Side 1, Side 2

Writing has always been one of the fundamentals of the learning process and I agree that it is a valid skill to be blessed with. Writing four to six page papers at least every few weeks can really add up to a lot a writing in one year and I didn't realize this until I got to college. I don't ever remember writing as much in high school as I do now. On top of those papers, you have the rough drafts that came before them and all the other computer work you do for class. Students often print out slide notes for class and, at least in my writing class, editor comment sheets and plagiarism forms. That is a lot of paper!

The average tree can be turned into approximately 80,500 pieces of paper. The student population is just over 1,000 at my college. If each student printed out or used one piece of paper per day (which is highly possible considering all the pieces of papers we use and work on for each class), it would take 11 1/2 days to use up a tree. If we're in school for about 8 months, considering all the breaks, that is close to 250 days, and my college would use up 22 trees in one school year. That doesn't seem like much, but if you consider the time it takes a tree to grow to a substantial enough size to be cut down and turned into paper, it is a lot. Let's not forget the handouts professors give us and the syllabi for each class. That adds even more to the number of trees cut down. So what ever happened to printing on both side of the paper? Sure it's possible to do in the computer lab in the library, but not in any other lab on campus (that I have yet to discover). But, to print on both sides, you have to change the printer properties and not many students know how to or take the time to do so. Wouldn't it be so much simply if printing on both sides was the default setting? I'm sure it's possible to do, it just hasn't been done.

From the flip side of my laptop,

-Trinka

When the lights go down in the city...

I would have to say that I am a lucky person, considering I have never had any possessions stolen from me or had anything of mine broken into. I suppose it could be because I live in a safe, quiet neighborhood people don't drive past my house very often. Many people however, aren't as fortunate as I am. Some of those less fortunate people sign themselves up to be on a TV show called "To Catch a Thief." The families on the show allow their houses to be robbed by an ex-con man and, in turn, get an upgraded security system. Of all the episodes of "To Catch a Thief" I have seen, every house gets a motion-activated outside light. I think these lights are pretty awesome and should really be used in many more places.

At my college, motion-activated lights are prevalent in some buildings, especially the library. However, these lights are none existent in the residence halls, where I think they really should be installed. When students are asleep at night, the hallway lights keep in shining, even though very few people are awake to need the lights on. Why not install motion-activated lights in the residence hall hallways and bathrooms? Depending on the type of light bulbs used, a significant amount of energy could be saved. Come on administration, save some energy and some money and then lower our college bills.

From the light in a dimly lit room,

-Trinka

Homework and...Heads?

Homework, homework, homework. There seems to be so much homework for me to do this week and especially today. The rough draft of my paper is written, so that weight is off my shoulders, but there is still quite a bit left to do before Friday. I have statistics problems to work out, a sociology quiz to study for, and I don't even want to think about my art project too much. Our current project in art is a 3D sculpture of our own head and we have to make it entirely out of cardboard. Oh my goodness, talk about challenging. I have worked on that head for close to five hours already and it barely looks like a head. Now, I must give props to the art department for reusing materials. The cardboard provided for us is mostly boxes that art supplies were shipped in. The boxes would have ended up in the garbage anyway, so we might as well put them to good use...if you call about 20 cardboard heads good use.

There are some really cool ways to use cardboard, other than making a model of your own head. Some artists specialize in reusable materials. Cardboard furniture is actually quite intriguing, in my opinion. Such a potentially flimsy material gets turned in a lightweight, yet very stable, piece of furniture. That is simply genius.

From my cardboard head to yours,

-Trinka

I'd Rather Feel Pain

I have come to the realization that playing four soccer games in one day is not the greatest of ideas. I had hoped that crossfit workouts and running every other day would have put me in somewhat good enough shape to play a few games, but I was so very wrong. I woke up this morning so utterly sore. My shoulders, my stomach, and especially my back and legs hurt whenever I move. Walking is slow and painful, running - not something I even want to think about. I cannot remember a time when I was ever this sore. And what does soreness make people do? Take pain relievers, that's what soreness makes people do. However, that isn't always the best answer for the situation.

A vast array of pharmaceuticals have been found in over 41 million Americans' drinking water. How did they get there? Well, it happens like this: people take pills, their bodies absorb only a part of the medication, and the rest passes through and gets flushed down the toilet. Water and waste treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals so much of the medication remains in the water supply, being treated and pumped back through our faucets. These drugs are having an effect on the environment. Hormones in the water are altering aquatic life, increasing rates of antibiotic resistance among bacteria, and ultimately creating potentially deadly consequences. Granted, approximately 80 percent of the pain reliever acetaminophen is metabolized by the body, but the flip side of this is that 80 percent of the high blood pressure medicine, atenolol, is not used by the body. If one kind of medicine is mostly used by the body, why can't all medicines be like that? Come on scientists, get on the ball with that drug testing.

With all sincerity and a very painful curtsy,

-Trinka

Trayless Tempers

Tuesday's are awesome days, don't you think? They aren't Monday so the whole week isn't looming over your head, but they're not Wednesday, that awkward hump day, either. Thursday isn't any better because it's still not the weekend, and Fridays...well, no one likes Fridays. Okay, so I'm totally kidding. Tuesday's do kind of suck for the majority of people, however not for me. Tuesday means I have one class at 8 A.M., cross-fit training for soccer to be exact, and it lasts about twenty minutes. After that, my day is free. Yes, you are free to despise me for my luck. :]

This second day of the week however, is also the worst day at the cafe by student opinion. Tuesday's are Trayless Tuesday's, making each meal quite inconvenient. If you have more than one plate or cup, you're going to have to make more than one trip to your table and back, and nobody wants to do that. So what's the point of Trayless Tuesday's? It's said that not making trays available for one day a week cuts down on the amount of water, chemicals, and energy used to wash the trays. Does it really, though? Aren't there other ways for the college to be more environmentally savvy? How about using cups and bowls (meant for hot chocolate and ice cream) that are made from paper instead of stryrofoam? Styrofoam takes one million years or more to decompose. Isn't that awful? A paper bag takes one month to decompose, while cardboard takes two months. Now those amounts sound like music to my ears compared to one million years. Come on college administration - start with the simple "green" things first before you inconvenience your students.

Happy Ash Wednesday and all my renewable love,

-Trinka

Trash or Trees?

I never used to be one of those people that worries about the environment and their impact upon it until about halfway through high school. I don't remember what caused the change in me (probably the media ranted and raving about the oh-so-precious ozone layer), but something in my young brain switched on. I began using less water, turning lights off when I moved from room to room, and recycling paper and magazines. I was a determined little soul, set on saving the planet. While my energy saving habits have continued on, sticking with me into the college life, I realize now that I am not making much difference. However, I can sleep at night knowing that I'm only making a little carbon footprint, hopefully less than the average girl my age creates.

Where am I getting with all this? Well, just give me 2.5 seconds and I'll get to the point. A few days ago, I received a package in the mail. The box was big enough to hold 2 or 3 textbooks, but all I had ordered was face wash. The box felt empty when the lady in the mail room handed it to me. A small, 4.4 ounce bottle of face wash was the only thing inside, besides the packing slip and a big, plastic-covered pillow of air to keep my face wash from banging around. This instance makes me think one thing - what ever happened to being environmentally friendly, huh? All that unnecessary cardboard, the extra large air-filled bag, and the extra tape could have been used for another customer who purchased more than me. Somebody else needed that box much more than I did. If my face wash had come in a simple manila envelope, I would have been a happy camper. Unfortunately, the company that shipped my order will be getting no kudos from me today. At least attempt to save a tree, why don't you?

With all due respect and a recycled paper heart,

-Trinka