Today we went to MOM's Organic Market in Jessup, MD to investigate another organic/zero waste grocery store. There were many canned and jarred food options, especially a wide variety of peanut butters and honey. There was one section of loose fruit, but there were not many fresh produce options. Additionally, some of the fruit and vegetables was wrapped or packaged in plastic. Positively, there were choose-your-own coffee, nuts, beans, rice, and grains. Something that was unusual and stood out to us was the bottle-your-own spices. There were large containers of different spices and spoons to measure out spices into containers brought from home. This is a good alternative because it does not waste the plastic packaging sometimes found on spice containers. There were lots of options for cleaning products, possibly more than any other store we have been to so far. Lastly, there were bins at the front of the store to recycle corks, shoes, and old cell phones.
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Rather than us buying new clothes, we tried our hand at the thrift store. While this isn't apart of our main goal of living a zero-waste lifestyle, we were still excited to see what clothes we might find. No new dyes would be polluting bodies of water and nobody would have to suffer in poor working conditions. We both found many pieces and envisioned how we would wear them with our different styles. This took a lot of patience, but we both left the store, satisfied with our finds (and paid a decent price). My Pieces (Solana): 1. Tan, Short Sleeve Button-Up Shirt 2. Blue, Short Sleeve Hawaiian Button-Up 3. Blue Raincoat 4. Air Force Jacket 5. Striped, Long Sleeve Shirt
Today, we went to the farmers' market to see what they offered. We went to the market in Annapolis because it was one of the larger ones around us. Most stands had fruits and vegetables that were packaging-free or they placed the vegetables in paper produce containers. However, there were a few stands that wrapped their product in plastic packaging. Aside from the produce, some stands sold flowers (in a glass container), coffee wrapped in paper, bug repellent (in a metal container), jewelry, wooden containers, etc. We hoped to find soaps as well, but did not. We quickly swept through the market, but I know that we will be returning to grab some of our produce from there as we begin our journey.
In order to write the book, Maddi and I needed to learn “In Design” which is a software that allows you to write, insert images, and do what’s necessary in order to create a nice book. I went up to the school to meet with Ms. Maxey since she is familiar with the software and while I was there, she taught me a series of techniques. I learned how to insert text, images, and mold everything so that it fit my standard. There was also a series of logistical matters that I needed to figure out like how big we want the book, how many pages it would be, do we want color, how do we put in images or do we want to use clipart? These are also things that Maddi and I will continuously revisit. While there, I also tried to download “InDesign” onto my laptop, but the network that was needed was not working properly so I will have to come back to school on a separate day. Overall, this was a very successful trip, and I learned about a lot of the tools needed in order to successfully create my book.
- Solana Today we went to the local Anne Arundel County landfill in Millersville. Solana scheduled a tour with an employee who took us on a driving tour of the entire landfill excluding the recycling center because those tours are for ages 18 and up. We had an informative session as we drove to each element of the landfill and asked many questions. We saw an open, active landfill cell, cell 9, that is the final cell for all of Anne Arundel County. Cell 9 is the largest cell in the Millersville site, spanning 95 acres. It is estimated to be filled by 2043, however that date could change if we can all learn to recycle properly. We were able to exit the vehicle and take pictures. A memorable part of the tour was when we drove to the top of combined cells 5, 6, and 7 and took in the scenic view; the hill is the second tallest point in Anne Arundel County. A surprising feature of the landfill was the amount of lush greenery and wildlife. We saw deer, insects, and birds, including a blue heron sitting beside one of the many storm water runoff ponds. All in all, the tour offered us valuable information and lasted about an hour and a half.
