Let's Talk About the Bottom Line

Image credited to Genius Works 2009

Hey there everyone! As a recent graduate I often get asked what my degree is in and what I've noticed is that almost every single time that I respond with sustainability studies, I get asked what that entails. It seems that almost everyone is aware that sustainability focuses on helping the planet, but not much else and there is so much more to it than that. So today I would like to focus on one of the driving principles of the sustainability movement, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). This may sound familiar and that's not surprising, as a capitalistic society most of our businesses and social norms gear towards profit or making money above all else. That's what the traditional bottom line is all about. The TBL still incorporates the economic portion of society, because regardless of our preferences, money still makes the world go round figuratively speaking. This is where it takes a turn away from the old model, in that it focuses on making sure that the environment is not destroyed or contaminated in the pursuits of these profits while also ensuring that no people are being harmed or exploited as well. A good way to remember the portions of the TBL is to remember these three words, people, planet and prosperity. Once we start addressing these three factors in all of our societal pursuits, we will be well on our way to forming a sustainable society.

Now I know this sounds like an incredibly difficult thing to incorporate into our society and you're right. I'm not here to lie to you. This will be difficult at first but anything worthwhile takes work to achieve. There are plenty of ways that we can work together to make this into a societal norm, the best is to educate yourself and not just classically. We need to become emotionally, socially and politically intelligent. Another suggestion is to take small steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, as the cliché goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Well good habits take a while to build as well. Finally, get politically active. We may only be able to take baby steps, but by making sure we get educated, competent and caring people into positions of power we can make great leaps and bounds. So please, consider the benefits of a society that cares not only about being wealthy, but being healthy, smart and compassionate as well.

Thank you all so much for taking a look, I hope you enjoyed it or it at least made you think. I would love to hear what you all want to learn about, if you think of anything please leave a comment below. If you would like to pass along any constructive criticism or just ideas and suggestions please comment as well. Until next time, peace out!

The Timon and Pumbaa Diet

Image credited to cartoonbucket.com

  

                                                Image credited to thegrowingproject.com  

Hey there everyone! I would hope most of you have seen the Lion King by now, and if not go treat yourself to it immediately. All watched and re-watched? Great, so you all remember how Timon and Pumbaa would chow down on surprisingly tasty looking bugs. This may seem like a poor diet and you would be right, but not for the reasons you're thinking. As it turns out eating bugs is just fine, even good for you. Timon and Pumbaa just need to get some fruits and veggies in there and they'll be great.

All jokes aside, it is very true that bugs are good for us. The concern I hear most often is that folks believe insects contain very little protein since they're so tiny. The good news is that these little guys are packed with nutrients, let's compare common house cricket protein contents to that of beef. the average protein content in common crickets is approximately 21 grams of protein per 100g of cricket. Our bovine buddies contain approximately 26g per 100g of beef. Right now you may be wondering why I presented this when the cricket loses, well this is because according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, American adults eat nearly twice as much protein as necessary on a daily basis. For most males this means around 102g of protein per day for men and nearly 70g for women. The healthy range, unless you are a professional athlete, is about 56g for men and 46g for women. To top it off, most insects contain other important substances for our bodies such as high iron content, amino acids, vitamins A and B12, plus many other combinations depending on the type of insect you decide to chow down on.

Now there are many other benefits to eating cricket over cow. It takes many times less water, food and space to raise the same amount of insects then it does for cattle. This means by switching to insects, or even just reducing beef consumption, we will have more room to build, live and grow more food for our fellow humans. Now I do apologize to any cow lovers reading this, I know it seems like I'm picking on them a little, but of all of our protein sources, beef is the one that is the most harmful to the environment. Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger more than almost any other food and insects still kind of gross me out, so this is something we need to do together as a team!

Well that's about all for me today, I really hope you all found this informative. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions for my next topic, please leave a comment or contact me through social media. Thanks again and peace out!

Sustainable Saturdays!

Image Credit: Claire S. at www.pinterest.com

Hey there everyone, I know it isn't Saturday but I wanted to get a jump on things. I will be sharing one post today about the most efficient lighting and what it can do for you. This is just a little taste so you will all know what to expect on Saturdays from now on. In the meantime please comment below and let me know where you would like to be more sustainable and maybe it will make it into next weeks blog!

