Portfolio

Section 1 Cover Letter

@02316358

English 202-036

To whom it may concern:

Research writing was both a curse and a blessing. I was able to say by the end of the course that I had submitted work to be published, but I also had to go through that horrible process of writing a research paper. In the beginning of the class, it felt like this paper was going to make the semester long and drawn out, but by mid-terms time seemed to be flying by and 15 weeks was just not enough time.

Around mid-terms our class just finished writing up the proposal and outline for our research paper. This was a difficult task, because the proposal and outline is when the writer figures out how the paper will be constructed. As seen on page one and following on to page four it breaks up how the proposal should look and allows for a very through proposal. This article was great because I focused on the actual proposal rather than developing ideas; which allowed for me to go through a step by step of how my ideas would fit into this concept.

By the time I went to write my introduction and lit review the proposal and outline played a large role in helping me establish the flow of my paper. If you refer to page 6, you will see what I mean, my is able to go right into the lit review on page 7. But the part that I have found that took the most time was the composing of the paper as a whole.

The next step was peer editing which is shown on pages 5-10. This was very helpful because my peers gave me honest and constructive criticism. I used what they thought as readers and formed my ideas around how they would view this paper. I really wanted this paper to attract a wide audience and I think that by have a wide range of peer reviews it allowed for my paper to do just that.

The paper went through 4 peer revision before I was able to get a final revision of my research project; which starts on page 13. I feel that I, as well as my writing have made a large improvement, since the start of the semester. This project has allowed for me to connect with my family on a different live, see pages 21-24. I have grown as person and I have this class to thank for that.

Section 2

Part 1 What is research writing?

In the Owl Purdue article on research writing it provides info on starting a research paper. It breaks down the process so it does not seem so overwhelming, which is good because most research writers are college students who do not need extra anxiety (Baker & Brizee 2010, p. 1). Research writing is the accumulation of a long and tedious process. It will include primary and secondary research (p. 2). The final product will help to further the field and increase the student knowledge (p. 4).

Research writing is a process that most, if not all, college students must complete in their journey perusing a career. It requires patience, creativity and the ability to organize thoughts and ideas. These thoughts can help the writer choose their topic, and by doing so the writer/college student can explore and discover their voice in the process. Research questions develop through brainstorming. Although the question may change and develop while acquiring research, it is all just part of the process.

I am a writer at the minimum level, I write because I must not because I enjoy it. I am a creative individual and I feel that this will help me throughout this course. It will be this aspect of which I am that comes though in my writing and will be the strength of my papers. I am a will organized individual and will keep up with the work load. So between my creativity and organization I hope my papers will stand out from the rest and my voice will be unique.

Part 2 Genres of research writing

There are two major types of research papers (Baker & Brizee 2010, p. 2). The first is argumentative research, which most high schools primarily teach. This type has a few basic elements, such as an introduction that informs the audience, the thesis statement to set the tone, and the rest is important information that supports the thesis (p. 2). Whereas, the analytical paper starts with the research question, and allows the writer to explore and evaluate the chosen topic (p. 2). This type does not normally have a persuading argument.

Part 3 Critical Reading & Evaluating Sources

Knott points out that while critically reading a paper it should be read through at least two times, the final product should be to read the article and figure out “how the text is argued” (“Critical reading,” 2009). The first couple of read-throughs are to figure out where to pay attention. Knott also explains how to look for key factors to help with critical reading.

The article that I chose is “Critical Reading Strategies,” this article gives helpful tips to show the reader how to effectively read. “Evaluating what you read for not just what it says, but how and why it says it” (“Critical Reading Strategies,” 2009). There are seven steps that assist in this process.

1. Identify what you’re reading for.

2. Allow enough time to read, and take your time.

3. Remember that re-reading is a part of effective, critical reading.

4. Engage with the text to get the most out of it.

5. Ask yourself if you can explain both “what the text says” and “what it does.”

6. Attempt to understand how each writer’s background and purposes influence how and what he or she writes.

7. Reflect on your own reading process.

When picking a source there are a few pointers to keep in mind. In the introduction section of the Cornell Library’s site (2009) states the main idea of the main two sections of source evaluation. The two sections are Initial appraisal and Content analysis and each has its own subsections. Initial appraisal is being able to find if the recourse is credible before actually reading the book, article, etc. This is possible by looking at a few key factors, the author, date of publication, edition or revision, publisher, and title of journal. By reading into these factors it can help to find out if the source is reliable, for example by looking at the edition section it explains and asks some good question, “is it the first edition?” if not and there are more editions than the source is standard and credible (Engle & Cosgrave). There are five subsections in the content analysis section; intended audience, objective reasoning, coverage, writing style, and evaluative review. This section happens once past the initial appraisal, it consists of scanning the table of contents, the preface, and the bibliographies included to get an understanding of the text (Engle & Cosgrave).

The site I chose is similar to the previous site in how it is arranged. It is organized the same, with two parts, initial appraisal and content analysis. The initial appraisal, part one, is in five sections, and the subsections ask the same questions and has the same view-point as the Cornell Library’s site did. However, there are differences. The content analysis, part two of Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (2010), has seven subcategories; intended audience, objective reasoning, writing style, evaluation or reviews, evaluating web sources, analysis sources, and exercise: be B-A-D!. The objective of “bad” is to categorize poor information, such as an unreliable, bias, or emotional language (“Evaluating Sources”).

I like the idea of “initial appraisal.” I think that by looking at the credentials of the author, to see if the source is reliable is a great idea, one that I do not think that I would have thought of. By doing this simple step I can save myself lots of time, because if I read the article to then find out that the information is not trusted in the field that I need, I would be upset. The way the two sites set up their information it can act as a check list. And the result if all checks out is good information to support the paper. Which in my opinion is a great thing, and it will make my life just a little easier. After reading these two passage I feel more secure about the writing process and I am glad we received this information early in the course.

Part 4 Understanding Formatting

APA- American Psychological Association

The APA section in Diana Hacker’s text is well-organized and very thorough. It starts where a researcher should start with the thesis; it goes into great detail on supporting the central idea. There is a sub-section that has a great expression that is key to writing a well-supported piece, “construct and argument in your own words and, when appropriate, cite the judgment of an authority in the field to support your position” (Hacker, 2007, p.417). Then Hacker goes on to describe citing the sources that are supporting the evidence, and the very important aspect of avoiding plagiarism. Next is integrating sources, Hacker (2007) explains that the quotations should be kept to a minimum, and shows the how to’s of when and where are the appropriate times of using direct quotes to support the evidence. That section then transitions into in-text citations which covers a good portion of the section. At the end of the section there is an example paper.

The second article on APA I felt was helpful and it covered some small basics that were left out form Hacker’s detailed text. These are some that the basics that I did not find, which are very helpful in the actual setup of the paper. It starts with the fundamentals, i.e. “Margins: One inch on all sides” (Degelman, 2010). The site also has links for greater detail from the outline provided. The links are provide not only the how to’s for the paper but also for the abstract, and gives an example paper as well.

It’s important because it is. However that answer I don’t think will be accepted with open arms. So to fulfill this question I need to look at why formatting is done. It is so professionals can publish their works, and others in the field can understand the resources. But I do not understand why there are so many styles. Hacker (2007) explains the main differences between MLA and APA and why the differences are necessary to the others field (p. 348).

I went back to my first blog: blog1 What is research writing? and adjusted the formatting so it properly reflects the APA style. When I originally published the piece I just added the references but did not do in-text citations. So now next to/ following any idea that is not mine has a references. As I have been posting the blogs I have been keeping up with the referencing and citing, so there is not much to change on my posts. However, I am not sure on some of the citations, but all in all I feel pretty confident in my work so far.

Part 5 Creating a Proposal and Outline

No matter what type of research proposal is chosen it should ask these questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it and how you are going to do it (“Personal Meaning”, Wong). It should have supportive information that holds the paper together. The method chosen is important for the researcher to, to tell the audience on how you conducted the research. The proposal is not just about the quality of the research and writing, but it should also mention the “limitations and weaknesses of the proposed research” (Wong).

