Reflection on Bloggin

I found it quite easy working with Blogger, I liked that it was not difficult to work with and to learn how to do different things with it, such as adding pictures and changing the fonts different colors. I was able to work with it to get the blog my way, and it never frustrated me or gave me any problems. I enjoyed that you could pretty much set up your blog any way you wanted, every new post I would put would have a different font color or it would have a different layout for the pictures added. I liked that I could share my thoughts with everyone and everyone would be sharing theirs.

I do from time to time enjoy writing, especially if it’s an open topic or a topic of interest. For the most part I enjoyed writing every blog and commenting on others. Once I got started it was not difficult for me to write at least 250 words. If I ever had trouble it was starting the blogs. Another trouble I had was writing the blogs on time. Unfortunately I’m the type of person who procrastinates a lot, and when I would leave the blogs till Friday night, I would go out and be too tired to write them when I got home, so then come Saturday, I spend all day out playing soccer, and then at night go out with friends and I would completely forget the deadline. I think that the deadline should be more a weekday rather than a weekend. I think the fact that most people are used to going out Friday and Saturday nights helps you to forget that you have a deadline. However, if it’s on a weekday then it becomes another homework that you must hand in before going to class. I still think that the whole week should be given but it should be do a weekday.

I don’t think I learned much from the blogs of the rest of the class, however, I did enjoy being able to see different views on the same topic. I do think that blogging is helpful, it gets you to open up to a range of different people as well allowing you to be open to everyone’s views and opinions. I have never had a class that required us to write blogs, I wish I would have more classes that would require us to, because even though I would like to continue blogging, I probably won’t. I enjoyed this type of writing a lot more than the writing required of me from my other classes. I might just continue to use this blogger and just keep writing blogs, and use it as a way to express myself when I just need to express my thoughts and worries.

"Little Things" Make A Big Difference

After reading The Green Book I realized that some of these steps are simple but if you are not in the habit of doing them, then they are incredibly difficult to commit to. It just seems more convenient and comfortable to simply to not do them. I think that this is a problem that can be solved by the adults of today changing little by little and the parents teaching their children how they to do things so that it benefits the environment, us. If parents start closing the faucet while brushing their teeth they are passing that habit onto their children, they are helping save our environment and doing a great deed for themselves.

Little things (ranked from easy to do right now to the hardest)

1) Closing the faucet while brushing my teeth: I think this is something I can do if I set my mind to it and just do it routinely.
2) Reusing plastic bags: In my house any bags brought home from shopping is saved and used to pick up after my dog or for the garbage cans. However, carrying taking my own bags to go shopping is something that would be kind of difficult for me and inconvenient.
3) Not Flushing the toilet as much: This is something that I happen to find quite difficult doing. I do not use the toilet to flush just tissue paper or cotton swabs. I don’t think it’s in our control how many times a day we use the toilet, and I think that it is bad-mannered to leave the toilet unflushed.
4) Keeping microwave clean: It wont be too easy for me to keep my microwave clean because I do not live alone and I don’t have great memory to remember to maintain it clean.
5) Recycling: Is something that I find quite difficult because I wasn’t taught to do this while growing up. I will have to learn how things get recycled. I live in an apartment building where they don’t require us to recycle.
6) Unplugging appliances: This would probably be the hardest task for me because it makes it such a hassle to be plugging them on and off all the time. It takes time and patience and it’s something that many people don’t probably think of doing.
7) Keeping the shades closed: This is not something too hard for me to do because I spend most of my time outdoors, I do not need the shades open, specially during the summer. However, since I do not live alone it becomes a task trying to keep the shades closed.

I will promise myself that from now on, I will be closing the faucet while I’m brushing my teeth and in continuing to reuse plastic bags.

~Disorganized~

To be truthful I'm having quite a difficult time working on my paper. One of the reasons for that is that i've been having a few problems at home that have been distracting me a lot from my school work. Another problem that I've had has been choosing a topic. I happen to be very picky, and since we were allowed to pick pretty much from any topic, it was hard for me to actually narrow in on one. Now that I actually did pick my topic, I realized that there is a lot of information out there to help me write my paper. I'm still trying to figure out the order of my paper. I have been somewhat disorganized and in order for me to actually get my paper done, I will need to put a lot more from my part.

