MaryKate's Enviro Blog

energy audit

electricity: 261.179

water: 302.05

natural gas: couldn’t figure it out

heating oil: couldn’t figure it out

vehicles (gasoline): 27991.275

rail travel: 0

bus travel: 0

Spread the World Saturday

Concumption:

I didn’t drink any water today. I took a shower. I brushed my teeth and washed my face twice. I boiled pasta in water. I flushed the toilet like twice and washed my hands about three times. Today I only had pasta and a mcflurry. The only electricity I used today was the lights in my house and my computer. I drove home from Vermont. I spent money on a mcflurry.

Reduction:

Today I focused on telling people, especially my family about the project and convincing them to try to reduce their time on social networking sites and on the amount of money they spend. I didn’t use my cellphone at all today, except to text my brother. I didn’t go on twitter or facebook. I didn’t drink a lot of water and therefore reduced the amount of times I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. 

Sustainability:

I have finally decided that I do not need to shower every day and I do not need to wash my hands every five minutes. I think these aspects, as well as Facebook, can be reduced in my every day daily routines and will therefore reduce my consumption. 

Following:

I’m really proud of how everyone changed their routines for this project! Everyone tried really hard to cut back their consumption and I think many people, including myself, will continue to try to cut back even after this project ends. It will be very interesting to calculate how much money and we saved during this project. 

Foodless Friday

Sorry this is late, yesterday I was on a field trip all day and then I drove up to Vermont so I didn’t have any access to a computer.

Consumption:

I brushed my teeth twice and washed my face twice. I drank a bottle of water and had a cup of water. I went to the bathroom like three times and washed my hands like five times. I charged my phone. I used lights in my house. I used my ipod. I carpooled to and from school today, but I wasn’t actually the one driving.I was driven to Gillette Stadium where the lights would have been on no matter if I was there or not. Me and my sister drove up to Vermont. I had a coffee (which someone else bought me), a sprite, two hot dogs, a cookie, chips, chili nachos, chicken fingers, and fries. I spent 2$ on a hot chocolate. 

Reduction:

I cut back on my electricity because I didn’t  use my computer or watch any TV yesterday. I also didn’t go on Facebook. I didn’t go on Twitter as much because I was so busy. All of the lights are off and the heat is off in my house because nobody is home. However, the TV and the lights are on in our hotel room. I also didn’t shower at all yesterday. 

Sustainability:

I know it was foodless friday and I probably ate more than I have all week, but when I go on vacation that always happens. SO tomorrow when I go home, I am going to try to cut down on food when I am back in my daily routine. Again, yesterday I was very successful in not going on Facebook so like I said in my last post, it definitely is something I can eliminate from my routine. 

Following:

I’ve noticed after reading everyones posts that at the beginning of the week, they thought they could never fully eliminate something from their daily routine, but as they try to reduce more and more over the challenge, they are coming to find that it is actually really easy to reduce their consumption and completely eliminate something from their daily routine. 

Technology Thursday

Consumption:

I brushed my teeth and washed my face twice again today. I drank a bottle of water. I flushed the toilet like twice and washed my hands like four times. I took a ten minute shower. I didn’t spend any money. I drove to school today, but carpooled with other people. I didn’t have lunch or breakfast and for dinner I had pizza. My computer has to be on to do this. Other than that I haven’t used it for anything else. I used all of the lights in my house. No TV for this kid. 

Reduction: 

I really just did everything I’ve been doing all week. The only change I made was not using my ipad, ipod, and reducing on how often I used my cellphone. I reduced my tweeting today as well. 

Sustainability:

I really love lighting candles around the house instead of using electricity and the more I do it the more my mother trusts that I won’t burn the house down. I hate to say this but I have come to the conclusion I can live without……….facebook…….. I haven’t needed it at all and it only distracts me. This challenge has even made me think about deleting my facebook and focusing on my twitter anyways.

Following:

Someone posted a thing for the water calculator which really opened my eyes to how much water I waste. My dashboard is filled with hilarious pictures and comedy videos so I’m really excited to see how my classmates are doing with the challenge. They have opened my house to new ways to reduce on my consumption. 

Waterless Wednesday

hiyeeee

Consumption:

Washed my face and brushed my teeth twice.. the usual. Only drank one bottle of water and only went the bathroom twice. Didn’t shower (I know gross). For food I had buffalo chicken quesadilla for dinner and cookies for lunch. For electricity I used my computer, and all of the lights in my house. I drove to the gym because my legs hurt too much after to run back. And I didn’t spend any money.

Reduction:

NO FACEBOOK FOR THIS KID. I carpooled again to school and took the train home. I drove my sister to the gym with me instead of meeting her there so we wouldn’t have tot take two cars. I didn’t need to charge my phone because I charged it yesterday and i didn’t have to do any dishes because we ate out. I’m not going to shower until tomorrow morning because it’s waterless wednesday. UM and all the stuff I’ve been pretty much doing all week (starting to love the candles.)

Sustainability:

FACEBOOK. Every day it is getting easier and easier to eliminate facebook from my daily routines. When I do go on facebook and do homework at the same time, I’m usually on a lot longer and every day I’m getting my homework done at earlier times. There’s nothing I really NEED to do on facebook, like I used to think. It’s just hard not to go on when I get the notifications on my phone.

Following:

I read Ms. Wollak’s post about how she turned the heater down and that made me think that I should adjust the heater in my house, but my mom didn’t have it on so that plan failed. I know I talked about the water audit in my last blog but someone else’s got me thinking to investigate how much my mother actually spends on water a month with three kids living at home.