Tuesday, March 18
Today is the last day of my month living with a low carbon footprint in New York City. Tomorrow I leave on a vacation with my family but before I go I wanted to summarize some of the highlights of my experiences during the past month...
1. The Farmer's Markets in Union Square
I would not have been able to survive my ISP without the hardwork of the farmer's who sell their crops at the market. I have met the most caring and dedicated individuals in Union Square. These men and women tirelessly shlep into the city in rain, snow, and sleet to provide local food for the community. Without their efforts I can honestly say I would not have been able to continue my ISP.
2. The Freegan's Trash Tour
On Friday night I went on a trash tour with two of my peers. We were familiar with the practices of the freegans since two of us are members of their email list. Going on a trash tour was something that we have talked about for months but finally found both the time and the guts to go. It was an incredible experience to say the least, I wish that every New Yorker would join these individuals just once to see the amount of food waste generated in just one day. We met up on 14th Street and 8th Avenue in a large group (around 25 people), we were a mixture of students, twenty-somethings, fifty-somethings, novice divers, experienced freegans, and three private school girls. We did just what you would expect we went dumpster diving, touring the various supermarkets and bakeries in this neighborhood. We gently opened their trash and found a cornucopia of edible garbage.
3. My Walks To School/ Public Transportation
I am grateful to live in a city with a widespread and dependable public transportation system. Even though our transportation system is not only dependable but also "green", I have spent the majority of my commutes walking. These walks have become the highlight of my day.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me make the last four weeks a success!
I'll post some more post-vacation!
xoxo Green Teen
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Freegans, Farmers, and Family
The past week I have been extremely busy with my academics. Finally it is spring break, a very exciting time for my Green lifestyle. On this coming Tuesday I will stop officially living my green lifestyle in terms of my ISP. Before the day comes I still have a lot of work to do.
Tonight I am going dumpster diving with the Freegans and a couple of my friends. I hope that this experience will help me be able to visualize the amount of waste we generate. I am really excited to explore this new lifestyle and to meet others who believe in freegan philosophy.
I am still shocked by the kindness and generosity I have received from the farmers at the Union Square greenmarket. These individuals truly care about the products they have created and are strong advocates for the slow food movement. The three most caring people I have met in this market include the woman who grows hydroponic tomatoes on Long Island, and two honey harvesters.
I will post some details from tonight later.
In the meantime, have a fantastic spring break!
Xoxo Green teen
Tonight I am going dumpster diving with the Freegans and a couple of my friends. I hope that this experience will help me be able to visualize the amount of waste we generate. I am really excited to explore this new lifestyle and to meet others who believe in freegan philosophy.
I am still shocked by the kindness and generosity I have received from the farmers at the Union Square greenmarket. These individuals truly care about the products they have created and are strong advocates for the slow food movement. The three most caring people I have met in this market include the woman who grows hydroponic tomatoes on Long Island, and two honey harvesters.
I will post some details from tonight later.
In the meantime, have a fantastic spring break!
Xoxo Green teen
Sunday, March 9, 2008
I am over half-way done with living my environmentally-friendly lifestyle, and spring break is approaching quickly. Today's post will be a mixture of all sorts of things.
Yesterday at the Union Square Greenmarket I bought 6 oz Ronnybrook yogurts for 1.75 (they are absolutely fantastic) whereas the same product at Yura and OK market are $4! I do not understand why the one local product in either of these stores is over double the price it is normally sold at. I have scheduled a meeting with owners of On Madison (the "new" Yura) to discuss their environmental practices or lack there of and will bring up their total lack of local foods on that date (if anyone wants to come with me or has anything they would like me to tell Yura please email me!).
Walking. For the past two weeks I have walked everywhere. This has been one of the highlights of my project. In New York City and in the United States in general we don't appreciate the simple everyday things, the pleasures we can get from just walking for the sake of walking. I am lucky that I live in a place where I can walk everywhere, but we New Yorkers need to take advantage of this. My walk takes me from to all different neighborhoods and is the most relaxing way to start and end my day.
I am generating a list of tips that the Going Green Committee and the Earth Club are going to post around Nightingale. Here are some of them (source: "The Green Book" by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen available at bookstores and Urban Outfitters).
