Being in my final year at the College, I know all too well the workings of a dirtbag landlord. Like most of us calling the peninsula home for the majority of the year, I am often perturbed by the lack of quality affordable housing that exists downtown. I could go into a lengthy spiel about gentrification and it’s destruction of the culture that once existed in this city, but that’s a rant for another time. This blog post is centered around the dealings with of an unhelpful landlord and what it means to be self-reliant. Over the past few months my house has fallen victim to various problems including a leaking pipe under my kitchen sink to a broken fill valve in my toilet. Various calls and left voicemails have led to constant frustration with my current landlord. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. Luckily enough, I was granted a set a tools a few Christmases ago which have come in great hand when taking on various tasks around my house. With a little help from my handy dandy youtube app I can fix almost anything that goes array (besides the pesky squirrels that seemed to have taken up lodging in my attic).

Some basic tools that are good to have on hand:

-phillips head screwdriver

-a flat head screw driver

-an adjustable wrench

-a hammer

-duct tape

With these tools, most jobs are attainable even to the most novice handyman/woman

Being able to do things on your own is a big step to leading a sustainable lifestyle. Once you begin to recognize the systems that you rely on, you can begin to recognize how easy it is to take yourself out of those equations with a little self-taught know how. It can be really empowering after you have completed a task on your own. Even small tasks like changing a tire on your bike or repairing a pair or ripped shorts. Being able to do things for yourself can help things get done faster while also reducing the waste that is created by many of the systems we rely on.

WARNING: IF YOU ARE TO ATTEMPT ANY SORT OF ELECTRICAL OR PLUMBING WORK IN YOUR HOME, MAKE SURE TO DISCONNECT THE BREAKER OR TURN OFF THE MAIN WATER SUPPLY. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING THIS SORT OF WORK CONTACT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL.

-James Mulhern, Community Partnership & Sustainability Intern

You think the Girl World is rough? Wait until you realize what the Plastic World is like.

1.) Everyone has to deal with the Plastic World

Janis is right.  Almost everyone has plastic in their hair.  

This comes from the typical shampoos and conditioners that you use. If you don’t want your hair to be made of plastic any more, look at the ingredients! The two most common plastics used in beauty products are called polypropylene and polyethylene. If you want to be 100% sure, download this app that allows you to scan any product and will tell you if this product contains plastic:

http://get.beatthemicrobead.org/

2.) Karen’s excuse is actually legit

Although the research is very up-and-coming, there have been suggestions that ingesting plastics could be connected to human health issues.  So far, plastics have been found to negatively impact marine organisms such as oysters, fish, and marine mammals. Some of the problems include slower growth rates, digestion complications, poorer fertility rates, and DEATH.  

3.) Plastic is a Mean Girl

The plastic pollution you produce, not only affects you, but also affects the entire globe.  Since the ocean currents are constantly flowing, your trash can travel vast distances.  For example, when Regina George eats a Kälteen Bar and does not dispose of it properly, it enters the Atlantic Ocean and begins to breakdown into MICROPLASTICS.  A salmon then eats some of these microplastics and gets caught by an African fisherman.  Next thing you know, Cady Heron is eating that salmon, and Regina’s trash, in her happy hometown in Africa. Further proving that Regina George and plastic are life ruiners.

4.) So, how many of you have ingested microplastics?

That’s what we thought.
This is due to something called biomagnification, which is the buildup of toxins in an organism as a result of eating lots of other organisms in which the toxins are more widely distributed.  This means that at the beginning of the food web, organisms like phytoplankton only have a couple of microplastics in their stomachs, but once we look at our digestive system, that number is multiplied by the amount of organisms it has taken to feed you.

5.) Welcome to the Burn Book, Beaches

6.) Just tell plastic,

 

Mission Statement: To raise awareness in the College of Charleston community about how our actions affect the oceans and how to reduce our impact on a local level.

