Food, glorious food!

This week’s assignment asked me to choose one food that I enjoy and do a little research to find out more about it. Where does it come from? How was it grown? What are the environmental impacts? What are the health effects? These are some of the questions that I’m going to answer about the one food that makes up most of my diet…rice! Basmati rice to be exact. I know, how boring is that, but I’m curious to find out more information about something that eat almost on a daily basis.

Basmati Field in India

Where and How is it grown?

I buy my rice in bulk from Winco, and I was able to find out that the rice is imported from India (roughly 65% of basmati rice is imported from India). It was difficult to find out anything more specific, like exact location etc...

Because, the rice isn't labeled organic and an inability to find out enough information, I'm going to assume that it wasn't grown free of pesticides, etc..., but i'm not 100% sure.

What are the environmental impacts of rice cultivation?

Apart from requiring large, flooded areas for growing, which limits overall water availability, one of the biggest problems with growing rice is that it accelerates global warming. Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and warmer temperatures cause rice plants to release copious amounts methane gas among others, an even more potent greenhouse gas that carbon dioxide, although its not the rice itself that is causing the problems. Flooded soil provides anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions, and this is just the environment that methane-producing bacteria thrive in. The more rice paddies, the more abundance of methane-producing bacteria, the more methane being released, all of this leads to an acceleration of global warming.

What are the health effects of consuming rice?

•  Rice is loaded with carbohydrates; thus, it is a great source of fuel for the body, helping with normal functioning of the brain
• Rice doesn’t contain cholesterol or harmful fats. This reduces the risk of obesity and associated conditions.
• Rice is low in sodium. It is one of the better foods for reducing blood pressure.
• Contains loads of antioxidants needed to scour the body of cancer causing free-radicals
• Rich in Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin D, calcium, fiber, iron, thiamine, riboflavin. These are important in the regulation of metabolism and organ system functioning
• This is probably the most interesting thing I learned researching basmati rice. Typically, we are told to stay away from “white grains”. They contain large amounts of starch which is metabolized and causes high fluctuations in blood glucose levels, so they score high on the glycemic index. However, basmati has a relatively low glycemic index (56) compared to other grains and products made from white flour (89). 
• Contains resistance starch. Unlike most starch, which starts to break down in the mouth, rice starch reaches the bowels in undigested form, regulating your microbiota, which aids in digestion.
•          Prevents chronic constipation
  
  (source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/cereal/health-benefits-of-rice.html)

        Overall, I would say that rice has many benefits and is indeed healthy! 

How much trash do I produce and what can I do?

This past week, I was asked to keep track of how much trash I produce in a two-day period. After the two days were up, I researched ways that I can reduce how much waste that I create, then implement several techniques and keep track for another two days to see if there was any difference. And there was, but I just wanted to take a quick second to note that this was no ordinary week for me. I was constantly on the go, out of state, or both. Without these extreme circumstances, during a normal week, I would expect to generate more waste than I did this week, quite a bit more actually, so I plan on repeating this experiment when life has normalized so I can make some changes and reduce my footprint!

Waste accumulated in 48 hours:

-          5 gum wrappers - Trash

-          2 cardboard boxes from amazon - Recycled

-          2 plastic grocery bags - Trash

-          3 banana peels - Trash

-          2 orange peels - Trash

-          Avocado skins - Trash

-          Coffee grinds - Trash

-          Tea bag - Trash

-          Potato skins - Trash

-          Paper plate - Recycled

      After the two days were up, I noticed that most of waste was food scraps, which didn't surprise me. This is something that i've noticed for a long time, but I've never done anything about it. Now, I know it doesn't seem like a lot was produced in two days, but after reading some ways to reduce my waste, I realized that most of my waste could have been either recycled, which I always do, or reused! 

What are some ways I can reduce waste?

-          Reusable shopping bags: easy enough, right?

-          Buy in bulk

-          Reusable glass/metal/BPA Free water bottles

-          Buy fresh, loose fruits and vegetables

-          Compost food scraps

-          Don’t buy more than you need!

-          Repair don’t replace!

-          Buy secondhand: Reuse!

-          Sort and Recycle

-          Storage: proper storage = less waste

Waste accumulated in 48 hours after implementing some waste reduction methods:

-          Plastic water bottle: I’m ashamed! I try my hardest not use single-use water bottles!

-          2 plastic grocery bags

** There was no food waste due to a lack of cooking (not normal).

One of the hardest changes for me is the plastic grocery bags. I have reusable bags, but remembering them is a different story, and when I do forget them, which is more often than I care to admit, it’s habitual to say “plastic” when asked if I prefer paper or plastic. This is something I need to continuously work on changing. All of the techniques that I have listed are things that I already do, or I'm going to start from here out! 

The one thing I’m actually excited to take away from this assignment is composting. I’ve always wanted to learn how, and now I’m more motivated than ever. If most of my waste is food, why not return its nutrients back to the ground to fertilize my garden, instead of having it end up in a landfill. It sounds like a win-win scenario to me!

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Water: Bottled vs. Tap

This week's focus is on water, our most valuable resource. We were asked to take a closer look at bottled water and drinking (tap) water and compare and contrast them. Where does my tap water come from? What does the annual water quality report say? What are the concerns about bottled water? Who sets the regulations for both? These are some of the questions that I hope to answer with a little bit of research.