My Ten Tips of the Day:
1. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth! This can save 5 gallons of water a day!
2. Download music (legally of course) instead of buying CD's. Every month 45 tons of CD's end up in landfills
3. Use a re-useable water bottle. It take 1.5 million barrels of oil to supply the United State's demand for bottled water in a year.
4. Send Text messges or emails from your blackberry instead of from a computer. A computer uses upwards of thirty times more electricity per a message than a handheld device.
5. Use re-useable pens. In one year Americans throw away 1.6 billion pens.
6. If you chew gum throw it in the trash not on the street or under a desk. The average american chews 190 sticks of gum a year. All of this gum added together is equal to the an area four miles wide and six miles long full of gum.
7. Use less paper napkins! The average american uses 6 paper napkins a day!
8. Turn off the lights when you leave a room!
9. Don't use plastic bags. Instead bring your own tote to the market.
10. Eat Locally! The average piece of food travels around 2000 miles from the farm to your plate. New York City has a plethora of farmers markets (see the link above).
XOXO
Green Teen
Yesterday at the Union Square Greenmarket I bought 6 oz Ronnybrook yogurts for 1.75 (they are absolutely fantastic) whereas the same product at Yura and OK market are $4! I do not understand why the one local product in either of these stores is over double the price it is normally sold at. I have scheduled a meeting with owners of On Madison (the "new" Yura) to discuss their environmental practices or lack there of and will bring up their total lack of local foods on that date (if anyone wants to come with me or has anything they would like me to tell Yura please email me!).
Walking. For the past two weeks I have walked everywhere. This has been one of the highlights of my project. In New York City and in the United States in general we don't appreciate the simple everyday things, the pleasures we can get from just walking for the sake of walking. I am lucky that I live in a place where I can walk everywhere, but we New Yorkers need to take advantage of this. My walk takes me from to all different neighborhoods and is the most relaxing way to start and end my day.
I am generating a list of tips that the Going Green Committee and the Earth Club are going to post around Nightingale. Here are some of them (source: "The Green Book" by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen available at bookstores and Urban Outfitters).
My Ten Tips of the Day:
1. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth! This can save 5 gallons of water a day!
2. Download music (legally of course) instead of buying CD's. Every month 45 tons of CD's end up in landfills
3. Use a re-useable water bottle. It take 1.5 million barrels of oil to supply the United State's demand for bottled water in a year.
4. Send Text messges or emails from your blackberry instead of from a computer. A computer uses upwards of thirty times more electricity per a message than a handheld device.
5. Use re-useable pens. In one year Americans throw away 1.6 billion pens.
6. If you chew gum throw it in the trash not on the street or under a desk. The average american chews 190 sticks of gum a year. All of this gum added together is equal to the an area four miles wide and six miles long full of gum.
7. Use less paper napkins! The average american uses 6 paper napkins a day!
8. Turn off the lights when you leave a room!
9. Don't use plastic bags. Instead bring your own tote to the market.
10. Eat Locally! The average piece of food travels around 2000 miles from the farm to your plate. New York City has a plethora of farmers markets (see the link above).
XOXO
Green Teen
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Cost Of Going Green
Today I was walking in Union Square when I saw two middle-aged women eating happy meals from McDonalds. This image seemed rather ironic to me since 1) they obviously were not children and they were eating children's meals 2) I had just walked through the Union Square greenmarket, a cornucopia of local healthy food choices. I would like to debunk the myth that local food because it is "too expensive" to be bought instead of conventional foods. On Saturday I spent seventy-five dollars at the farmer's market on a wide range of items (sixteen pounds of carrots and potatoes, two loaves of local bread, two pounds of local whole wheat flour, local pancake mix, twenty or so apples, two heads of cabbage, hydroponic tomatoes, a tub of butter, two quarts of skim milk, a large container of yogurt, local granola, maple syrup, and goat cheese. (A picture of these items will be uploaded ASAP).
All of these products will sustain me for the week (21 meals and some snacks) which averages out to $3.57 a meal. My old lifestyle would allow me to spend 2.17 on an ice coffee from Yura (which is mainly ice and leftover coffee served in a plastic cup which will take a hundred years to decompose) and a $2 farmcake for breakfast, if I wanted to do so. When I lived this way I spent much more money on food and for what? To add to Global Warming? To make Yura richer?
