Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Gianna Apoderado

Low Energy Enthusiasts

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,541 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

330

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

1,620

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

123

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

220

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

23

conversations

with people

Gianna's actions

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 36
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Communicate With My Elected Officials

Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines

I will write or call 3 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by participating in a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Invite a friend to calculate the carbon footprint of their household

Individual actions are important, but people and organizations working together can make a real impact. I will share a carbon calculator with a friend and invite them to calculate the carbon footprint of their household.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

Bioplastics

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 20 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 35
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Install A Toilet Tank Bank

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water a day or 330 gallons (1,230 L) a month by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Gianna Apoderado 5/25/2021 12:46 AM

I have some knowledge of how indigenous peoples are some of the best caretakers of the land, from sustainable harvesting and hunting, to doing controlled burns. It wasn’t until taking this action that I learned in-depth the wealth of knowledge indigenous people have about the land and the extensive services that their practices provide. We can learn so much from them, and maybe we can mitigate our climate impact through learning from them.

For this challenge, after reading the articles, I wanted to focus on a local, or in California indigenous group that is doing one of these practices, namely prescribed fire, after reading Bill Gammage detail the various indigenous uses of fire: “first was to control wildfire fuel; second, to maintain diversity; third, to balance species; fourth, to ensure abundance; and five, to locate resources conveniently and predictably.” I found a webinar presenting on this very topic, given by members of the Lomakatsi Restoration Project titled “The First, Best Stewards: Aboriginal Fire and the Klamath Siskiyous.” It addresses the history of and importance of prescribed burns culturally and ecologically. Indigenous folks share their story of how long they’ve been doing controlled burns such as this, and why it is important to allow and increase this practice. Belinda Brown notes that we are having wildfires because our connection to nature and understanding nature has diminished. By doing prescribed burns, both humans and animals benefit, because has many benefits, such as increasing the diversity of vegetation, helping scatter prey species, and limiting the occurrences and spread of wildfires. What I learned that I could apply to my own life is that I should be more cognizant of how I treat the land around me. I should not take for granted things such as how my household has access to homegrown vegetables, and that I can be a better steward for our own land. It was also insightful to hear how Lomakatsi Restoration Group places an emphasis on collective action, as they acknowledge that it will take a lot of people with diverse backgrounds to effectively upkeep this practice, and it brings me back to the point of many of these individual EcoChallenges that we take!

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- Alice Ma 6/01/2021 2:31 AM
  
  Hi Gianna! I love that you researched controlled burning for your challenge! I also looked into the topic, specifically looking at practices from indigenous groups in northern California as we’re heading into this next wildfire season. The webinar you watched sounds super interesting too, I’ll be sure to check it out when I have the time! One of the benefits of controlled burns I honestly had not really considered until I did research into it is the cultural significance. You mentioned the traditional and cultural importance in addition to the environmental benefits of prescribed burning and I came across some of the same research. In addition to all the benefits you’d mentioned in your post, I discovered that many indigenous peoples have traditional practices that tie into their prescribed burning, practices that have almost been forgotten because of the legal ramifications of conducting non-government sanctioned burning. Just like how you mentioned the Lomakatsi Restoration group emphasizing collective action, I think the federal, state and local governments in the U.S. can do a lot more in terms of forming alliances and righting past wrongs with indigenous groups. As the consequences of climate change are becoming more and more serious, it really is imperative that government institutions work with indigenous peoples to collaborate on taking care of our environment and our ecosystems.
  
  What you mentioned about being more cognizant of the land around you also really resonated with me. I think during the course of these EcoChallenges, I’ve definitely been challenged to be observant, grateful, and contributory to the space that I live in. Up until coming to UCLA, I’d never really fully understood the concept of unceded indigenous land or the significance of the U.S. government seizing native lands. Those past actions have not only destroyed cultures, lives, and lands but have also created a system where education about these issues is limited. I think a huge step in being more collaborative in our solutions to climate change is educating the population about the issues that contribute to it in hopes of creating a force of people who can work towards combating the crisis. I really appreciate your post and it definitely made me reflect on my role in the land that I live on!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Gianna Apoderado 5/24/2021 11:20 PM

As a graduating student, I suddenly had the idea to take a post-graduation trip with a few of my longtime friends, who were also soon-to-be graduates. Even before I was aware that this action could be impactful, I knew I wanted to drive, rather than fly somewhere. For as long I can remember, my family have always preferred to vacation locally, mostly because that was what we were comfortable with. Our go-to vacation is actually at Big Bear Lake, which is about a 2 hour drive from our home. Learning about the impact of regular flights, not only for business but for personal vacations, I am glad that we have never preferred that option. According to How Far Can We Get Without Flying, by Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist that does not take flights, not only does flying emit tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, but “planes emit mono-nitrogen oxides into the upper troposphere, form contrails, and seed cirrus clouds with aerosols from fuel combustion,” which all combine to warm the planet. With all of these toxins and contributors to the greenhouse gas effect and the worsening of the climate crisis, it is important to me to limit my own contribution to warming in this way, and I am glad I don’t take flights regularly. The last time I had even been on a plane was in 2013, to visit family in the Philippines!