If you folks are like me than you hardly ever think about your light bulbs unless one burns out, but by neglcting your lights, you are actually hurting your wallet. If you pay an electric bill then according to Energy.gov 5% of your electricity budget goes just to those light fixtures. It may not seem like a lot but by switching out your old incandescent bulbs for LED (light emitting diodes) or CFL (compact florescent lighting) you can save up to 75$ a year. Now different bulbs sell for different prices, but as long as you're getting one of these two kinds you should be all set. For some assistance with shopping here is a buyers guide that is really informative.

So now you know the two best types of lighting to save you money, but what is the difference between these two? Well the LED lights are excellent at emitting direct and focused light, this makes them really great for reading lamps and spotlight lighting, in case you need to show off some trophies or something like that while also saving money. They cost a bit more than CFL but they can be dimmed whereas the CFL cannot. Speaking of CFLs these little powerhouses are amazing at throwing light across the entire room. They are very cheap, only being a bit more expensive than incandescent, and will last so much longer. The only downside to these lights is that when used outside in cold temperatures they tend to take a few extra seconds to light up. On the good side, both options will fit into almost any light fixture and they work with multi-setting lighting quite well. If that wasn't enough for you all here is a more in depth look at the details of what makes these light bulbs so great for you and the planet. So until next Saturday, enjoy yourselves!

Blowing Away Our Natural Skyscrapers

Image Credit: www.panoramio.com

 

Hello there everyone, you must be wondering what this picture of a desert has to do with mountains, well this barren landscape is quite similar to what a mountain range looks like after it has become a victim of mountain top removal mining. This type of mining is incredibly harmful to the planet and the communities nearby.

 

Let's start with the process itself. It all begins with coal companies going to the top of a mountain and cutting down all of the trees and other vegetation in order to make room for their employees and mining equipment. All of the trees are wasted, being burned rather than given to other companies, nearby towns or even sold. While disposing of the trees, they begin drilling holes into the top and sides of the mountain which they then fill with explosives. Once the area is clear, the top of the mountain is blasted, removing as much as 800 to 1,000 feet off of the mountain at a time. The rubble is stripped of all of the coal and the rest is dumped into nearby valleys leaving these wastelands where mountain peaks once were.

 

While this practice does alter the very geography and environment of an area, it has much farther reaching consequences. Many animals are displaced by the blasts and the complete removal of their homes. This could potentially wipe out species of plant and animal life that have yet to be discovered. Another byproduct is the contamination and destruction of nearby streams and other water sources. As mentioned earlier, the rubble deemed useless is dumped into valleys that are close by. This often covers up or destroys natural paths for rainfall to collect and provide water for the ecosystem and cities near the mountain. Finally while coal companies like to claim that they are creating jobs and supporting entire communities, this fairly new practice requires very few people to operate the machines required. This leaves many coal miners out of a job with few other employment opportunities available to them.

 

Before the sadness sets in, let me just say that we can help stop this. By making informed decisions when voting it is possible to show our elected officials that we are against this horrific practice. Until the next big election keep learning and help your fellow humans. Talk to you all soon.



About Peace of Mind

Hey there I am Brandon Taylor, a sustainability major currently working on finishing up my bachelors degree at Indiana University South Bend. I wanted to start the blog, Peace of Mind, because when I tell folks about my major, they seem to always wonder how they could possibly have an impact on the world. Well to them and to all of you, you already are making an impact on the world.

Every decision you make, item you purchase and mode of transportation you use either adds or subtracts from the problem. So I would love to help you all learn how to have a more positive impact and along the way I know I will learn quite a lot from the online community, so please send me a message, leave a comment, I would love to hear from everyone.

I came to understand what sustainability is from an introduction class in my second year. Up until then I had absolutely no passions for any career. I would constantly wonder how I could make an impact on the world and help others, then I saw what sustainability is all about. It is about improving the single bottom line of profit and adding to it, making it the Triple bottom Line. The Triple Bottom Line is all about People, Prosperity and Planet. That means that unless the Earth is healthy and the people on it are healthy and happy, then making money doesn't really matter. A great place to begin is at the Natural Step website, they have a lot of information that is well categorized and easy to digest.

I will post again soon with more information, until then I would love to hear what everyone wants to learn about, talk to you all soon.