An outline is a structured preliminary account of a project. It allows for the writer/researcher to summarize their ideas and helps with where certain pieces of information go. According to Dr. Zeitz an outline should include 8 main “ingredients.” It should have a title, and should state the purpose of the research. Then it should transition into the introduction. This is where the writer will explain why this research is important (“Outline,” 2009). The Methodology should follow the introduction and it will be here where the researcher is identifying the method and procedures that were used in gathering the information. After stating the information that will be evaluated, then the researcher should analyze and disuse their ideas(“Outline,” 2009). The ideas should be backed with supportive evidence. Once the writer has been able to clearly explain and support their thoughts they can than conclude the research paper. This is where the answer will be summed up as well as the researcher’s findings. And last but not least is the References (“Outline,” 2009).

Part 6 Writing an Annotated Bibliography

Although there is a 6^th edition that was just published in 2010, this source is still helpful for this summary. According to APA Publication Manual (2002), an annotated bibliography using APA style (for the citations) adds two to four sentences to sum up the main idea and then another sentence to relate the text to the research topic, for each citation. The site goes on to explain the formatting used, as well as a sample annotated bibliography, for us visual learners. I felt that this was a useful webpage it kept the information simple and easy to understand. At the end of the page there was a link to more examples of a formatted annotated bibliography.

1) How can an annotated bibliography help you write the intro and lit review sections in your own paper?

An introduction provided to topic of the paper, background information, and the thesis statement. By doing an annotated bibliography is helpful to the process because it gets the creative juices going. Basically by writing a quick summary of the information found and another sentence on how it relates to the research to every reference entry, it allows for the information to start supporting the evidence being proved, and gets the researcher to see all the info piled in one place and then can pick which facts work best to the intro to the research.

2) How do you know if your sources from your anno bib are reliable, valid, timely, and unbiased?

Now after doing blog 7, I know to use what I have learned from source evaluation, before placing the resource on my annotated bibliography.

Part 7 Understanding the Audience

Writing for an Audience

According to Dr. S. Hale, there are two types of audiences: real and intended. A real audience is anyone who reads the paper, whereas the intended audience is directed to a specific group (“Choosing and Writing”). When choosing an audience there are four things to keep in mind, the first why is important to write with the intended audience in mind, second how does choosing an audience affect the purpose, third how does choosing an audience affect the strategy (style, support, tone, vocabulary), and fourth how specific should the choice of audience be (“Choosing and Writing”). Now that the writer has established the audience they must figure out how to write for that audience. As indicated by Steven Hale, there are five questions to keep in mind. What does your audience believe, how do you indicate the audience in the paper, how do you establish rapport with the audience, how do you direct the audience’s attention, and how do you wrap up with an audience.

Linda Flower describes the goal of the writer is to find an area of agreement between the writer and the audience. Flower explains that there are three main differences among the reader and writer. The first is knowledge, Flower means that the writer should know what his/her audience level of understanding the material is, and what the reader can benefit from reading the piece (“Writing for an Audience,” 2000). Second is attitudes, this is how a reader perceives the message the writer is getting at. The more detail the writer puts in, the less chance there is for the reader to misinterpret the message of the writer. The third is needs, to adjust to the reader’s needs; the writer must do tons of research to find his/her audience so that he/she knows the knowledge and attitudes of the reader (“Writing for an Audience,” 2000). By understanding and being able to affectively use these techniques the writer can then become a better writer and adapt to whatever audience they need to target, without just conveying their knowledge.

Part 8 Drafting and Revising

When I went to combine the three sections, it all seemed to just come together. In a few places I did need to add a sentence or two to keep a flow between the paragraphs. But all in all, it did not take too much effort. Also it was exciting to see them all together. Which may sound weird, but there was a sigh of relief, something that I have been working on and putting so much time into to just match up. I realize that each section does need more work, adding more everywhere. For example in the lit review I need to state more sources and expand on the ones I have. The info that is already there is great, but it needs more. The section that needs the most work is the methodology, because it’s very dry. By adding more about my participants and details about where the house is the section will start to come together. I think that once I go and get the interviews and start the analysis and discussion sections it will help me to go back to the sections that are complete and really get this paper going in the direction that it needs to be.

Part 9 Peer Review and Feedback

Writing and editing is a great process designed to help the writer, shows their ideas and have them full resolved. The peer reviews were very helpful. My reviewers were able to show where my paper was lacking information to help the reader understand where I the writer was coming from. I like reading the papers of my fellow peers and helping them do the same.

Part 10 Publishing Research

Just because the class work has been finished does not meant that the research is ready to be submitted to a journal. There are a few myths about publishing, and the one that stood out the most to me was the thought that an undergrad cannot publish work. The first step in publishing is going the journal’s website and find out the guidelines. Step two is revising the work to fit the needs of the audience. Three, submit the work. And then wait to see the results.

Reference

American Psychological Association. (2002, June). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved February 13, 2010, from Lesley University Library Web site http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/citation/APAanno.pdf

Baker, J. R., & Brizee, A. (2010, January 8). Writing a research paper. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from OWL site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/2/

Degelman, D. (2010). APA Style Essentials. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796

Engle, M., & Cosgrave, T. (2009, September). Critically Analyzing Information Sources. Retrieved February 13, 2010, from Cornell University, Olin & Uris Library Web site http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm#LinkAuthor

Evaluating Sources. (2010, February). Retrieved February 13, 2010, from Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, Library Learning Center Web site http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit09/index.phtml

Flower, L. (2000). Writing for an Audience [Electronic version]. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers. 8,139-141.

Hacker, D. (2007). A Writer’s Reference. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s

Hale, S. Choosing and Writing for an Audience. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/audience.html

Knott, D. (2009). Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing. Writing. Retrieved February 7, 2010, from http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/critical-reading

University of Minnesota. (2009, April 21). Quick tips: Critical Reading Strategies. StudentWriting Support. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from http://writing.umn.edu/sws/quicktips/process/crit_read.htm

Wong, P.T.P. How to Write a Research Proposal, International Network on Personal Meaning. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm

Zeitz, M. (2009, March 9). Outline for Research Paper. Retrieved February 3, 2010, from http://www.uni.edu/zeitz/seminar/assignments/semoutline.html

Section 3

The Outline

Title: The “Green” House Affect: Trash-picking and the Green Movement?

I. Purpose

A. Personal Experiences combined with today’s view of the green lifestyle

II. Introduction

A. How has the current green movement altered social norms pertaining to the perceptions of trash-picking?

III. Body

A. The trends of the Green Movement

1. Alternative resources

2. Repurposing

3. Trash-picking

B. Today’s economy, going green saves money?

1. Lifestyle people are choosing

2. My experiences along with supportive evidence can give a new perspective on understanding the simplicities to the complexities of going green.

3. Does buying a new washer, save you money on water, and saves the polar bears? Or would fixing your current washer be better for the environment? (Just a thought need more evidence)

C. Research, reusing in the community

1. Instead of worrying about those “polar bears,” worry about how much you are wasting and change what you CAN.

D. Results will be used to support my hypothesis

1. Depends on the interviews with family

2. Depends on who answers my questions

E. How do people view trash-picking?

1. If people view the terms, trash-picking and repurposing, differently

2. Also how environmental awareness is viewed.

IV. Methodology

A. Primary Research

1. Interviews

a) Nuclear Family Members

2. Survey Questionnaire

a) People of different education levels and class levels

V. Analysis

A. The history of Environmental Awareness in the US

1. Who, What, Where, When

2. Where and why my house was built, when it was

B. The Green Movement Today

1. When did it start being green

2. Is it a trend

C. Trash-picking, dumpster-diving, is it normal?

1. Is it a class thing, some find it practical, some find it gross

2. Is repurposing “okay”

a) Does it vary among classes

b) Affect on a home

c) Who does it?

D. Alternative Energy Resources

1. Used in the US

2. Passive Solar Energy, a common term?

3. Cost efficient?

E. Going green is expensive

1. Does spending more on green products save money in the long run?

2. When it becomes cheaper to buy a new product, then fix the old, why not buy new?

F. I think that repurposing and trash-picking can be interchangeable terms

1. How does this affect my audience?

VI. Conclusions

A. Review the results

1. What evidence from the primary research fits best with my hypothesis

2. What are the weaknesses that I found and how it contradicts my initial idea.

The Proposal

Title: The “Green” House Affect: Trash-picking and the Green Movement?

