Bailey Herbert

Sustainable Bruins

POINTS TOTAL

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76 TOTAL

Bailey's actions

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

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

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DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 10:31 PM
Repurposing Containers/Jars

Upon the start of this class I decided to be more conscious of what I’m throwing out that could be reused. Specifically, I realized that a lot of containers could be repurposed and actually be pretty cute. A lot of the time, people just throw glass mason jars away into the trash but that’s not how you are supposed to dispose of glass. You are supposed to rinse the jars and put them into the recycling bin. I decided to test out different ways I could repurpose some containers and I will outline some of the pros and cons I discovered along the way. By repurposing, I was not only cutting down on waste but I was also decreasing (ever so slightly) the demand for mason jars! Less demand = less manufacturing = less carbon emissions from factories!

The first container I repurposed was a jam jar. I actually was able to put this to use in many different ways. In my apartment, we lack some cups, so I gave the jar a wash and just used it as another cup. It is actually super cute, can go in the dishwasher, and holds a decent amount of liquid! It was fun to make pretty drinks (such as iced coffees) and feel cute while I studied. Also, if you keep the lid, you can travel with your drink! Screw on the lid and you don’t have to worry about spilling your drink while you drive.

Another way I repurposed the jam jar was to use it as a storage container. After cleaning them, I would place a couple jars out on my desk and put pens, lip glosses, or jewelry in them. It was nice being able to see through the jar and know what I had in it. It also looked cute on my desk, as I could rearrange them in different ways!

Finally, a different item I repurposed was a vintage coke bottle. My friend finished her coke and was about to throw out the bottle but I quickly salvaged it. Since the opening is really small, I couldn’t easily store things in it but it was able to become cute decor for my room! I stuck a dried rose from a bouquet my boyfriend bought me in it and I’ve gotten so many compliments on it!

One thing that was a bit difficult about the jam jar was figuring out how to get the label off without leaving behind a sticky residue. The jam I had was from a brand at Ralphs and at first, I just tried peeling off the sticker and picking at it. Eventually, I gave up and just threw it in the dishwasher. To my pleasant surprise, when I took it out, the sticker had completely come off mess free! So that’s a tip if you want to get the label off of your mason jar for a more aesthetic look. I’m not sure if it will work for every jam jar but it’s worth a shot!

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- Alicia Cheng 3/06/2022 11:25 AM
  I'm also repurposing containers and jars! After eating up the food in a jar, I cleaned and removed the label to store the feathers of my cockatiel. It happened to be her first time changing feathers, and I'd really wanted to collect those and bring them with me back to China after this quarter because I'll put her in my friend's home in LA and won't see her for 4 months! However, some of her feathers were too long to fit in that jar. So when a friend gave me a rectangle box of macaroons, I found it would be a perfect fit for her feathers. The box itself is gorgeous and made up of paper. I'm very content with giving those containers a second life as well as collecting her feathers!
  
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- Jazzmhine Oconer 3/05/2022 11:29 AM
  My roommates and I have also been repurposing our glass jars as well! In our apartment, we tend to eat a lot of pasta because of its convenience, and most of the sauces that we purchase come in these large mason jars. In the past, we normally would just toss them in the recycling bin, but this year, we’ve decided to use them for a variety of things in our apartment. For example, one thing that we have been using them for is for buying and storing bulk food that we’ve gotten from Sprouts. Specifically, if you weigh the jar beforehand with the cashier, they’ll note it down on the jar. Afterward, we would fill the mason jar with however much we want, and then the cashier would subtract the tare weight of the jar from the total amount. By doing this, we’ve been able to reduce the amount of plastic that we would normally use when getting groceries.
  
