Why Is It So Easy To Be Wasteful?

I was thinking about this question the other day, and I feel like it relates to two topics that I care about; minimalism and sustainability.

We live in a time where most humans want for nothing. We can get whatever we want or need, whenever, wherever, and however we choose. It's a great time to be alive, but what this fosters is a literally deadly combination of selfish, excessive, mindless consumption in many aspects of our daily lives. I've talked about this topic numerous times before, but I wanted to address how our behaviors are shaped to default to being wasteful and how we can all try to be better.

Easy to be Selfish

In life, especially in America, we're taught and encouraged to be self reliant. We need to look out for ourselves, and not worry about anyone else. If we go it alone, we can do whatever we want, however we want, and we don't have to think about the impact on others. The world doesn't actually (and shouldn't) work that way. The choices we make impact others. Just because we ignore it doesn't make it go away, but the fact of the matter is, being selfish is easier than being empathetic. We have to be mindful and concious of what we do and how it affects those around us. 

Pattern Making Machines

Our brains are always trying to make our lives easier for us. A big way they do this is by forming patterns so we don't have to constantly be figuring out how things work. This is great, but sometimes it can get in our way. We can set in routines without even realizing, routines that are needlessly wasteful. It can be using disposable coffee cups when a reusable one would be just as easy, or continually getting plastic bags at the store when bringing your own canvas ones would work fine instead. Inertia can be a hard thing to overcome when we are trying to change our habits, but if we focus on one thing at a time and be patient, we can make small personal changes for a big impact.

The System

I've walked around a few times lately and remarked to my partner that there is just so much stuff in the world. Taking a stroll through any warehouse sort of store and the amount of things filled each shelf is overwhelming when you think there are several other places just like this all over the country. Granted, a lot of goods can be made sustainably at scale, but most of the time, processes are going to be ripping natural resources out of the ground or emitting harmful emissions to make those products. Nevertheless, the capitalist system around us pushes us toward buying stuff and consuming things. As opposed to utilizing reusable products or living with less. We have to actively work against the norm of seemingly endless consumption propagated by systems of "infinite" production. It can be expensive at times to reduce our waste, but there are some clever strategies to be minimalist on a budget.

The amount of resources it takes to produce all the stuff around us is unsustainable, so we need to consume less and for the things we do use, use them in a responsible way. I hope this post helps you think differently about how you live and consume. I don't know about you, but I'd like to live with less stuff and more love, energy, and joy in my life.

For more on this topic, check out my posts below as well as some other resources:

• The Minimalists

• Book Review: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

• Our Sustainable Waste Impact, By the Numbers

• Our Sustainable Energy Impact, By the Numbers

• Why I Love Sustainability (and How You Can Too!)

• Podcast Episode w/ Kristin Skarie

• Book Review: The Year of Nothing New

Thanks for stopping by!

Surviving A Company Take Over

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When a company exchanges hands, it makes sense for the new owners to keep on the existing staff. The team will be a great asset to the owners as they already know what they are doing and will be able to keep the place running smoothly as the changes take root. Because there will be changes. But what does it all mean for the employees? A take over doesn’t have to be a cutthroat as it sounds. But it can cause a host of issues. Look at Jozef Opdeweegh who said that ‘Unless the ownership transition is undertaken with great care, it can undermine the continued success of the company and its value.’ Yet a lot of takeovers happen with speed for one reason or another, and speed doesn’t always allow time for care. So how do you survive?

Time

Give things time to settle down. Everything will be a bit confusing. If you work in the lower ranks, there shouldn’t be too much upheaval for you, but there will be for management. If you are part of management, remember that the people under you will be looking to you for stability and answers. The new owners will want to go through all of the company paperwork with a fine tooth comb. The original owners will have sold for some reason, and the new owners will want to see where the mistakes have been made. Where the financial leaks are. Entrepreneur states three reasons that businesses might be sold as ‘Business value...Tired of risk...Change.’ And hopefully, the company you work for will be changing hands for one of these reasons instead. Regardless, they will still be looking through everything to see where they can make changes to make things more efficient. So be patient. Things will settle down again. Once the dust clears there might be a few changes, but don’t tear your hair out and quit during the transitional period.

