I’m a junior in Environmental Engineering at Purdue University. My minor is in Environmental Policy which is why this blog has been resurrected almost four years later. The assignment: pick an item to give up for the semester and chronicle those struggles or research an area where environmental progress is being made. My goal: make environmentalism a conscious part of my routine.
Me in a nutshell: I am a huge color guard fanatic having spun all through high school, continued with the Purdue “All American” Marching Band Golden Silks and their Winter Guard International Finalists (as of last year), and finally lived a dream by marching with the Blue Stars Drum Corps at Drum Corps International World Finals in Lucas Oil Stadium. I have serious boyfriend in the military who I am so proud of and consequently I have fallen in love with the world of the armed forces, and it has driven me deeper into my letter writing addiction. I also have a love affair with Lake Michigan that began as a child, and I hope to put this passion to use working with freshwater systems rehabilitating and preventing pollution. It is also the main subject of my photography.
Paddle Boarding at Sunset on Lake Michigan
I am also a huge environmentalist. An officer in both Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Student Sustainability Council. It all started as a child. An independent, headstrong five year old, I informed my parents that meat was no longer on the menu for me. I was going to save the animals. In a lot of ways, I’ve grown into that and become that person I thought I would be. In a lot of ways, I think I should have stayed that child. She knew right and wrong and plowed through on an unconventional path because it was the right thing to do. She never thought about “Maybe I can’t do this” or “Maybe I don’t have enough information” or “Maybe it’s too inconvenient”. Hang the costs, she was doing what was right and heaven help any concerned parents who got in her way. Now I’m too careful, too apologetic about my passion for the environment. I don’t want to be an inconvenience or make others or myself feel uncomfortable in our consumer lives.
I already am careful of plastic bag use, I refuse plastic water bottles whenever I can, I minimize paper towel use, and I have been a vegetarian for years. I would very much like to take on a different aspect of this challenge, but I am mindful, I am too careful, of the fact that my semester also includes Thermodynamics, Statistics, Biology, and Hydrology as well as a full 20 hours a week of the “All-American” Marching Band and another two and a half of ballet. Screw it. It’s happening.
Something I’ve really been dying to try is replacing my shower stuff with natural stuff. I have no idea what chemicals I am putting in my hair, on my body, all over my face, and consequently down the drain all in the name of beauty. I have heard and appreciate the fear of the waste water treatment plants being unable to cope with the cocktail of chemicals being sent into the drains from bathrooms everywhere. I want to replace my shampoo, conditioner, and face wash with natural (local?) products. Thank God for the DIY culture. Recipes are insanely easy to come by. This might even have the double benefit of fixing all the irritation that my skin seems to always have especially when the air starts to be drier. After this weekend, I’m going all natural.
Eco-geek 