ALYSIA GARCIA

Nice work Alysia!

I am shocked to hear that 10% of water usage is contributed by leaky faucets. This is a very surprising number, especially because leaky faucets seem like such a small amount of water when only considered on a daily or hourly basis, but obviously this water waste adds up. Living in Westwood where many of the apartments are quite old, I can completely relate to the unnecessary waste or leaky faucets and showers. I myself have noticed this in my sisters apartment and the problem has never seemed to get fixed.  My sister doesn't realize how much of an impact these faucets could be having on her water costs and waste all year. I plan to communicate with her today or tomorrow to remind her that it is in her best interest to contact her landlord and get the leaky faucets fixed, especially because there are multiple leaking in her apartment.

For this class, I took the action of purchasing and installing a Tank Bank. This was an easy and extremely low cost way to save water. Based on Project Drawdown research from the article Low-Flow Fixtures, “Low-flush toilets and efficient washing machines can reduce water use by 19 and 17 percent respectively.” The product Tank bank cost me $7 to buy which really is nothing when compared to the 17-19 percent by which I can reduce my water waste through this product. I found this to be an extremely simple and mindless way to save water on a daily basis and I am saving water with every flush without it even crossing my mind because the Tank Bank does all the work. Furthermore, I completely relate to your habit of taking long showers. One thing I have been doing to improve this is setting an alarm on shower time. This has been extremely helpful and I would highly recommend trying it!

Additionally, after doing some research into easy ways to save water, another idea that I came across that I am going to start implementing in my daily life is to fill up cups of water and leave them in the fridge. One thing I often do is leave the water running in my dorm to get my water as cold as possible for drinking, but this is wasting a lot of water. In the future, if I leave cups of water in the fridge, not only will they be colder than the water from the sink will ever be, but it will help me to save water and reduce waste as well.

According to SES Water, "1 in 4 people admit to taking water availability for granted, with no idea how much water they use daily."  Increasing education on water usage can go a long way in reducing water waste. Before this class, I had never calculated my water consumption/ footprint and the experience was extremely eyeopening. The more aware people become of their actions, the more change that will occur which is why I plan to send the water footprint link to my friends and family as a small action that I can take to increase awareness for sustainability and reduction of water waste. 

Hi Alysia! I really agree with a lot of the points you made. Agrobusinsses are so big and suck good business away from the ethical farmers (who actually put out better products in my opinion)! By supporting big agriculture like the ones that deforest and take advantage of Brazil, we are supporting polluters and the unethical treatment of their workers and employees. I have been making personal efforts to buy more produce from farmers markets, since I know my money is going towards better pay for farmworkers and local families. I've never been to the Santa Monica Farmers Market, so I'll have to try that one out soon! Keep up the great work (-:

Hi Alysia! I love sushi as well, so scrolling through the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website put things into perspective for me regarding how our ignorance continues to fuel food web disruptions. I never knew that it was better to purchase seafood harvested from certain areas over others. I assumed that “local was always better,” but I guess that there are certain exceptions for seafood harvesting. Additionally, not once have I ever thought about the potential contaminants in sushi. In general, whenever I think about seafood and its relationship with the climate crisis, I typically think about how overfishing leads to drastic alterations in marine food webs. As such, I really appreciate you for pointing out that seafood contamination is a prominent issue that many people turn a blind eye to.  You inspired me to do more research on this issue, so I found out from the EDF Seafood Selector that other contaminants in seafood (besides mercury) include pesticides and lead. Ironically, these contaminants enter marine creatures’ bodies as a result of our own actions. These contaminants eventually reach water as a result of “[i]ndustrial and municipal discharges, agricultural practices, and storm water runoff.” In other words, we are inadvertently poisoning ourselves by continuing our unsustainable industrial and agricultural practices. We cannot eliminate our trash by merely dumping it into the ocean because in doing so, we are directly polluting our seafood sources. Even more so, we are overfishing certain species in areas that are in desperate need of stricter fishing policies. If a certain population goes extinct, this will create a large imbalance in marine food chains that help to regulate the different features of a habitat (e.g., temperature, gas levels, etc.). The sad part is that most consumers don’t know or care to inquire where their restaurant seafood came from or where the seafood at their local grocery store was originally harvested. If we don’t know about the more sustainable ways to shop for/consume seafood in the first place, how can we ever be expected to modify our shopping habits? 