Reflections

Before classes started I had no idea as to what this class was going to be about. All I knew was that it was a writing intensive course, and so I figured it would just be like an English class that would reinforce my skills in how to write a research paper and how to find sources for my research paper. To my surprise it is a writing extensive class…. but we get to learn a lot about something very important and that affects each and every one of us, the environment.

Until I started taking this class my thoughts about the environment and it being connected to us was very limited. I was not aware of how connected we really are to our environment and the damage that we are doing to it. Watching Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," reading his book, and creating blogs has contributed to my new view on the environment. It has made me question everything I do. However, it gets me thinking and it bothers me that I can’t save our environment by myself.

I have learned that everything we do has an indirect or direct impact on the environment. It never crossed my mind that this class would end up teaching me so much and getting me to see beyond just living my life to the best every day, abusing our environment, and having no regard for how the future generations will suffer the consequences.

I enjoy writing these blogs they help me put my thoughts in order and by allowing us to comment on other people’s blogs I get to see the impact this class is having on all of us. I think the first blog was the simplest of them all. It was about what I did for the environment, and to my surprise I came to realize that all of my actions were indirectly connected to the environment. The next blog was about the film we watched called Annie says "The story stuff" in this film she showed us how the system runs and how it is tied into the environment. This blog made me realize that we are in this cycle where we are abusing what our environment is giving us for our personal use and to make life easier for ourselves. The third blog was about how my passion ties into the journey I am taking in life.

I have realized that not only can we help our environment by changing things in our life style but there are also many other ways. Now a days you can easily go on a computer and be part of helping save the environment, our environment. Website such as these…. http://ga3.org/campaign/adv_earth_day_2007 allow for us to participate and be a part of the solution to saving our environment.

Websites
http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm
http://ga3.org/campaign/adv_earth_day_2007

"The Story of Stuff"

I happen to agree with the fact that in the U.S., most of our leisure time is used to watch TV, shop or being an Internet junkie. For example I do not watch TV at all, I might turn it on to check the weather but that is all. However, shopping and being an Internet junkie is my thing. I love to shop, it's relaxing and gets my mind of many problems. In one week I probably go shopping for about a total of six hours. It would probably be a lot more hours of shopping if I wasn't busy with classes, school work, and playing sports.

I happen to consider myself an Internet junkie. I go on the Internet everyday, for a total of about thirty-five hours a week. That's almost a full time job, spent unnecessarily browsing through websites and chatting online. All this time spent online being an Internet fiend, could very well be spent with family and friends or doing something more productive.

My leisure time is to relax and have fun. I enjoy playing sports, that is my number one leisure time activities. I get much joy from it just as much joy as I get from shopping. My leisure time schedule does match my priorities because soccer is a big priority in my life.

In class, I enjoy the fact that we get to write blogs and comment on other peoples’ thoughts. I am not the type to write a lot or share my thoughts with strangers but I am growing to like to it. I think that class is very productive for me. I have leaned quite a few things from this class so far. “The Story of Stuff” is interesting and gets you thinking where you stand.

Blog One

As soon as I wake up many of the things I do, if not all the things I do affect my environment as well as the environment affects me. As soon as I wake up I go and brush my teeth, I have the bad habit of letting the water run while I’m not using it. Instead of closing the faucet and saving water I allow it to run for no reason till I’m done brushing my teeth and then I make use of the water.

On weekends, when I clean my room, I use windex and paper towels to clean. I use the paper towels that have been used to dry your hands, as a way to save paper and help the environment. When I’m outside I try my best to never litter, and I will hold on to any wrappers or garbage until I see a garbage can where I can properly dispose of it.

I do not use a lot of public transportation. I love to drive and whenever the car is available I use it. From time to time I may take the train to school or to the city, but I rarely go to the city. I usually just drive or get a ride to school, mostly because I am somewhat lazy and I’ve gotten used to it.

I would like to say I try my best to help the environment but when I really think about it, there are many little things I could do to help more. Many little and easy things that one could do to help save our environment, but yet we find so out of our way to actually do it.