In planning the trip (snippets of our conversation below), I knew that I would prefer to drive over flying. I had an idea to go north, since as I’ve mentioned, my family does not travel there often. We even considered more local options such as San Diego, which I would have been more than happy to do instead. Matt and Golda, my two friends I am conversing with about this trip, usually travel far enough to necessitate flying for vacations, but I knew I wanted to vacation somewhere close enough to drive. Our destination as of now is San Francisco, which is 424 miles away. While flying would be a shorter travel time than driving, I realize the impact of choosing not to take a flight when it is reasonably drivable. Not only would we not cause as much of an emission impact, but we can enjoy our time together as we travel. Returning to the reflection question, restructuring our trip was easy, because we all knew that taking a flight to that destination, while convenient, is unnecessary, since we are not limited by a time constraint. I will be sharing the impact of our choice not to fly to Matt and Golda, so they can appreciate it as well. I can avoid flying in the future by sticking to my local vacationing practices!

My question is directed to my classmates: After learning about the impact of flying, are you incentivized to take less flights and find alternatives to long-distance vacations?

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- Alice Ma 6/02/2021 1:29 AM
  
  Hi Gianna! Love that you and your family tend to vacation locally! That’s something that my family has been exploring recently and we have plans to visit some local national parks in the coming months! I really hope to follow your lead and stick to vacationing closer to home in the future, especially because there is so much to do in California, most of which is accessible by driving a few hours. Especially now, during a pandemic, driving also seems like the safer option and it removes a lot of the sources of contamination that might be present on an airplane or at the airport. Another thing is that my parents are looking into getting a new car and I’m pushing for them to get an electric car or at least a hybrid. With the better fuel economy, we would be able to go much further on less gas and produce fewer emissions in a single trip. Hopefully, my parents end up getting a greener car and they can use it more often for trips instead of flying!
  
  In answering your question, I think after learning about the impacts of flying and air travel, I’m definitely less likely to take flights and more likely to look for alternatives to long-distance vacations. When it comes to travel, the most common form of traveling I will be doing in the near future is traveling from UCLA to visit home. That trip is about an hour-long flight or a 5-6 hour-long drive across approximately 350 miles. Since I’ll have my car with me at UCLA in the upcoming school year, I’m definitely planning to drive home more often than flying home. The amount of carbon emissions I could cut down on by driving is substantial, and I have several friends from the Bay Area who also attend UCLA and I’m sure they would love to ride with me, especially if it means not having to pay for a plane ticket!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Gianna Apoderado 5/23/2021 3:17 PM

What concerns me the most about how we are affecting the planet is that at some point, our impact will eventually be irreversible. That no amount of technological innovations to clean the air, restore the forests, and even clean plastic from the ocean. Locally, I do not see a large movement or even regulations towards utilizing bioplastics, outside of select businesses, which means a lot of the waste we produce still largely contains fossil-fuel derived plastics. Globally, we continue to produce and dump millions of tons of plastic waste in the oceans, which is becoming near-impossible to clean. The impact of the presence of this plastic has already been shown to affect animal life detrimentally, through ingestion and even suffocation, but the breakdown of this plastic is still yet unknown. At some point, plastic pollution will be so vast that it’s impact will not able to be reversed.

The solution of switching to materials that WILL break down safely, as in return into nontoxic elements, is brilliant. Single-use plastics, while problematic, have its uses, but as UrthPact puts it, “the problem is that we chose a material that had originally been designed to last forever, and used it to make single-use products.” We cannot fully avoid using single-use plastics, so they should at least be made of materials that won’t have long-lasting detrimental effects on the environment, and break down in a reasonable time. Bioplastics, or plastics made out of biomaterials such as corn and sugarcane, will degrade not only faster than petroleum-based plastics, but do so into safe materials. Some bioplastics are not only biodegradable, but also compostable, which means that they also have additional benefits when they break down, such as adding nutrients to where it breaks down. While there is a shift to using this material, the issue remains in how it is disposed of, which mostly is not done properly due to lack of information.

To help people dispose of their bioplastics, which are now used to make things like produce trays and restaurant to-go paraphernalia, I made a graphic detailing how to do so, and shared it with 23 of my friends. Hopefully it will help them learn that bioplastics cannot always be mixed with other plastics that are recycled! The PDF can also be shared by them to others, which can increase the spread of this information.

My questions after doing this action is: What can local, state, and national governments do to better inform people about (1) reducing their waste and (2) disposing of their waste properly? Should waste facilities automatically sort them for you, or since that will be difficult to do for millions of people, what else can we do? Should the majority of plastic materials be made from biomaterials?

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- Abigail Urbina 5/23/2021 8:22 PM
  
  Hi Gianna, I share many of the same fears and concerns as you do with regards to irreversible environmental damage. With the current rate of global warming and carbon dioxide emissions, it hopelessly seems as though it is too late for us to drastically mitigate the harmful environmental impacts just in time to prevent the extinction of many species. Global temperatures continue to increase by a large extent, and we still have not been able to cut down our carbon emissions by a necessary amount to help us reach our goals by 2050. Like you, I am very concerned about how long it takes for plastic to decompose. Millions of tons of plastic remain in landfills, and it will take hundreds or even thousands of years before they degrade. I absolutely love the graphic you created detailing what makes a bioplastic compostable. I was not previously aware that if there was the number “7” inscribed in between the triple-arrow recycle icon, this meant that it was a bioplastic. I’m definitely going to look up what the ratings 1-6 mean! If you don’t mind, I would love to share this graphic with friends and family of mine. Of course, all credits and acknowledgements will be made out to you for making this wonderful visual! One of the guest speakers at a panel I recently attended on plastic waste mentioned that she is hopeful about the future of artificial intelligence in combating plastic waste. She believes that in the future, waste bins will be equipped with the technology to tell you precisely where your trash should go (i.e., whether it should be composted, recycled, or placed in a landfill). Most people are unaware that certain contaminated items can no longer be recycled. If such contaminated items are in contact with a bulk of other perfectly-recyclable items, the rest of those recyclable items all go to waste and may no longer be salvageable. For this reason, future technology is likely going to be able to visually scan/detect the trash you are holding, and it will tell you which specific container to place it in. I think that in the meantime, while different manufacturers continue to produce more compostable bioplastics and make them more widespread, we should continue to swap out our single-use, disposable plastics for durable, recyclable alternatives. For instance, I now always make sure that I have a metal straw with me so that I do not have to ask for plastic straws when I purchase beverages from restaurants!
  