Regarding your concern on not knowing where restaurant/grocery store seafood is coming from, I think certain grocery stores/companies are beginning to include that particular information on their packaging! If you visit a deli display, there may be certain labels on the seafood items that indicate that they come from, for example, New England (or a more specific state). However, sometimes, just seeing the term “New England” is vague. Where in New England is it from? I do not think it would do any harm to ask if the butcher is aware of where these foods are getting sourced from. The same goes for asking a restaurant manager/owner these same questions. Certain freshwater lakes or coastal edges bordering different states may be more affected than others. It’s important that we pinpoint the body of water that the seafood came from as well as which states that body of water shares borders with. With this knowledge, we can avoid purchasing seafood from areas that are facing an overfishing crisis. Even if certain packaging styles may not tell you the precise location of where the product came from, it’s also a good habit to keep an eye out for other labels indicating sustainability measures. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the frozen Atlantic salmon fillets from Whole Foods are packaged with a sticker that indicates that they were “responsibly farmed.” On the back side of the packaging, there are several bullet points detailing what criteria must be fulfilled in order for that label to be placed on the package. 

I acknowledge that I can be “lazy” at times, and I would love if most of the research could be laid out for me regarding seafood sourcing, but I don’t think it would be very difficult for us to do a quick Google search to see if we can find more information on where certain companies harvest their seafood. I am definitely going to send my family the link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website so that they can also make informed decisions before purchasing seafood at the grocery store. If you ever happen to do more research on the contaminants of seafood, I would love to hear more about your findings!

Source: https://seafood.edf.org/common-questions-about-contaminants-seafood

Hi Alysia! I also go to the Santa Monica farmer’s market and really enjoy going there! It’s always fun and I have the best time. For another ecochallenge post, I looked into the damaging effects of nitrogen fertilizers and found that they’re very common. I read an article stating that the US Geological Survey states that one in five water wells in agricultural areas have nitrogen levels exceeding federal health limits. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency calls it “one of America’s most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems.” 

I found a family owned farm in Pasadena called the Urban Homestead that has very sustainable practices. They produce nearly 6,000 pounds of organic produce each year! They have energy efficient technology that has helped them cut down their energy usage in half. Their energy bill per month is only $12. They also have solar panels! They also brew their own biodiesel to power tractors and cars. They’ve produced nearly 5,000 gallons of biodiesel. They also made their own cinder block composter. They have extensive water conservation measures and only pay $600 annually for water! They use ancient irrigation methods using unglazed clay pots. I hope to visit and get a produce box from them very soon! They have a farm box program which is subscription based. The boxes include freshly-picked organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The offerings change depending on the season. The small box is $25 and the large box is $35. The boxes appear to be pretty big and so it sounds like a great deal for organic produce. They have weekly and biweekly pick up days as well. I was reading some of the reviews and everyone seems to love it! I didn’t see a single negative review. I am really excited to visit and pick up a box for my apartment. I eat mostly plant-based and so this is perfect. I recommend checking them out when you have a chance!

Hi Alysia! Nice work!

To be honest, before reading your post I had never really thought about the contaminants in sushi. I always thought that eating sushi had its risks because of its raw nature, but always just assumed I would be fine, especially because I love sushi and treat myself to it on special occasions. I really liked the point you made about SugarFish. I have never been there but have certainly heard a lot of things about the restaurant. That being said, it is so interesting how a place with such a name and "hype" around it can be taking actions like this and serving items that can be very damaging to its high number of customers. 

I also appreciate that you gave some alternative sea food options options. Based on an article from Green Maters, "Transitioning to Sustainable Seafood? These are the Most Eco-Friendly Fishes," by Nicole Caldwell, some other options for more sustainable seafood other than those you mentioned include Wild Striped Bass, Soft Shell Crab, and Swordfish. Although I am trying to eventually steer away from all meat and seafood, for now as I transition I plan to pay more attention to the types of fish that are more sustainable and eco-friendly and choose to consume those. I think that a way to help this cause in the future would be to increase the number of warnings there are on certain types of fish. It is decently known knowledge at this point that red meat is bad for the environment, but I personally feel like fish is far behind in terms of the amount of education there is on its impacts. 

