waste-not-want-not-gu

[waste-not-want-not-gu]

Self Assessment

When I started this class, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I as most use some of the social media platforms on a pretty consistent basis but I was unfamiliar with some. I will say that this class has grown my knowledge on how to use social media appropriately but it’s also been fun seeing the brands of others and developing my own.

I found that I really enjoyed the twitter platform. This was one I was unsure of because I had never used it. I think the use of proper hashtags definitely help to link similar pages with even more information. I liked the short description space while being able to upload pictures to further address points.

YouTube gave me the most difficulty out of all of the platforms. As often as I use YouTube to watch videos, I’ve never uploaded one. I had difficulties with various video editors as I’ve never used that kind of technology before. I think that had I written myself an exact script I would have had an easier time recording the videos, the amount of takes that I took were astronomical. I would do it differently if I had to do it again.

I believe that my brand stayed the same throughout the semester. If anything,  I will say that I learned even more and have adopted some of the new tricks that I’ve found out through this experience. Ultimately, I hope that I helped teach everyone a little bit of something new, as I learned along with you.

To continue building my brand, I will continue to try to educate people the best I can, hopefully without them feeling like I’m shoving information down their throats. I believe Randy said it best on his last comment about my social media campaign. This is a time of new habits and changes, and hopefully people welcome that into their lives. I will also continue hosting our “Save the Bees” fundraisers that we do bi-yearly in order to raise funds and awareness about how important they are to sustainability and our lives in general.

My classmates have taught me about several different brands, that I never knew existed or could exist. I think everyone of them had valuable information and used their social media platforms well in order to convey their brand appropriately.

I have learned that I know more about social media than I had originally thought.  I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous before starting this class just due to the uncertainty. I have learned so much throughout this process. 

[waste-not-want-not-gu]

Life is better with a green Christmas

Christmas is quickly approaching and there are things that we can all do to make it a more green experience. 

Thinking about buying local does more than just strengthen the economy. It also reduces transportation, needing to ship those items halfway across the world costs money and has a big effect on global warming and greenhouse emission.

How you light up for the holidays matters also. Consider switching to LED lights which will not only lower your electric bill but will also consume much less electricity than standard lights. LED lights use only 95% of the energy that regular lights do and they can last upwards of 100,000 hours. Turning your holiday decorations off before bed will also reduce use.

Lastly, choose a live tree. Christmas tree farms use a recycled method, when one tree is cut down, another is typically planted in it’s place. After the holidays are over, 90% of trees are mulched if they are put out to the curb for collection. I personally like to keep mine in my yard for birds to use for nests until spring. If you want to commit even further, consider a potted tree which can be used for several years. 

Happy Sustainable Holidays!!

[waste-not-want-not-gu]

You aren’t only “one” person

A lot of the issue most people take with adopting a more sustainable lifestyle is that we all think, "Hey, I'm only one person. My changes won't make a difference." This thought process is what holds most of us back. Do you run the water when you wash the dishes? Try turning it off unless it's in use and try to implement that process with your whole family. Now you are not only one person but a whole household that has made a small change to aid in the healing of the Earth. Maybe your kids will go to school and talk to their friends about how you've made it a challenge in your house to see who can use the least amount of water while doing the dishes. Make it fun, everyone loves a challenge.

How about those plastic water bottles that you take with you everywhere you go? I will not lie and say that it isn't convenient but taking an extra 10 seconds (or maybe 30, I don't want to lie to you : ) ) to use that refillable water bottle can make huge changes. It is estimated that each American consumes an average of 156 plastic water bottles per year. In a family of three, like my family is, that is 468 bottles per year. So what did I do to help do our part? I stopped buying plastic water bottles. It leaves no other choice than to fill up that Hydro Flask and bring it with you on your errands. Fortunately, being environmentally friendly is a fun fad right now, you've seen kids with their reusable water bottles with stickers on them. Reusable water bottles are in, sustainability is trendy.   So maybe you are "just one person," but implementing small changes around your home can make a big difference. Encourage your kids to show off their new reusable water bottle. Maybe one more person will want to use one. Every person joining the cause matters. YOUR efforts matter! 

#oneplanet