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- ALEXA KASSELS 5/23/2021 4:44 PM
  
  Hi Gianna,
  
  I agree that it is terrifying that at some point our actions on the planet will be irreversible. I find it concerning that my community has not made any sustainable changes and fossil-fuel dependent plastic is still being heavily used. It is awful that plastic is dumped into the ocean, because sea animals and ecosystems are greatly impacted. I recall that the Monterey Bay Aquarium used to have an exhibit that displayed all of the plastic they found inside the stomach of a seagull—it was an unbelievable amount. Once the animals ingest the plastic, it is lodged in their stomachs because they are unable to digest it. The plastic takes up room in the animals’ stomachs and prevents them from eating, so they eventually die from starvation. Furthermore, I remember learning how sea turtles consume plastic bags that are drifting in the ocean frequently, because they resemble moon jellies, their favorite food. The ocean is the largest carbon sink and plastic pollution can disturb many of the ecosystems that support life on Earth. In addition to plastic damaging marine ecosystems, fishermen negatively impact marine habitats. Many of the fishing methods they utilize are unsustainable and can cause significant damage. For instance, bottom trawling, where the fishermen drag a net along the benthos, destroys the benthos habitat. Luckily, the Seafood Watch Guide is a resource that provides information on which seafoods are sustainable. The guide takes into consideration the location of the seafood, the farming method or fishing method, and the type of species. I have started referencing the guide before I purchase fish as part of my recent EcoChallenge. It makes me feel at peace to know that I am making sustainable choices. I hope to continue implementing this in my daily life and encourage my friends and family to do the same. In one of the climate action events I attended, one of the speakers explained how making sustainable choices yourself causes a snowball effect, because other people realize they can make a difference also. I hope that as awareness increases we prevent ourselves from getting into an irreversible situation.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Communicate With My Elected Officials

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Gianna Apoderado 5/22/2021 12:38 AM

Today, I wrote three of my local and state representatives urging them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation. I have never contacted any of my representatives prior to this challenge, so it was definitely a little nerve-wracking, though I know it is my right as a constituent to voice my thoughts and concerns to them! I chose to write to Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (District 47), State Senator Connie M. Leyva (District 20), and Congressman Norma Torres (District 35). I admit I wasn’t sure exactly who my representatives were, but a quick search yielded these three women. I went to their sites and prepared my spiel, which I made sure to be brief, polite, and factual. “Emailing” my representatives involved going to their site and filling out a form, so the message I wrote may be hard to read so I included the text in a separate image! I tailored each message to the representative, citing also if they are involved in a particular environmental/climate change committee or initiative.

What inspires me to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues is seeing the impact of the fossil fuel industry on the environment. As someone who lives in a suburban area, but one with more than half of the population being people of color (with more than 60% being Hispanic or Latino), we lack a lot of green space and have worse air quality than our more affluent neighboring cities. This is why the implementation of sustainable energy generation, such as wind generation, is something that could be valuable to places like my city. It is relatively low-cost, takes up little space, and “it takes one year or less to build a wind farm—quickly producing energy and a return on investment,” which is great since my city does not seem to reserve a lot of funds for climate change action.

Hopefully, by taking this action, my representatives consider pushing for wind energy implementation. As someone with the privilege of access to sustainable energy already (through solar panels), I am familiar with value of clean energy, and should try to urge my representatives to implement it more in my area.

With this action done, something that comes to mind is the effect of individual lobbying. Do my representatives listen to their constituents, or do they pay more attention to the corporations that may fund their campaigns? If it’s the latter, how do we go about being heard?

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- David Wemmer 5/22/2021 11:57 AM
  
  Way to go Gina! I'd encourage you to also ask them to oppose utility backed CA bill AB 1139, which is an attempt to kill rooftop solar. I just wrote my assembly rep and senator about this very bad bill. Here's info: https://solarrights.org/opposeab11392/
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Invite a friend to calculate the carbon footprint of their household

What kinds of discussions did you have, or are you hoping to have with friends about climate change?

Gianna Apoderado 5/17/2021 7:27 PM

Similar to my previous post, carbon footprint is not something I think about all the time. In 6th grade we learned about climate change, and that our everyday actions can cause carbon emissions to build up (we learned it as the “greenhouse effect” back then). As a kid, you don’t put that much thought into how that might affect your future, because you have other things to worry about, like you know, being a kid.