“I’m not an environmentalist. I’m an Earth warrior,” (Darryl Cherney, Smithsonian,1990). My own personal experiences have formed my current views on environmentalism. The purpose of this project is to take my views and experiences of growing up in an environmentally friendly atmosphere to the new trend/ lifestyle of “going green.” The new green movement has brought around lots of new ideas. Including “green” houses according to Spivey green homes not only save money on gas and oil but have health benefits for the occupants (“Green Saves,” 2004). My house uses a common type of solar energy called passive solar. In 2008 Ghosal, Sujata, Tiwari, and Sahoo concluded, alternative energy resources used for heating like passive solar systems are more cost efficient (p.1). Since this type does not collect the sun’s rays for reusable energy, the house is power completely by eclectic. We also use a wood burning stove to heat the house during the winter (as you can see in blog 4 entry, finding wood is no problem). Another idea is repurposing objects around the house instead of tossing them. At my house this is how it goes, instead of throwing away a broken outdated chair, just fix it, repaint it and use it in a different room. I feel that this research is very appropriate for today’s economy and how “going green” is now become a lifestyle so many are now choosing. According to Pesantes (2009), there are other reasons why people are dumpster diving besides the recession (“Artists and entrepreneurs”). My experiences along with supportive evidence can give a new perspective on the simplicities to the complexities of an eco-friendly lifestyle.

This is the fireplace in the living room of the house, all of the stones that surround the fire are from a house that was burnt down. In some places it is visible to see the carbon stained on the stones from the house fire.

For my primary research I am going to use both interviews and survey questionnaires. The interviews are going to be from my nuclear family members. Their experiences will be the main part of my primary research, I feel that interviewing my father, who built the house, and why he did what he did, will be the best place to start. This is the backbone of my idea and for the project to turn out personal, that interview should be the backbone of my research. For the other family members I would like to understand how they view themselves in relation to the house, and to see if they are environmentally friendly in another aspects other their lives. As for the questionnaire I would like to ask people with different education and class levels to see how they view trash-picking. My research will be important for widening ideas of reusing objects and localizing the big picture of saving the planet. But first I need to find out how others view the green trend’s link to the economy, before I can jump to any assumptions. I do hope that people view trash-picking in a negative way, but repurposing objects in a positive practical light. It would validate my point, and hopefully my audience will then realize the similarities between the terms I am asking, and allow for me to express my personal experience with environmental awareness. I want to stress the different class levels, because seeing how people view trash-picking, and what that word brings to mind, will not only help in understanding this trend but will also help me to clarify my audience. For the people who will partake in the survey, I would like to find out if they do things that are considered green.

Since I have not done any actual primary research yet, I feel that my assumptions are the starting point of my research and what I am expecting from this project. I realize that certain words trigger different responses from everyone, so throughout my research I am going to ask different people of how they view different situations; these questions are going to come from my assumptions. With that research I will then have new assumptions to ask myself, why is “going green” a popular trend now? Does repurposing objects vary among social classes? Is it just seen as an act that the homeless do? How did repurposing affect my home? Does spending more money now on green products save money in the long run? When an object becomes cheaper to buy new, then replace a part, why not buy the new one? Do people in the US find these two terms (trash picking and repurposing) as well as others to mean the same thing? How can using the other affect the view of the audience? I hope by the time I need to start concluding the project I end up with more answers than questions, but I will just have to wait and see.

After reviewing my results of the interviews and questionnaires I will gather the evidence that fits best with my research topic. I am hoping to understand and will be able to support my original question, clearly. I will like to conclude my findings with strong supportive evidence. I will also show the results that do not quite match with what I was looking for to show where the weaknesses in my piece are.

References

Cherney, D. (1990, April). Smithsonian. The Quote Garden. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from http://www.quotegarden.com/environment.html

M.K.Ghosal, Sujata Nayak, G.N.Tiwari, N.Sahoo. (2008, January). Modeling and Experimental Study for Winter Performance of an Earth to Air Heat Exchanger. Agricultural Engineering International: the CIGR Ejournal, 10, 1-14. Manuscript EE 07 012.Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://www.cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/view/1008

Pesantes, E. (2009, March 29). Artists and entrepreneurs race to trash bins to search for useful items: It’s not just the desperate? Artists and peddlers also search for goods. South Florida Sun-Sentinel, State and regional news. LexisNexis database. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T8580975585&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T8580975593&cisb=22_T8580975592&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=222065&docNo=17

Spivey, A. (2004, April). Sustainable Development. Going Green Saves Over Time. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(5), A276. Retrieved February 7, 2010 from JSTOR database.

1^st Draft

The Green House Affects: Trash-picking and The Green Movement

“We think of the word trash as something disgusting or filthy. Really, trash is something we dispose of” (as quoted in Erika Pesantes’s “Artists and Entrepreneurs Race to Trash Bins to Search for Useful Items,” 2009). I agree that the word trash has a negative connotation and when combined, the word trash-picking gets a bad reputation. This research project is focused on how the current green movement is altering perceptions of trash-picking in the U.S. through my own personal experiences, growing up in a “green house” made of repurposed materials, along with growing up in an environmentally conscious family. I will show how this aspect of picking trash can be beneficial and should not be seen as an unfavorable act. Some may find dumpster diving humiliating or just “plain unhygienic,” as Christine Jackman puts it in the article “7 days to Save the Planet” (2009), but with some knowledge of where to look and how to repurpose objects it can be a beneficial money saver. Trash-picking is collecting objects that can be repurposed, it is as simple as that. Repurposing does not mean that an objects needs to be turned into something else, a fish bowl can remain a fish bowl. It was considered an underground sub-culture, but no longer, more people are diving. With the combination of the recession and the new green movement, there is a reason for this rise in gathering objects (Pesantes, 2009).

By comparing my views and experiences of growing up in an environmentally friendly atmosphere to the new trend/ lifestyle of “going green,” the green trend may not seem like a trend. People in the US have been environmentally aware for years, most may think it starts with Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring from 1962, but its origins go back much father then that to transcendentalists’ ideas and park conservation set up by Theodor Roosevelt in 1903 (“A Brief History,” 2008). The new green movement has brought around lots of new ideas, including “green” houses. According to Spivey, green homes not only save money on gas and oil but have health benefits for the occupants (“Green Saves,” 2004). My house was built mostly with repurposed and recycled material, and also incorporates a passive solar design. As indicated by the Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Manual (1980), passive solar design must include two elements: glass on the south facing exposure and a material to absorb the heat collected from the sun’s rays. Although this subject has been around, it still is a current issue. In 2008 Ghosal, Sujata, Tiwari, and Sahoo concluded, alternative energy resources used for heating like passive solar systems are more cost efficient (p.1). Since this type does not collect the sun’s rays for reusable energy, the house is powered completely by electric. We also use a wood burning stove to heat the house during the winter. Using alternative energy methods not only help with saving the environment but also with money, a very important concept during the recession. In my opinion, that is the reason why most people choose any type green methods of consumption. As Palmer pointed out, from a study done by the Shelton Group, 73 percent of the research participants said they bought green products not “to lesson my impact on the environment” but to “reduce my bills/control my costs” (“Forget Saving,” 2009).

Trash-picking and repurposing are main elements used in my, as well as my family’s everyday life. Repurposing objects around the house instead of tossing them is a great way to save money while being environmentally friendly. This is how it goes at my house: instead of throwing away a broken outdated chair, just fix it, add a fresh coat of paint, and put it back in the room. I feel that this research is very appropriate for today’s economy and how “going green” is now become a lifestyle so many are choosing. According to Pesantes (2009), there are other reasons why people are dumpster diving besides the recession (“Artists and entrepreneurs”). My experiences along with supportive evidence can give a new perspective on the simplicities to the complexities of an eco-friendly lifestyle.

When compiling the research, I noticed that there has been next to none on the actual link between trash-picking and the green movement. I have yet to find a research paper on this topic; however, I have found some great references that can be combined to create the support I need to complete this research. I have found one newspaper article, Pesantes’s “Artists and Entrepreneurs Race to Trash Bins to Search for Useful Items,” that discusses the rise in trash-picking and how it saves people money. With the lack of research that is directed to this topic, it needs more effort to find articles that may not seem related but do contain information that can attribute to my project. In Beinart’s book “Environment and History,” he wrote that in the 1960s environmentalism was popular in middle-class ideologies (p.94). By doing this research in the different areas, I want to target my project, which will reveal this new area of research to be something to look out for.

