures...and successes at times.

Transportation: No more using the shuttle, I walked to CVS in Tenley! It was a nice walk and I enjoyed the weather! But.....Easter. At the beginning of this semester, I bought a ticket to go home for the weekend because Easter is widely celebrated throughout Ukraine as well as throughout our community here in U.S. Coming home included: a cab ride to Union Station at 3 am, a train ride up to CT, a car ride home from the station. The weekend is filled with "Go to that store and buy this...go there and get that." Escaping using the car is impossible!!! Especially preparing for Easter brunch. Although, I did find out some pretty cool stores around my house that are a walk-able distance away. Since the weather is nice, my friends and I enjoyed a nice walk around the neighborhood while doing some shopping. (Yes, shopping.)

Food: This is, surprisingly enough, is the easiest part of the experiment. The week before Easter is strict lent! So, ever since the experiment started, I only had meat one day therefore I am still on board with my project. I also found out some meat alternatives. For example, fruit salads are delicious especially when you make them yourself.

Consumerism: I broke the plastic rule in every way possible. I went Easter shopping while my mom did all the house work. And since a lot of our foods in the local supermarket come packaged in plastic, I ended up with a lot of plastic in trash. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was trying to limit the amount of trash. It is hard! I don't buy anything for myself that is in plastic or paper but I did end up having to buy plastic covered food for the Easter prep.

Technology: I learned that I can live without Facebook during the first half of the experiment! I only use my cell phone to call/text my parents or my friends to find out information that I need (convenience). But I don't use my laptop for more than three hours. Life is great! I have much more time to spend reading, writing and simply talking to my family.

Positive Impact: I did go to a meeting of a Russian Culture Club and weekly, I attend a Dialogue Development Group. I didn't have a chance to go to an event on campus but I am planning on attending one next week.

Health and Happiness: When I came home, I found one of my old journals that I used to write in. Going along with my goals of this project, I resumed writing in that journal. I write in Ukrainian so not only does it allow me to organize my thoughts but also I practice my Ukrainian so I don't forget how to write!

My project started out negative. I realized how much our society relies on using plastic, on technology, on driving. But as the project goes on and I make little adjustments to my life, it makes a big difference. I discover new things and I have more free time! This is great :)

Day 1

   Living deliberately, easier said than done. In my college writing class, we have been discussing the environmental impacts of our daily lives. And in my first day of the experiment, I have realized why it is such a problem. We depend on everything!
   Let's go down the list of my experiment and I will tell you all about how I broke every rule on the list. Well, almost every rule. When it came to transportation, it was a nice day and I was planning to go out with my friends. Perfect scenario for a walk to Tenley town metro instead of using the shuttle...accept my friends are not easily convinced that the walk would be nice. Food, no meats but so much plastic! Having breakfast in the morning, I realized that the boxes we get in our cafeteria, TDR, are not recyclable. Dining at Cosi, I realized that the bowl that contained my salad was made out of plastic. Plastic everywhere! One rule that I thought I would not break was the Consumerism part, besides the fact that it is my roommate's birthday so I had to get her a card and I ran out of shampoo. Well, it was a nice thought. But surprisingly enough, technology was the easiest part of this long and hard day. I had to use Skype to wish my sister, who lives in Ukraine, a happy birthday and other than that, I did not really go on Facebook too often so I did not break the 3-hour laptop rule. I checked my e-mail on my phone once in a while. And last but not least, I found an old notebook that I will use as my journal.
   When I was planning the project and thinking about it, it seemed so simple. Throughout the first day, I realized how hard it is to be environmentally friendly simply out of convenience. It is easier to put salad into a plastic bowl rather than wash a bowl after the meal is done. I've also started paying attention to other people and their habits. And my day 1 of the experiment ended with a simple conclusion, we produce TOO much trash. In my own experience, I realized that all those readings we have done in class and all those people talking about high waste, they were not over exaggerating. It seems that my project will be shifting and instead of concentrating on all the 6 parts of it, I will mostly concentrate on the consumerism/plastic problem while still trying to follow the other 5 bullet points. Wish me luck!

The Experiment!

Finishing my first year of college, I've only started adopting to the new environment and the new living style. And it seems that "living deliberately" is not easily mixed with "living on campus". Although, American University is trying hard to Go Green! (just like everyone else), there is still a long way to go. Writing a paper (printing it out), reading for a class (pring it out), grabbing coffee before work (paper cup), discussing latest gossip with a friend (text, Facebook). Living deliberately seems impossible! But I am willing to try. Most people assume that they are only one person and they can't make a difference by changing something in their life. What they don't realize is that if everyone made some effort, it would actually make a big difference. From April 3rd to April 10th, I am going to try and do my share! Interested in my experiment? Check out the outline below.

            Transportation: Currently, while in college, I use the metro all the time. Although, transportation is not an issue since I live on campus, I will limit myself to walking if my destination is within a half-hour walk. For example, I will walk from AU campus to Tenleytown instead of taking the shuttle. It will not only be environmentally friendly but I will also enjoy a nice walk. If it rains, bring an umbrella!

            Food: The food that I consume comes from our school cafeteria, TDR. While in college, it is hard to eat local food or consider any moral food issues unless you are planning to starve yourself. But I will limit myself to eating meat twice that week hoping to save some of the chickens and other animals that are highly mistreated on the factory farms.

            Consumerism: After reading the texts for this class, I’ve noticed how much trash I produce in a day. It was simple, I opened the trash can in my room and I was amazed. I am planning to limit myself by eliminating buying anything plastic, in plastic, plastic in general. I will stay away from shopping for new clothing as well as any other unnecessary things. I will buy only food. Hopefully, this will decrease the amount of waste in my trash can.

            Technology: Hardest part of the experiment and the one where I will make the most change. I am planning to give up my laptop. Not completely, because that is simply impossible. I will use my laptop for three hours a day strictly for school work. I will limit to checking my Facebook and e-mail once a day on my phone and/or on my laptop. As much as my laptop is a convenience, Facebook, etc. is also a big distraction.

            Positive Impact/ Political Action: This seems to be the area where the least impact will be done. I am usually happy to get involved but taking five classes at a time and working can sometimes prevent involving as much as I would like. During the week of the experiment, I will attend at least two events hosted on AU campus as well as attend a meeting of one of the many clubs on campus that I haven’t had a chance to find out anything about. This might lead to me joining a club or getting involved in something interesting.

            Health and Happiness: This area seems to be the only one where I am on track. I usually like to go for a run at night or just simply take a walk. But during the week of the experiment, I will also go back to writing in my journal. Sometimes, the amount of thoughts circulating in my head is overwhelming and it would be nice to sit down and sort through everything. Eliminating the laptop usage might greatly help me achieve progress in this area.