When someone tells me that local food is expensive I laugh because I honestly believe I am getting the best deal in town with my diet. Not only am I saving money but I have also never felt better physically. My increased walking and healthier diet have had a fantastic toll on my physical well-being.
Most farmers now accept food stamps, which levels the playing field, allowing local healthy food choices to become a necessity not just a luxary for the wealthy.
I honestly believe that anyone can go green by lowering their carbon emissions, you just have to take it one step at a time.
Please let me know of any green actions you have made recently!
XOXOX Green Teen
All of these products will sustain me for the week (21 meals and some snacks) which averages out to $3.57 a meal. My old lifestyle would allow me to spend 2.17 on an ice coffee from Yura (which is mainly ice and leftover coffee served in a plastic cup which will take a hundred years to decompose) and a $2 farmcake for breakfast, if I wanted to do so. When I lived this way I spent much more money on food and for what? To add to Global Warming? To make Yura richer?
When someone tells me that local food is expensive I laugh because I honestly believe I am getting the best deal in town with my diet. Not only am I saving money but I have also never felt better physically. My increased walking and healthier diet have had a fantastic toll on my physical well-being.
Most farmers now accept food stamps, which levels the playing field, allowing local healthy food choices to become a necessity not just a luxary for the wealthy.
I honestly believe that anyone can go green by lowering their carbon emissions, you just have to take it one step at a time.
Please let me know of any green actions you have made recently!
XOXOX Green Teen
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Days Ten And Eleven
Happy Weekend!
On Saturday morning I went to the farmer's market with my father to purchase my food for the week. My favorite market is the Saturday market at Union Square but you can check out http://www.cenyc.org/greenmarket for a list of farmer's markets in your neighborhood.
It was a wonderful experience, I love being able to meet the men and women who planted, cared for, and picked the food I was purchasing. For example the woman who grows hydroponic tomatoes was incredibly warm and friendly she informed me and my father that because the days are getting longer and her crop is now exposed to more sunlight the tomatoes are especially sweet this week. It is this connection with farmers that our country has lost. As we have moved to a world that is virtually without seasons, one can walk into a grocery store and buy strawberries 365 days a year.
Speaking of grocery stores, last week my mother went into Whole Foods searching for some dinner for our family and some local foods for me to eat and came out of the store perplexed. The only local foods she could find were a local green bell pepper, coach farm goat cheese, Ronnybrook milk, and some eggs. Why does a "green" store lack a local foods section?
In Saturday's New York Times there was a fantastic article written by a farmer about local foods you can check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/opinion/01hedin.html .
Unfortunately, I spent the majority of the past weekend doing homework (On Monday I have a physics test and a five page paper due on eco-terrorism) and thus I don't have any tips on being a social green teen this week.
More Later
xoxo Green Teen
On Saturday morning I went to the farmer's market with my father to purchase my food for the week. My favorite market is the Saturday market at Union Square but you can check out http://www.cenyc.org/greenmarket for a list of farmer's markets in your neighborhood.
It was a wonderful experience, I love being able to meet the men and women who planted, cared for, and picked the food I was purchasing. For example the woman who grows hydroponic tomatoes was incredibly warm and friendly she informed me and my father that because the days are getting longer and her crop is now exposed to more sunlight the tomatoes are especially sweet this week. It is this connection with farmers that our country has lost. As we have moved to a world that is virtually without seasons, one can walk into a grocery store and buy strawberries 365 days a year.
Speaking of grocery stores, last week my mother went into Whole Foods searching for some dinner for our family and some local foods for me to eat and came out of the store perplexed. The only local foods she could find were a local green bell pepper, coach farm goat cheese, Ronnybrook milk, and some eggs. Why does a "green" store lack a local foods section?
In Saturday's New York Times there was a fantastic article written by a farmer about local foods you can check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/opinion/01hedin.html .
Unfortunately, I spent the majority of the past weekend doing homework (On Monday I have a physics test and a five page paper due on eco-terrorism) and thus I don't have any tips on being a social green teen this week.
More Later
xoxo Green Teen
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Days Eight and Nine
Hey Everyone!
I haven't written recently because I have been exhausted from basketball. Unfortunately, yesterday we lost in the semi-finals against Friends. It least I will have some more time to work on my project.