According to Beinart (2002), the Green Movement has sprung from environmental idea starting in the nineteenth-century. The literature from the New England transcendentalists is evident in the views of green academia today. It is built on the idea of anti-materialist skepticism (p.94). In “A Brief History of the Green Movement,” the author gives a to the point description of how the Green Movement, as we know it, got its start. The article goes through interesting concepts of Environmentalism, starting with 1830s American Philosophy and the Transcendentalists to “treehuggers” then finishing with going green. By looking at these trends, it becomes evident that it is not a trend at all. “I’m not an environmentalist. I’m an Earth warrior,” (Darryl Cherney, Smithsonian,1990). This statement is a radical view on saving the environment. Palmer observed, today’s green consumer does not fit the stereotypes associated with being “green,” it is a wide range of people, “It’s the guy who buys one compact fluorescent light bulb a year all the way out to the girl in her Birkenstocks living in Idaho” (‘Forget Saving,” 2009). Green is not a trend.

There is other information that I needed to find, specifically on my house, to help support my knowledge on my living environment. The actual manual “Passive Solar Heating and Cooling” scientifically explains how passive solar energy works. Other articles, such as “Green Houses” and “Bringing Green Homes within Reach,” have aided me in cementing my argument on establishing a “green house.” The one that I found most helpful was J. Tibbetts’ piece “Green Houses.” This article explores how building designs can create homes that are more energy-efficient and have better quality air. The 1970s oil crisis gave way to creating buildings that reduced energy consumption. In the 1980s, studies were done on avoiding products containing VOCs. It also goes on to the waste from construction sites, but the amount it would cost to throw it away is more than construction workers can afford. It was the 1970s oil crisis that caused my father to build a home that is completely electric and incorporates passive solar energy to help heat the house.

Trash-picking and repurposing objects have always been a part of my life; however, before reading different articles, I did notice how trash-picking was popping up more in the media. After doing some research on the green movement, I started to notice the trend of trash-pickings connection, because of the recession and the green movement. Another great source was The Freecycle Network, which got its start in 2003, whose mission is “to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources, and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community”(Freecycle, 2003). This is a network that is literally acting locally for the good of the whole, and their concept of “gifting” really puts a positive spin and allows for people to have a different look on trash-picking. Whether “gifting,” repurposing, trash-picking, or dumpster diving, it is obvious that from the literature reviewed that the green movement is causing people to think twice before tossing items.

For my methodology, I am going to interview my immediate family members and use pictures that I took of the house to explain the significance that one family can make. By examining my family structure and how the individual family members see their life experiences, both in and out of the house. I will also see how I have seen myself grow in relation to the house. Pondering these pictures, I am able to put into perspective of how and why the family does what it does in respect to the objects of the house as well as the house. These experiences will be the main part of my primary research; I feel that interviewing my father, who built the house, and why he did what he did, will be the best place to start. This is the backbone of my idea and for the project to turn out personal, that interview should be the backbone of my research. My research will be important for widening ideas of reusing objects and localizing the big picture of saving the planet. My father will have a different idea of the house than I who did not realize how different the house was until a later age. It is individuals and how they express themselves that my research will start to take a turn and become my own. In looking at the different views, it will bring forth how one family views trash-picking and how being environmentally aware can affect other aspects of their lives.

The Beginning

John is on the left, and is in the middle of building the house.

John’s Story

It was in 1963, and we just moved from Atlantic City to Willingboro because my father was able to get work up in New York at the World’s Fair. One day he came home from work, and gathered my older brothers, he said that a water pipe had busted and the floors to the Formica House were ruined. So they all went up to scavenged what they could. I remember spending weekends helping my dad and brothers cleaning the plywood pieces. He used the plywood to floor the living room of the Willingboro house, because he hated those cement slabs on which all the houses were built. There were some left over, and when it came time to build this house I used the plywood in the pantry and put an oak veneer over it. That was my first time that I can remember ever trash-picking. However, it was John’s father’s friend that would be his biggest influence on the idea of repurposing objects, “Do with what you have.”

While I was still in high school, 1972 I bought my first house, it just needed to be fixed up. It was a rancher and had a full basement. My father had always told me, “It was better to find a house and fix it up then to build one.” By 1983 township bought the house from us and part of the property. With the rest of the land I started construction on the house. The layout of it was determined by what I had to work with and what I was able to get. For example there was a bar being condemned so I worked out a deal with the owner and bought all of the steel beams for fifty dollars. But I also had other influences when designing, there was a house that I liked the layout of, it had a look out patio with an in ground pool.

I would say that it was my father’s friend Conrad that instilled most of my views on making objects form materials that I already own. Conrad used to use the old TV dinner pans as termite shields. He would create his own sheds from cardboard and tar, and use trees as the posts to keep them up. It all held up pretty well, I later got the land and went to tear them down, it was not easy. Inside of them he had a bunch of one horse engines, but I did not figure that out until many years later. He just had so much; I had to scrape most of it. Although there was some things that he did that I felt were unnecessary. For example, he made his own drill bits. He would take old nail, heat and form it, and then temper to harden the metal. He liked to work with what he had.

Mary-Margaret’s Story

It is funny how this work out, it was through my father on how I met John. 1980 I had just finished my first year of college and was going to help my father in the butcher shop. He was preping to open the shop and John was working in the appartment building next door. My father some how recruited John nto helping him. One thing that I will never forget is when my father need a place to wrap the meat, and John said he had a piece stainless steel that would work, and he did, it was something that he just had lying around. But it did not just stop there John as had other very useful items just lying around, just amazing, he also contributed a marble block for the slicing station.

The Living Room

The hearth with clock

Mary-Margaret’s Story

One of my fondest memories of this house was when my father was still alive and helping dad work on the hardwood floor. It was late in 1983 and John had a little wooden horse and set up in the living room for my dad to work on. He cut the wood floor to length and drilled holes in the tongue and groove flooring so he could just lay it and screw it down. This was one of the last projects my dad ever did, as he died two months after we were married.

Also in my living room is a very special clock. A very special aunt and uncle collected clocks. Their house made for some of the most interesting visits because every 15 minutes all the clocks in the house would go off. When my aunt passed away, my uncle gave me her wedding ring and before he passed away he gave me not his most valuable clock, but his favorite clock. The clock sits on the handmade mantel, that John made himself, to this day.

Aimee’s Story

I like to think of the furniture that we have in the living room as life-sucking. On a number of family events you can always find someone passed out on the couch sitting up. One of my favorite memories is when my one cousin manages to do just that. She ends up missing the whole party and then complains that no one woke her. If someone did wake her they would not be here. She said it was the fire that put her to sleep it was just so peaceful.

The fire that puts our guests to sleep is built into a stone mantel place. The stone used was from the same house that my father, John, used to get design ideas from, after the house burnt down, my father went in and just took what he could grab from the piles of stone. In some places I can still see carbon stained on the stone from that house fire.

References

Arizona Solar Center, INC. (1980). A project of Western SUN Arizona and Western Solar

Utilization Network. Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Manual. Retrieved February 6,

2010, from http://www.azsolarcenter.org/tech-science/solar-for-consumers/passive-solar- energy/passive-solar-design-manual-consumer/passive-solar-design-manual-heating.html

Beinart, W. (2002). Environment and History. Taylor & Francis e-Library.

Cherney, D. (1990, April). Smithsonian. The Quote Garden. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from

http://www.quotegarden.com/environment.html

Freecycle. (2003). Moderator Manual. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from

http://www.freecycle.org/faq/?menu=manual

Jackman, C. (2009, December 19

M.K.Ghosal, Sujata Nayak, G.N.Tiwari, N.Sahoo. (2008, January). Modeling and Experimental

Study for Winter Performance of an Earth to Air Heat Exchanger. Agricultural

Engineering International: the CIGR Ejournal, 10, 1-14. Manuscript EE 07

012.Retrieved February 1, 2010, from

http://www.cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/view/1008

Pesantes, E. (2009, March 29). Artists and entrepreneurs race to trash bins to search for useful

items: It’s not just the desperate? Artists and peddlers also search for goods. South

Florida Sun-Sentinel, State and regional news. LexisNexis database. Retrieved February

16, 2010, from

http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T8580975585&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T8580975593&cisb=22_T8580975592&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=222065&docNo=17

Schmidt, C.W. (2008, January). Bringing Green Homes within Reach: Healthier Housing for

More People. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116 (1), A24-A31. JSTOR database.