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- BENNETT HOLLEY 3/02/2022 12:08 PM
  My roommates and I have started repurposing jars/containers in our apartment too! One of my roommates really likes candles and always seems to have at least one burning. The glass jars they come in can be recycled; however, the problem is that candle wax itself isn't recyclable. So if nobody puts in the effort to remove the wax, the whole thing will end up in the garbage. I got sick of seeing all of these perfectly good jars go to waste, so I began to save the candles each time he got a new one. I found out that if you put them in the freezer for a couple hours the wax pops right out when you pull the wick! Now, we use these jars for a variety of purposes around our apartment. A lot of the medium sized candles from target come in jars that make perfect cups, so now that they've been washed we have a full set of glassware! We usually use the larger containers in the kitchen to store things like salt (instead of buying those disposable salt grinders), or for storing desktop items like pens. A few other uses we've come up with are pots for small plants (like succulents or herbs), a quarter jar for our laundry, and a toothbrush holder!
  
  To remove the labels, I use coconut oil! I melt a tablespoon or so and soak the label with it, and leave it for about 10 minutes. When I come back the label just wipes right off! If it's a really sticky one, you might have to do it a second time, but it works! I'll have to try using the dishwasher though; since I'm already washing them anyways, it would save me a step!
  
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Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 6:48 PM
Mindful Shopping - ThredUp
Throughout this course, I have really developed a passion for more sustainable living and I realized how badly my shopping habits were impacting the Earth. I would consider myself an avid shopper - I love to keep up with new trends and spend my free time browsing the endless racks at malls. By doing just a small amount of research on how my shopping habits were adding to the climate crisis, I decided I needed to start making changes. I didn’t realize the amount of carbon emissions that were due to the production of fast fashion and I was also shocked to learn just how many clothing items get tossed each year. I had always thought that buying a shirt or two couldn’t really contribute to the warming of the Earth, could it? Yes, it could. Because I, along with everyone else who had that same mindset, was increasing the demand for manufacturers. Now, since I am a university student, I couldn’t easily hop in my non-existent car and head to the thrift store. Also, I didn’t want to drive far because that would kind of defeat the purpose of shopping sustainably. I decided to do some research on online thrift stores and stumbled across ThredUp! I had never heard of it before and, to be honest, I was skeptical at first. How could there be so many good finds on the same website? Why weren’t more people talking about this? I decided to add a couple things to my cart and purchase them. I wanted to see if the quality of the products was there and if I would be as impressed with the items in person as I was with them online. (Spoiler, I was).

I began telling my friends and family about this new website I had found. I told them about how much money I saved, how many days of drinking water I saved, how many miles of driving emissions I had prevented, and how many hours of LED light energy I had saved (all in the “Eco Impact” section of the website). I loved having tangible numbers that made me feel like I was contributing positively to the world while also getting some good shopping in.

I am still curious as to how ThredUp tally’s up the amount of drinking water, driving emissions, and LED light energy that is saved with each purchase? I’m also wondering if there are specific steps that each item must go through in order to be screened and put up for sale? Another thing I thought of was if there were any other ways ThredUp goes about trying to reduce emissions - such as transporting the packages to customers in a cleaner way? Planes can contribute greatly to carbon emissions so I am curious if they try to reduce the amount of air time each package has (such as aiming for more direct flights).

I would definitely recommend this website to anyone who enjoys shopping and loves finding great vintage pieces! Let me know if you take a look at the website (or have shopped through ThredUp before) and what your thoughts on it are!

I have attached a screenshot that lists what I saved by purchasing through ThredUp. They email this summary to you as part of your receipt after your purchase!

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Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 6:41 PM
Vegetarian Meals

Another thing I challenged myself to do was to eat more vegetarian. I knew that going completely vegetarian wasn’t feasible as I really needed protein (since I’m an athlete) and didn’t have the time to completely shift every recipe, but I wanted to make the best effort possible. I never realized how bad eating meat was for the environment so when I did learn a bit more about the negative impacts it has I decided to at least make little changes.

I started with something easier than making myself vegetarian meals - I decided to look for places with vegetarian options when I went out for food. I would highly recommend this for anyone who isn’t sure about making the switch or who isn’t confident in their food-making abilities (like me). By choosing vegetarian options when eating out, you can try lots of different things without the stress of making it. It allows you to figure out what you like and what you don’t like.

