Janet Dodd

ENC 1102

Kelly Warren

March 18, 2013

 

Food Waste in America

 

     We have all had our mothers tell us at some point, “you need to eat all of your food; there are starving children in Africa.”  The truth is not only is there starving children in Africa, but all over the world.  There are people starving every day right here in the United States.  America is a wasteful society. Food waste is one of the biggest and most urgent problems in our world today. There are many things that could be done to work towards solving or at the very least, minimizing this situation.  Things like food waste recycling, lowering our food standards to avoid waste, food donations, and just limiting our food purchases and consumption could reduce the waste produced by a great degree. If we do not get control of this problem, the waste will take over.   

     According to the Food Recovery Network website, “1 in 6 Americans or more than 49 million people, don’t know where their next meal is coming from. 1 in 4 American children are in this category.”  Most of us have never had to worry about where our next meal would come from. Turn on any news show and nine times out of ten you will see some type of reporting about obesity in America. It has been instilled upon us since we were old enough to understand that we should not waste food. However with bigger meal portions and the option of “upsizing or super-sizing” your meal at restaurants, it is no wonder why we have such a problem in this country with food waste regardless of what we were told growing up. Dana Gunders, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s food and agriculture program said, “As a county, we’re essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path, that is money and precious resources down the drain.”  The NRDC’s report stated that, “Americans discard 40 percent of the food supply every year.” How is this possible?  Where is our country heading?
Who will step up and work towards a solution?  We could start by doing the basic things; eat less, and we will in turn waste less.

     Where is the food waste coming from?  We can follow the path that food takes from growth to consumption to track the waste.  According to an article from the Washington Post.Com called “How the U.S. Manages to Waste $165 Billion in Food Each Year”  it starts with farming, post-harvesting and packing, processing and distribution and then continues to retail and grocery stores, food service restaurants and households, then finally at disposal…. Food crops can go

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 2

unharvested for a variety of reasons, insufficient demand for the product, insufficient workers for the field, and food safety scares by the FDA.                                                                                       

     Once the crops are harvested, they are sorted to ensure they meet minimum standards.  Then the problem turns to processing and distributing.  Food must be stored in proper containers and proper temperatures to be sent out for distribution. Otherwise, it must be discarded.  “If there’s a culprit here, it’s our high aesthetic standards for food.” (The Washington Post-Plumer 2012).

     There are alternatives to wasting tons of food, we must be open to implementing the possible solutions.  One way is to cut back on our food purchases and consumption. “Just a 15 percent reduction in losses in the U.S. food supply would save enough to feed 25 million Americans annually.”(Huffington Post) Another solution is food donation.  The Food Recovery Network is a program that has been established in many colleges and universities where student volunteers take the left-over food from the dining hall after closing and take it to nearby shelters and food banks where it is then distributed to people in need. “Recovering just 15% of wasted food would be enough to feed 25 million people.”(Food Recovery Network).  Per the Food Recovery Network website, they only have chapters in 7 college campuses. 75% of American colleges don’t have a food recovery program(Food Recovery Network).  The best solution is food waste recycling. However, implementing a food waste recycling program can be a bit costly, but well worth the cost. When food waste is recycled, it can be turned into compost that could be then sold back to farmers. “An average single-family household throws away about 45 pounds of food scraps and food-soiled paper every month-around 25% of total trashed materials!”(Sierra Club). The food waste that can be recycled to be later turned into compost can consist of: food scraps, food-soiled paper products, milk and juice cartons, egg cartons(paper not styrofoam), boxes from frozen and refrigerated foods, waxed paper and paper containers, coffee filters and tea bags and other compostable items (full vacuum cleaner bags, dryer lint, tissues, cotton balls, floral trimmings, and household plants).  By recycling the food waste, we could greatly reduce the amount of waste produced and reduce the amount of debris going into our landfills daily.

     With all the good that can be done with these options, why wouldn’t everyone just do it?  There is a cost associated with every change, not only monetarily, but also, time and personnel.  Why shouldn’t all grocery and retail stores donate their, “near expiration date” food to shelters and food banks instead of tossing it in the dumpster?  It has to be packed up, delivered and stored.  What would stop the average American to not purchase food in the store and wait until it gets near expiration and then simply ask for it?  No purchase involved and no profit made.  The store would lose money.  The recycling program is the same.  A place would need to be set aside to develop the compost, people and trucks to pick up the road-side containers, thereby increasing tax dollars spent in the community. No matter what the cost associated, isn’t doing the right thing and saving our environment worth it?