Furthermore, before this class I didn't know what  Monterey Bay Aquarium watch was. After downloading this app, I feel as though I am much more knowledgeable about seafood and choosing the right, most sustainable, options. In the future I plan to encourage my family and friends to download the app as well and bring more causal conversation to this topic. 

Hi Alysia!

Similar to you, reduced cost is a primary motivator for me to transition over to an electric car after my current car’s lease is over. I agree with you that charging up an electric car at home every night is much more convenient than going out of your way to drive to a gas station. Just driving to a gas station alone wastes time, and it simultaneously increases carbon emissions. When I was doing research on this topic, most of the sources I looked at primarily focused on fuel efficiency and cost savings – not other social benefits. As such, I was delightfully surprised that electric vehicles in California can have a carpool sticker. To be honest, I feel a bit ashamed for not already knowing that. I grew up in Los Angeles and have lived here my entire life, so I know just how bad freeway traffic can get. I know that most people will take advantage of any (legal) opportunity they can get to drive in the carpool lane, especially during rush hour. Although this is a great incentive, the fact that the California state government even implemented this law just goes to show how very few people drive electric cars. If electric cars were truly widespread and if they dominated the automobile scene in the same way that gasoline-powered cars do, this law would no longer hold any value because that would mean just about any driver could get into the carpool lane (which would defeat the purpose). 

I also love the fact that electric vehicles are much quieter. Nothing irritates me more than people obnoxiously revving up their car engines on the streets for no reason. I find loud cars to be scary and somewhat disrespectful towards pedestrians! I often get distracted at home whenever I am studying or doing homework because many cars will drive down my street with very loud engines. 

Truthfully, whenever I think of fully electric vehicles, the first car company that comes to mind is Tesla. I was not aware that many luxury car companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi are manufacturing electric cars. Prior to reading your post, I had never even heard of the Audi E-Tron before. I’ve been putting all my eggs into one basket and telling myself that I really want a Tesla. However, I definitely want to explore other electric vehicle options from different competitors. After you mentioned in class how your mom has struggled with finding electric car charging stations in public, I wanted to find out the maximum traveling range of the Audi E-Tron when fully charged. According to the Audi website, the EPA estimate is 222 miles, which I think is very efficient! I do not think I would ever drive more than 40 miles on a given day, and that’s even on the larger end of the spectrum. Before I commit to getting a Tesla, I will definitely do more research on whether an Audi or Mercedes electric car is a better alternative. I will base my eventual decision on the amount of money I would save as well as which car has better mileage range. 

If you do decide to purchase an electric car for yourself in the future, what I recommend is researching each manufacturer’s recycling methods for their car batteries. Certain companies, like Tesla, follow a hierarchy when it comes to recycling electric car batteries. Tesla tries to extend the battery life of a car battery before they send it in for recycling as a last-resort option. Here is the website where I found this information: https://www.tesla.com/support/sustainability-recycling

As consumers, it is important that we interrogate and question how manufacturers build the products that we purchase. More importantly, we should know whether such manufacturers have taken recycling measures into account when developing sustainable electric car batteries. We want to avoid filling up our landfills with un-recyclable materials. 

