The "Green Box"

In American society today, tremendous pressure is being put on industry to increase the nation's sustainability. These changes range from the auto-industry, to the energy-industry, to even the pizza industry. Wait, the pizza industry? Yes, the Environmentally Conscious Organization Inc. is announcing the "Green Box" to revolutionize the traditional cardboard pizza box. The company claims to provide a more environmentally sound product that introduces superior functionality and convenience.

The "Green Box" is a pizza box that breaks down into serving plates and a more functional storage container. The top of the box contains perforations to be divided into four serving plates. The remainder of the box folds easily into a more compact storage container, compared to using the entire box. This new pizza box can be produced for consumer use at no additional cost, and can be made out of one hundred percent recycled material, where as a traditional box would be about sixty percent recycled material. This product seems very convenient, but has been questioned as an eco-friendly alternative.

Most pizza boxes can't be recycled because of the grease stains caused by the pizza. According to Lori Brown, "food is one of the worst contaminants in the paper recycling process." During the recycling of paper products, the paper and cardboard is combined and mixed with water. Since oil and water do not mix, the paper fibers can't be separated during the pulping process to create recycled materials. Consequently, only the tops of pizza boxes can generally be recycled. The "Green Box," which seeks to utilize the entire box through serving plates loses all possibility of being recycled, because the top can no longer be recycled.

While the "Green Box" may not be the most "Green" solution in terms of recycling, this product is a functional and convenient option. The box is a very innovative concept that seems both handy and practical for parties and informal occasions. The box is made out of one hundred percent recycled material, and renders the need of paper plates to be non-existent. The sheer idea seems novel enough to be considered a beneficial alternative.

Vitaminwater®

Vitaminwater is a line of sports drink owned by Coca Cola Co. It was released as an alternative to water similar to the products like Gatorade and Powerade. Vitaminwater comes in a range of fifteen different flavors: defense, endurance, energy, focus, among others. Each is associated with a different health claim: to boost the immune system, build endurance and energy, to provide concentration, etc. On first thought, water seems to lose its appeal and Vitaminwater seems to be the cure-all. But, how accurate are these health claims? Is Vitaminwater a healthy alternative to water and source of vitamins?

I am going to assess the validity of the "Defense" of Vitaminwater. "Defense," according to a bottle of Vitaminwater, "is specially formulated with nutrients required for optimal functioning of the immune system and the generation and utilization of energy from food." Defense contains high amounts of vitamins B and C, and also zinc. Each of these vitamins and minerals are important in the production of cells that are involved in the immune system. This vitamin information is all provided clearly on the bottle, attracting the "health-oriented" consumers. What most consumers don't read is the fine print.

While Vitaminwater is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, it is also high in calories and sugar. A twenty-ounce drink contains nearly the same amounts as a twelve-ounce can of soda, in the respective areas. Further, stated synonymously with Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, while diets rich in antioxidants are associated with lower rates of chronic disease, no conclusive scientific data show that antioxidants in supplemental form share the same success. This point is reiterated by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Basically, this means that Vitaminwater is basing their claim, that the vitamins and antioxidants in their product strengthen immunity, on scientific hypotheses, not fact.

How does this affect you? According to Katherine Zeratsky of Mayo Clinic, vitamin-based waters contain sweeteners that add unneeded sugar and calories to the drink. Consequently, water and whole fruits and vegetables are the more optimal solution. If you already take a daily multi-vitamin, the vitamin drink will provide no real additional benefit. For now, stick to water, fruits, and vegetable; currently, these are the best sources of hydration, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

How to Tie a Necktie

On October 21st, I gave a demonstration speech to my Life Sciences Communication 100 class. The speech demonstrated how to tie a necktie. In particular, the speech was focused on how to tie the Windsor necktie knot.

The demonstration speech holistically went well. The introduction provided background information including why the subject matter was important. The speech's spark was decent, but didn't receive much reaction from the audience. The speech was organized well into logical steps. The rhyme for the steps made the process easier to remember, but may have been more easily remembered with fewer steps or an acronym. The conclusion was effective in that it repeated the steps and again reinforced the relevance of the topic.

Several visual aids were also incorporated into the speech. The visual aids were appropriate and essential: necktie, collared shirt, and mirror. The speech would not have been effective without the visual aids that were integrated.

The actual presentation performance also went well. I showed interest in the subject, which made the speech more effective. The volume and tone of my voice was appropriate and easy to understand on the video. There was adequate eye contact while occupied performing the task. The pace was generally okay, but in some places the pace seemed rushed.

Overall, the speech was effective. There were several weaknesses, but generally, they were overshadowed by the strengths. One weakness was the repetition of the word "like." These instances reduced the speech's focus and limited the impact factor of the speech. In some cases I made excessive arm and hand motions that also diminished the speech's focus. The speech's strengths were the introduction, conclusion, and organization. These elements provided a solid basis for the rest of the speech to be considered effective.

In retrospect, the topic seemed to work well for the demonstration speech. Ideally there would have been more of a reaction from the audience, but this was difficult to achieve because there was no room for audience involvement. The audience did react to the conclusion, which hopefully means the speech had the audience's attention enough to teach the audience. Overall, the speech should be considered a success.