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 3

      There are millions of starving people in the United States and yet we still waste thousands of pounds of food every day.  Why can’t the food waste be donated?  Why can’t we set up curb side food waste recycling programs? We could do any number of things to help our country other than waste food. The next time that you go shopping, think about the amount of food that is wasted and thrown out and ask yourself, what can I do to help reduce food waste and in turn help ourselves and our country?

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 4

 

Works Cited

 

“Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Nearly Half Their Food, $165 Billion Annually, Study Says”,

www. Huffington Post.com, August 21, 2012; accessed March 11, 2013: Web,      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/food-waste-americans-throw-away-food-study_n_1819340.html

 

Brad Plumer; “How the U.S. Manages to Waste $165 Billion in Food Each Year”,

www.washingtonpost .com, Updated August 22, 2012; accessed March 11, 2012: Web, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/22/how-food-actually-gets-wasted-in-the-united-states/

 

Scott Learn; “Portland Ready to Test Recycling Residents’ Kitchen Scraps; Oregon Live. Com;

February 03, 2010, updated October 29, 2011; accessed March 12, 2012; Web;    http://blog.oregonlive.com/environment_impact/print.html?entry=/2010/02/portland_ready to_test_collect.html

 

“Curbside Food Waste Collection – A Growing Trend”,  Sierra Club Green Home; accessed March 12,

2013; Web; http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/curbside-food-waste-collection-a- growing-trend/

 

Grzeskowiak, By Jennifer. "ON THE CUTTING EDGE." Waste Age. 01 Mar. 2005 eLibrary. Web. 11 Mar.

     2013

 

http://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/about-us/our-work/; Accessed March 12, 2013; Web

 

 

Journal 5-"Dive!"

I have thought about the video that we watched and wondered if I could or would ever do that.  Many thoughts have crossed my mind.  What would it take for me to jump into a dumpster and dig?  I have a six year son and I am pretty sure that as a mother, I would do whatever would be necessary to provide for my son.  I have a pretty good job right now and make a decent salary, however there has been a time when I was unemployed and had an extremely limited income.  I  have been able to provide for my child on both incomes, although I am unsure how.  I also started thinking about trying what they did in the video, by calling various stores and asking about them donating the food at the close of business, before going in the dumpster.  But from the store's perspective, what would keep people from not shopping at the store and just coming in at the close of business and getting their food.  There would be no need to shop in the strore.  Just thinking.......

The American Dream-Fear

Janet Dodd                                                                                                                             Dodd 1

Professor Kelly Warren

ENC 1102

February 25, 2013

 

Fear

 

     In his first inaugural speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” These immortal words effectively describe my life until now. My entire life has been about fear in some fashion. Fear can inhibit an individual from trying new experiences, to hide or hold back emotions, and effectively obtaining life goals or following or even discovering their dream. Fear can paralyze the strongest of men, but if overcome or harnessed; it can take you anywhere in life that you would like to go.

     There are times when fear can be a great resource. It can remind us of things that could be potentially harmful. Fear can even be good for you sometimes and even help you stay healthy. Fear of getting too close to a campfire may save you from a bad burn ( “Being Afraid” ).  We have the innate “fight or flight” defense mechanism built into our genetic makeup.  This allows us to react to a possible harmful situation. As important as this, fear is still something that is needed to be overcome.

     I grew up in a house with three brothers and no sisters. Needless to say, fear was not an option back then. If my older brother even smelled fear, he would pounce on me or my younger brother like a cat on a mouse. Being the only girl in the family, I was of course fragile in my mother’s eyes. If she could have only seen how far from the truth that was, maybe my life would have

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 2

taken a different turn. My constant struggle was the desire to try new things, have new experiences, while being told, “no, you can’t because you are a girl.” Not being able to go camping with my friends unless in was in my own back yard and not being allowed to drive my own car at night away from the house by myself are just couple of examples of my mother’s “girl paranoia.”  Needless to say, I grew up to be fearful of the unknown with the words, “you never know what might happen,” always and forever looming over my head. The words, “can’t,

shouldn’t, don’t” and “because you are a girl” became staples in my vocabulary; always hindering me.