Did anyone catch Oprah yesterday? She had a special on freegans in New York City, a group of dedicated individuals who choose not to add to the consumerism that our modern society is unhealthfully obsessed with but they find alternative ways to meet their human needs (ie. how they eat and what they wear). I have been very familiar with the freegan group in New York City since I am on their email chain and plan to go "dumpster diving" with them sometime next week. They are a group of dedicated and ingenious individuals who are a model for how we should look at our share of the earth's resources. I applaud Oprah for bringing these striking individuals on her show and for asking her audience to consider the wasteful amount we consume. Our society is addicted to shopping, and as one of my History teachers once pointed out the modern form of a church is a shopping mall. We as Americans consume way more than our fair share of the earth's dwindling resources and need to re-examine what we need versus what we just want.
So you might be thinking how does this all connect to the environment and global warming? For one thing our retailers are throwing away tons of uneaten food, instead of donating it to a food bank (since many are afraid of lawsuits for donating some slightly bruised fruit) or composting it. It is wasteful to throw away this massive quantity of food that could be eaten. The food on most grocery store's shelves is not local and thus by throwing away this food it is a doubly negative environmental impact. Also Freegans tend not to purchase unnecessary amounts of new clothes, the idea that clothes have seasons is something created by the fashion industry just to fuel more consumption. Most articles of clothing that retailers are selling have a largely negative impact on our environment. Even organic clothing isn't green since the cotton or material is often sent across the world to be sewn into a garment. The greenest purchase is one not made.
Please check out the freegan's website for more information: www.freegan.info
I will leave you with the words of G.K. Chesterton:
"There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less"
Xoxo,
Green Teen
I haven't written recently because I have been exhausted from basketball. Unfortunately, yesterday we lost in the semi-finals against Friends. It least I will have some more time to work on my project.
Did anyone catch Oprah yesterday? She had a special on freegans in New York City, a group of dedicated individuals who choose not to add to the consumerism that our modern society is unhealthfully obsessed with but they find alternative ways to meet their human needs (ie. how they eat and what they wear). I have been very familiar with the freegan group in New York City since I am on their email chain and plan to go "dumpster diving" with them sometime next week. They are a group of dedicated and ingenious individuals who are a model for how we should look at our share of the earth's resources. I applaud Oprah for bringing these striking individuals on her show and for asking her audience to consider the wasteful amount we consume. Our society is addicted to shopping, and as one of my History teachers once pointed out the modern form of a church is a shopping mall. We as Americans consume way more than our fair share of the earth's dwindling resources and need to re-examine what we need versus what we just want.
So you might be thinking how does this all connect to the environment and global warming? For one thing our retailers are throwing away tons of uneaten food, instead of donating it to a food bank (since many are afraid of lawsuits for donating some slightly bruised fruit) or composting it. It is wasteful to throw away this massive quantity of food that could be eaten. The food on most grocery store's shelves is not local and thus by throwing away this food it is a doubly negative environmental impact. Also Freegans tend not to purchase unnecessary amounts of new clothes, the idea that clothes have seasons is something created by the fashion industry just to fuel more consumption. Most articles of clothing that retailers are selling have a largely negative impact on our environment. Even organic clothing isn't green since the cotton or material is often sent across the world to be sewn into a garment. The greenest purchase is one not made.
Please check out the freegan's website for more information: www.freegan.info
I will leave you with the words of G.K. Chesterton:
"There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less"
Xoxo,
Green Teen
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Day Seven
Hey Everyone!
Yesterday was an average day of school, except for the rising stress level of the senior class. I started the day by walking to Browning for a switchday meeting, which was productive,but ran over. Since it was already 7:52 and I was only in the 60's, I ended up running up Madison to make it to school for my first period class. Surprisingly this was a rather nice to start my morning with a little exercise. I had school all day and walked home with Ilana. Last night I took a long nap when I got home and later baked cornbread out of local ingredients with my mother.
I am pleasantly surprised by the number of my classmates who have added some green practices to their day to day lives. A large number of my classmates now walk home from school and one even takes the stairs at her house. I am really proud of them for adding these good habits to their routines.
My earth club is planning a boycott of (the former Yura) On Madison, for one day during our earth week. This is to encourage them to adopt greener practices. I'll post more details about this event when the date approaches.