-Isabelle Sui and Elena Mpougas, Sustainability Interns & Project Leads: 71% Project

A couple of weeks ago, I was very excited to hear from a friend (thanks Paige!) that our hero/woman crush (not just on Wednesdays), the ocean explorer and conservationist Sylvia Earle, was going to be speaking in Charleston! Along with architect Jeanne Gang, she was serving as a featured panelist turned for a discussion entitled “Why Do Zoos and Aquariums Matter?” hosted by the Center for Humans and Nature and the South Carolina Aquarium. Other panelists included psychology professor Susan Clayton, President Emeritus of the Chicago Zoological Society George Rabb, and leader of Center for Conservation Leadership Dr. Alejandro Grajal.

The historical precursor for zoos and aquariums are menageries, which were collections of “exotic” animals kept by royalty or wealthy people. The purpose of a menagerie was solely entertainment- they were places where people could go to see animals that would surprise them and make them feel wonder. Animals were taken out of their natural habitat and little if any effort was made to educate people on the environment the animal was taken from or the animals and plants it would normally interact with in its native habitat.

Today, zoos and aquariums exist to educate and conserve as well as to entertain. Animals are kept in captivity as ambassadors for their species. Sylvia Earle credits aquariums with teaching her “at an early age that fish have faces, beautiful eyes, amazing behaviors and- although you would never guess it if you only see fish in a can or chowder or on your plate, swimming in lemon slices and butter- every fish is a unique individual…each represents the miracle of life.” Working towards sustainability requires building relationships between people and the environment, and in an increasingly urban world, zoos and aquariums may be the primary way in which many children engage with and develop attitudes about nature.

As we have learned more about how much species depend on each other and on the environment they inhabit, concerns about keeping animals in captivity has increased, and rightly so. Many zoos and aquariums have made efforts to build enclosures that more realistically portray animals’ natural habitats, and are improving ways to measure the health and well-being of animals in captivity. However, there is much more work to be done. Removal of animals such as primates, large cats, and dolphins and whales from the wild should end: it causes harm to the animals’ well-being as well as to the environment as a whole. Sylvia Earle believes that captivity of these animals should be phased out completely, and I agree (watch the documentary Blackfish to learn about the worst aspects of keeping large mammals in captivity).

Jeanne Gang is an architect renowned internationally for her innovative, environmentally sensitive designs. She is interested in redesigning zoos and aquariums so that they promote conservation and education over entertainment by sharing space with schools, creating spaces for people to sit and talk with each other about what they have experienced and learned at the facility, and redesigning or getting rid of gift shops “where visitors are invited to purchase plastic trinkets [which] promote the very materials threatening the health and well-being of wild animals—the plastics that create carbon pollution in their production, choke poverty stricken areas, and blight our ocean”.

According to surveys of zoo and aquarium visitors, emotional connections with animals are more correlated with pro-environment behaviors than awareness and understanding. Zoos and aquariums will be most effective if they can allow people to learn through experience, through interacting and engaging with the animals and environments that are on display. We should support zoos and aquariums that encourage conservation through engaging education, and should encourage other facilities to follow this example.

Link to essays by all the panelists: http://www.humansandnature.org/how-can-zoos-and-aquariums-foster-cultures-of-care-and-conservation

-Sarah Shainker, Share Your Story Project, Sustainability Intern

Think about your daily routine. Do you wake up and brush your teeth? Wash your face and hair? Then moisturize? Shave or put on make up? Although it may take as little as 20 minutes to complete these morning rituals, thousands of chemicals can be entering your body through these processes. According to the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Web Page, out of a “survey of 2300 people, on average, respondents use nine products daily,” containing “126 unique ingredients.” As long as the FDA approval stamp is on the bottle, we often pay no attention to the ingredients listed. For future reference, here is a list of the “Dirty Dozen, 12 Ingredients to Avoid in Cosmetics:”