     Fears create defense attitude that undercuts risk taking, individual initiative, creativity, and involvement in almost any wide-scale change imitative (Breaking 10). Stepping outside of your comfort zone is difficult in itself, however when met with discouragement and dissuasion makes it near impossible. There is always the possibility of something bad happening, but there is also the possibility of something wonderful happening. It is the uncertainty that we should embrace. Fear is normal…it only becomes a problems when we refuse to take steps to beat it (“Women’s Health Magazine Online”). Women’s Health Magazine printed an online article in the April/May 2005 issue stating that to conquer your fears you must fight back using four basic strategies; visualization, use words, diversion, acknowledge.  You must first picture yourself overcoming your fear to proceed to conquering it.  Then, avoid words with negative connotations, such as “I can’t,” or “I’m afraid.” Next, allow yourself to think of less intimidating ideas.  For example, instead of focusing on an entire crowd when publically speaking, focus on only one person or use imagery to alter the setting. Finally, acknowledge your fear.  Face it head on.

    

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 3

     Having experiences, whether good or bad, is another a part of life.  Different events do not have to have to define who we are, however how we handle the event can make a substantial difference in our lives. In 2005, I was afforded the opportunity to visit Uraguay with a friend to visit her husband’s family.  The country is very poor and families live together in small houses, therefore there was insufficient room for me to stay in the family house.  I was able to stay in a small hotel about 10 minutes away from the home by myself.  Armed with only two years of high school Spanish and words picked up from my Spanish speaking friends, I was only able to communicate fluently to ask the question, “Donde esta’ la biblioteca?” (Where is the library?). An amazing thing happens when you are completely submersed in a different culture; you tend to adapt to your environment.  Looking back on that time, I was able to step outside my comfort zone of and enjoy an entirely new experience in another country. 

     Since that part of my life, I have conquered many fears and had many life changing experiences.  I have changed my career path three separate times until finally deciding on what I would like to do with the rest of my life.  I have gone back to college to obtain the knowledge and degrees necessary to become a nurse, while conquering the biggest challenge of all; being a single mother.  To eliminate the fears associated with being a parent, I have turned my life over to God.  There is no way better to overcome your fears, than that.  Turn whatever fears you have over to God and you will be rewarded.  Fear is just a word.

  

 

    

 

 

                                                                                                                                    Dodd 4

Works Cited

 

     Breaking the cycle of fear. David Maxfield and Stephen Sears. Physician Executive. 33.4 (July-August 2007) p6.

     “Conquer Your Fears - Learn to Battle What Makes You Afraid Using These Fear-Fighting Tips.” Women’s Health Magazine, April/May 2005. Last updated January 4, 2012. Web. 26 Feb 2013. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/freedom-from-fear

     “Being Afraid.” Kids Health from Nemours, date reviewed January 2011 by D’Arcy Lyness PhD. Web 02 Mar 2013. http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/afraid.html#

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journal 4-An American Dream

 

Journal 4-An American Dream

Mauricio Garcia’s presentation, “Find Your Passion, Live Your Purpose” was extremely thought provoking.  I must admit that I have been struggling with this my entire life.  I have never really known what I wanted to do with my life and I have honestly just been coasting through my life hoping that somewhere along the way I would figure it out.  I am now 44 years old and I think that I have finally discovered what that I want to be a nurse.  While struggling to find his place in a new country and fighting it every step of the way, Mauricio discovered his true calling.   His family wanted him to grown to have not only a life, but a good life.  We don’t always know what we need, but if we are lucky we can figure it out.

This presentation made me ponder my own life travels and things that made me who I am: being afraid to be out in public by myself, hiding back my emotions, being afraid of the unknown.  I continue to struggle everyday to overcome these obstacles.  

I could also relate to Mauricio’s stories of being in an unknown country, knowing only a handful of people and not being able to communicate effectively.  In 2005, I spent 2 weeks in Uruguay.  I knew very little Spanish and had to convey my wishes to others.  It is a challenge to say the least.