Changes

Changes are going to happen, and there is no point in fighting them. If you’re high up in the pecking order, you can voice your concerns, but don’t expect them to listen without evidence to back up what you’re saying. They might make changes and then come to realise that you were better off before and be changed back. And they might make some that work out better for everyone, and they might change some things that work just the same as the old system. But you can’t fight it if you want to keep your job. It’s possible that changes will be small and not affect you; rebranding a company looks huge, but it doesn’t have much to do with how it operates. And they might bring in new software and systems that will take some getting used to. You just need to keep your head down and learn what you need to and teach those under you how to do the same.

Ear to the floor

Keep an ear out for news throughout the whole transition. If there will be new software, the sooner you can prepare for the change the better. You will also be able to keep an ear out for if there are going to be changes to staff. Don’t spread gossip, particularly bad things, this will just create panic within the ranks, but it’s worth knowing for yourself. Plus bad mouthing the new boss is a sure way to get fired - a lot of new owners look to make their authoritative mark on the company, and a simple way of doing that is to making staffing changes. It might not happen, but in a just in case scenario, you should keep your mouth shut.

Work hard

Just because you have new bosses does not mean that you should work less. During the turbulence of the transfer, it can be tricky to keep things running as smoothly as before, and it’s your job to see that your work is on the same level as it was prior to the business being sold. If you didn’t get the opportunity to rise through the ranks under the old management, now could be that chance to show you can deal with change and pressure. See the new ownership as a new opportunity; hopefully the business will grow, nad there will be people who decide to move on because they don't like the changes being made. And it is always better to promote in house than to hire externally - which is what most companies aim to do.

My Trouble with Transitions

I have a confession to make; I struggle with transitions.

The sort of large, seismic changes in the status quo of my life. Unfortunately, this has happened several times in the past few years, between graduate school in New Jersey, my first professional job in Maine, and now my current gig outside of Washington, DC. I've had to move all my belongings, get used to a new area, find my spots for the usual stuff (groceries, haircuts, doctors, etc.), try to make new friends, and get used to a new job all at once. It's really hard for me, and I only recently became aware that this is something that really affects my mental health.

The first step to any solution is awareness, so I'm grateful to have figured this out about myself. I can work to do better as time goes on. Nevertheless, it was hard for me at the time for all the reasons I mentioned before, and I also just felt like I should be able to handle it better. I was hard on myself and put pressure on myself to do better and not struggle with it since other people seemingly were able to do it.

There are fallacies interlaid all over the place here. We often only see people highlight reels and never see and hear the full stories. Also, what is hard for one person may not be for another, so we can't get into this pissing contest or comparison with others about what we were able to handle and what we weren't. If something is hard for you, that is your own journey and it is a fair and valid issue to be going through. Also, don't feel like you have to go through it alone. Tell your manager, tell your friends, tell your family even if some of them aren't nearby anymore. Call them, text them, email them, whatever you see fit to make sure you're able to just vent, or perhaps ask for advice.

Change is hard, especially when it is of the large, life altering variety. If we equip ourselves to know what support we need and try to mitigate the impact on our lives, that is as much as we can do. I know for me, it takes a few months to get to a sense of "normalcy". I've been here in the DC area just about a year and I'm still finding my way around and discovering new things. Give yourself a break, and do your best. It will get better (and if it doesn't figure out what you can to not subject yourself to whatever is making you unhappy).

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/10/16

Greetings!

Another week is in the books, and that means there is another set of (random) geek outs for you all!