Spivey, A. (2004, April). Sustainable Development. Going Green Saves Over Time.

Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(5), A276. Retrieved February 7, 2010 from

JSTOR database.

Stocker, D.K. (2009). The Consequences of Economic Disparity in a Resort Community:

Examining the Stratification of Cape Cod. Sociological Viewpoints. Retrieved February

7, 2010, from http://www.pasocsociety.org/ARTICLE5-stocker.pdf

Tibbetts, J. (1996, October). Green Houses. Environmental Health Perspectives, 104 (10), 1036-

1039. JSTOR database.

Yeager, Jeff. (2009, November). The Freecycle Network: Good for the Planet (and

Wallet).Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.aarp.org/money/consumer/savings_challenge/articles/freecycle_network.html?CMP=KNC-360I-GOOGLE-MON&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=freecycle&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=freecycle&utm_campaign=Money%2BSection%2B-%2BContent

Final Draft

Abstract:

My own personal experiences have formed my current views on environmentalism. The purpose of this project was to take my views and experiences of growing up in an environmentally friendly atmosphere. I compared them to the new trend/ lifestyle of “going green.” This project focused on the repurposing of objects and the design of “green” homes, and how these two separate but completely relevant ideas combined to form the house that I now call home. Another environmental feature that my home uses is a common type of solar energy called passive solar energy. By looking at the ways trash-picking effects my home and my nuclear family I have concluded that trash-picking is becoming beneficial. This method of finding and reusing items is on the rise, which I believe shows that it is becoming socially acceptable to reuse objects others have disposed of, and that this practice is here to stay.

The Green House Affects: Trash-Picking and the Green Movement

“We think of the word trash as something disgusting or filthy. Really, trash is something we dispose of” (quoted in Erika Pesantes’s “Artists and Entrepreneurs Race to Trash Bins,” 2009). I agree with Jeff Ferrell, the author of Empire of Scrounge, that the word trash has a negative connotation and when combined, the word trash-picking gets a bad reputation. This research project is focused on how the current green movement is altering perceptions of trash-picking in the U.S. through my own personal experiences, growing up in a “green house” made of repurposed materials, along with growing up in an environmentally conscious family. I will show how this aspect of picking trash can be beneficial and should not be seen as an unfavorable act. Some may find dumpster diving humiliating or just “plain unhygienic,” as Christine Jackman puts it in the article “7 days to Save the Planet” (2009), but with some knowledge of where to look and how to repurpose objects it can be a beneficial money saver. Trash-picking is collecting objects that can be repurposed; it is as simple as that. Repurposing does not mean that an object needs to be turned into something else; a fish bowl can remain a fish bowl. It was considered an underground sub-culture, but no longer, becasue more people are diving. With the combination of the recession and the new green movement, there is a reason for this rise in gathering objects (Pesantes, 2009).

By comparing my views and experiences of growing up in an environmentally friendly atmosphere to the new trend/ lifestyle of “going green,” the green trend may not seem like a trend. People in the US have been environmentally aware for years. Most may think it starts with Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring from 1962, but its origins go back much further than that to transcendentalists’ ideas and park conservation set up by Theodor Roosevelt in 1903 (“A Brief History,” 2008). The new green movement has brought around lots of new ideas, including “green” houses. According to Spivey, green homes not only save money on gas and oil but have health benefits for the occupants (“Green Saves,” 2004). My house was built mostly with repurposed and recycled material, and also incorporates a passive solar design. As indicated by The Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Manual (1980), passive solar design must include two elements: glass on the south facing exposure and a material to absorb the heat collected from the sun’s rays. Although this subject has been around, it still is a current issue. In 2008, Ghosal, Sujata, Tiwari, and Sahoo concluded that alternative energy resources used for heating like passive solar systems are more cost efficient (p.1). Since this type does not collect the sun’s rays for reusable energy, the house is powered completely by electric. We also use a wood burning stove to heat the house during the winter. Using alternative energy methods not only helps with saving the environment but also with money, a very important concept during the recession. In my opinion, this is the reason why most people are choosing the consumption of green products, to save money. As Palmer pointed out, from a study done by the Shelton Group, 73 percent of the research participants said they bought green products not “to lessen my impact on the environment” but to “reduce my bills/control my costs” (“Forget Saving,” 2009).

Picture 1

A picture of my house of the South exposing wall

Picture 2

An aerial view of my house includes: green house and main house

When compiling the research, I noticed that there has been next to none on the actual link between trash-picking and the green movement. I have yet to find a research paper on this topic; however, I have found some great references that can be combined to create the support I need to complete this research. I have found one newspaper article, Pesantes’s “Artists and Entrepreneurs Race to Trash Bins to Search for Useful Items,” that discusses the rise in trash-picking and how it saves people money. With the lack of research that is directed to this topic, it needs more effort to find articles that may not seem related but do contain information that can attribute to my project. In Beinart’s book Environment and History, he wrote that in the 1960s environmentalism was popular in middle-class ideologies (p.94). By doing this research in the different areas, I want to target my project, which will reveal this new area of research to be something to look out for.

According to Beinart (2002), the Green Movement has sprung from environmental idea starting in the nineteenth-century. The literature from the New England transcendentalists is evident in the views of green academia today. It is built on the idea of anti-materialist skepticism (p.94). In “A Brief History of the Green Movement,” the author gives a sipmle description of how the Green Movement, as we know it, got its start. The article goes through interesting concepts of Environmentalism, starting with 1830s American Philosophy and the Transcendentalists to “treehuggers” then finishing with going green. By looking at these trends, it becomes evident that it is not a trend at all. “I’m not an environmentalist. I’m an Earth warrior,” (Darryl Cherney, Smithsonian,1990). This statement is a radical view on saving the environment. Palmer observed, today’s green consumer does not fit the stereotypes associated with being “green,” it is a wide range of people, “It’s the guy who buys one compact fluorescent light bulb a year all the way out to the girl in her Birkenstocks living in Idaho” (‘Forget Saving,” 2009). Green is not a trend.

There is other information that I needed to find, specifically on my house, to help support my knowledge on my living environment. The actual manual, Passive Solar Heating and Cooling scientifically explains how passive solar energy works. Other articles, such as “Green Houses” and “Bringing Green Homes within Reach,” have aided me in cementing my argument on establishing a “green house.” The one that I found most helpful was J. Tibbetts’ piece “Green Houses.” This article explores how building designs can create homes that are more energy-efficient and have better quality air. The 1970s oil crisis gave way to creating buildings that reduced energy consumption. In the 1980s, studies were done on avoiding products containing Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It also goes on to the waste from construction sites, but the amount it would cost to throw it away is more than construction workers can afford. It was the 1970s oil crisis that caused my father to build a home that is completely electric and incorporates passive solar energy to help heat the house.

Trash-picking and repurposing objects have always been a part of my life; however, before reading different articles, I did notice how trash-picking was appearing more in the media. After doing some research on the green movement, I started to notice the trend of trash-pickings connection, because of the recession and the green movement. Another great source was The Freecycle Network, which got its start in 2003, whose mission is “to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources, and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community”(Freecycle, 2003). This is a network that is literally acting locally for the good of the whole, and their concept of “gifting” really puts a positive spin and allows for people to have a different look on trash-picking. Whether “gifting,” repurposing, trash-picking, or dumpster diving, it is obvious that from the literature reviewed that the green movement is causing people to think twice before tossing items.