As I, like many of you, became more aware of the ramifications of the climate crisis and what we all could collectively be doing better to reduce our own contributions to it, I became more conscientious about what I could realistically change in my everyday life. From driving less (which was easy in college, since I didn’t have a car), using less single-use plastics (again, easier due to UCLA’s commitment to reduce them), to consuming less meat, I started to implement these little choices in my life to reduce my own carbon footprint. However, according to Tradewater’s carbon footprint calculator, my household produces “3.85 tons of CO2 every month,” and that over a single year, my “emissions are equivalent to 5,892,857 smartphones charged” or “5,199 gallons of gasoline consumed.” While our household footprint is lower than the U.S. average, all of a sudden, my actions didn’t seem like enough. What was the point of doing these things out of my control, such as my zip code, increase my footprint anyway?

I shared this calculator with my friend Mary, who lives in the city over, and she sent me back her own footprint! Hers was lower, with only 3.55 tons per month. It turns out that her and her family’s mostly vegetarian diet and less drivers in her household, made the difference! In addressing this reflection question, I hope to have these kinds of discussions, the specific actions that people take that lessen their carbon footprint, even if they don’t know they were doing that! I want to be able to share with friends that little things count towards decreasing your contribution to climate change, and this is vital because while individually it doesn’t seem to make a difference, collectively, it adds up. The consequences of the climate crisis are scary to think about, so doing our own part can help reduce our anxieties about it!

Moving forward, my questions include: what should our individual carbon footprints be? Is there a number we should aim for? Should this be regulated, knowing that collectively, our footprints matter?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Install A Toilet Tank Bank

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Gianna Apoderado 5/15/2021 10:05 PM

Something I never thought about was how much energy using water at home takes up. Sure, we should be cognizant of our water use anyways living in California. What I didn't realize was that water consumption also takes up a significant amount of energy, because before it gets to our homes, it needs to be cleaned, transported, and if using hot water, heated. In this way, taking steps to make water use more efficient and less wasteful is incredibly important. Regarding this reflection question, my household can prepare for changing water situations (such as drought conditions) by reducing our overall water footprint and installing simple water-saving tools such as this Toilet Tank Bank (pictured below). According to the DrawDown Solutions, “81-92 percent adoption of low-flow taps and showerheads by 2050 (up from 59 percent of estimated market) could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1-1.6 gigatons, by reducing energy consumption for heating wasted water,” which gives all the more incentive, especially to me, to be a part of this solution.

Using this water footprint calculator, I found that my personal water footprint is 1,176 gallons a day, while my household’s is 3,527 gallons/day. The U.S. average per individual is 1,802 gallons/day. While my personal one is well below the average, it is still shocking to see that I use that much water in a single day. I absolutely need to work on reducing this, and I am starting by installing a Toilet Tank Bank in my own bathroom. You fill this bag up with water, hang it in your toilet’s water bank, and it will displace about 0.8 gallons of water, which means I will use about that much less water per flush. Having used it for over a week, I can safely say that it is definitely an easy change to make since I have not noticed any issues with flushing everything that needs to be flushed! According to this action’s description, simply installing this tank bank saves up to 11 gallons per day and up to 330 gallons per month. That’s insane! Again, I cannot stress how easy it was to install, since you don’t have to constantly keep it up. While the money saved from this device (about $15-$30) seems not to be significant, if I convince my parents to install one in every toilet in our house, the savings will add up!

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- Nora Clarkowski 5/17/2021 7:33 PM
  
  Nice work Gianna!
  
  I also completed this project drawdown challenge and installed a tank bank into my toilet. I also never realized how many steps water takes and how much energy is used just to get it to my shower or faucet. It is great to hear that your personal water usage is below the average, I unfortunately was not when I did the same calculation which made me realize how much more aware I need to be of my water usage. After ordering my tank bank, I also realized how cheap it is and how simple it is to install. Since installing it, like you I have not noticed any differences in the flushing of my toilet and have not had any problems. I think it is such a great product because it does so much to reduce my water usage and I honestly don't even have to think about it! Before this project, I had no idea what a tank bank was so I think that it is important to promote products like these more often as I considered it a no-brainer to order it once I knew about it. Another action I have been taking lately is setting an alarm on my shower time and putting up stickers to remind me to turn off my faucet when washing my face, brushing my teeth, etc. I think small actions like this will go a long way in my reduction of water waste.
  
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Gianna Apoderado 4/16/2021 11:50 PM

Land Sinks Action: Forest-Friendly Foods 2 (replacing or removing palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products that contribute to deforestation
This is a cup of lemon ginger tea. It may not look like much, but to me, it represents a difficult change that I need to make in order to fulfill this action. According to the "4 Foods That Are Eating the World's Forests and How to Choose Better" by Kate Good, "the average three cup a day coffee drinker needs at least 18 coffee trees to sustain this habit." Reading this article and this particular fact makes it clear to me: little changes in everyone's diet, such as reducing or eliminating these foods from our diets have a significant impact, especially if hundreds, thousands, and even millions implement this change. I myself average two cups of coffee a day. That means that at least 12 coffee trees are needed to sustain my coffee habits. The forest area that is destroyed to meet the demands of regular coffee drinkers such as myself can be saved if I just drank less coffee. Like others who have grown addicted to caffeine, simply quitting cold turkey is near impossible. I have tried it in the past, and it has led to some miserable failures. It is possible that my failure was because I felt no stakes in reducing my amount of coffee consumption. This article puts it into perspective for me, by outlining the exact impact of my consumer actions. By undertaking this action, I am hoping to learn better ways to get energy, instead of always relying on coffee to keep me awake. For so long I have depended on coffee to provide me the energy I could get by simply sleeping more, exercising more, or even finding alternate foods that do not so utterly contribute to forest destruction. Considering the ecosystem and climate services that forests offer to us, such as uptaking carbon from the atmosphere, taking simple actions such as eliminating non-forest-friendly foods can lead to a decreased overall impact on the ongoing climate crisis. Some questions that come to mind when starting this action is how much it will impact my academic and professional life. While I am still developing alternate habits to relying on coffee, will it negatively impact my ability to pay attention in class, and/or limit my ability to focus when doing assignments? Will it affect my productivity at work? These are definitely going to be answered in the next few days!

