I use quite a bit in 24 hours.

         Okay, so this week my assignment is to list all of the Earth’s resources that I used in an entire 24-hour period and then choose one of those items and answer some questions about it, mostly about what it is made out of and used and what not. And when you get right down to it, most everything we use comes from the Earth in some way, shape, or form…well, unless you play with strange space metals or meteorites or something. But it was interesting to think about it throughout the day when I was comprising this list below. (List comprised October, 13^th, 2013)

A)    Food and Drink

·         Water

·         Almonds

·         Chicken

·         Tortillas

·         Rice (with lime in it)

·         Lemon (I put this in the water)

·         Bananas

·         Strawberries

B)    Housing and other buildings

·         Home (Yeah, I picked a day when all I did was homework, jog, and vegetate when I could)

C)    Transportation and Roads

·         My feet only! (I only left the house for my run)

·         Sidewalk (in my neighborhood)

·         Paved Road (on named streets)

·         Dirt Road (in the hills)

D)    Clothing

·         Shorts x2 (Had to change after the run)

·         Tank top x2 (see above, had to change)

·         Underwear x2 (see above, and no I did not soil myself)

·         Socks

·         Running Shoes

·         Sandals (When I made it into the backyard)

E)     School supplies

·         3-ring binder

·         School books

·         Paper

·         Pencil/pen

·         Calculator

·         Scissors

·         Stapler

F)     Personal care products

·         Gel

·         Comb

·         Deodorant

·         Cologne

·         Shampoo

·         Soap

·         Toothbrush

·         Toothpaste

·         Towel

·         Toilet Paper (Hey, I am listing everything I can think of here)

·         Q-tip

·         Razor

·         Aftershave

G)    Leisure activities

·          Computer (music, internet, assistance in homework, etc etc)

·         Cell Phone

·         TV

·         PlayStation 3 (I think I watched Netflix on this thing, watched a couple episodes of “How I Met Your Mother”.)

H)    Other (Or rather…stuff I could not categorize)

·         Pillows

·         Sheets

·         Bedspread

·         Pillowcase

·         Light

·         Fan

·         Napkins

·         Desk Chair

·         Remote Control(s)

·         Door(s)

·         Phone Charger

·         Desk

·         Oxygen

·         Toilet (Like I said, listing everything I can think of)

·         Light Switches

·         Shower

            What was interesting here to me about this list was the amount of personal care products I listed. I kind of went into this assuming I did not use that many…apparently I was proven wrong.

So at this point I had to choose which of the above items to do a bit of rigorous research on. So…I looked to my left and there it was…ALMONDS! The fact it was the first thing I saw was not the only reason I decided to use it (though it probably was the single largest reason), but the fact it had some random labels on it that we discussed in class so it caught my attention. It had “Smart Eating” and the American Heart Association Certification on it. I mean I eat this every morning to start my metabolism, so why not learn a little more about it. So without further ado my research on “Blue Diamond Almonds: Whole Natural”.

What is your item made of?

 Almonds (Yeah that was hard).

How is it used?

Traditionally it is consumed. It can be eaten raw or roasted and a variety of other ways. The ones I have are whole natural ones so they are raw. They can also be used in baking and numerous other cooking recipes.

How, where, and by whom is it mined, harvested or otherwise acquired?

Via the Blue Diamond Growers website located here, I was able to ascertain that the Blue Diamond Company works with multiple growers all over California. There is a journal on this site on different areas of California where the products are grown which I found very interesting, which include pictures.

How did it get to you (from where it was grown/manufactured)?

My bag was  packed in Sacramento at Blue Diamond Growers Sacramento and shipped from there to numerous stores (I was unable to find out EXACTLY how they are shipped or the variety of ways they are, but I assume a vehicle is a safe bet). Per their website for personal shipping they use UPS air and ground to transport them.  And I picked this particular bag up at the local rite aid when I ran out of my previous bag.

What will happen to it when it is no longer “useful” to you?