• Haircuts

Moving is stressful for a bunch of reasons, one of them is starting off new with different grocery stores, restaurants, and (the especially worrisome for me) barber shops. I got my haircut for the first time since I moved this week, and it went well! I always dread getting my haircut since I haven't ever had a good, consistent relationship with a barber. It ends up being a gamble each time and it is hard for me to explain how I like my hair. This time was good, and while it is jarring every time I cut my hair shorter, I look forward to going back to this place (White's Barber Co. to give them a well deserved shout out) and starting to build a better relationship with getting my hair cut.

• Couches

My partner, Jenn, and I have been living pretty lean so far in our new apartment. We don't have a lot of furniture but we're making it work with what we have. One big thing we've been missing is a couch. We went and looked around after doing some initial research online ahead of time. It's tough deciding and purchasing these big items. It's exciting though too to build up our place and make it our own. We're not really fit for guests yet, but I also look forward to hosting folks for the first time soon!

• Driver's Licenses (& Other Stuff)

Last but not least, Jenn and I have to get all of our addresses changed on our various profiles, get new driver's licenses, and register to vote in Maryland. Jenn has been taking care of some of her stuff and I've been lagging a bit with going to the Motor Vehicle Administration (Maryland's DMV). It's just always one of those things that is a pain to do but is obviously necessary. Hopefully it isn't too bad when I go this weekend to take care of my driver's license. All of this stuff is the part of moving that is annoying, but hopefully we don't have to do it again for a while (at the very least we can stay in the same state for more than a couple of years).

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/23/15

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The final trailer and poster both came out this week, and the all the promotion has done well to give a general groundwork for where we're picking up with the saga 30 years later. What is refreshing (and in true JJ Abrams fashion) there is still a veil of secrecy around the main plot points (especially Luke Skywalker's presence). I originally was cautiously optimistic but I am now excited for this movie. It looks like it will be fun at the very least and much like Abram's new Star Trek films, it will revitalize this awesome franchise. I can always go for more Star Wars in my life, so I am eagerly anticipating the release of this film in less than two months!

• School Street Posters

I stumbled across this company on Twitter the other day. I saw something like what they do in a friend's apartment recently and thought it was really cool, so it was quite serendipitous to find this online. They make street maps of a bunch of college towns (both University of Delaware and Rutgers University are on there, which made me happy) and you can ordered framed poster prints or canvas prints from them in some different color variations of the town's institution (blue and yellow for UD for example). Check them out! I'm definitely going to get one for my office (and maybe another as a holiday gift).

• Job Search

I've told my partner, my family, my supervisor, and some friends as well as some colleagues, so I figured I'd just let everyone else know that I am currently job searching for a possible (and preferred) mid-year transition to a new institution. My partner is graduating from her master's program in May 2016, so in anticipation of that, I'm trying to set up a base camp for us so we don't have to do a dual job search. I've appreciated the time I've had here in Maine, but I am ready to move on. I've put in a handful of applications and gotten a few interviews set up already, which makes me feel good that everything might go as I'm hoping it will. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on how things go. I appreciate everyone's support through this process!

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: A Year of Nothing New

I was really excited to check out the book, A Year of Nothing New, when the author, Kristin Skarie, sent me a copy recently. I interviewed her recently for The Student Affairs Collective podcast and we talked about the book and sustainability in higher education.

The book, as the title implies, follows Kristin's journey as she ventured on a year of nothing new. This took different shapes throughout the year, such as minimizing plastic, electricity usage, buying local goods and food, and trying to grow her own food. She shares the ups and downs of this endeavor, which was really refreshing that she was so candid about it. She acknowledged her privilege and authentically shared her failures.

I got some great insights from this book and even got some tips for things to buy to be more sustainable (like this set of "To-Go Ware" reusable utensils). The insights that were especially useful were how it is okay to not be perfect, how important it is to live your values, as well as that we can all have an impact on ourselves and the world around us.