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- CHARLOTTE CHAN 5/08/2021 11:44 PM
  
  I'm really floored by your commitment to this eco-challenge, because for real, this is a challenge. It's incredible how you're examining your daily habits and working to change them radically. After reading your posts, I'm more inspired to do the same.
  
  When I think about coffee, it's just so taken for granted that I never really think about where it came from or where it was grown, or what kind of human costs have been attached to my little cup of energy. And it really doesn't help that it's so addicting, especially as we live in this demanding, fast-paced world where we have little time to rest and sleep and we find ourselves depending on psychoactive drugs just to get through the day. Kudos for making it through midterms season without succumbing to the craving!
  
  Honestly, coffee and chocolate are two of my favorite things. But it is awakening to learn that so much deforestation is required just to satiate my taste buds. My conscience definitely responded to that. And, I've realized from reading your post that reducing my consumption is definitely possible.
  
  Also, I really like the edamame, so definitely going to try that snack! FYI, I think they sell shelled edamame at Trader Joe's, so that could save you a bit of work!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/08/2021 10:56 PM
  
  One way I've been ensuring that my foods/snacks don't contain any of these forest-unfriendly foods is making them from scratch! Lately, I've been loving roasted crunchy edamame as a satisfying snack. I just shell frozen edamame, toss them in olive oil and salt, and then bake them. It's so easy and in this way, I know for sure what is in my snack and not have to worry about things like trying to identify if something contains palm oil, which can be classified under so many different names.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/06/2021 11:37 PM
  
  Update: I think I'm finally starting to reduce my caffeine cravings and still remain alert and awake throughout the day! Today, I only had a single cup of green tea (which I normally have 2, one of which is higher-caffeine black tea), and I was able to get through my discussion section, meeting with my research presentation group, and a few other Zoom meetings. It honestly surprised me when I realized that I didn't have as much caffeine as usual, and didn't go looking for it. It just goes to show that I don't need to rely on coffee all the time, and removing/reducing my consumption of it helps forests in the long run.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/03/2021 12:08 AM
  
  Again, so far so good when it comes to removing or replacing palm oil and cocoa products that lead to deforestation. Today, I went through most of the household products that I use daily such as shampoos, lotions, conditioners, soap, etc., to see if any of them contained palm oil or any of its derivatives under its countless labels. I'm happy to say that I couldn't find a single product that contained it, so I won't have to be removing/replacing any of these products.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/29/2021 11:45 PM
  
  In the midst of midterm season, where assignments, exams, and papers are all that students can even think about, it is a time where a normally up my pre-challenge coffee intake from 2 cups a day to 3. From my initial post, it is calculated that this would mean an increase from 12 coffee trees to 18 coffee trees needed to sustain this habit. That is 6 more coffee trees that require the clearing of precious forest areas. Since taking on this challenge, I have lowered my coffee and caffeine intake significantly (down to 2-3 cups a week!), and I had initially wondered how this would affect my academic performance. To be honest, this midterm season has made me want to drop this particular action altogether. I found it hard to stay focused during the day, because I stayed up longer at night to keep up with the increased workload. I found myself wanting very badly to return to my previous habits. Despite these challenges, I have not yet broken! Instead, I have been relying on some caffeine that I get from tea products, such as this green tea pictured. With only 5 weeks left in the quarter, I am hoping that alternatives such as this will help me push through!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/28/2021 11:57 PM
  
  Today is one of the few days a week where I do have coffee! However, the condition is that I only use coffee products that are Rainforest Alliance certified, which I ensured that my espresso beans are. For those who may not be aware, the Rainforest Alliance has a list of brands and products, whose production displays "environmental, social, and economic sustainability." When I first found out about this resource, I was intrigued to find that many of my commonly used products were already Rainforest Alliance certified, I just didn't know it! I spent over an hour checking to see which familiar brands and products were certified, and to my surprise, there were many that I didn't expect to see. For example, many Kroger (or Ralph's) branded products, such as coffee, chocolate, tea, and even diapers are certified to be forest-friendly. It goes to show that small brands are not the only ones making an effort to be sustainable. (This drink is a brown sugar oat milk latte, my take on the Starbucks version)
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/27/2021 11:35 PM
  
  As I have previously detailed in other updates, many of my favorite foods and snacks contain palm oil. Removing/replacing them entails looking for alternative brands that don't use this ingredient, or as I have found, simply reaching for other foods. It is such a simple change, yet having grown used to what I normally eat daily and what I crave, it is actually a little challenging. For example, mid-afternoon I usually join my parents for a break and snack, where we tend to eat pre-packaged snacks that can contain forest-destroying ingredients. Since I wanted to steer away from this, I asked if we could purchase more fresh fruits than usual, so I could have those instead! Strawberries are delicious and one of my favorite fruits, but even so I still find myself craving the plantain chips that I had previously posted. Reminding myself that these foods are responsible for so much destruction is quite helpful in sticking with these alternatives.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/25/2021 11:10 PM
  