Toilet jokes aplenty here. But after I consume them they will be broken down by my body and used by my body. Anything that is not of use or is no longer of use will be pushed out of my body. Unless we are talking about when it expires in over a year, in which case I would no doubt throw them away or bury them in my backyard. The container (bag) will definitely be thrown away though.

Is this product a “want” or “need”?

If I were to classify this product I would have to say it is a bit of both. I both want and need food, but I can readily choose which ones I eat. I use this particular product because I usually am not very hungry in the morning and I was told by athletic professionals that I should try eating something in the morning to jump start my metabolism. And this product is healthy and I can take a handful and walk away and consume them as I get ready to head out in the morning.

What is the effect of this product (production, use, and disposal) on:

·         You: Well, as I spend money I lose it! These bags of almonds are not cheap!  But as mentioned above I need something to boost my metabolism when I wake up, and this of course burns un-needed fat throughout the day, and of course provides me with essential proteins early in the morning to provide me with energy. It is also one of the healthier foods I eat so that is always good.

·         Other People: Same as listed above, but depending on their income…they may view it as either super expensive or a great deal.

·         Animals: Well I can see the farms they are produced on at some point perhaps was taken away from nature and could have potentially harmed a multitude of special living in that ecosystem and in some way caused issues with the ecosystem. When reading through some of their grower’s journals in Northern California, there was mention of dealing with certain insects, in this case the navel orange worm. Depending on the treatment options that could be causing damage to the ecosystem or creating a strain of worm that is more resistant to these pesticides/treatments. Without more easily obtained information about the exact methods they use (I couldn't find them) I don’t know (Though they do mention on their website that it is not detectable on their products, and they try to use the least amount possible and try to reduce pests in other ways to not use pesticides, but they still do use them).. Although they mentioned quite a bit of interesting stuff and maybe they do mention it in one of their journals, but from my search thus far, nothing. However, some of the trees on these farms may provide some homes for insects/animals if they aren't damaging the plant enough to be deemed a threat and removed from it.

·         The Environment: As mentioned above depending on the state of the ecosystem before the farms and what not that create the blue diamond products (and in this case almonds) it could have helped and hurt. No matter how healthy and what not the almonds are they come in a bag which is a waste product. I see no seal on the bag that states it is biodegradable nor made out of something recycled, so it is unneeded waste. And as also mentioned above depending on what kinds of chemicals are used on these farms it could have lasting effects on the environment, some may be unseen now that may have an impact in the future.

Was the product available 100 years ago, and if not what did people use instead.

            Yes it was, and probably readily available MANY years before that (yeah, caps for emphasis). It probably was one of the first cultivated foods as it is mentioned in the old testament of the bible. The company itself is over one hundred years old as well as packing and selling almonds.

What alternatives might do more good and less harm?

            Probably the only thing that readily comes to mind is the packaging could be made from recycled material or something that is biodegradable to do more good and less harm to the environment.

            Overall, I have observed that I use quite a bit more than I originally thought. I really did think I was a simple person who didn't use too much and in many ways not too overly complicated in how I live. But was surprised as I mentioned at the beginning at how many personal care products I used. For whatever reason I convinced myself that I did not use that much…but the list says otherwise. After researching a bit on the almonds and really seeing that overall packaging can make a difference, is that buying products that use recycled or biodegradable packaging is a step in the right direction, especially when trying to reduce my ecological footprint.  The less packaging the better as well.

            Some other ways I can definitely conserve Earth’s resources…well the first has to do with something I noted at night, I take a lot of showers. They average about five minutes…and the average five minute shower comes out to about twenty-five to fifty gallons of water. I take two to three showers a day. I do this usually because I am covered in sweat after my run in the evening. I thought about that specifically and I could potentially run in the morning and shower after that which would cut down on the showers taken in the day, saving quite a bit of water.

            I definitely learned quite a bit about myself and a couple new things about how I get my almonds, all very interesting and thought provoking.