Hi Alysia, I completely agree with you regarding the idea that because our carbon footprint is not necessarily something that is “tangible” or visible, it becomes easier for people to neglect it. I calculated my carbon footprint with my boyfriend, and it was a bit difficult to make sense of the numbers they provided at the end. It definitely requires more research to truly understand your individual impact on carbon emissions. It’s definitely one thing to reform your own actions as an individual (which is great), but it’s another thing to try to influence the actions of others to create a more sustainable living environment. I am currently living in my Westwood college apartment as well, which I share with 5 other roommates. Given the fact that there are so many of us living there, we generally like to keep a lot of our appliances plugged in because we never know who is going to use those items and when they are going to be in use. For instance, we always have our Keurig and our toaster plugged in inside our kitchen because it always seems as though people are brewing a coffee/tea or making toast with butter at random hours of the day. In the very rare times where our toaster has been unplugged, we would mistakenly think that our toaster broke out of nowhere (because we of course didn’t realize it was unplugged)! That’s how much we are used to having everything plugged in. I generally think of transportation and our dietary habits as being the primary contributors to our carbon footprint, so I truthfully didn’t realize how big of a factor unplugging our appliances would be. Growing up, I would watch those children-friendly infomercials on television which would encourage us to turn off our lights and unplug our appliances, but I never genuinely understood just why those actions would have an impact. It’s important to be mindful of our electricity usage and the energy required to power those appliances. I think it’s also wonderful that you always carpool whenever you are driving to your hospital shifts. Maybe if you’re up for the challenge, you guys can venture out and try taking public transportation together to your hospital shifts! If you guys are willing to coordinate a good time to leave and take the bus, perhaps you guys can take a quick nap on the bus, spend more time talking to each other (without the distraction of driving), and obtain more experience familiarizing yourself with Los Angeles public transportation systems. It’s always more fun when you try out new things with friends! Like you, I have the privilege of easily walking down to the grocery store or to different restaurants because living near Westwood Village affords me that opportunity. I encourage everyone, especially students living in Westwood, to walk more often to the nearby grocery stores instead of driving there! One of my roommates is also a vegetarian as well, so whenever I go grocery shopping with her, she introduces me to staple items she uses for some of her favorite recipes. As I mentioned in one of my older posts, I read from an article linked by Project Drawdown that if we all adopted a vegetarian diet, we could reduce our greenhouse emissions by 63%. I’ve realized that in many of the dishes I cook with some type of meat, they taste just as good even when you omit the meat from the recipe! For instance, I think vegetarian fajitas taste just as good without the meat – especially when you wrap it with a tortilla and add some cheese on top. As you put it, you really do not need to eat meat to feel satisfied and energized. I’ve spoken to a lot of UCLA students who are very adept at cooking healthy vegetarian recipes and working out everyday. Before, I would always ask them, “Don’t you need more protein from meat if you’re working out this often?” They’ve told me that they are able to derive lots of their protein consumption from tofu, beans, lentils, and other grains. I hope other college students try to incorporate more vegetarian meals into their diet. Overall, keep up the great work! I hope you can encourage your roommates to maintain the same sustainable habits that you do. If even the UCLA student population in Westwood alone made substantial transportation and dietary changes, that would greatly lessen our carbon footprint. 

Hello Alysia

I did an electric energy challenge where I had to swap to a smart thermostat. LIKE YOU, I also decreased my carbon footprint while at the same time saved lots of money. I used to use way more energy than my neighbors within the energy report but now, It is almost on par! It is such a good feeling to be able to decrease energy usage and at the same time save money! It is killing two birds with one stone. Despite me not doing as much as you, my one change was not difficult at all. It also made my life much easier as it was an automated system and learned my waking and sleeping patterns. I feel like our mental and physical state are governed by our environment and since we are positively impacting the environment, we are feeling better! 

I definitely need to do more than just electricity to decrease my carbon footprint. I am looking forward to doing other eco-challenge to further decrease my carbon footprint. I wonder what other simple small daily tasks that I am not aware of that I can do to reduce my carbon footprint. THERE must be a plethora of them. 

I remember calculating my carbon footprint when I took conservation biology and I was surprised to hear that if everyone lived like me, we would need 6 and a half words to sustain us. I completely agree with you that carbon footprint is something really hard to see and every small thing just adds up. I have to be more vigilant and conscious of my energy use at home as I feel like I am definitely not efficient. I often find myself forgetting to turn off the lights. 

I really like how you are learning from your vegetarian roommate. I currently do not know any vegetarians so I cannot follow in your footsteps but I really want to try some vegetarian foods. Like you, many people have had great results in terms of energy and I want to see for myself. I haven’t really given a vegetarian diet much of a chance before so I don’t really know if I would like it or not. It would definitely be a slow transition but I have high hopes! 