  In a previous reply to one of my classmates, I talked about the one forest-destroying food product I did not have difficulty in removing or replacing in my diet is cocoa. I am not someone who craves chocolate products or uses them very regularly. My parents, on the other hand (not throwing them under the bus or anything because this is a fact), love to consume chocolate regularly. We always have some chocolate candy or chocolate treats in the house. As of right now, we have peanut MnMs, Ferrero Rocher, Oreos, and Lindt truffles in our house. It's a wonder how I do not eat it more often since we always have it available. With my parents' love for chocolate, they always ask me to bake them treats with chocolate in it, since I love baking and baking bread. For that reason, we always have this item in the house (cocoa powder). According to this article, in West Africa, "it is estimated that between 50 to 60 percent of biodiversity loss across Papua New Guinea and Madagascar can be linked back to habitat destruction for cocoa production." This is incredibly disturbing to read because to keep up with our chocolate consumption, whole ecosystems and environments are lost. It is sad to think that for someone to drink hot chocolate regularly, many animals have to die from habitat destruction. If I could make an impact on reducing forest clearing just by convincing my household to buy fewer cocoa products, why not do that? Even though I speak from the perspective of someone who does not love chocolate that much, no one needs that many chocolate products in their house all at once. It's these little choices that we make that can make a huge impact in the long run, especially when hundreds, even thousands of people make them!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/20/2021 10:46 PM
  
  Another update this action, and I am learning every day that most of my favorite foods and snacks contain foods that cause the destruction of forests. Today, I went through my pantry again to see which of my everyday foods and snacks contain unsustainably harvested ingredients such as coffee, cocoa, and palm oil. To my surprise, one of my staple snacks, Trader Joe's plantain chips (pictured below), contain a form of palm oil. As I've mentioned in a previous post, palm oil production calls for the clearing of massive areas of rainforest, which is especially damaging in the long run. Palm oil in particular is not always clearly labeled and can show up under many alternative names. "Palm olein" as it says in the ingredient list for these plantain chips, is simply the liquid obtained when palm oil is fractionated, in other words, separated. It is disappointing to see that this ingredient shows up in so many foods that I regularly eat. Currently, we have 3 bags of these chips in our house (purchased prior to undertaking this action). After these have been finished by my household members, I will ensure that we choose alternative brands that do not use palm oil! A second update to this action is my attempt to reduce my coffee consumption. In my first post, I took on the challenge of reducing my coffee intake from 2 cups a day to 1 or even 0 cups a day. Now, I only drink coffee (which I ensured is Rainforest Alliance certified) on the days that I go to work (twice a week), since I have to drive early in the morning and it is probably safer for everyone if I was as awake as I could be! So far, I have not seen a substantial reduction in productivity or focus, but I am more lethargic on the days I do not drink coffee.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/18/2021 12:44 AM
  
  Day 2 of removing things in my diet that have forest-harmful foods! In this artlcle provided by the Drawdown EcoChallenge, palm oil is cited as being one of the main food ingredients that destroy forests. To keep up with demand and make space for palm tree plantations, "around 300 football fields are cleared every hour." Palm oil is so widely used in food products that we are losing vital forest areas just to make room for these plants. Since it grows in a tropical climate, it is often tropical forests that are destroyed, and this is especially important since tropical forests are often home to the largest biodiversity in the world. In short, cutting out this ingredient will decrease demand for it in the long run, and limit the destruction of these vital ecosystems. Today, I wanted to have some apples with peanut butter, but when I reached into our pantry, I saw that our peanut butter actually contains palm oil. I admit that I was aware of the discourse around palm oil use, but until I read up more on it, I did not know to what extent it was harmful to the environment. Instead of using this product, I opted for our almond butter, which only contains almonds and salt! After this product is used up (likely by my parents), I will encourage them to purchase products with no palm oil.
  
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- ALEXA KASSELS 4/17/2021 12:43 PM
  
  Hi Gianna,
  
  I am proud of you for taking on this difficult challenge. I am also a coffee drinker so I understand that it is not easy to quit drinking coffee. I had no idea that consuming a daily cup of coffee uses at least 6 coffee trees to sustain the habit. I am slightly disappointed in myself for not understanding the impact my coffee drinking has on the environment. You have inspired me to try and cut down my coffee consumption. I agree that I am probably addicted to coffee as well. On days I do not have a cup of coffee, I find that I experience a headache and have low energy. I am going to have to slowly cut back and then find other ways to energize myself. Green tea is supposed to be pretty high in caffeine, so I may try drinking that for energy. Additionally, I have recently took on the challenge to take a twenty five minute walk every day. I notice that I have much more energy after walking and I feel very rejuvenated. I recommend that you try taking a daily walk also! I am currently living at home, so I have been walking around my neighborhood. Not only is it nice to get out of the house and move, it is also nice to interact with other neighbors that are walking. I see the same few neighbors out and about at around the same time each day and we always wave at each other or briefly chat. I feel like I have a greater sense of community from walking daily. Additionally, I am building good habits now that I hope to carry out in the future when I actually have to go places. For instance, I plan on walking to the grocery store in the future rather than driving. It is also interesting to observe the infrastructure that makes walking accessible or take note of changes that could be made in the infrastructure to make it more enjoyable to walk. For example, I have noticed that one of the busiest streets in my neighborhood lacks a sidewalk. I plan on finding out who I can speak with about having a sidewalk added. Let me know if you decide to start walking and how it goes!
  
