environmentalism – The Transcript

Olivia Lease, Online Editor

I try to see stories in everything I purchase.

I wonder whose hands made the sweater resting on my shoulders or where the watermelon I am currently eating was grown, picked, washed and perfectly sliced.

I don’t like to go shopping very often. There are so many options that it is no longer exciting but overwhelming. I can walk into a store and see thousands of cheaply priced goods in front of me. What I don’t see are the hidden costs, I have to search for the real stories.

Organic pineapples being grown in Costa Rica, most of which to be transported elsewhere. Photo by Olivia Lease. — Organic pineapples being grown in Costa Rica, most of which to be transported elsewhere.

I think it’s time for us to acknowledge the fact that we live in a consumer-centric society made possible by the hard work of others. People we will most likely never meet but whose stories matter.

But first, let’s acknowledge the fact that our supermarkets no longer abide by the seasons.

You can buy a pineapple at any time, regardless of that fact that we are not living in Brazil or Paraguay, where the plant originated. It has now been spread throughout South America. I visited Costa Rica over winter break and was able to a tour a plantation.

There, some of the crops we saw would eventually travel over 3,000 miles to reach California while some would go even further destinations in the U.K.

A single pod of fruit from which palm oil is extracted. Photo taken in Costa Rica by Olivia Lease. — A single pod of fruit from which palm oil is extracted.

When we walk into a store, we don’t see the hours of hard labor or the elaborate transportation system it took to give us more choices. Variety is simply something we’ve become accustomed to.

While in Costa Rica, I also had the chance to tour a palm oil plantation.

The edible vegetable oil is used in 50 percent of all packaged products in America. It is extracted from the fruit grown on African palm trees. These trees are originally from Western Africa but are now grown wherever heat and rainfall are abundant enough.

On the tour, I passed workers yielding machetes. The heat was suffocating despite the early time of day. Poisonous snakes are common in the field and a constant threat for workers to be aware of. One boy helped wrangle the cattle used for transport. This was their everyday routine, a dangerous job they had become accustomed to.

Across the world, forests are being slashed down and indigenous people relocated in order to make room for these crops, just to keep up with our demand.

America, the land of the free, is unwilling to admit that we also are a catalyst for conflict and destruction.

Wokers herd cattle used for transportation of fruit from palm oil trees. Photo taken in Costa Rica by Olivia Lease. — Wokers herd cattle used for transportation of fruit from palm oil trees.

Look in your backpack, pick out a few things. How many of them say “made in the U.S.A.”? I don’t think it should be a point of pride to have these products, but more so, a standard.

There a several things you can do help slow the global economy, the best being to buy local items (and if it’s produce, make sure it’s in season). This phrase is so much more than a trendy consumer choice. It’s an effort to be a part of your community and a chance to know the story behind what you are purchasing.

Killington, Vermont, a place normally covered in snow this time of year. Photo by Matt Cohen.

Matt Cohen, Editor-in-Chief

The young adult skiing down the slush-covered Vermont mountain wearing nothing but a smiley face shaved into his chest hair and American flag thigh-tight shorts was the sanest of us all.

We didn’t account for warm weather in early March at 4,231 feet of elevation and we paid for it. The jackets and snowpants caused overheating and after the first run down the slopes, sweat dripped from everywhere.

Most people know global warming is a thing. I do, too.

But now, after the sun’s reflection off the wet snow gave me an unfortunate sunburn on the underside of my relatively big nose, I really know.

Global warming is an issue that needs immediate attention.

According to evidence presented by NASA, sea level rose almost 7 inches in the last century. But over the last decade, the rate has nearly doubled from that of the last century.

Earth has undergone 10 of the warmest years of its approximately 4.543 billion life in the last 12 years. It has also gone through 20 of the warmest years since 1981.

We cannot wait for an end-all solution. There are simple tasks we can do to help avoid more underside-of-the-nose sunburn in early March.

Check your tires regularly. Properly inflated tires increase gas mileage by 3 percent and every gallon saved prevents 20 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

When just 1 percent of people maintain their cars for a year, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept from the atmosphere.

I like a chilled household or cool bedroom as much as the next guy. And as the season changes, I pay close attention to the thermostat. But now, it will be for another reason.

During the warmer months, raising the temperature just 2 degrees can save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emission throughout the year.

Lastly, here are some solutions geared toward college kids. Use the washing machine or dishwasher when it’s full. We do the dishes almost never and wash our clothes once a week, maybe. You now have a very good reason when your mom calls.

On average, showers use four times less energy than baths. I can’t remember the last time I took a bath.

Yes, global warming is a big issue, but it doesn’t need a big solution. Just check your damn tires.

Read the full list of things to do to help stop global warming here.

Tag: environmentalism

Look closer: being a mindful consumer

Global Warming is real, duh