Got Milk?

Hello Everyone! again. I am going to be talking about cow’s milk. Although milk has several health benefits, its processing has an impact on the environment.

The milk we buy in stores generally comes from cows on dairy farms that are treated with growth hormones. In order for cows to continue to produce milk, they must be bred. The female offspring is separated from its mother a few days after birth. This way the bond between the mother and calf will not be as strong and therefore be less stress on the calf. This also reduces risk of disease and makes milking the mother easier and sooner. The calves are fed a whole milk substitute based on dried milk powder. This formula is less cost effective than whole milk. The calves are either bred or artificially inseminated when they are over a year old thus, starting the cycle over again.

The milking of cows, processing of the milk, and bottling requires a lot of energy. There is a lot of electricity used not only for milking and processing, but also for refrigeration afterwards. Next is the issue of packaging and the effect is has on the environment. Most milk is packaged in plastic bottles which are not always recycled by the consumers which can have a negative effect on the environment. In the earlier days, milk came in glass bottles which were highly recyclable compared to the plastic bottles of today. The transport of milk across the country requires fuel which adds milk production’s carbon footprint.

Milk is known for the great source of vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. Milk is important for bone health. Many nutritionist have recommend milk a part of a healthy balance diet.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/07/milk-environmental-impact
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/807900/the-health-benefits-of-drinking-milk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/07/milk-environmental-impact

How Sustainable is Our Campus?

Hello fellow reader many of you don’t know me,my name is Lina Gil. I am taking environmental science, as a class we are going to be doing blogs as an assignment ,  and for this assignment we have to talk about how sustainable our campus is.

Is Riverside Community College (RCC) an eco friendly school?

I am going to say that it’s in the process of becoming more eco friendly. Some of the aspects of the campus that I looked for were cleanliness, waste management, bathrooms, and methods of transportation.  As I walked around campus since day one, I noticed our campus very clean. There is no trash on the ground, and there are many trash cans every few meters. Although there are many trash cans I saw very few recycling bins. This lack of recycle bins does not affect the clean grounds but does affect the campus’ ecological footprint. I saw that there were in fact recycling bins in the offices but not in the classrooms. I would find out how much recyclable material is used per month at RCC. This includes paper, cardboard boxes, bottles and cans, and other recyclable material. Next I would measure the amount of recyclable waste that is produced every month I will approach the custodian and ask how many times a day they clean the restrooms, change toilet paper, change trash can bags , and how much recyclable material they dispose of.

When I think of a eco friendly campus I think of Cal State San  Bernardino (CSUSB). As I walk around CSUSB, I’ve noticed that right next to almost every trash can there is a recycling bin. I believe that CSUSB is a great example of eco friendly campus we really need to find a  way to make our campus a better place.

http://websites.rcc.edu/greeninitiatives/environmentally-responsible/

This website shows ways that our district has enforced eco-friendliness on the campuses.

Riverside Community College, these are some ways to make our campus into a more eco friendly.

• fake grass
• more energy efficient lights
• recycling of paper
• automatic hand dryers (air)
• electronic textbooks
• recycling bins
• waterfree urinals