For my methodology, I interviewed my immediate family members and used pictures that I took of the house to explain the significance that one family can make. I have used that actually names and stories of my family. By examining my family structure and how the individual family members see their life experiences, both in and out of the house. I also examined how I have seen myself grow in relation to the house. When I looked at the pictures, I was able to put into perspective of how and why the family did what it did in respect to the objects of the house as well as the house. The experiences of the family member were the main part of my primary research; I feel that the interview with my father, who built the house, was important to find out why he did what he did, this was the best place to start. This was the backbone of my idea and for the project to have turned out personal, that interview was the backbone of my research. My research will be important for widening ideas of reusing objects and localizing the big picture of saving the planet. My father had a different idea of the house than I who did not realize how different the house was until a later age. It is individuals and how they express themselves that my research started to take a turn and become my own. In looking at the different views, it brought forth how one family views trash-picking and how being environmentally aware can affect other aspects of their lives.

The Beginning

Picture 3

John in on the left, and is in the middle of building the house

John’s Story

It was in 1963, and we had moved from Atlantic City to Willingboro because my father was able to find work up in New York at the World’s Fair. One day he came home from work, and gathered my older brothers, he said that a water pipe had busted and the floors to the Formica House were ruined. So they all went up to scavenged what they could. I remember spending weekends helping my dad and brothers cleaning the plywood pieces. He used the plywood to floor the living room of the Willingboro house, because he hated those cement slabs on which all the houses were built. There were some left over, and when it came time to build this house I used the plywood in the pantry and put an oak veneer over it. That was my first time that I can remember ever trash-picking. However, it was my father’s friend, Conrad that would be his biggest influence on the idea of repurposing objects; his motto was “Do with what you have.”

It was Conrad that instilled most of my views on making objects form materials that I already own. Conrad used to use the old TV dinner pans as termite shields. He would create his own sheds from cardboard and tar, and use trees as the posts to keep them up. It all held up pretty well, I later got the land and went to tear them down, it was not easy. Inside of them he had a bunch of one horse engines, but I did not figure that out until many years later. He just had so much; I had to scrape most of it. Although there was some things that he did that I felt were unnecessary. For example, he made his own drill bits. He would take old nail, heat and form it, and then temper to harden the metal. He liked to work with what he had.

Mary-Margaret’s Story

It is funny how these things work out; it was through my father that I met John. 1980 I had just finished my first year of college and was going to help my father in the butcher shop. He was preping to open the shop and John was working in the appartment building next door. My father some how recruited John into helping him. One thing that I will never forget is when my father needed a place to wrap the meat, and John said he had a piece of stainless steel that would work, and he did, it was something that he just had lying around. It did not just stop there, John has had other very useful items just lying around, just amazing, he also contributed a marble block for the slicing station.

My father built the green house first; it was the test run to set up the angles for the house but also to see how the windows on the south exposure side would act with the sun. He knew that it would heat, but was unsure of how quick and how hot it would get.

Picture 4

A view of the green house, was built before the house, so the angles, North and South were right

The Living Room

Picture 5

The hearth with clock

Mary-Margaret’s Story

Aimee’s Story

The fire that puts our guests to sleep is built into a stone mantel place. The stone used was from the same house that John, my father, used to get design ideas from. After the house burnt down, he went in and just took what he could grab from the piles of stone. In some places I can still see carbon stained on the stone from that house fire.

Chelsea’s Story

One of my favorite pieces of furniture in the house is the roll top desk. As far back as I can remember I have always had a fascination with it. When I was little, the desk was in our

Picture 6

Role top desk: 2 views

dining room area, which at the time was my mother’s office area as well, and I used to play and hide under the desk. I wanted to hide in the cabinet part of it, but the knob never stays on the door. So if I needed to open it, for a good reason, I had to get my mother’s help. One day I asked my father where he got the desk, and he told me that his father found it. I look back now and become conscious that trash-picking was bigger than I could have imagined. My grandfather found the desk, along with two others, at Princeton University; they were just being thrown away. The desks date back to 1909, because my grandfather found a newspaper article in one of the desks from that time period. One my father swapped for a pool, and the other he gave away. The one sitting in the living room was fixed by my father when he was in high school. Looking in the picture above, it was not perfect because the back panel on the left side still has a slit in it.

Compiling the memories from the living room area gives an experience of just how something as simple as a stone brick can transform a family as well as the environment. My memories are what I am using to help formulate my knowledge involved in growing up in a green house. By viewing the rooms though individual experiences, it helped to bring the familiarity of the house as a whole. This house, because of its history, is more than just a “green” house, and is seen as a part of the family members. The role it has played should be recognized as a remarkable feat, that how a house and its occupants can play on the environment.

My father built the house. When he started, I am not sure he would know how “big” it would become. He is an interesting person and if seen walking on the street no one would grasp his impact on a house, a family and a community. When somebody wanted something, we would give it to them, and those people would call us. If they had something they could give back, we would take it. He never turned anything away. We could not say “no” because the next time they might have something, they might not call us. My parent’s house acted and continues to act like a storage area, for my family but also anyone that needed the help. The reciprocity that my parents established is different than anything that I have ever read about. I feel as though this reciprocity was needed to establish this repurposing identity that my father has in the community. We are a family of trash-pickers who inspired a community.

By looking at my home and my nuclear family as well as the use of supportive articles, I have concluded that trash-picking is very beneficial. I found that this mode of collecting is on the rise, which I believe shows that it is socially acceptable to reuse others’ objects. This trend is here to stay. I think that the recession has played a large role in turning the trend of repurposing into a lifestyle. I say this because of the values, such as giving objects away that are not needed instead of throwing them away, and being more aware of what is still useable to repurpose, that are being instilled into today’s generation and will be the primary reason that people will choose this lifestyle. The limitation that I found in my research was that it was just one family. I think it would be interesting to find another family that uses repurposed items to see if the same system was established. My recommendations, if another were to do this research, would be to go to garbage dumps to see some other of the effects that are noticed as to if there is a decline in the status, but I feel that even the making of a website to promote trash-picking is a definite change in the socio economics that are playing a role in how people obtain their possessions.

References

Arizona Solar Center, INC. (1980). A project of Western SUN Arizona and Western Solar

Utilization Network. Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Manual. Retrieved February 6,

2010, from http://www.azsolarcenter.org/tech-science/solar-for-consumers/passive-solar- energy/passive-solar-design-manual-consumer/passive-solar-design-manual-heating.html

Beinart, W. (2002). Environment and History. Taylor & Francis e-Library.

Cherney, D. (1990, April). Smithsonian. The Quote Garden. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from

http://www.quotegarden.com/environment.html

Freecycle. (2003). Moderator Manual. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from

http://www.freecycle.org/faq/?menu=manual

Jackman, C. (2009, December 19). 7 Days to Save the Planet. The Australian Magazine, 1, 20.

M.K.Ghosal, Sujata Nayak, G.N.Tiwari, N.Sahoo. (2008, January). Modeling and Experimental

Study for Winter Performance of an Earth to Air Heat Exchanger. Agricultural

Engineering International: the CIGR Ejournal, 10, 1-14. Manuscript EE 07

012.Retrieved February 1, 2010, from

http://www.cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/view/1008

Pesantes, E. (2009, March 29). Artists and entrepreneurs race to trash bins to search for useful

items: It’s not just the desperate? Artists and peddlers also search for goods. South

Florida Sun-Sentinel, State and regional news. LexisNexis database. Retrieved February

16, 2010, from

Schmidt, C.W. (2008, January). Bringing Green Homes within Reach: Healthier Housing for

More People. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116 (1), A24-A31. JSTOR database.

Spivey, A. (2004, April). Sustainable Development. Going Green Saves Over Time.

Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(5), A276. Retrieved February 7, 2010 from

JSTOR database.

Stocker, D.K. (2009). The Consequences of Economic Disparity in a Resort Community:

Examining the Stratification of Cape Cod. Sociological Viewpoints. Retrieved February

7, 2010, from http://www.pasocsociety.org/ARTICLE5-stocker.pdf

Tibbetts, J. (1996, October). Green Houses. Environmental Health Perspectives, 104 (10), 1036-

1039. JSTOR database.

Yeager, Jeff. (2009, November). The Freecycle Network: Good for the Planet (and

Section 4 Feedback given and received

Blog Entry #1 What is Research Writing? by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 3 months ago:

I like your philosophy and how you already know that you become stressed easily, I think that by admitting this you can start preparing now. I agree that this class will probably be a challenge and by being a hard worker you will definitely improve. And thanks for the picture comment I felt that it captured my phil. Haha

Blog Entry #1 – What is Research Writing? by morrowdaniellexgtp

You said 3 months ago:

I like your philosophy, and how without even picking your topic you already realize that you need to target your audience. I had trouble writing my phil. But yours turned out well.