Social Media Etiquette

Janet Dodd                                                                                                                             Dodd 1

Professor Kelly Warren

ENC 1102

February 12, 2013

Social Media Etiquette

 

     Laptop computer, smart phone, tablet or gaming system; these are different types of electronic media devices.  Most, if not all of us, have at least one of these devices in our home or with us at all times.  With electronic devices being so readily accessible to us, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, My Space and others have become the social norm.  We no longer communicate face to face, by phone or mail.  It is now by text, email or Facebook posting. Why say what you want to say to one person when you can say it to millions?  Although these media sites are popular and allow people to connect with long lost friends, provide quicker communication with friends and loved ones and post pictures others might not ordinarily get to see, they must still be properly maintained and managed to “weed out” the people that would use them to do harm to others.   

     The largest social media site, Facebook, was founded in 2004 as an exclusive online student directory limited to Harvard University students. . . . In 2006, Facebook was made available for public use and since then has witnessed exponential growth (Cheng 197).  Hilary Scott of PC Magazine Online reported that in June 2011, Facebook reported over 750 million users. People can log onto Facebook and locate childhood friends, past relationships, long lost relatives, and many more.  There is a sort of nostalgia feeling associated with locating past relationships.

 

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 2

According to a research study conducted by Cheng, Facebook attracts users to spend too much time on the internet and despite its friend-making and gaming activities, overuse of Facebook

can result in a number of social problems affecting rest, relationships, and employment (Cheng 197). Regardless of the feelings that may be felt after locating and “friending” a person that you may have completely forgotten about until they were located on Facebook, these sites can be potentially harmful to areas of our lives.  Some people tend to develop somewhat of an obsession with the site. They stay continuously logged in just in case someone happens to “check in” or comment on a page or post a picture of what food is being consumed at the moment.  Meanwhile in the “real” world, the work that you are being paid to complete is not getting done, or a special person in your life is upset about a posted comment because you did not think anything of it when it was posted. There is no way to effectively communicate emotion in a post, text or email, therefore, the possibility of hurting the feelings of another is extremely great. If you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, remember that even in cyberspace, it’s important to mind your manners(Moore 096).

     There are positive aspects to social media sites. These sites allow us to communicate with friends and loved ones both close and far away.  In today’s busy world, it is difficult to keep in touch with others. Websites such as Facebook, email or texting allows us to send a quick, “Hi, how are you?” message to loved one overseas without the cost of the long distance phone call. However, the problem with this type of snippet communication is that it can be extremely empowering. When the face to face discussion is absent; communication, good or bad, has lost the “human” aspect.  According to an article in The Times called “Anti-Social Networking,”

                                                                                                                                               

Dodd 3

online media can empower the week and stir a revolution, but it can also empower a quiet fool, oaf or bigot to make himself into louder one (2).  This is so true.  There is no filter to make someone ponder what they are posting before they post the comment.

     Picture posting on social media sites is another issue.  Although it can be such a great way to allow loved ones to see parts of lives missed, or special events, it can be a way for unsavory characters to locate children and become fixated on them.  Nuance, restraint, libel law and the etiquette of public debate are all crafts learnt, and most have not yet learnt them (The Times 2).  I, myself have experienced this with my fourteen year old niece.  While “surfing” one day, I happened upon some pictures that she had posted on her Facebook page.  Being the concerned aunt, I sent her a short email stating how much I loved her and that I felt that the pictures were a bit too risqué for every person to view on the Internet.  As we all know, there are people in cyberspace looking for things like that; which may not be not nice people.  The reaction by her was as if I had handcuffed her to a steel pole and left her to die essentially killing her free speech. I attempted to explain how my comments were only out of love for her, but her reply was  extremely nasty.  This caused us to not speak again for over one year. Young people seem to have tunnel vision when it comes to their online postings. They act as if they are only talking to their personal friends, however once something is posted, it is visible for all to see. Privacy settings are really an oxymoron. Once a friend of a friend of a friend views a posting or picture, it is no longer private.

     We are living in a digital world.  I am learning to accept it; however I continue to struggle to keep some type of handle on it. I do not allow electronic devices to be on during meals. I limit time spent on electronic devices. I continue to tell my son that these items are privileges, not

                                                                                                                                                Dodd 4

rights.  I have been out to dinner in a restaurant and seen families with all members on some type of device instead of spending quality time together. Electronic devices, social media sites, emailing and texting needs limits and to be managed by someone, why not the parent.