After that, I reached out to my vegetarian roommate and asked her to help me make a couple vegetarian meals for myself. She taught me how to work with tofu which, initially, I thought I wouldn’t like. It actually turned out to be really good and I didn’t need to adjust my recipes that much - I simply replaced the meat component with the tofu.
Another thing I discovered was edamame beans! Like I mentioned before, I need a lot of protein and these are a great way to get some protein in my meals without using meat. They are also super tasty and can be eaten on their own (I just add some salt) or in a salad.

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- Iman Shaikh 3/06/2022 7:28 PM
  Incorporating more vegetarian and plant based meals into my diet is also something I have been trying to work on! I enjoy lifting weights and make an effort to meat protein goals everyday, and I often use this to justify my meat-centered meals. However, over the past few months I have learned that there are so many other vegetarian/vegan protein sources that are just as easy to make (if not easier and less gross) and also taste good!
  I have purchased vegan protein powder and protein shakes, and I have also made an effort to learn how to cook more Indian vegetarian dishes, since a lot of Indian food is vegetarian, and the recipes are so flavorful and pretty easy. On the days that I consciously make an effort to cut meat our of my diet, I feel like I am being overall more health-conscious and it is a really good feeling. I feel a bit less bloated and fatigued and it also encourages me to eat more fruits and vegetables which I sometimes am a bit lazy about. I still struggle to cut out certain foods that are staples in my diet, but I plan to work on figuring out how to limit or replace certain things. I look forward to trying out new recipes and maybe coming up with some of my own to help encourage me to include more vegetarian meals into my diet to benefit my health and the planet.
  
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- Ryan Shum 3/04/2022 8:53 PM
  Hey Bailey, I also recently decided to eat more vegetarian as well. My purpose for this was primarily for cutting some weight. I use to weigh a lot less and I was much faster for basketball, so I thought cutting weight would be better for athletic performance. But another reason why I decided to eat more vegetarian is because of the negative impacts it has on the environment. The reasons being is that trees are cut down to make land for grazing or meat production farms, and animal waste also contributes to the pollution of river and streams. This a whole industrial process that contributes to releasing greenhouse gases into the environment, and pollutes the environment.
  
  However, like you said since I'm an athlete as well, I couldn't cut protein from my diet completely. So I turned to my main go to vegetarian dishes that my mom use to make for me from time to time. It is a vegetarian Vietnamese dish called Xoi Chay. I also used to eat this dish when I when I went to buddha temples occasionally. This is one of the dishes I made, but other times I would just eat rice with vegetables and tofu, omelets, chicken and spinach, etc. Overall the process have been beneficial, I've lost 9 lbs in 2 weeks, so definitely this process has made more influenced to eat less meat in the future.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 6:38 PM
Since I am an international student, I decided not to get a car in LA. I didn’t feel like taking the drivers tests or worrying about insurance/gas. I had no choice but to walk everywhere and, for the first few months, I’ll admit I had a pretty terrible attitude about it. I would always leave at the last possible minute which left me practically running to wherever I needed to be. Being a Canadian in the California sun, let's just say I was not in my element and the running around wasn’t very pleasant. When I started in this class, I realized how much better it was for me to be walking around as opposed to driving everywhere and I decided to challenge myself. I wanted to make walking a positive experience. After some brainstorming, I chose to try and leave early for places so that I could walk and even have the time to look around. After a while, I actually began to look forward to my walks and would sometimes take the long way to places just so I could see somewhere new. I had to be intentional about finding the good in the situation, but with a little bit of adjustment, I was able to embrace the change.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 6:34 PM
At first, I sort of dismissed this challenge because I thought it wouldn’t be difficult enough for me. I wanted to do something that wouldn’t be as simple as just not picking up my phone while eating. Although, after seeing quite a few posts about unplugged meals and mindful eating, I decided that maybe it would be worth a shot. If it ended up being as easy as I thought then that would just be a win for me. As you can probably guess, it was not easy. Like, at all. I decided to challenge myself to have unplugged meals for 4 days. Simple enough - that’s about 12 meals where I couldn’t pick up my phone. Well I had no idea how many times I reached for my phone during a meal until I was trying not to. Before eating my meals, I would clear the space of any devices and then sit down and eat. For the first 2 days, I was so bored. I would stare at my food, then stare at the wall, then back at my food. I decided that I needed to make a change in order to make this challenge a bit better. I talked to my roommates and explained what I was doing, how I wanted to try eating without the distraction of a device. I asked if they would be willing to join me for the remaining two days and they agreed! This made the unplugged meals MUCH better. My roommates and I talked during our meals instead and I really enjoyed spending the extra time with them since it felt like we were always so busy. After the 2 days, we all agreed that we needed to continue eating together and limiting distractions because it was fun to connect with one another.

