24 Hours

For this particular blog, I recorded everything I did for twenty-four hours. By recording a typical day, I can see how I'm using the resources around me and how I can use them to an even better ability. 

8:30 AM- Wake up

8:45 AM-Showered, brushed teeth, got ready

9:30 AM-Drove to campus

12:00 PM-Drove to Publix and bought groceries

2:00 PM-Cleaned the apartment

4:00 PM-Worked on homework

7:00 PM-Cooked and ate dinner

9:30 PM-Bed

By looking back at a typical day, I see how I can make simple changes to help our environment. I usually take a twenty minute shower, but if I cut that down to ten or fifteen minutes, I would be saving a lot of water. Even when it comes to brushing my teeth, I can turn the water on and off as opposed to leaving it on. Instead of driving to campus everyday, I could save money and gasoline by riding my bicycle or rollerblading. Instead of using the plastic bags at Publix, I can buy reusable bags or bring my own from home. I noticed that one of my friends requests no bags at all when she goes to the grocery store. She puts as much as she can fit in her purse and carries the rest in her hands because she believes it is a waste. 

When I returned to my apartment, I noticed that one of my roommates had left her bathroom and closet light on even though she wasn't home. I turned the lights off for her and left a friendly reminder that if lights aren't being used, that they should be turned off. I've become more conscious of electronics and leaving things plugged in to electrical sockets. I didn't realize that even if something is off, it still uses electricity even if it is turned off. I used to have the habit of leaving my phone charger plugged into the wall at all times but if something isn't being used, I leave it unplugged. 

When I was cleaning around the house, I turned off the air conditioner and opened the windows so that the fresh air could come in. The first month we lived in our apartment, our electric bill was extremely high due to the fact that we kept it on such low temperatures. Luckily, its been cooling off outside so we will be able to turn the air conditioner off all together. I also got in the bad habit of falling asleep with the television on. Although it is a hard habit to break, I've taught myself to set the television on sleep mode so that it turns off automatically. By doing this experiment, I saw the many small changes that I can make in my daily life to help our planet and the environment we live in.