I am still searching for restaurants who use a large percentage of local foods in their menus, please let me know if you know of any. Today (February 27th) there was an article in the New York Times about a New York city store with local frozen yogurt (OKO), a green alternative to the ever so popular, pink berry. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/dining/27yogurt.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin Please check it out!
More later.
xoxo
Green Teen
Yesterday was an average day of school, except for the rising stress level of the senior class. I started the day by walking to Browning for a switchday meeting, which was productive,but ran over. Since it was already 7:52 and I was only in the 60's, I ended up running up Madison to make it to school for my first period class. Surprisingly this was a rather nice to start my morning with a little exercise. I had school all day and walked home with Ilana. Last night I took a long nap when I got home and later baked cornbread out of local ingredients with my mother.
I am pleasantly surprised by the number of my classmates who have added some green practices to their day to day lives. A large number of my classmates now walk home from school and one even takes the stairs at her house. I am really proud of them for adding these good habits to their routines.
My earth club is planning a boycott of (the former Yura) On Madison, for one day during our earth week. This is to encourage them to adopt greener practices. I'll post more details about this event when the date approaches.
I am still searching for restaurants who use a large percentage of local foods in their menus, please let me know if you know of any. Today (February 27th) there was an article in the New York Times about a New York city store with local frozen yogurt (OKO), a green alternative to the ever so popular, pink berry. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/dining/27yogurt.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin Please check it out!
More later.
xoxo
Green Teen
Monday, February 25, 2008
Day Six
Hey Everyone!
Today was an average day of school for me, full of classes and basketball practice. Nothing new on the ISP front, just the usual local lunch, and alternative form of transportation and overall lifestyle.
Today I would like to discuss why I am doing my ISP and what affect it has had thus far. I would first like to say that I believe that some of my peers and teachers seem to have the wrong idea about my ISP. Eating locally and using a combination of public transportation and walking to school have not been a major change from my old lifestyle. I am not starving or miserable, I am perfectly content. I am lucky to live in New York City, a place where local food is in abundance (even in February) thanks to the CENYC (Council of the Environment of NYC), and where public transportation is safe, affordable, and trustworthy.
The point of my ISP is to demonstrate to my community that by changing some of our bad habits, we can all together lower our Carbon emissions and help slow down Global Warming. I honestly believe that all it takes are some basic changes to our day to day habits. My goal is to educate our community and to motivate you all to apply some aspects of my project into your daily habits.
My personal environmentally unfriendly pet peeves include:
1) Caffeine addicts who do not bring their own mugs to coffee shops.
Did you know that Stryofoam takes over 1,000 years to decompose and is made out of petroleum, a non-renewable resource, that Dunkin Donuts coffee will last you twenty minutes but the cup will outlive both you and your great grandchildren. The paper alternative to Styrofoam, the cups Starbucks, Yura, and are unfortunately popular in various other coffee shops are also not a "green" option. These cups will last a upwards of one-hundred years, are not recyclable, and are often made out of virgin tree fibers.
2) Those who do not recycle.
3) The excess use of plastic bags.
Again you will use this bag for three minutes to carry your snack from OK market to school, yet it will stay in a landfill for over a hundred years.
4) Wasting water by keeping the facets running.
5) Those who do not turn off the lights after they are the last person to leave the room.
I would love to know if any of you are living any form of a "green" lifestyle (ie taking the stairs instead of the elevator, eating locally, not drinking bottled water, etc.). You can always contact me via email (reginanewyork@aol.com) or by commenting on this blog.
More Tomorrow.
xoxo,
Green Teen
Today was an average day of school for me, full of classes and basketball practice. Nothing new on the ISP front, just the usual local lunch, and alternative form of transportation and overall lifestyle.
Today I would like to discuss why I am doing my ISP and what affect it has had thus far. I would first like to say that I believe that some of my peers and teachers seem to have the wrong idea about my ISP. Eating locally and using a combination of public transportation and walking to school have not been a major change from my old lifestyle. I am not starving or miserable, I am perfectly content. I am lucky to live in New York City, a place where local food is in abundance (even in February) thanks to the CENYC (Council of the Environment of NYC), and where public transportation is safe, affordable, and trustworthy.