Blog entry # 3 genres research writing by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 3 months ago:

I think that if you choose to do your paper on drug addiction, you could put a different and personal perspective to the topic.

blog 3 genres of research writing by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

ortenzioangelinallqp said 3 months ago:

Your topics are very interesting and I think you could write a good paper on both of those topics. I think that you should write your paper on trash picking, because it is something that you can relate too.

wilsonnatashaflvp said 3 months ago:

Thats pretty interesting how your father built your house. Out of curiosity, as a child were embarrassed about that or were you proud of your house?

Stephanie Pelch said 3 months ago:

The trash picking would be really neat to do. Whats more personal than taking pictures and talking about the place you grew up? It would be cool.

monierphillipvytp said 3 months ago:

I like both of your topics but I definitely think that the eye tattoo one is completely awesome!

You said 3 months ago:

I was definitely proud. I am still very proud and I love to show people my awesome house!

blog 4 for now by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

Stephanie Pelch said 2 months ago:

hey chelsea i think your topic is really awesome and perfect for this class! it combines a current social/environmental issue but is also about your own house, which by the way i think looks and sounds insanely cool.

You said 2 months ago:

Thanks! I hope it turns out. ha I read your topic and i think that yours is interesting, and I like the picture.

P&O by morrowdaniellexgtp

You said 2 months ago:

I see you changed your topic, are you a business major? I think that it’s great idea and it should work well for this class.

P&O by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 2 months ago:

I think that your topic and paper will be very interesting. Also by using the paper to show your brother how you fell will take courage and I hope for the best.

P & O by monierphillipvytp

You said 2 months ago:

I think that your questions are very interesting and I can’t wait to see what happens. Especially the questions about the stress put on a band member, what type of research are you going to use for that?

P&O by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

marlen said 2 months ago:

Your proposal and outline look to be the strongest and most thorough of all 3 of my classes. Congrats, Chelsea. I’m perplexed by your anxiety when you seem to have it so together in writing : )

You said 2 months ago:

Thanks Marlen, I guess that I have been worring for no reason. I was just not sure that I was doing the work correctly, but now I know I am. See you in class tomorrow.

patinoalyvknp said 2 months ago:

I lovee your topic I am so excited to see more

Reflective Blog Entries

1) The most helpful was writing the lit review because, that was when I finally read all of the articles and figured out how they would fit together to support my thesis. This step allowed for me to actually form my thoughts and ideas, but to also edit out the ideas that would not work with the paper.

2) Talking to my teacher about the paper rafter finishing my lit review and figuring out how I would like the rest of the paper to flow. That was the best feedback that I got. I feel that the set up of my paper works and made it more personal.

3) The most difficult set was interviewing my family members. They were not always willing to talk to me about the house because they believed that they had already given enough information. The easiest was writing my proposal, once I chose a topic. I feel that setting up my ideas came naturally and were the best part to put into words.

4) The introduction of my paper, I feel that I spent the most time on that section trying to make sure that everything and idea works together to keep the reader want to keep going.

Section 5 Letters.

Saturday 02/20

Hello Marlen,

Can I say that I still do not know what to expect from this class? The past five weeks have been stressful for me in general. I am a very hard, diligent worker, it is just who I am. When I started this class I was not that worried about the workload I knew it was going to be hard work but it was for a reason. However I do not feel the same now, I do not know what that reason is anymore. There is no end in sight, except for the inevitable end of the semester. Time seems to be flying by yet I am in this stalemate with this class. It is a weird feeling, during your class I get hyped to do the work, as if it was an inspirational talk and I cannot wait to go and play, when I start the research I am still focused and determined, but then it’s gone and I end up staring at the screen trying to find something to keep going. It makes me feel Horrible that I can’t and when I go to do the blogs I end up rushing through them so it will end. Granted I never did enjoy writing, but after taking my Eng 101 class I started to like it enough, but now I can’t seem to find that spark in me. I do not think that it would matter if I had a different research topic or not. I know that I will get all of the work done, but that actually makes me feel worse that I am not handing in and showing you my best work. And it is not just this class; this semester’s workload for me is a difficult one especially right now with mid-terms coming up. In general your class is not too bad, the way the work is spread out is nice, and breaks the work up in a way I would not have know to do on my own. I know I could be participating more in class. I just do not feel that comfortable discussing my project when I do not know if what I am doing is right. As far as meeting and getting help, trust me I am doing just that, I feel like I am contently meeting with a course assistant, it tends to be with Casey, but I met with Andrew yesterday. Maybe I am just over worrying but I do not want to take any chances in this class.

Even though it is still feels early in the semester I do not think that I have a full understand of your class or you. I have met with you twice, the second time you did not see me at my best, I wanted to tell you that it was not just the research project that was making me so stressed, but I was to a point where the words were not coming out of my mouth.

The blog work is different I am not sure that I like it but it is a nice change to my other classes. However what I do like about it is being able to post something, wait a couple hours go back and re-read, what I posted and change it if it is wrong. Nothing is really final. And by being able to have my group members’ comment on my blogs is helpful and interesting to find out what they have to say. All in all the actual class is not bad.

Sincerely,

Chelsea McDonnell

Thursday 05/06

Hello Marlen,

Let me start by thanking you for making this experience a little better. This semester has been an eventful one. With its ups and downs, and I feel that this has reflected in my work as well as my enthusiasm in this class. Although it has been a rough semester for me, I have really enjoyed every moment of it. And I am glad to say that I am ending on, what I feel as, a good note. I have just re-read my previous mid-term letter to you and it was obvious that the work load did get to me, as much as I did not want that to happen. I look back now and I can tell that I have changed as a writer and I owe much of that to you. Marlen you have made research writing better. That may sound silly, but its true. I was able to form my own ideas no matter how much I did not want to, but I had the freedom.

Today in class I was surprised to be mentioned as a person that has helped someone enough to be mentioned, I was also surprised when you thought that I did participate in class, because I do not feel like a person that talks in that classroom, I feel more comfortable with the one-on-one discussions. I know that Tempest and I had a good talk that one day in class and I was happy that she felt that I had help her in the research process.

I thank you, and hope to keep in touch,

Chelsea McDonnell

Letter to Publisher

Dear Dr. S. Ball,

My name is Chelsea McDonnell. I am a current student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indian PA, double majoring in Anthropology and Studio Art with a minor in Biology. Specifically, I am a student of Marlen Harrison, and he suggested that I send you my manuscript, to see what work it may need to be published at Kairos or if you have any suggestions to another journal where this work has a better fit. I have recently become interested in the effects that trash-picking can have on a community. It was my own personal home environment that has sparked my interest in this topic. My main interest lies within the everyday person and why they are trash-picking as well as why people should be trash-picking and repurposing objects.

I have explored how trash-picking has affected my family’s life, and that impact on the community I have also used pictures as a method of data collection. My reason for just looking at my family structure is because that is what I know. I have applied my knowledge of trash-picking as well as secondary sources to the trend of “going green.” There seems to now be a connection between the two. Especially within today’s current economic status in the US, this mode of gathering objects is beneficial and can save people money. This project describes how easy repurposing items can be. Some people may want to apply it to their lifestyle. However, some people may consider it unhygienic, but trash-picking does not require a person to open a trash bag.

The concept of trash-picking is becoming an important part of how people are gathering items in the US. Trash-picking is becoming popular, and I believe is here to stay. I think that if more people were open to reusing objects instead of throwing them away it would help the environment and save someone some money. My main goal is to just show people and maybe open their minds to a different way of getting what they may need.

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to look at my project. I hope that this project will show people how easy it is to repurpose objects, and will gain awareness of the concept of trash-picking, and that it will also encourage more people to start.

