Reese Kubo

"I try to be as conscientious as possible about my carbon footprint and what lifestyle choices I can make to reduce it. Coming from a small town and moving to LA has opened my eyes to the wastefulness and excess we exhibit in our daily lives. I want to commit to trying out sustainable life changes and activities that I learn about through this challenge and other participants. Even though I do not live directly by the sea, I have always been interested in conservation and sustainability movements that are happening to protect our oceans and wildlife. I want to learn more about programs in and around LA while I live here."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
331 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

180

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

10

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Reese's actions

Industry

Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

UNCOMPLETED
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
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?

Reese Kubo 2/11/2023 10:27 PM

One of the reasons I took on this daily action was because I am guilty of having my phone or computer nearby when I am eating my meals. I have mostly been using it as a source of entertainment, and not necessarily work. Because I usually do school work without distractions, I would allocate my phone time to when I ate my meals, scrolling through Twitter, Tik Tok or watching Youtube videos. Because I have a film elective this quarter, I sometimes watch movies during mealtime. Because of this habit, I found it hard in the beginning to just sit in silence while I ate my meals. I even had thoughts that I was wasting time by not multitasking. However, this mindset is something that stems from our capitalistic society, which encourages us to not be idle and to become efficient at making the most of our time through multitasking. Since taking on this daily action, I have felt more at peace and relaxed while eating. I have found it even more enjoyable when I can converse with my other roommates as well. I think it has made me reflect on my mental well-being as well as what that peace looks like for me. It is nice to enjoy my meal time in the way that I want to, without the pressures of feeling unproductive. I have also been able to more thoroughly enjoy and savor my food. In the past, I have just consumed my food without truly appreciating the flavors or effort that was put into it. Overall, I have enjoyed practicing mindful eating and will continue to work towards this healthier lifestyle!

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- JIMMY TRAN 2/14/2023 1:35 AM
  
  I really appreciate this effort to practice mindfulness while eating. I like how you said being mindful of your delicious meal is a good step towards being more reflective on your mental state and experiencing peace. I've been trying to implement mindfulness in my life but I never thought about eating without distractions. I always thought eating while watching something was no big deal but It sounds like you're having a great experience with it! I want to try it too! Maybe I will feel more at peace and grounded if I do this.
  
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Reese Kubo 2/10/2023 2:54 PM

One of the daily actions that I have been following is trying to enjoy more meatless meals. When I started, I realized that I ate much more meat daily than I had initially anticipated. I thought it would be much harder to cut out meat because it was so common in my diet. However, I knew that there would be many new things to try and so I was excited about the new recipes I would find. One of the first things that I tried was making fried tofu. As a Japanese-American, tofu was a familiar ingredient for me and I felt comfortable trying to experiment with it. One of the great things about tofu is that it is high in protein and has a very neutral flavor, meaning that it can be a versatile ingredient. I diced and fried the tofu, coating it with a teriyaki sauce, added some vegetables, and served it over white rice. It was a really simple, yet delicious meal and it was really affordable to make! While completing this daily action, I found that it was very easy to cut out meat from morning meals by eating things like cereal or bagels and cream cheese. Lunch and dinner have been much more challenging but I've enjoyed making these small changes every day. I also found that my grocery spending has decreased significantly, which is a big plus. Although I don't always hit my mark of two meatless meals a day, I'm enjoying the small changes that I've been making. Does anyone have any meatless meal suggestions?

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- shirleya williams 2/10/2023 11:24 PM
  
  This recipe looks amazing! I really enjoy cooking with tofu, especially because it is so versatile. I would recommend trying plant-based meat if you are interesting in trying more meatless options. One of my favorite things about not using meat to cook is that it allows you to be creative. It also opens a wider range of foods to try. One recipe that I have tried is mango "chicken", made with tofu, mangos, and a few other vegetables. I think exploring all the uses of tofu could be interesting and is something that I am looking forward to trying.
  
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- Madeleine-Michelle Flores 2/10/2023 5:41 PM
  
  I truly admire you for trying to cut a good portion of meat out of your daily routine. I am someone who struggles on this, even when I have to during lent season. I don’t have any recipes but I know mushrooms can made really well to taste like meat. If you like mushrooms try cooking some things with them. Example:tacos.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Reese Kubo 2/06/2023 11:00 PM