The point of my ISP is to demonstrate to my community that by changing some of our bad habits, we can all together lower our Carbon emissions and help slow down Global Warming. I honestly believe that all it takes are some basic changes to our day to day habits. My goal is to educate our community and to motivate you all to apply some aspects of my project into your daily habits.
My personal environmentally unfriendly pet peeves include:
1) Caffeine addicts who do not bring their own mugs to coffee shops.
Did you know that Stryofoam takes over 1,000 years to decompose and is made out of petroleum, a non-renewable resource, that Dunkin Donuts coffee will last you twenty minutes but the cup will outlive both you and your great grandchildren. The paper alternative to Styrofoam, the cups Starbucks, Yura, and are unfortunately popular in various other coffee shops are also not a "green" option. These cups will last a upwards of one-hundred years, are not recyclable, and are often made out of virgin tree fibers.
2) Those who do not recycle.
3) The excess use of plastic bags.
Again you will use this bag for three minutes to carry your snack from OK market to school, yet it will stay in a landfill for over a hundred years.
4) Wasting water by keeping the facets running.
5) Those who do not turn off the lights after they are the last person to leave the room.
I would love to know if any of you are living any form of a "green" lifestyle (ie taking the stairs instead of the elevator, eating locally, not drinking bottled water, etc.). You can always contact me via email (reginanewyork@aol.com) or by commenting on this blog.
More Tomorrow.
xoxo,
Green Teen
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Days Four and Five
Hey Everyone!
The past two days have been insanely busy for me and I am truly sorry I haven't been able to post.
Saturday morning was community service day, it was extremely successful. Then basketball championships and out to dinner with some friends. Today I spent time with one of my camp friends who came in from D.C. and went to the Interschool Chorus concert. All of these social commitments have inspired the topic for my post today which is being a socially active member of society while producing the least amount of carbon emissions possible.
Spending time with those who are living a "normal" lifestyle is difficult when you are trying to reduce your emissions, but it is certainly doable.
The first issue you might run across is regarding transportation. We will use my past weekend as an example, Saturday night we were celebrating the birthday of one of my close friends and were taking a limo to dinner. I spent all of last week debating whether I would take this ride or not and ultimately decided to ride in it. I chose to do this because the limo would still be driving around with my friends regardless if I was inside. Getting home from the dinner, which was all the way downtown, took some creativity. The limo was driving the majority of the party back to the Upper East Side, while I live in Gramercy Park. It was rather late at night, in not the best neighborhood in the city, what was a girl to do? As I saw it my choices were to walk home (which wouldn't be the safest idea at that hour), take the subway (also not so wise), to take a cab (safe but terrible for the planet), or to take the limo. What I did was I rode in the limo and had it drop me off at my house, a perfect solution to what would be a large issue. With a little creativity and flexibility, getting home on a low-carbon diet after a night out is possible.
The second issue I faced was regarding eating out, this was the largest issue I faced this weekend. By eating a snack before going out and bringing some food with me, I was able to maintain a certain level of normalcy. Some of the members of the dinner party even munched on the carrots I brought with me, since they were both hungry and curious about what I was eating.
By being prepared, creative, and flexible even those on a low-carbon diet can have an active social life.
xoxo Green teen
p.s. Remember you can always email me with questions or comments at reginanewyork@aol.com or you can just add a comment on my blog.
The past two days have been insanely busy for me and I am truly sorry I haven't been able to post.
Saturday morning was community service day, it was extremely successful. Then basketball championships and out to dinner with some friends. Today I spent time with one of my camp friends who came in from D.C. and went to the Interschool Chorus concert. All of these social commitments have inspired the topic for my post today which is being a socially active member of society while producing the least amount of carbon emissions possible.
Spending time with those who are living a "normal" lifestyle is difficult when you are trying to reduce your emissions, but it is certainly doable.