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Gianna Apoderado 4/11/2021 11:26 PM

Why I’m Here:
I am here because I want to learn how to make better choices when it comes to my environmental impact. Even though I am only one person, my choices contribute to and make a difference in environmental health. As we discussed in class, while one person may not feel like they can make a difference, thousands and millions of people combined have an impact, whether they try to make better sustainable choices or not. I took and stayed in this class because I want a chance to learn more about how my future career and climate change intersect, as well as develop my own analysis and academic writing skills that will prove to be valuable in the future. As an aspiring physician, the health of my patients will be extremely vital to me, and this is affected largely by their environment.

This photo is from a leadership retreat in 2019, in which we traveled to Joshua Tree National Park for a weekend. Stargazing there was one of my fondest memories, and I know it was possible due to the lesser amount of light and air pollution there. It made me sad to think that many do not have the time or privilege to live in or travel to these low-pollution areas and see the stars. If we continue on this trajectory of inaction and not taking the climate crisis seriously, there may be no places left with little pollution that would allow us to so clearly see the night sky.

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Gianna Apoderado 4/06/2021 5:27 PM

ID: This is a photo of my lunch at work, showing a steel water bottle and a bun (homemade raisin bread!) on top of a beeswax food wrap. After watching the "Embrace Zero Waste" video, it motivated me to reflect on my own choices in trying to reduce my waste, especially when it comes to single-use plastics such as water bottles and Ziploc sandwich bags. According to the Plastic Recycling Resource Library, "one 500-milliliter plastic bottle of water has a total carbon footprint equal to 82.8 grams of carbon dioxide." Knowing this confirms my own personal choice to only use a reusable water bottle and reusable biodegradable food wraps. If you can afford to, making the switch to using less single-use plastics is an easy step to make towards decreasing your carbon footprint. Especially now, with the pandemic, we may find it easier (and safer) to use disposable things for everyday life, but we should keep in mind the environmental impact of them!

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- Tamar Christensen 4/07/2021 4:04 PM
  
  Nice work! I often think of my reusable water bottle as the gateway drug to living a more sustainable life. Once I started there, I began a kind of exciting whirlwind journey exploring my options and trying to see how I might do things better/differently rather than jumping straight to my usual “that’s impossible!” Along the way, I learned that zero waste doesn’t necessarily mean zero plastic but it DOES mean using what is already in existence as long as possible. For me, that includes my reusable water bottle and much, much more. After all, Project Drawdown tells us that, “globally, we produce roughly 310 MILLION TONS of plastic each year.” Since almost none of that is being recycled, we should at least use and reuse what we have until it is no longer usable.
  
  These days, I’m reusing other people’s plastic containers in my bathroom since glass is dangerous in the shower. I procured these from my local Buy Nothing community (find yours on Facebook). I recently had the Refillery LA (mobile refill van) come to my home so that my neighbors and I could reuse old containers (seen here: dish soap, hand soap, and mustard jar) to refill with household cleaning and toiletry products. These were filled with dishwasher detergent, shower gel, & tooth tablets and inviting my community to join me also served as an education for them to see what’s possible rather than what is conventional.
  
  The thing that’s so cool about your lunch, Gianna, is that folks may already be accustomed to seeing a reusable water bottle, but maybe not the beeswax wrap instead of a ziploc. And so many who were vigilant about reusable in “the before times” have lost their resolve or ability to soldier on with them in COVID times. The more we show rather than tell though, the more others are encouraged to change too. I’m sure your coworkers will be inspired and may ask you questions or join you with their own BYO reusable lunch kit.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?

Gianna Apoderado 4/06/2021 5:12 PM

I admit that eating without distractions is pretty difficult for me since in my mind I think it saves time if I eat while reading for class, catching up on current events, watching videos, etc. Today I ate my breakfast/lunch without doing any of these things, and my eating experience was drastically different. I was more mindful about what I was eating, how much I was eating, and actually enjoyed it more! With distractions, I am less likely to think about nutrition, about how the food I put into my body needs to fuel me for the day and helps keep me healthy. Especially with online schooling, being able to eat during class is now possible, so that tends to happen for me when my schedule is packed and there is little to no time for eating. After consciously making a choice to eat mindfully, I will definitely make more of an effort to do this as much as I can!

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- Gianna Apoderado 5/09/2021 11:50 PM
  
  For mother’s day, I decided to pick up some strawberry filled donuts for my mom! I ate half of one during the afternoon, while practicing mindful eating, and it definitely helped me both appreciate it and eat less than I normally might. I got to appreciate the tartness of the strawberries and the sweetness of the donut, and helped me realize that half was more than enough to be satiated!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/08/2021 11:00 PM
  
  Saturdays are usually really relaxed for me, so I almost never have to rush through meals. For dinner today, I prepared some grilled fish tacos, with cabbage and cilantro slaw. As always, I ate my meals with no physical distractions, and tried my best to clear my mind as well, and compared to these prior days it has been a lot easier!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/06/2021 11:40 PM
  
  Today was another full day of mindful eating, albeit a little rushed due to time constraints. This image is of my lunch of scrambled eggs and hashbrown on whole-wheat tortillas, which was very delicious but again, would have enjoyed it more had I not been rushing due to a limited break in between classes/meetings. Even though there were no physical distractions, fending off mental distractions and eating within a time constraint does limit the mindful aspect of this challenge. It's something I'm still working on, but I'm only human and it's hard to fully clear your mind all the time!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/04/2021 11:52 PM
  
  Being at work actually makes it easier for me to eat without distractions. Since the start of the pandemic, I began eating my lunch outside in the courtyard instead of in our lunch room, for obvious reasons. I've found it very relaxing, and now with eating mindfully, I have enjoyed it so much more. I get to focus on all the greenery at UCLA, how nice the environment is despite it being in a city. I get to enjoy sitting in the sun, and getting the vitamin D I've been lacking due to winter and the stay-at-home orders.
  