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- Trisha Mukherjee 3/06/2022 12:26 PM
  Until I saw this reflection question, I actually never really thought about how I eat, and where my mind wanders. When I eat, I tend to try to find something to do to make the most of my time. Usually, I will either take a break from studying to eat and will also use this time to watch a youtube video, or maybe a Netflix show, or call my mom or my sister. The whole time I am eating, I am usually focused on the other thing I am doing, rather than the food or drink that I am consuming.
  
  I tried practicing mindful eating for a day and wow it was hard. I am so used to eating with distractions that I felt weird just sitting and eating my food. I think this comes down to the fact that I constantly feel the need to be doing something at all times (whether it be looking at my phone, scrolling through social media, or talking to someone). What was even weirder was that I noticed that when I felt bored, my hand would automatically either reach or start searching for my phone. When I realized this, I decided that I need to start not only practicing mindful eating more but needed to practice being more present in my day-to-day life.
  
  This challenge is also super interesting because it connects with my other interest: fitness. I am a Crossfit Coach at a nearby gym and a lot of my clients always ask about nutrition advice. Mindful eating is such a great way of figuring out your body's needs and becoming more in tune with your body. When you focus on what you are eating, the chances of you overeating are far less. Also, mindful eating starts from the grocery store, where you are actively observing what kind of food you are buying, how you are cooking it, and also being super attentive while eating. This does not mean cutting out all carbs or trying to not eat fried food. But being mindful when you do, and how it makes you feel after, will change your thoughts on these foods. For example, I love love love Chick-fil-a and used to eat it pretty frequently. I remember, after I started working out a lot more, I started thinking a bit more about how certain foods made me feel/perform at the gym after I ate them. I realized that Chick-fil-a made me feel so gross. I love eating it but it made my insides and stomach feel so weird after, and actively noticing this definitely has made me eat it less. Do not get me wrong, I still LOVE Chick-fil-a and eat it whenever I want to, but being more mindful about how this specific food made me feel definitely has led me to make some better decisions on a daily basis.
  
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- Annie Hau 3/03/2022 9:22 PM
  I really found a huge difference in the quality time with my fellow roommates. Usually we eat at different times and watch our own shows to pass the time, but now we just talk and have conversation. It's added a lot to our relationship, and we see it as a vital time to catch up on our days and talk about random things.
  
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Bailey Herbert 3/01/2022 6:33 PM
Shorter Showers Challenge

One thing I love is having a nice shower or bath, but I didn’t realize how bad my excessively long showers were for the environment. The energy needed to pump the water to my shower and heat it increases greenhouse gas emissions which is something I hadn’t thought of before. Now, I know showering is absolutely essential and I would never argue that people shouldn't shower - that’s just not realistic (and is gross). I think overall people could possibly shower less, but for me that is not a viable option. Being on the swim team means lots of chlorine which irritates my sensitive skin. I came to the decision that I could try shortening my showers and also using less hot water.