The first issue you might run across is regarding transportation. We will use my past weekend as an example, Saturday night we were celebrating the birthday of one of my close friends and were taking a limo to dinner. I spent all of last week debating whether I would take this ride or not and ultimately decided to ride in it. I chose to do this because the limo would still be driving around with my friends regardless if I was inside. Getting home from the dinner, which was all the way downtown, took some creativity. The limo was driving the majority of the party back to the Upper East Side, while I live in Gramercy Park. It was rather late at night, in not the best neighborhood in the city, what was a girl to do? As I saw it my choices were to walk home (which wouldn't be the safest idea at that hour), take the subway (also not so wise), to take a cab (safe but terrible for the planet), or to take the limo. What I did was I rode in the limo and had it drop me off at my house, a perfect solution to what would be a large issue. With a little creativity and flexibility, getting home on a low-carbon diet after a night out is possible.
The second issue I faced was regarding eating out, this was the largest issue I faced this weekend. By eating a snack before going out and bringing some food with me, I was able to maintain a certain level of normalcy. Some of the members of the dinner party even munched on the carrots I brought with me, since they were both hungry and curious about what I was eating.
By being prepared, creative, and flexible even those on a low-carbon diet can have an active social life.
xoxo Green teen
p.s. Remember you can always email me with questions or comments at reginanewyork@aol.com or you can just add a comment on my blog.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Day Two and Day Three
Hello Everyone!
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday, I was too exhausted from basketball practice to do anything except my math homework and sleep. Besides being tired, which it seems that I always am, yesterday was a good day. I walked to school and had class all day then basketball practice from 5:30 to 7 and then I walked home with Margot.
I ate a wonderful mixture of apple sauce, apples, apple cider, spelt bread, winter salad greens, tomatoes, and cheese.
I've been thinking and for those who might not know me very well, I should explain some things about my lifestyle and how this affects my ISP. 1) I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian and have been one for ten years. This dietary restriction has had a negative impact on my project. Vegetarians tend to find their protein sources in nuts and beans (and milk and eggs for some), which are not grown in my region. Thus my main sources of protein are left out of my new diet. And I have been a little more hungry than I would like. To eat locally as a meat eater would be easier in many ways than it is as a vegetarian since there is an abundance of local fish, poultry, and meat choices available for consumers. 2) I live in New York City, where there is a cornucopia of "green" transportation alternatives available to the average citizen, sadly many of us do not take advantage of these opportunities. For my ISP I have decided that I would like to walk more than take the subway, since normally already take the subway to school. I chose this because the goal of my project is to lower MY footprint.
Today was different than the past two days have been. I woke up to around five inches of snow covering my city, but we did not have a snow day. I decided that walking to school this morning would waste too much of my own energy and might become a dangerous hassle, and so I took the subway. Taking the subway was a restful and much needed change to the 3.5 mile walk to school. For a couple of minutes I felt guilty for taking the "easy way out" today but have reassured myself that it still is a green form of transportation. I ate a beautiful mixture of local food today including homemade pasta a la my mother made of local wheat flour and eggs sauteed in tomatoes and topped with mozzerella. Basketball practice was athletic to say the least and I am already sore. I am ready for the weekend.
More tomorrow!
xoxo Green teen
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday, I was too exhausted from basketball practice to do anything except my math homework and sleep. Besides being tired, which it seems that I always am, yesterday was a good day. I walked to school and had class all day then basketball practice from 5:30 to 7 and then I walked home with Margot.
I ate a wonderful mixture of apple sauce, apples, apple cider, spelt bread, winter salad greens, tomatoes, and cheese.
I've been thinking and for those who might not know me very well, I should explain some things about my lifestyle and how this affects my ISP. 1) I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian and have been one for ten years. This dietary restriction has had a negative impact on my project. Vegetarians tend to find their protein sources in nuts and beans (and milk and eggs for some), which are not grown in my region. Thus my main sources of protein are left out of my new diet. And I have been a little more hungry than I would like. To eat locally as a meat eater would be easier in many ways than it is as a vegetarian since there is an abundance of local fish, poultry, and meat choices available for consumers. 2) I live in New York City, where there is a cornucopia of "green" transportation alternatives available to the average citizen, sadly many of us do not take advantage of these opportunities. For my ISP I have decided that I would like to walk more than take the subway, since normally already take the subway to school. I chose this because the goal of my project is to lower MY footprint.
