Michael Hardyway

In this week’s experiments and daily challenges became a lot easier than the week prior to this. I say this because over time you develop a set schedule and pattern as you set in new ways to do every day things and go out of your way. However, as days pass and things become easier, you find yourself in a rhythm. For me, this is the case with my challenges and experiments. Adding to the fact that weeks prior I missed school for health reasons and before that only had 2 challenges. Over time this process and challenge has become easier. This week, I was surprised by something more simple, the weather. One of my daily challenges in this unit was to watch and acknowledge the beauty present in the sunrise or sunset. I was to set time out of my day to rest my phone and just witness the beauty we have at hand daily. But, throughout the week, the weather was inconsistent and changed. We had colder days, but we also had some nice beautiful days in which the sun was out, we could see some clouds, and temperatures reached almost 50 degrees fahrenheit. In my opinion, these days reminded me of almost California a little. The slight breeze on the quad hill was in comparison to the coastal breeze I get back home from the ocean. It sort of reminded me of something I can look forward to. But then on Saturday morning however, we received a slurry alert on our phone for a potential wind and visibility problem. Being outside already for football, I can see the little snow flurries we had, the wind picking up with branches and leaves flying everywhere on the ground, and then the sky and air becoming a little harder to see and pick out things. This particular morning I had watched the sunrise, unaware of what was to come. Witnessing nature and the beauty of it, is something that I consider very important in my life. This may be a result of being from sunny-side Southern California, but it may also be who I am as a person and what I like. In the article “Valuing Your Values” by Matt James, he says, “Values help us through crisis”. And to me, this hit home and was very true. I say this because back home in California, the beach and ocean was so accessible to me, if I felt like it would always be there. Due to this, I would find myself doing my best thinking or writing or feeling at peace when I would just let things go and not allow my mind to take over and look over the ocean and the horizon as the sun sets. My values in life weren’t as clear until I moved out here on my own across the country. I did not always see what I needed in life versus what I wanted. This has now become clearer than I imagine. It is almost in relation to you don’t knowing what something means to you until it is gone and you can’t have it. To add, I feel this is where a barrier in life comes to making certain changes in life permanent. The fear of the unknown and scarynes of what could possibly change is what people do not like about changing their lifestyle. The fear of not being in control of their everyday lives is what society as a whole struggles with today. Therefore, as I open up and read more resources and look at things differently, I do feel like I am willing to make these lifestyle changes permanent in my life because they have turned me into a better person not only for the environment but for myself within and affecting those around me.

My daily challenges were to power off my computer when not using it, not just sleep it, and to also shut off and turn off all extra lights or electricity I am using or power used things in my room or stuff that I can control. My one time- challenge was to do laundry and have my wash cycle in cold water. My daily experiments help honestly for my health. It felt as if I was forcing myself to get off social media and the internet more often than not. I have bad eyes to begin with and with the lights from using my electronics often and constantly, it has a wear and tear on them. For example, with my lights, I usually have my LED lights on more often than not, and by turning them off more frequently, it feels like the strain I put my eyes through day in and out isn’t as much and not as present. In addition, by turning off my computer more often and for longer periods of time, I feel as if my computer functions better and runs more smoothly when on. It is as if it is rested and doesn’t overheat as much. The one time challenge of doing laundry with a cold water wash cycle, it was not that hard to do so. I completed this easily and it had no difference to me in regards to the texture of fragrance of my clothing in my cycle but also the cost of laundry did not go up for this reason. Fortunately for me, it was better timing wise and the ash cycle for cold water laundry takes less time and is faster with efficiency. In my opinion, this was the most surprising aspect of my challenges. I was unaware of how this little cycle change and switch in my lifestyle changes up how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and helps minimize the harming of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the barriers that I faced in making these lifestyle changes more permanent is the idea of habits. Having bad habits of turning on lights or leaving things on more often than I should is something that presents a challenge in turning these changes to permanent. To add, making these changes in my everyday life more permanent is a benefit energy wise. By preserving energy, excluding the fact that I am on a college campus and do not pay an energy or heating bill monthly, possibly in the future when I do pay these specific bills, it can help lower the cost. My monthly bills will go down from these simple lifestyle changes and this does not even acknowledge the fact I am benefiting the environment and planet we live on. For this reason, I am willing to make these lifestyle changes permanent. Using the Tyalor reading from last week, I realize and confront the idea that commerce and trading is a role in resources. The main way we transport items, cars and planes and trains, all emmitt horrible greenhouse gas emissions into the sky. However we also choose to realize or count this way of trading as essential to life skills, so we must accept the idea that these are not going anywhere any time soon and will be relevant for some time. So instead of adding onto the greenhouse gasses issue, why not help reduce my additions to the atmosphere and low technology to advance and reduce the commerce systems additions.

Experimenting with these daily and one-time challenges was fun. It created a new perspective on how I view the importance of the environment. This showed me that really, every little thing I do in my everyday life pour into my own outlet and footprint of the environment. Whether it be from water, to waste, to air pollution,every decision I make throughout the day, no matter how big or how small, will affect the environment and Earth we live in and will live in for many many many years to come. I like how these forces change your habits, but most importantly, it isn’t just once. You have to create a daily routine for one, and it soon becomes a habit over time. But I feel as if you are a better person inside. As you do certain things throughout the day, you add these little things and challenges to your lifestyle, you feel as if these small changes in your life are helping the environment, what else can I do that will make me feel like I am really doing something. It draws attention to a bigger surface possibly available and shines light to a new bridge and gateway for ordinary college students let alone people like us, to really make a difference in the world we are in and to really make a huge step moving forward into the future for a better one. Some barriers that I face in making these lifestyle changes permanent is just the time. Some of these daily and one-time challenges require some time and are often hard for people let alone a college student. These things require the energy to be persistent and adapt to what could possibly be the new normal for a lot of people. In addition to that, in specific environments, for example, out here on the east coast and in Central PA of the town of Lewisburg, it is colder this time of year. Some of the nature actions and challenges in this tab, include interacting and engaging with nature. It is very intimidating and discouraging to go outside at this time of year because we would rather stay inside where it is warm. The lack of daylight paired with this, already puts myself and all the others potentially looking to change, at a disadvantage of loving and becoming familiar to the new nature presented in our lives. Also, the money available to make these changes and adjustments in our lifestyle is often taxing and not there. Being a college student, it is more than out of the question and picture in my life to be able to support myself and live the life I want while still making these price-taxing changes to save and help our environment. The middle class and lower classes are more likely to not participate in these changes that require money because in the US today it is hard to do and still succeed and live the “American dream’. That is all a factor even without the addition of the modern relevance of a global pandemic and ongoing crisis of welfare issues throughout the globe, not just nationally. Putting into contribution what I know now and what I understand from all of my life, I feel I am willing to make these lifestyle changes permanently. Growing up and always living near an ocean, it always has a special place in my heart. To add, this specifically is one of the most hurtful and harmed places on Earth due to our pollution and environmental harm. Thoreau talks about the willingness and willfulness to make it in life, he says the gender normalities make it a standard for a man to do so in his life. He shows me that including these personal lifestyle changes, I should be able to make it. Holding myself accountable and allowing myself to evolve and continue working in life, presents an idea of lifestyle changes as not a life harming change and that no matter what we must stay afloat and succeed in life.