I started living in an apartment for the first time since attending college, and that means learning how to shop and cook for myself. Going shopping, I have felt myself being quite picky with "expiration dates" but not really knowing what they meant. Even while I was living at home, I would become more cautious or suspicious of food that had exceeded its expiration dates, only to be reassured by my parents that "you'll be just fine" if I ate it. "Sell by", "use by", freeze by" dates all seemed straight forward but I had the misconception that these dates indicated something about food safety. After reading about the differences between the dates, I've learned that these dates are all meant to inform the consumers or sellers of the peak quality of the food item, and do not indicate anything about the food's safety status. Although the dates do not signify spoilage, it should also be known that these dates are effective given that correct handling and storage have been followed. This knowledge empowers me to make better decisions regarding food waste by dispelling my fear that food past certain dates has suddenly deteriorated so badly that it will cause me some sort of illness. Now, instead of throwing food away right when they have passed their "expiration" date, I will instead more closely inspect the food for any signs of spoilage and determine the best way to make use of it. Learning about the different food dates will definitely help me save money and food that has been needlessly wasted in the past.

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- GRACE JOHNSON 2/08/2023 5:34 PM
  
  I am also super worried about expiration dates! I almost never used food past the expiration date, fearing it would make me sick. I was also very discouraged having to throw food away. This was a super informative post and now that I know what these terms really mean, I can save money and limit food waste!
  
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- Altamash Mahsud 2/07/2023 10:57 PM
  
  Hi Reese! I'm really glad you brought this up. This really resonates with me too, as I am very paranoid when it comes to expiration dates. I too had the misconception that food past its expiration date would certainly make me ill, and always tend to throw food out past this date, feeling guilty in the process. Now that I know what these dates truly indicate, I will definitely be more careful with what I throw out and what is still good for me to use, trying to be as sustainable as possible. Thank you for telling us about this, now not only will I be wasting less food, but also saving money in the process. Let me know how this change goes for you!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Reese Kubo 2/04/2023 11:52 PM

The amount of money and food wasted is so startling yet not all too surprising. Living in a family of four, I know what it is like to watch my parents clear out the fridge the night before trash day. Before taking this class, I didn't really pay much attention to the food that went into the garbage. Most of the food that was being thrown out was much too old, and no one would want to eat it. Or maybe, I just had a tiny bit of food left on my plate that I couldn't finish. However, after taking this course along with learning about food waste through this challenge, I have been much more conscientious about the food that has been going to waste in my home. To think that as much as $1,500 goes to waste in the form of food is absurd. I decided to put this money into perspective. $1,500 could buy you either 18 Disneyland tickets, about 273 cups of Starbucks coffee, 326 gallons of gas, 250 Diddy Reise ice cream sandwiches, or about 9 Airpod maxes. All of these items would be something I would want to purchase at some point. But realistically, I would put this money towards my education, to pay for books, food, and bills while I am a student. Doing my food waste log has helped me think about ways to better utilize my food. I have also considered talking to my landlord about implementing compost bins.

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- Amrita Bhullar 2/05/2023 8:14 PM
  
  Hey Reese! I really enjoyed your post. I especially liked how you quantified the cost of food waste in terms of other things we're much more interested in having. I think it really puts into perspective how crazy expensive it is to waste that much food. My research topic is food waste/composting so I can definitely appreciate this. Additionally, I just mentioned in my last post how my apartment building recently added a compost bin and how grateful I am. Definitely talk to your landlord about it!
  
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Reese Kubo 2/02/2023 5:55 PM

I wanted to share an opportunity that I had to volunteer at the Ballona Wetlands last quarter. While I was taking an introductory ecology course, one of the extra credit opportunities was to sign up and participate in an environmental restoration project. I decided to volunteer with the Friend of Ballona Wetlands, a nonprofit organization working towards the maintenance and restoration of wetlands through activities such as the removal of non-native plant species. I was excited not only to volunteer and make an impact but to also experience a wetland environment for the first time. While volunteering, we were taught how to identify non-native species and why it was important to remove them. Non-native plant species grow and take up space, outcompeting important native plant species that provide food and shelter to the creatures that live in the wetlands. By removing them, we can encourage the return and growth of native plant species, which has been shown to bring back native butterfly and bird species that had previously vacated the area. It was amazing to work side by side with many other volunteers to clear out a significant plot of land that had been overrun by these non-native plant species. The work was not easy by far, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life. The volunteer day ended with a walk onto the pier, where we could view the wetland and wildlife. The scenery was beautiful and teeming with birds and other wildlife, making it that much clearer why it is so important to have volunteers who work to restore and protect the wetland. I highly recommend volunteering with this organization if you ever have the chance! It is a great way to learn about the ecological and environmental diversity that exists here in Los Angeles. You can learn more about them here: https://www.ballonafriends.org/

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- Reese Kubo 2/02/2023 5:58 PM
  
  I don't know why this didn't upload, but here is a picture of the Ballona wetlands!
  
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