Today was different than the past two days have been. I woke up to around five inches of snow covering my city, but we did not have a snow day. I decided that walking to school this morning would waste too much of my own energy and might become a dangerous hassle, and so I took the subway. Taking the subway was a restful and much needed change to the 3.5 mile walk to school. For a couple of minutes I felt guilty for taking the "easy way out" today but have reassured myself that it still is a green form of transportation. I ate a beautiful mixture of local food today including homemade pasta a la my mother made of local wheat flour and eggs sauteed in tomatoes and topped with mozzerella. Basketball practice was athletic to say the least and I am already sore. I am ready for the weekend.
More tomorrow!
xoxo Green teen
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Day One
Hey Everyone!
Today was the first day of my ISP and lets just say it wasn't the easiest transition I've ever had to make. The toughest part of my day was the temptations I faced especially regarding my food choices.
I woke up at six and ate a piece of spelt bread with local jam for breakfast. I then walked down the twenty-nine flights of stairs in-between my apartment and the lobby. I then walked to school. I walked into school just in time for council. This was the easy part of my day.
I had photography, class meeting, and chorus this morning before I started a block of free periods. This group of frees was the hardest part of my day. I ate my packed lunch of an apple, yogurt, granola, and apple sauce but I was still hungry. I had four hours to kill before basketball practice and no homework to do so I sat in the senior lounge.
My hunger pains worsened and I tried to ease them by drinking two nalgenes of water... needless to say this didn't help. To pass the time I went to Jackson Hole with some friends but was unable to order anything since none of it was local. I ordered a glass of water with no ice, and my friends added in an order of air. I was tempted by their orders of french fries and mozzerella sticks but didn't give into the temptation.
I went back to school and did some homework trying to get my mind off of my hunger.
I went to basketball practice where we ended up watching a movie and ordering in pizza, to bond as a team. Needless to say I wanted more than anything to eat a slice of that warm cheesy Sal's pizza and drink a Diet Coke... but I didn't give in.
I walked home with the company of one of my friends, which was a pleasant experience minus the freezing cold.
I came home starving and tired but proud of my accomplishments today. My father had spent the morning at the Union Square farmer's market purchasing local food for me: hydroponic tomatoes and Bok Choy from Long Island (30 miles from New York), and some mesculin salad greens. These items made up my dinner tonight.
Now here I am finishing up some homework due tomorrow, reading Michael Pollan's new book "In Defense of Food", which I highly recommend, and resting from the busy day.
More tomorrow.
xoxo Green Teen
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Introductions
Hey Everyone!
My name is Regina Willensky, I am eighteen years old and live in New York City. I am a senior at the Nightingale- Bamford School and am passionate about the environment.
To some my passion is ironic. My mother is a psychologist, which has kept me in-tune with my animal- loving, tree-hugging, ever willing to help self. While my father is a food broker, that is he sells paper plates, cups, napkins, all disposable tree-killing products. Even though his job requires him to advocate for disposable products, he has been very supportive of my passion.
My sister is sixteen and is not an environmentalist to say the least. Her hobbies include fighting with me, shopping at Barney's, and eating pad thai.
Out of this unlikely mixture of empathy and waste making, an environmentalist was born. I am that girl who refuses to use a plastic bag at OK market, the one who is obsessed with recycling and making sure others do the same.
Tomorrow I am starting my Independent Senior Project (ISP) where I will live one month with the least amount of Carbon emissions possible.
I am going to do this by walking to school, eating local food (only grown within 100 miles of New York City), and by using the least amount of electricity and water possible.
The most difficult part of my project will be trying to maintain a level of normalcy during school. My lunches will forever change, instead of yummy Yura sandwitches or one of Junior's specials, I will have to bring my own local food. Thus, I just packed my lunch for tomorrow-- apple sauce, apples, granola, cheese, and my nalgene -- all local of course. I have packed a cloth napkin--a tip I learned at Chewonki foundation in Wiscasset, Maine.
My method of transportation will also change during my project. Instead of taking the six train to school, I will walk. I am well aware that the New York City public transportation system is a remarkably green method, but the overall goal of my project is to limit my Carbon emissions, even if this is the microscopic difference between walking and taking up another couple of inches of a crowded subway car. Tomorrow I am waking up at 6:00 to be able to leave my house intime to take both the stairs at my house (down 29 flights) and at Nightingale and not to be late for my Student Council meeting. I am not sure if I will make it on time but the best I can do is try.
Thats all for today!
xoxoxo Green Teen
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