Drinking water:

Unlike bottled water, drinking water is governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA established National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) which set mandatory standards for water quality. These standards, known as maximum contaminant levels, are designed to prevent the public from consuming water that has contaminants that present a risk to human health. Contaminants include microorganisms such as Coliforms or Giardia, water disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, and radioactive particles like uranium. There are 100's of contaminants that are being tested within these categories. In addition, NPDWRs set non-mandatory standards, guildines, for an additional 15 contaminants, but the EPA does not enforce these.

Bottled water:

Because it is treated as a food, The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is the agency that regulates bottled water. FDA requires that regulations for bottled water as it concerns public safety be as ironclad and as protective as EPA regulations for drinking water. According to the FDA, there are different classifications of bottle water, each has a different definition and requirements (standards of identity) that must be met. The classifications include: drinking, artesian, groundwater, distilled, deionized, reverse osmosis, mineral, purified, sparkling, spring, and well water. Standards of identity are mandatory and determine marketability. In addition to these laws, the FDA has established Standards of Quality for more than 90 physical and chemical substances. Maximum contaminant levels are typically the same as EPA regulations. The FDA also mandates that bottling be done under sanitary conditions and monitors any potential additives to the water, therefore regulations are stricter.

Drawbacks to bottled water:

• Bottled water costs ≈ $1.22 per gallon compared to 1/10 of a cent for tap water. 
• Bottling water has produced more that 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• 1.5 million tons of plastic is used annually to make bottles. Less than 5% of that is recycled.
• 60 million bottles make their way into our landfills every day.
• Common plasticizers, phthalates leech from plastic bottles contaminating the water.

Where does MY water come from?
I live in Menifee, so my water comes from the Eastern Valley Municipal Water District.

2015 EMWD Water Quality Report
After reading the 2015 water quality report for the Eastern Municipal Water District, I learned a few a facts:
- 3046 coliform samples were ran. Only 1 was positive
- Copper and Lead were sampled 50 times. No sample exceed action levels.
-All contaminants were under max levels
- Overall quality was excellent
-Water quality reports are hard to read!

Do you know how clean your water is?

A quick peak at nature...

This week’s assignment asked us to get outside, sit, and really observe all of natures living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors, as well as identify some of the interactions between organisms that are going on all around us if we just look close enough. We were asked to sit down anywhere, park, backyard, field, etc... and imagine a sphere around us for at least 20 minutes. 

First Attempt:
Location: Backyard

My first attempt at this assignment did not go so well, But it was a funny experience so I thought I would share anyways. One of my favorite times of day is early morning, just as the sun is starting to break the horizon. So I thought that would be the perfect time to sit in my backyard and make my observations for this week's assignment. I sat down the middle of my backyard, which is not very big, and within 30 seconds, two small house sparrows came darting across the yard, landing in my dog's food bowl. Both birds took a piece of dog food and flew off, getting my dog's attention. A few seconds later, they flew back and stole another piece. My dog's jealousy got the better of him, so he gobbled up the food, leaving nothing for the birds. This competition between different species, bird and dog, for the same resource is a perfect example of interspecific competition. Although I was able to experience some interactions in the two minutes I was sitting there, it was clear that I needed to get away from my house to properly do this assignment.

Second Attempt:
Location: One of the few undeveloped patches of land left in Menifee.

A few days after my disastrous first attempt, I hiked a mile into a small, undeveloped patch of land along the eastern edge of Menifee's city limits. This spot is surrounded by sage brush with the occasional juniper tree. It was peaceful, and I was able to relax and take everything it. Here is a list of some of the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) things I observed during my 35 minute "nature meditation":

Abiotic (non-living)

-Sunshine

-Wind/Air

-Dirt

-Small rocks

-Granite boulders

-Plastic trash

-Old car tire

-Water

-Scrap metal

-Chunks of concrete

Burrowing Owl

Biotic (living)

- Sage brush 

- 1 Juniper tree

- Trail of large black ants

- 2 Burrowing owls

- 7 Eurasian collared doves

- 3 American Crows

- 2 ducks

- Moss

- Algae

- Mosquitoes

- Moth
- Cottontail rabbit

- Rabbit carcass

- Grass

Moth on tree trunk

As I sat, one of the first things that I noticed was the army of ants about 10 feet in front of me. These ants were the biggest ants that I have ever seen in my life! Some of the individuals were carrying small pieces of leaves two or three times its size. I couldn't pinpoint where the trail came front, but it was definitely headed into a HUGE anthill. After 5 or so minutes, things started to move. I noticed 2 burrowing owls seeking shelter on a bare, low hanging branch of the Juniper tree. This is a great example of commensalism. The tree provided the owls with protection, but the owls neither help nor harmed the tree. I thought it was pretty amazing to see these owls. Human development is destroying these owls natural habitats, so their numbers are decreasing and finding them is becoming more and more rare. On the same juniper tree as the owls was a moth blended in so perfectly to the bark of the tree that it was hard to spot. This moth's colors mimic that of the tree to hide from potential predators.

In addition to these interactions, the coolest event that I was able experience was predation. About 200 yards away, a coyote started chasing a cottontail rabbit, but luckily for the rabbit, the coyote stopped after a short distance and took off out of site. Some other sightings included several crows scavenging at the remains of a rabbit and two male ducks fighting over the tiny pond that hasn't dried up yet.

It's amazing to see what is around you every single day. Yet, we rarely take the time to stop and notice the small things.