Sincerely,

Chelsea McDonnell

What We’re Looking For

Kairos promotes original and challenging electronic work, exploring the possibilities afforded by contemporary digital venues. Kairos publishes “webtexts,” which means projects developed with specific attention to the World Wide Web as a publishing medium. We do not suggest an ideal standard; rather we invite each author or collaborative writing team to think carefully about what unique opportunities the Web offers. Some projects may best be presented in hypertextual form or in multimedia. In the course of our editorial review process, you should expect editorial staff and editorial board members to analyze your choices carefully, so please be sure to think them through. Please refer to our Style Guide for guidelines on format and citation style.

We welcome the use of innovative web design, creative formatting techniques, and challenges to the status quo. Submissions should integrate the use of the digital medium as part of their focus—for example, effectively exploiting the possibilities of non-linear texts, creative interfaces, and multimedia approaches. We encourage the use of digital audio and video work.

Section 6

Annotated Bibliography

Arizona Solar Center, INC. (1980). A Project of Western Solar Utilization Network. Passive Solar Heating & Cooling

Manual.

This manual expands on designing a passive solar house, and its benefits. With passive solar buildings the design is a crucial step in creating cost effective heating. The 2 elements that must be present in all passive solar building designs are glass on the south facing exposure, and a material to absorb the heat collected from the sun’s rays.

Buttel, F.H. & Flinn, W.L. (1976). Environmental Politics: The Structuring of Partisan and the Ideological Cleavages in

Mass Environmental Attitudes. The Sociological Quarterly, 17 (4), 477-490. JSTOR database.

This article discusses the impacts of political ideologies to the awareness of environmental issues. It goes on to examine the environmental reform, between political parties. It is evident of the differences in the support in the ideologies but not the parties. By looking at the political platform, they could examine the class structure and how each view environmental issues.

Hussain, S.S. (1999, July/August). The ethics of Going Green: The corporate social responsibility debate. Business

Strategy and the Environment, 8 (4), 203-210

A business making a profit, while answering the consumers needs. Meaning that they must adopt a proactive environmental agenda, but manufacturing green products are more expensive and they are losing money. This is an everlasting conflict, not going green. But in some cases there is no conflict as long as a profit is being made. It is the same for the common person why buy more expensive green product, if the regular is cheaper.

Pesantes, E. (2009, March 29). Artists and entrepreneurs race to trash bins to search for useful items: It’s not just the

desperate? Artists and peddlers also search for goods. South Florida Sun-Sentinel, State and regional news. LexisNexis database.

The underground subculture of trash diggers. It mentions that in the Palm Beach County area the in the past year the amount of trash has slightly decreased, which is likely to divers, given the economic downturn. Besides the recession, another factor is the green fad. Trash-picking has become practical.

Sara. (2008, August 17). A Brief History of the Green Movement: What is the Green Movement. WebEcoist.

This article give a brief description of how the Green Movement, as we know it, got its start. The article goes through interesting concepts of Environmentalism, starting with 1830’s American Philosophy and the Transcendentalists to “treehuggers” then finishing with going green. By looking at the trends, it becomes evident that maybe it is not a trend at all.

Schmidt, C.W. (2008, January). Bringing Green Homes within Reach: Healthier Housing for More People.

Environmental Health Perspectives, 116 (1), A24-A31. JSTOR database.

Green homes use sustainable materials and better practices than conventional ones so it creates a healthier living environment. It also uses less oil and gas, which is a great factor with today economy. One aspect of a green house is masonry or brick fireplaces or wall to stabilize the interior tempter.

Spiegelman, H. & Sheehan B. (2005, March). Unintended Consequences of Managing MSW and the Throwaway Society.

Product Policy Institute.

A public health brief on Municipal Solid Waste Management, it explores the successes and failures of wastes management and public policy objectives. The increase of waste within the past 40 years have increased to exceeding amounts. However the problem lies in where to put the waste. Recycling programs are reducing the flow to landfills. It also discuses waste characteristic over the past 41 years.

Spivey, A. (2004, April). Sustainable Development. Going Green Saves Over Time. Environmental Health

Perspectives, 112(5), A276. JSTOR database.

An article that shows some surprising facts on US building energy consumptions and gases produced of conventional houses to “green” featured ones. The Stats shown are interesting, and if some has the resources should look at a green house. Occupants tend to be more productive and healthier. Having the house will pay off 10 times more in 20 years then a conventional house.

Stocker, D.K. (2009). The Consequences of Economic Disparity in a Resort Community: Examining the Stratification of

Cape Cod. Sociological Viewpoints. 91-104.

Tibbetts, J. (1996, October). Green Houses. Environmental Health Perspectives, 104 (10), 1036-1039. JSTOR

database.

It reviews the building issues of the 70’s and 80’s and how to adjust what was wrong to create homes that were more energy efficient as well as better quality air. The 1970’s oil crisis gave way to creating buildings that reduced energy consumption. In the 1980’s studies were being done that suggested on avoiding products contain VOC’s. It also goes in to the waste from construction sites but the amount it would cost to throw it away is more than construction works can afford.

Handout

The Green House Affects: Trash Picking and The Green Movement

Chelsea McDonnell

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Email: xwzp@iup.edu

April 29, 2010

Abstract:

My own personal experiences have formed my current views on environmentalism. The purpose of this project was to take my views and experiences of growing up in an environmentally friendly atmosphere and compared them to the new trend/ lifestyle of “going green.” This project focused on repurposing objects and the design of “green” homes, and these two separate but completely relevant ideas combined, form the house that I call home. Another environmental feature that my home uses is a common type of solar energy called passive solar. By looking at my home and my nuclear family I have concluded that trash-picking is very beneficial. This method of finding items is on the rise, which I believe shows that it is socially acceptable to reuse others objects, and that it is here to stay.

This picture of my house is a great example of to show the passive solar design, because the back side of the house is covered and windows which are the side exposed to the South.

Main research question:

How has the current green movement altered social norms pertaining to the perceptions of trash-picking?

Picture of south exposing side of the house

Other Questions:

Does going green save money, short or long term?

Are more people trash-picking/repurposing/”gifting”?

Methodology:

For my primary research I talked to my family members to get their stories of how they feel that trash-picked items have affected their lives. There was no set question. I also did extensive research on trash-picking, specifically directed to today’s times because with the green movement and the recession I believed that if there was a time for this trend to break out, it would be now.

Findings:

I feel that what I was looking for was not as easy to find as I had hoped but there was a noticeable change, and a great example that the website Freecycle. As for my family members were helpful and had many stories that happened in the house. Trash-picking is becoming popular at a crucial time during the recession. I believe that since it is happening now these values will be instilled in the future generation.

References:

Arizona Solar Center, INC. (1980). A project of Western SUN Arizona and Western Solar

Utilization Network. Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Manual. Retrieved February 6,

2010, from http://www.azsolarcenter.org/tech-science/solar-for-consumers/passive-solar- energy/passive-solar-design-manual-consumer/passive-solar-design-manual-heating.html

Freecycle. (2003). Moderator Manual. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from

http://www.freecycle.org/faq/?menu=manual

Pesantes, E. (2009, March 29). Artists and entrepreneurs race to trash bins to search for useful

items: It’s not just the desperate? Artists and peddlers also search for goods. South

Florida Sun-Sentinel, State and regional news. LexisNexis database. Retrieved February

16, 2010.

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Cheslea's Understandings of 202

Portfolio

The Proposal

Blog Entry #1 What is Research Writing? by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 3 months ago:

Blog Entry #1 – What is Research Writing? by morrowdaniellexgtp

You said 3 months ago:

Blog entry # 3 genres research writing by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 3 months ago:

blog 3 genres of research writing by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

ortenzioangelinallqp said 3 months ago:

wilsonnatashaflvp said 3 months ago:

Stephanie Pelch said 3 months ago:

monierphillipvytp said 3 months ago:

You said 3 months ago:

blog 4 for now by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

Stephanie Pelch said 2 months ago:

You said 2 months ago:

P&O by morrowdaniellexgtp

You said 2 months ago:

P&O by ortenzioangelinallqp

You said 2 months ago:

P & O by monierphillipvytp

You said 2 months ago:

P&O by mcdonnellchelseaxwzp

marlen said 2 months ago:

You said 2 months ago:

patinoalyvknp said 2 months ago:

Section 5 Letters.

What We’re Looking For

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