With sustainability stuff, many people don't see the point since they themselves won't make much of a difference. The thing is, if we all did our part to waste and use less, we'd save money, be healthier, and save the planet all at the same time. While some of the things we all should be doing are a little less convenient, it's worth it in the end to do the right thing.

I'm a big fan of this book and I definitely think everyone should read it. You can check out more of Kristin continuing efforts as well as everything as she does at her blog and her site respectively.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Power of Student Government in Shaping the Campus Community

* This post was originally featured on The Student Affairs Hub.

College students have long used the campus environment to work towards positive social change. The very nature of a university encourages this sort of intellectual discourse, and a common way for students to get involved in making a difference on campus is through student government. It allows for students to debate important campus topics, and provides a platform for the institution to directly hear the needs of the student body.

The beauty of student government is that it is typically accessible to all students. New incoming students can be encouraged to find a voice within this organization, meet fellow students, and start making their legacy known at their institution (Trust me, they'll thank you for the legacy stuff come graduation time).

I found out about the power of student government far too late into my undergraduate career. In my final year, I was passionate about getting hydration stations installed on campus, to provide cold, clean and filtered water in a sustainable way that would reduce the use of plastic water bottles while encouraging healthier habits in students. I realized a way to start to make this change possible was to lobby the student government to accept a stance of advocating for these to become a part of the community. Once they accepted, within months there were a few of these stations popping up around campus. This felt so inspiring to accomplish in such a short amount of time!

Perhaps they were already planning on doing this, but at the very least, through my efforts, the student body representatives let their voice be heard and for the future, the administration would know that students wanted to have the hydration stations and would feel more accountable to do so.

Especially for new, incoming students, building confidence, connections, and communication skills are all pretty valuable goals for student affairs professionals. So I encourage you to empower your students to get involved in student government. Even more importantly, I encourage you to bring students to the table and let them be heard when it comes to decision making. They'll have some important insights and they are the ones who it will affect, so I think it is only fair to hear them out. At the very least, they'll benefit from the experience.

Book Review: Start Something That Matters

"A leader can create a company, but a community creates a movement."

My latest review is for the 2012 book by Blake Mycoskie, Start Something That Matters, which chronicles the beginnings of his company, TOMS, and the lessons he has learned from the journey.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read with some great takeaways, good stories, and a positive message. It's a message I can certainly get behind and have believed in for a while now. I always try to vote with my dollars and make globally conscious purchases. Every company should incorporate such tenets into their organization, seeking to make the greatest positive social impact they can with their efforts, whatever it is. They can donate money, time, or resources to help others, and we'll all benefit in the end. It just seems that it is far easier for a lot of people and groups to be selfish and not empathize with the struggles of others (especially if they cannot relate, and never went through such struggles). The good part about all this is that it is never too late to start making a difference in people's lives.

Some of the other quotes I took away from this book were:

"...To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. [Often attributed to Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley]"

"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"

"Today’s successful leaders are those willing to share credit as much as possible, who give away as much as they can, and who promote an environment of creative cooperation instead of rabid competition."

What I like about TOMS is that it is a for-profit, social good company. They can exist, and they can do just as much good in the world (if not more) by working to make a profit. Their shoes and other items are desirable and valuable, and by working to make money, they can use those profits to make a positive social impact. A lot of other companies have followed in the footsteps of TOMS in recent years, and I think that's a beautiful thing. I love my TOMS shoes and my Warby Parker glasses, and my Krochet Kids hat. They all have the added benefit of helping others in need around the whole world. What's not to love?

Check out Start Something That Matters at any of your favorite book retailers!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Secret to Helping Your Students Find Themselves

* This post was edited from one originally posted on The Student Affairs Hub.

I wasn't the most adventurous person when I was growing up. I only ever really went to the places I knew and ate the foods I knew I liked. While this tendency will always be a part of who I am, I've started to make intentional attempts to travel more, try more, and just get out of my comfort zone more.