  For anyone that's curious, this courtyard is in south campus by the Gonda building!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 5/03/2021 12:16 AM
  
  I'm sure I've mentioned this previously, but mindful eating has definitely made me more perceptive/conscious of what I consume daily. Prior to this challenge, I consumed foods just because I wanted to, or was bored, or needed something to eat while I watched something. Now that I am trying to be more mindful when I eat, I find myself not looking for things to eat just because, and waiting until I am actually hungry. That said, it does not mean I don't indulge every now and again. This dish is called ginataang bilo-bilo, which is a Filipino dessert describing glutinous rice balls in coconut milk. My mom usually adds tapioca pearls, purple sweet potato, and jackfruit! While essentially vegan, it is definitely not too healthy, since it does contain quite a bit of sugar. In this case, being mindful means not only eating without distractions, but eating small portions of indulgent foods such as this.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/29/2021 11:48 PM
  
  Again, I was able to eat both my meals today without any technological distractions. It is notable, however, that I was not able to savor the meal as much as I normally could, thanks to midterm season. I admit that while I was trying my best to remain in the moment of my meal, I found myself thinking about what I still had left to accomplish in the day, what deadlines were coming up, etc. For dinner, I had these tamales, and they were fantastic! I think I would have enjoyed them a lot more, however, if I was not unwillingly thinking of other tasks that I still needed to do today.
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/29/2021 12:06 AM
  
  In contrast to yesterday, I was able to eat all my meals without any distractions (other than conversations with my parents)! It was really relieving to do this, especially after the odd guilt/disappointment I felt yesterday for not progressing that much in this challenge. I've only been able to do a full day of no distracted eating once or twice before today, so I wanted to finally take that step into doing it every day from this point on. It was especially gratifying to do so, especially since my meals today were delicious! I had avocado toast again for brunch, and then for dinner, I had this Tan Tan ramen from our local ramen place. Not the healthiest, I know, but it is very delicious for a once-in-a-while treat. This is a meal I've had a few times before, and eating it mindfully was a different experience. I'm sure it might have just been the particular cook today, and not eating it while distracted, but it did taste quite a bit spicier than usual!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/27/2021 11:19 PM
  
  Today, I wanted to challenge myself and eat all of my meals without distractions, but I was only able to eat one meal without any distractions, and I was kind of disappointed with myself. In my defense, I did not have enough time between my last class and my evening meetings to properly sit down and eat other than my desk. It was interesting that I felt quite guilty for not being able to do so, since this challenge is my own journey, and there is no one that can judge me for what I can and can't do except myself. Today feels like a setback for some reason, even though I know that I am trying my best to really grow with this action, and learning how to best implement this practice long after I finish this class. I am reminding myself (partly through this post) that every little action counts, and I have tomorrow, and every day after that to keep trying!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/24/2021 11:04 PM
  
  Another update! (I realized that I should be including more photos in these replies, but I have been putting my phone elsewhere before I eat so I am not even tempted to use it) As always, I ate my brunch and afternoon snack mindfully. This is a picture of my avocado toast, topped with TJ's Everything Bagel seasoning and microgreens! (and yes, I definitely still eat avocado toasts). For my snack, I had some tortilla chips with guacamole that I made. Both meals were very enjoyable because I was solely focusing on the act of eating, and I noticed I definitely eat less and make healthier choices when I do! I also tend to reach for snacks less often in general before I started this challenge. In an article detailing how distracted eating can add to weight gain, Dr. LeWine writes that it is important to eat mindfully because "without a memory of having eaten, you are more likely to eat again sooner." This is something I've noticed to be quite true in my life. Before starting this challenge, I found it hard to recall every meal that I ate in one week, and I only eat 2 full meals a day! Now, I am more cognizant of what I eat and how often I eat it. Long after this class, I will for sure be putting my devices away more often!
  
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- Gianna Apoderado 4/20/2021 10:55 PM
  
  Another day of practicing mindful eating! Today, I ate my brunch and afternoon snack without any distractions. This is an image of my snack of earl grey tea and apples. For this particular meal, I ate outside on our patio, a change of scenery for my meal time. I typically eat sitting our kitchen countertop barstool, which is right next to our living room and TV, or on my desk, in front of my monitor. By physically removing myself from my workspace and from any digital distractions, as recommended by this article linked by Drawdown, I was more able to focus on my meal and actually enjoy it. I live in a pretty windy city, so normally eating outside means dust and pollen in your food, but today it was really calm. As I was eating, I enjoyed the sounds of the birds in our backyard and the warmth from the sun. I was able to better savor the taste of my tea and apples, which was really nice. This is definitely something I will be incorporating more in my journey to practicing mindful eating!
  
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- Jenn Han 4/12/2021 11:02 AM
  
  Hey Gianna! Yes, I absolutely agree - eating with no distractions really makes you think about what you’re eating and how that impacts you. I talked about this on my last post, too, but I usually always do something else while eating, so not doing that felt very different for me. I also eat while in class now, since online schooling allows for that. But like you, I’m definitely going to make a habit of eating mindfully with no distractions, and really looking out for what I consume.
  
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