I’m going to be honest, initially I hated it. I wanted to sit under the water for way longer but I forced myself to be quick and turn the water off as soon as possible. I also tried to take colder showers which, again, initially sucked. After a while, though, it wasn’t so bad. I got used to not dawdling and used showering to just clean myself - not sit and overthink everything that had happened to me for the past week. I even noticed some improvements with my skin when using the cold water. It didn’t damage the outer layer of my skin as much, kept it from drying out, and helped reduce any redness. I had more time in my days (yes, my showers used to be that long). Instead of taking the time to clear my mind while I was running a bath or shower, I found other times to do that. For example, sitting outside on my balcony or going for a walk through the botanical garden. Overall, something that began as a “must do” became a “want to” and I would challenge other people to try this as well!

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- Trisha Mukherjee 3/06/2022 3:30 PM
  Hi Bailey! This is such a good idea! I have still been looking for things that I can reasonably do to make more of a positive impact on climate change. Growing up, I always took long showers. Especially, living in New York until high school, I loved taking warm showers during the cold winter months. I remember my mom always telling me to get out of the shower faster because I was wasting water, but I never really new how much water I was wasting. According to Northern Arizona University, the average 10 minute shower uses about 20ish gallons of water. By doing some simple math, this means that for every extra minute I stay in the shower, I am using up about 2 gallons.
  
  To fix this bad habit I have of taking very long showers, I am going to start making sure to use my time in the shower only for cleaning my body, instead of using it to reflect on life. One suggestion that the article below made was to put on two of your favorite songs (around 3 to 4 minutes) each and then try to be out of the shower before the second song finishes. I think this would be a great way to know how long you are spending in the shower and force you to get out on time so you are not wasting any extra water. Also, just in general, the longer time you spend in the shower, the less time you can do other things. Instead of reflecting in the shower, I can take the time to go on a walk with a friend, or call my mom.
  
  Another thing that I learned from researching this topic is that, in general, taking long hot showers tends to dry out your skin. I have already experienced my asking feeling pretty dry, living in LA, so making this minor change could possibly help with this.
  
  https://in.nau.edu/peer-jacks/reducing-your-environmental-footprint-sustainable-showering/#:~:text=Reduce%20Shower%20Time%20%E2%80%93%20Reducing%20the,save%20both%20water%20and%20energy.
  
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- Alicia Cheng 3/06/2022 11:53 AM
  Hi Bailey, thanks for writing this post and I'd like to accept the shorter shower challenge as well! This challenge can be hard for me because I usually actively think about what happened today, what could be done better next time, what I should do tomorrow, etc. I wander around my mind during showers and don't realize the timing passing by. I need to be more mindful of that. I agree that it's not a great idea to simply ask people to shower less frequently. Glad that your alternative of using cold water worked well for you! It's not just the energy needed to pump and heat water but lengthened showers also waste lots of water. I can't take cold showers, but I'd like to try reminding myself to turn off the water when I'm using the shampoo and body wash, rather than just letting the water run throughout the shower time. Will try it today!
  
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Bailey Herbert 1/06/2022 1:20 PM
Hi everyone!
I was wondering what people's thoughts are on scootering/birding? I'm curious how much better simply biking would be in comparison to using an electric scooter. I'm not sure if it actually adds to our climate crisis more than I would anticipate or if it is a relatively clean method of transportation?
I'd love to hear if anyone has any opinions on this topic!

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- Ronak Singh 1/07/2022 11:59 AM
  Hi Bailey! I think riding an electric scooter/bird is definitely more eco-friendly than driving, however it still is not as clean as riding a bike. The electric scooters all have rechargeable batteries that need to be recharged every night, and lots of this electricity is produced through the burning of fossil fuels, which results in a carbon footprint (https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php). There is also the problem of properly recycling the batteries once they are old, and the environmental issues associated with mining metals, such as lithium, for the batteries. Overall, I believe scooters are a good alternative to driving, however biking would be an even better option!
  
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