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                    Dodd 5

Works Cited

 

Mancuso, Joan, and Karen Stuth. "Mind Your Manners." Marketing Research 23.3                   (2011): 40. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

Anti-Social Networking." Times [London, England] 1 Aug. 2012: 2. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

Moore, Fernanda Bashaw. "Curb Your Urge to Overshare." Women's Health Jan.-Feb. 2010: 096. General OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

Cheng, Julian Ming-Sung, et al. "Social media usage and work values: the example of Facebook in Taiwan." Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal 40.2 (2012): 195+. Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

"Report: Facebook Hits 750 Million Users." PC Magazine Online 27 June 2011. Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

 

 

 

 

    

Journal 3 - Digital Nation

The video Digital Nation provided me with much to think about.  Trying to pick just one topic out of so many poses quite a challenge.  I have to say that I do feel that digital technology is very necessary in our world, but I am concerned about the video games and our young children.  I am a single mother of a 6 year old boy.  He has ADHD and when not medicated, it is difficult for him to focus on anything, unless it is something that captures his attention completely.  Video games seem to do just that, medicated or not. However, I have to limit the time that he spends on the computer or on his DS.  Luckily for me, he is still at the age that he likes younger children games and activities, as is on Disney Jr or Nick Jr.  I do not buy video games about killing people or that contain adult language.  I believe that children will learn about inappropriate things eventually and I would prefer for my child to be a child for as long as possible. 
Computers are wonderful teaching tools when handled correctly.  I loved the part of the video that talked about teaching "internet manners" to the children.  Personally, I think that there should be a class required to be taken anytime someone purchases a digital device for the first time. I have personally experienced several situations where a relative has posted something on Facebook that would be deemed "inappropriate" and when it was commented on by other family members, the emotions flared up and feelings where hurt to the point of causing one family member to stop speaking to another family member for over a year.  The entire problem could of and should have been handled face to face to avoid the hurt feelings.  One of the biggest problems with posting comments online or thru emails or texts is that there is no emotion in the message.  What one person may be sending as a joke could be misinterpreted as hurtful comments. 

Reality Television

Janet Dodd

ENC 1102

February 5, 2013    

Journal 2 – Reality Television

 

     Reality television is a practical joke that has been played on the country.  Producers have taken the fact that people are unable to look away from drama and the unknown and have turned it into a monster money making business.  Someone dreams up an idea, submits it to a television producer, a deal is carefully and legally agreed upon, cameraman invade the lives of the shows participants for however long it is deemed necessary to get the “meat” of the show, lastly, the editing room takes over and produces a show consisting of what the producer deems television worthy.  Humans have this innate need to know what other people are doing, even though it has nothing whatsoever to do with their own lives.  For example, we have a term for “nosey bodies” that drive past a car accident and just absolutely have to see what is going on or what happened.  These people are called “rubberneckers.”  A charming term awarded due to the fact that these people keep moving forward, however their necks will stretch as far as possible in an attempt to find out the “scoop.”

     There is a reality show about almost anything that you can possibly imagine and some things that you would rather not.  Personally, I don’t watch much television; however I try to stay away from these types of programs.  They are not as real as they are publicized to be.  Hanging out at a friend’s house one afternoon, I had the great pleasure of viewing a marathon of a show called, “Amish Mafia.”  As you can imagine, it is about the Amish community in Pennsylvania and the group of individuals who “protect” the community.  I will admit it, I got hooked!  I got home and just had to find out when the seasonal finale was going to be aired so that I could watch it or record it for later viewing.  Turns out, the editing of the show, convinced the viewer to believe that something very bad would be occurring in every episode, however nothing ever happened.  Yes, there was mutiny in the ranks, infiltration of a competitor from another Amish community in Ohio to take over the business, and a love interest; all the components necessary to grab the viewer’s attention.  When I stopped and analyzed the show, I realized that I felt dumber for watching this show.  I started viewing the channel guide in an attempt to find something worthwhile to watch, but found things like, Moonshiners, Duck Dynasty, Toddlers and Tiaras, and best of all Hoarders.  I wonder if I call a TV producer and offer to allow cameras to film the drama of my family relationships, going to school and working fulltime and being a single mother to an ADHD six year old, if it would be another hit.  I could call it “Life.”