#environmental experiment

For the last week I have been trying to see how much waste I make and how I can reduce it.

Day 1: Trash made: Tin foil from a burrito                                   1x box of cheez-its                                    3x wrappers from cookies (Chips-ahoy 2x and Oreos 1x)                                   1x box of instant oatmeal and 2x packs of oatmeal             Thoughts of experiment: So far not much trash has been made, and since the largest pieces of trash (Boxes) is recyclable, there seems to be even less trash. The wrappers from the cookies include the outside wrapper and the paper support from inside the wrapper.

Day 2: Trash made: 1x square of paper towel                                  3x wrappers of mixed fruit fruit snacks                                  1x foam cup used for coffee                                  1x soda can from ginger ale              Thoughts of experiment: I should probably hold onto my trash to help me realize how much trash I make, what trash I have made in the day and how much space the trash takes up. I haven't made much trash in the last two days but maybe because I haven't been going to many places that produce trash

Day 3: Trash made: 1X tea bag + 1x paper wrapper from bag                                  1x wrapper from a Gatorade                                   1x Styrofoam container from 1 dozen eggs                                  1x packaging for mechanical pencils (paper mate 0.7mm                                           sharp writer pack of 6)             Thoughts of experiment: I have been keeping the trash through out the day in the cheez-it box from earlier (I had it in the recycle bin at the time). Still not much trash - I am able to fit the trash in my hand when crushed together.

Day 4: Trash made: 1x pudding cup                                  1x Paper towel                                  1x Wrapper from Chips-ahoy cookies                                  1x backing to scotch tape                                  1x box from a personal pan pizza from pizza hut                                  1x Pepsi cup from Sodexo             Thoughts of experiment: The trash from the day could all be put inside of the pudding cup . Again not much trash in the experiment has been made so far and all collected trash has been able to fit inside of the chees-it box. I am beginning to see how much trash I make as the cheez-it box is getting fairly full maybe with enough room for one more day. Instead of using paper towels I have used a hand towel that I can wash later.

Day 5: Trash made:1x bag from bagels                                 1x teabag with the paper wrapper                                 1x container from microwave macaroni and cheese                                 1x Pepsi cup from Sodexo                                 1x wrapper from a 6 inch subway sandwich              Thoughts of experiment: Trash can no longer fit in the cheez-it box and a paper towel was used to clean up some spilt egg and excessive grease from breakfast (I made a bagel sandwich with a sausage patty, eggs and cheese.

Day 6: Trash made: 1x regular bowl from Flame Broiler                                  1x plastic fork                                   ^^^ I forgot to hold on to these pieces of trash^^^                                  1x wrapper for Chips-ahoy cookies                                  1x wrapper from fruit snacks                                  1x paper box from an elastic bandage                                  1x cardboard support for a thermal undershirt and the paper                                       packaging                                  1x gum wrapper from a stick of gum and the packaging                                             (Packaging thrown away by roommate who I shared the                                       gum with)                                  1x 3/4 sheet paper used to print a picture that took up                                                 around 1/6-1/4 of the page             Thoughts of experiment: This obviously does not seem to be much trash                                                     but as I now look at the amount of trash from                                                         the last 4 days, I am beginning to see that the                                                       amount of trash I make could accumulate to a                                                       substantial amount over an extended span of                                                         time. In order to reduce the amount of waste I                                                       make I will be buying more in bulk, using more                                                       of my own reusable containers. 

Day 7: Trash made: 1x paper wrapper for wood chopsticks                                  2x wood chopsticks                                  1x plastic bowl from Sodexo                                  ^^^ Forgot to keep as I was in the union and did as I would                                          normally do after I finish eating in the union^^^^^^^^^^                                   1x wrapper from fruit snacks             Thoughts of experiment: I have made quite a bit of trash and have been                                                       able to place all of the recyclable waste into the                                                     cheez-it and the non-recyclable trash was able                                                        to be fit in the bag from the bagels.

Thoughts of the experiment: This experiment as helped me understand how                                                      much trash I make over time and in which ways I                                                  can produce less waste. I am going to try to eat                                                      more foods with less waste, such as those a                                                          person can by in bulk. Less pre-packaged foods                                                    will produce less waste and will likely be healthier                                                  option then canned or premade food.

^^^ The trash collected from the experiment ^^^ 

So spatial alteration can change the experience of walking and perceiving the space through one is walking, because of the aesthetic and cultural associations of the space. The desire to change the space, or to question the space, can be influenced by the spatial layout, and aesthetics of the space. There are social associations with the feature of the space, such as the railing representing entrapment and control, and posters with tumultuous aesthetics representing cultural expression and therefore the humanist reclaiming of public spaces.

When moving through a car park, which is a concrete, grey and enclosed area with repetitive features and no cultural expression, participants walked through and expressed “boredom” and “being pressed down”. The way the car park surrounds the participants prompted them to walk through with no sense of energy.

Whereas when walking past Havana Bar, the gentle colours and comfortable, worn aesthetics of the environment attracted gazes, participants commented that they felt “curious” and “relaxed”.

  But in the oppressed state of the car park the entrapping space inspired no sense of movement or passion, and in the cosy surroundings of Havana Bar, there was no immediate motive for a sense of rebellion, as the soft aesthetics does not directly elicit a sense of harsh systems that would catalyse the urge for change.

However, in environments that is on the edge of entrapping and repetitive aesthetics, and cultural expression, such as the metal fencing with the wheatpasted tattooed woman beyond it, participants say that walking past they felt more desire to question the metal railing’s representation of authoritative control over public spaces, than when walking through the car park, where there was no sign of cultural expression.

Furthermore, when walking past spaces with freely shared cultural expressions, such as the bus stop with musical artists’ and activists’ posters, participants say they feel more open to changing the space, and to “put my creations up on there”, and also one expressed that she felt that “I’m not being held back at all”. So in environments with artistic and cultural “reclaiming of the streets”, stepping beyond the aesthetics of corporate ideals, the mood of being open to change the space is expressed.