1. BHA, BHT: These ingredients are commonly found in lipsticks and moisturizers, and they are possible carcinogens
2. Coal Tar Dyes: Coal Tar Dyes will show up as Phenylenediamine, or CI followed by a number. They are often found in hair dyes and lipstick. They are known carcinogens and are linked to brain damage
3. DEA (diethanolamine): This chemical, found in shampoos and soaps, makes cosmetics creamy and sudsy. They are also carcinogens.
4. DBP (Dibutylphthalate): DBP is commonly used in nail polish and is linked to hormonal disruptions, birth defects, and liver failure.
5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives: Ingredients such as DMDM hydantion, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate are formaldehyde-releasing preservatives that are used to increase the shelf life of cosmetics. They are also carcinogens.
6. Parabens: 75-90% of cosmetics contain Parabens despite their connection to hormonal disruptions, breast cancer, increased skin aging, and DNA damage.
7. Parfum aka Fragrance: Even though it’s only listed as fragrance or parfum on the ingredients list, these can contain up to 3,000 different ingredients within themselves. They can also be linked to asthma, allergies, and cancer.
8. PEG compounds: PEG compounds are found in cream based cosmetics and can cause skin irritation.
9. Petrolatum: Petroleum jelly is used in hair products to add shine and is also found in lip balms, lipsticks, and moisturizers. It causes skin irritation and allergies.
10. Siloxanes: Stay away from ingredients ending in –siloxan or methicone. They are found in hair products and deodorants and can impair fertility and cause hormonal disruptions.
11. SLS (Sodium laureth sulfate): SLS is a carcinogenic foaming agent found in cleansers, bubble bath, and shampoo.
12. Triclosan: This chemical is found in antibacterial cosmetics such as deodorant, cleansers, and hand sanitizers. It can cause skin irritation, antibiotic resistance, and hormonal disruptions.

If this freaks you out as much as it freaks me out, but you’re afraid you are too lazy to study the ingredients in the store, checkout the apps below that provide easy access to information on the side effects of certain chemicals.

1. Fooducate: This app allows you to scan the bar code or search the name of the product and find out everything you need to know about the ingredients.
2. Think Dirty (my personal favorite): Think Dirty is an app that rates the toxicity of your cosmetics and personal care products.
3. GoodGuide: GoodGuide, similarly to the first two apps, provides information on the ingredients found in household cleaning products.

-Caroline Kelly, Sustainability Intern 

Last year, as part of my fall break, I decided to attend a community service trip to New Orleans where we spoke with victims who had been affected by hurricane Katrina. We visited the ninth ward in New Orleans, an area that had been hit particularly hard by the Hurricane. In this neighborhood, a family had started a local garden which served as a meeting place for the community induced local residence to participate in a healthy hobby…gardening!

One Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the garden. Everyone greeted me so warmly and told me why they started gardening and that they hoped to continue with it in the future. At the time I attended, they had just begun composting and planting apple trees! I felt fortunate that I was able to talk community members, hear their emotional stories, and learn how they benefited from working at the local garden.

Prior to this event, I had never really thought about how beneficial gardening could be, but this experience showed me how gardening can be therapeutic. Many studies have pointed to the cognitive and health benefits gardening can provide; but there is nothing like observing these salutary effects first hand. After my experience in New Orleans, I knew that the gardening apprenticeship program was something that I would want to try as my first project at the College. I learned about different types of plants, and the small gardens that were being tended to on campus. I even had the opportunity to get my hands dirty and do some gardening with the help of other members from the Grounds Department.

This experience has heightened my appreciation of Nature and I only wish now that I had taken up gardening earlier! My mom was always enthusiastic about gardening. When growing up, and my family vacationed at our house in Upstate New York, my mom could be found outside the front of the house every morning gardening for hours. My mom always told me that gardening was her own form of meditation a change for her to replenish her spirit. I now am beginning to appreciate what she meant.

–Christina Hughes, Project Rotation Intern