Everything comes from the Earth!
Third assignment... For this week I was responsible for listing all of the Earth's resources that I used in an entire 24-hour period. If you really think about it, everything we use comes from the Earth. Our food and drinks come from water, animals, and plants. Our homes and the buildings and structures around us are made of clay or glass, among other things that come directly from the Earth.So for this assignment I began recording everything I used that involves the Earth onto my iPhone. I started at 6am on March 4th and ended at 6 am on March 5th. Here is my list divided into 8 sections:
A) Food and Drink
Water Turkey
Starbucks Grande Vanilla Bean Cranberries
Starbucks Breakfast Sandwich Orangeade
Wheat thins Carrots
Honey tea Potato
Fruit Snack Onions
B) Housing and other Buildings
Home Quiksilver building (work)
Elliots for Pets
C) Transportation and Roads
Car Freeway
Gasoline Break fluid
Road Sidewalk
D) Clothing
Undergarments Light Sweater
Shorts Dog Sweatshirt
Sandals Jeans
Top Tanktop
Hoodie T-shirt
Pajama shorts
E) School Supplies
Computer Tape
Paper Scissors
Pen
F) Personal Care Products
Toilet Paper Lotion
Toothpaste Q-tip
Soap Deodorant
Razor Chapstick
Toothbrush Hairbrush
Facewash Hair softening Spray
Shampoo Bristle Hairbrush
Conditioner Foundation (makeup)
Concealer Blush
Eyeliner Mascara
Bronzer Blow-dryer
Straightener Eye-makeup remover
G) Leisure Activities
Walked my dog Milo
H) Other (not listed in categories A-G)
Oxygen Toilet
Sheets Hair tie
Bedspread Towel
Blanket Purse
Pillowcase Keys
Pillow Ladder
Cell phone Door
Light Door knob
Fan Toilet handle
Door stop Wooden boards
Hardware (metal) Dust off
Recycled Bags Disinfecting Wipes
Napkins Refrigerator
Debit Card Television
Fish Tank Light Remote Control
Couch Office Chair
Coffee Table Radio
Blanket Giftcard
Cash Hand towel
Phone Charger
Now that I've compiled my list I must choose 1 of the things on my list to research and answer a few questions about. I chose the Starbucks Grande Vanilla Bean.
What is it made of?
Vanilla bean, whole milk, and ice. (And whipped cream on top!).
How is it used?
It's a popular drink at Starbucks bought purely for flavor and not energy (like coffee) since it has no caffeine!
Where is it distributed, how, and by who?
These Frappuccino's are distributed at all Starbucks locations and are made by the baristas using a blender.
What will happen to it when it is no longer "useful"?
Well, I wouldn't say Vanilla Bean Frappuccinos are found "useful" at all, but when they are no longer found desireable they would be taken off of the menu.
Is the Starbucks Vanilla Bean a "need" or a "want"?
I'm sure no one could logically argue that this is anything but a "want".
What is the effect of this product (production, use, disposal) on:
Me:
I spend money, as well take in unneeded calories. And the making of the drink doesn’t seem to effect me now, but with water being wasted constantly washing out the blenders, and the waste building up from cups that cannot be recycled, and all of the energy being used up from the lights… it is and will effect me at some point.
Other People:
The same effects would go for other people as they would for me.
Animals:
With so many starbucks locations the production of milk had to have gone up which in turn effects the cows because farmers at Swiss Milk need to get milk out faster. Also, the cups that are not environmentally friendly effects the environment, in turn effecting animal habitats.
The environment:
“Starbucks is committed to significantly reducing and diverting the waste our stores generate, and recycling is just one way in which we do this.” - Starbucks.com
Unfortunately not all of their cups are environmentally friendly (though in the last few years they come a long way in making their locations more green), and this produces waste that harms the environment. Water is wasted when making the frappuccinos (constantly rinsing the blenders), but the good thing is they are working hard to be more environmentally friendly, check it out for yourself!
http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment
Was the product available 100 years ago? If not, what was used instead?
This product was not available, in fact Starbucks opened it's first store only 42 years ago. People just drank whatever was popular at that time.
What alternatives might do more good or less harm?
Have all cups be environmentally friendly and make reusable cups more cost attractive, use energy efficient everything at every location, open new stores using recycled building materials, and use as little water as possible.
At first when I chose to research the Starbucks Vanilla Bean I really did not think I would have answers for a lot of these questions. When I first got to how the making of a Vanilla Bean effects the environment my first thought was “It doesn’t, it’s just blending up a delicious frappuccino!” But when I started to research, I started reading up on just how much operating a Starbucks and making those drinks really does put a footprint on the environment!
So what more can I do, and YOU do to conserve Earth’s resources?