We met today for around 3 hours to complete various tasks, including filling out our requisition forms, writing our author's notes for the book, adding to and polishing our weebly, and starting our weebly blog posts. We used our time wisely and finished everything that we planned to; a very productive day! We sent our filled-out forms to Mrs. Carsley and a contact in the Severn School business office, so hopefully our products will be ordered and arriving soon! We decided to each write separate author's notes that will go on the first few pages of our book in which we describe our motivations and aspirations for the book. Then we added pictures and removed the templates from our weebly website and uploaded our task and budget spreadsheets. Finally, we began our first nine blog posts about each task we had completed by today-check them out!
Today we went to a local Target in Glen Burnie to search for possible zero-waste products. There was lots of selection, so we were able to find cleaning supplies, beauty products, storage containers, and more! Some eco-friendly all-purpose cleaners that we found were Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyer's, Home and Planet, and Biokleen. We also found Seventh Generation's and Honest brand's eco-friendly dish soap. The store offered a large selection of mason jars, dish towels, and water bottles, all zero waste alternatives. Lastly, we found reusable silicone storage bags as an option instead of plastic bags. We learned, however, that silicone is only recyclable at certain recycling plants, so you must check with your local one to ensure that it is! The trip was tiring (we were there for over 2 hours!) but we found many waste free products that are accessible across the country.
Today we drove to Walmart superstore in Severn, MD to investigate zero waste products in a popular and common store. We were disappointed to find no biodegradable trash bags, but we bought some on Amazon anyway. Again the store was HUGE but we moved efficiently and found some helpful products. We found many eco-friendly laundry detergents, such as Ecos, Seventh Generation, Tide purclean, Love Home and Planet, and Mrs. Meyer's. Just like in Target, there were lots of mason jars, dish towels, and water bottles to choose from. Additionally, we found shaving cream in classic metal recyclable containers and stainless steel blades and razors. There were menstrual cups in the menstruation aisle, however Amazon has a better selection. We were surprised and happy to see bar soaps in cardboard wrapping or even no packaging at all! Most of the lotions and face washes were low waste, but we checked the bottles to find a recycling symbol. Also, we were careful to avoid face washes with microbeads since they contribute to microplastic pollution in the oceans. Our trip was successful since we found many products to choose from and was reassuring because we learned of new brands that we could use to live our low-waste lifestyle.
We went to Trader Joe's to see what zero-waste options were available at their store. We both knew that this was a popular grocery store, so we hoped that there were good envrionemntall friendly options. When we arrived, absoluetly all of the green produce (and some fruit) was in plastic packaging and the only thing that was in its natural state was the fruit (which was sparse). As we continued to look around the store, we noticed that everything was in plastic. The only zero-waste.eco-friendly products that we found were wool dryer balls and pop-up sponges made from natural vegetable cellulose. There was also a handful of multi-purpose cleaners. This store was very dissapointing because we see that a popular grocery store uses so much plastic and the customers are only going to further distribute the plastic into the environment.
We went to the Whole Foods in Annapolis to see what zero waste products were available. There was the typical produce that was in plastic packaging, however, there was a large amount of produce that was in its own biodegradable skin. Throughout the produce section there were paper baskets filled with pears, peppers, etc. rather than being in a plastic container. There were also reusable produce bags that were being marketed in the produce section and near the deli. There was a large variety of materials that could be purchased in bulk as well. Customers could bring their own containers and fill them with oats, coffee beans, freshly-ground nut butters, seeds, rice, etc. There were also popcorn kernels so cutomers could buy them and make their own popcorn at home rather than buying the kernels in a plastic container or "ready-to-pop" packaging. Customers could also bring their own containers and to put bakery items in such as bagels, and bring their own paper to wrap their bread from the bakery rather than buying the plastic wrapped option. The weight of the containers could be taken off at checkout as well, as long as the containers were weighed prior to being filled. As we continued to look around the store, we saw that there was a variety of shampoo bars and bars of soap. Also, in the hot-food section, the store provided paper-packaging options. Lastly, the store was concientious about their waste in their sit-down food area and had a designated trash, recyling, and compost bin.
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AuthorsWe are two Maryland high school students who are passionate about the environment. |