Hi Alysia,

Your post brings up some great insights! I agree that people do not realize the effects from their own actions because “everyone else is doing it.” It is important for us to look at all of the little changes we can make in our lives that will contribute to reducing our carbon footprints. I also did not know that leaving the toaster oven plugged in, even while it is not in use, adds to my carbon footprint. From now on, I am going to make sure my appliances are unplugged when I am not using them. I always try to turn off the lights whenever I leave the room, but that is mostly because my dad has told me to do so since I was a young child. Now I have even more reason to make sure I turn off the lights.  

It is super cool that you are learning from your vegetarian roommate! My roommates were vegan when I did summer school after my freshman year, and I also learned a lot from them. We cooked a lot a great meals together! When I lived in the sorority house last year, my chef always had vegetarian and vegan options available. A lot of the time I enjoyed the tofu entrees more than the meat options. I realized that I can replace meat with tofu in almost all of my favorite dishes. I have started cooking more tofu dishes ever since I moved home due to the pandemic.

Another way you can reduce your carbon footprint is by eating mindfully. This consists of eating your meals without using electronics and without distractions. I took on this EcoChallenge recently, and it has made me more aware of the food I consume. I have been able to control my portions more and it encourages me to make healthy choices. I have also started planning my meals ahead of time, which has helped me with making sure I eat all of the food I purchase. I was shocked to learn that “a third of the world’s food is never eaten.” The production of wasted food significantly adds to the world’s carbon footprint. By making sustainable choices and not wasting food, we have the power to make a huge impact. 

Hey Alysia! 

I've always calculated my carbon footprint during a conservation ecology class two years ago, and I was quite shocked to see how much footprint  I had. It made me realize how little things could add up to create something so big!  

I totally agree with what you are saying in terms of us not being aware of what we are doing because it isn't visible to us. For me personally, it was not until the actual calculation that made me realize how specific aspects of my lifestyle were affecting my carbon footprint. Reading through your response, I was able to learn some things that I could start doing to save the Earth. I think I'm definitely going to start unplugging my appliances. I always make sure that they are turned off but I didn't realize that still having it plugged doesn't do much help. I'm glad that you were able to save money while practicing to reduce your carbon footprint! I guess that could motivate you further! :) 

I'm so happy that it's a trend to go thrifting now. I think it's a great way to promote more sustainable fashion. PLUS, it's usually way more affordable. 

My dad, who is the biggest fan of garage sales always told me "one man's trash is another man's treasure," haha! Same goes with clothes thrifting. I remember going to Korea, and they have these flea markets where they literally use an excavator (?) truck to dump gigantic piles of used clothes on the middle of the street. As long as you're willing to dig through that pile, you can find some really nice, trendy, and retro items for like $2. It was so fun, I wish we had one of those around here!  

One thrift store that I  recommend is Crossroads Trading. I think there's a couple around LA. They have a good range of fancier second-hand items, and affordable items as well. They also buy used items if you have any! 

Hi Alysia! I totally get where you're coming from about wanting to buy clothes but staying on a budget. The idea of trading with your friends is so smart! I love a lot of the clothes my friends wear and will borrow each other's closets often. It definitely multiplies the number of options you have so easily! Another thing that's really great that a couple of my professional orgs have done in the past is professional clothing swaps. Professional and nice clothing that you would wear for an interview or job in a specific industry can be hard to come by and very expensive, so it's nice to be able to mix it up and trade with others you know! 

Good Clothes Good People at UCLA is also a great resource for donating or picking up regular or professional clothes, and any other essentials students may need. It's all free for UCLA students and has such a great message behind it! Definitely check it out if you're looking to donate clothes that can benefit other Bruins!

It sounds like you're doing amazing finding alternative options to fast-fashion, keep it up!

Hey Alysia! Yes, same here! By not having any distractions, I was able to really enjoy my food too. Kind of strange that there are so many good foods out there, and so many of us just eat without recognizing their worth — or harm — and simply eat because were hungry, like a chore. But with no distractions, I was able to fully appreciate my meal as well.