February 2014 Blog Posts (154)

LifeStraw is an organization that allows you to purchase a filtering straw online that sponsors an individual in an area that does not have clean water. This organization is working toward procuring clean water for everyone in a way that is affordable and effective. The straw is able to filter a maximum of 1000 liters of water, enough for one person for one year. LifeStraw is also partnered with LifeStraw Family which provides safe drinking water to a family of five for up to three years.

Blue Flower is textile initiative aimed at supporting and empowering at-risk women and reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing. The company's founder, fashion designer Eileen Fisher, wants to set up sustainable value chains across the world. The initiative is designed to help poor communities develop low-impact bio-fibers sourced from second-hand clothing, replacing viscose, an artificial textile treated with toxic chemicals.

If I had to use a more sustainable way to power something I used every day I would create a cell phone that was powered by any light source. A normal bedroom lamp or the sun could charge it so it would eliminate the use of power chords that take up so much electricity.

In the year 2050 I would be eating in my glass house on a floating table surrounded by my family. I would be eating only vegetables and fruits and they would be chemically enhanced to make sure that they are the most nutritious for my body. We would eat only locally grown food and grow most of our own food on the roof of our completely sustainable house.

One of the largest issues in Gainesville is food security because our community houses a large population of underprivileged individuals. There is a significant sector of our population that relies on food stamps to get the necessary means to get a meal. Another portion of the population is homeless and also has serious issues obtaining a healthy food supply. The main population however, is University of Florida student who largely have to rely on faulty transportation to get them to healthy…

In the year 2020, I am going to make a change. I will promote a worldwide event of water conservation by asking people to fast on their water for three days. Each person should limit themselves to one gallon of water a day. I know that it is important for people to drink a lot of water in a day, so this gallon should mostly be use for drinking. We will save billions of gallons a water per day. News channels will post research on how much water the world has saved in only three days from…

I chose to follow an organization called Peace One Day for this mission. Peace One Day is a social innovation organization that calls the public, through doc**entaries, to have an annual day of peace. They are an awesome non-profit that works to educate people on the effects of violence and how to create peace. I have followed them on Facebook and look at their website often. http://peaceoneday.org/

I do not have a lot of time to volunteer time with a water visionary team, however I believe that conserving water is an extreme issue that people need to work on and I want to help. The Gainesville Clean Water Partnership is a cooperative partnership between the City of Gainesville, Alachua County, and the Florida Department of Transportation dedicated to working with the Gainesville community for healthy waterways.I have followed them on Facebook and shared their information tips and…

In the year 2020 I will be celebrating my favorite holiday, Christmas, a little differently than I do today. In 2020 Christmas lights will be solar powered. The lights will receive charge from the sun all day to sustain them.

I think it would be interesting, as well as very helpful to the environment, for iPhone to be solar powered. I believe this would be fairly simple to accomplish as we all spend a great amount of time outdoors with our iPhones.

The power player I found interesting is Jordan Kassalow. Kassalow is an optometrist who runs an organization that provides that sells ready made reading gla**** to people in developing countries.

In the year 2020, I will be eating dinner with my family as I do today, however, the food will be much different from that I am eating now in the year 2014. The meal will be completely fresh. It will consist of grilled fish, fresh veggies cooked in olive oil (not butter), and wh*** wheat noodles. In the year 2014 everything will be centered around eating as nutritiously as possible.

In order to help create better food security for those in my community I volunteer with my sorority at the Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville. During our time at the Ronald McDonald House we prepare meals for the guests- families who are temporarily living there as their children receive medical treatment at the local hospital. I truly feel that I am making a difference in those individuals lives, not just through the food that I serve them, but also through the companionship I provide…

I believe the most important food issue in America is not what we are eating, but how much we are eating. Compared to European nations, America's serving sizes exceed those of the "recommended" amount. I blame obesity in America on the portions that are served.

In the year 2020 I will have graduated from the University of Florida with my Bachelors in Finance and Masters in International Business. I will have started my career in financial consulting and be living in Washington, D.C. I will be using my education and skills to help others plan for not only their own, but their family's futures. When I am not working I will be spending quality time with my family and being a productive member of society. #IMAGINE1

For my hero I have chosen Oprah Winfrey, no explanation needed. I chose Oprah because of her extensive record as a philanthropist and all around good person. I remember as a young child being inspired by Oprah and her work with African school children. I currently follow Oprah on Twitter and am uplifted by her tweets. #ACT1

My favorite secret is- "Talk to the people who have the problem – and LISTEN to what they have to say." I believe this is a key component in developing successful innovations. We all tend to possess varying viewpoints on matter, but it is hard to know which of those we should really consider when innovating. Therefore by talking and listening to those who are affected by the problem in which we are trying to solve have the most accurate viewpoint of them all. #LEARN1

Today is a special day. It's March 10, 2020 and my 31st birthday. Just like every year my mom has come to my house to visit and prepare a birthday meal. Myself being a lackluster cook, I am more than happy to have her over to make food. Along with her are a few of my brothers and sisters - the one's who aren't working or in school. My mom has always been extremely health conscious even when I was still in college. Now with the implementation of national food protocols she is even more so.…

Gainesville, Florida is Alachua County's largest city. Although most known for the University of Florida, the city is a diverse community that has a large resident population outside of the students. One would assume that food security would not be a problem in such a location, but like many places in the US there is a significant portion of the population that is food insecure. In fact it is estimated that over 50,000 people in the city are in this predicament. This is manifest in many…

I will make a very deliberate effort to buy two less starbucks drinks a week and donate the money that I would have spent on chai tea lattes to help out a local homeless shelter - that will probably be meals for one person for a week!