You know that line about where the magic happens? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about here.

I have gone to more cities in our great country, started blogging, and have put myself out into the professional world meeting colleagues and forming connections, which as a proud introvert, is hard for me at times. I might mumble and grumble going against my nature, but afterwards, I'm always glad I made the effort to get out of my shell. I'm even planning my first trip outside of the country with my partner! I never would have thought I'd want to do a lot of these things or even have the opportunity to do them. I'm grateful for the growth these different opportunities in my life have given me and I know that students have the potential to experience the same learning.

As a student at college (or someone who works with them), there are ample opportunities to find ways to get out and experience more new things. That could be because someone is just in a new area while you're at college, it could be joining a new club or organization, applying for a job (on-campus or off), it could mean going on an alternative break trip to do service, or going away to study for a semester abroad. All of these hold value for engaging in an experience that, even if it is not exactly what was hoped for, students will get out of their comfort zone and learning new things about themselves, and the world around them.

So, making someone take risks, face fears, and embrace discomfort is easier said than done but the importance and value of the experience far outweigh whatever reticence a student might have. What we have to do as student affairs professionals is nudge our students to the zone of proximal development as it applies here, or in other words, where challenge and support are primed for growth and learning for students. They don't feel too safe or too challenged, but the discomfort is enough to allow for them to learn something new. For example, a student could learn a lot by traveling to a new city in the US with a group of fellow students, but it could be too much for them at once to perhaps travel alone to a new country.

Students will also simply listen to their trusted mentors on taking risks and finding their identity outside of their comfort zones. Our faith in them and our knowledge of the benefits of the aforementioned experiences help urge a student to go for it. I know when I was an undergraduate student, I never would have thought to apply to be an RA (which was far out of my comfort zone) but a few recommendations to do so from professional staff members helped send me other the edge and give it a shot. Five years later, here I am having found a career I love and I owe it all to the encouragement of others.

I urge you to urge your students to get out and experience new things. I'm sure they'll thank you for it.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 05/01/15

Good day to you!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Seinfeld

I love the show Seinfeld. It is a classic television sitcom that stands the test of time. As such, I was pretty excited when it was announced that Hulu will be bringing the complete series to their streaming service beginning in June. I feel like I still haven't seen every episode so I definitely plan to slowly burn through them all to relive my favorite moments and appreciate the series as a whole. If you haven't seen the show before, definitely check it out on Hulu when it's released.

• Summer!

The end of my first academic year as a full-time professional is drawing close, and as such, I've been thinking about how I want to spend my summer. I'm sure it will be a mixture of work and fun (as I tend to like for my down time) but I want to take in all that I can while I have the opportunity here in Maine. That means trying to venture out to Canada, seeing more of New England, and continuing to appreciate the local offerings here in Maine as well. I hope I can get to it all while also planning and preparing for the next academic year. I have high hopes but I believe I can do it!

• Sustainability

I've been working with our campus-wide sustainability committee here at my institution, and it made think about how we make change happen at a institutional level. My perspective on it is that it really can be difficult and time intensive, which needs to be acknowledged, but the efforts of committees like ours need to be strongly supported in more than just lip service and pats on the back to make us all feel good. We need broad support and we need financial support to make things happen. We can do a lot with changing behaviors to make a difference, but for sweeping, lasting change, we need to reform a lot of infrastructure, which costs money. While making sustainable changes gives the opportunity for a return on investment, the initial cost needs to be made, and I feel stifled by that concept most times. I also am impatient and have a sense of urgency for fixing the problems that surround us everyday (that I feel may not be shared by others at times). These are just some stream of consciousness thoughts I've had after going to these meetings for a few months.  We have just started this work on our campus, and we feel very far behind already, and then it feels like we can only move at a snail's pace. It's frustrating but I know you have to start somewhere, so I'll do my best to be patient for now.

Thanks for stopping by!