Daisy Lookinland

Since taking this class, I have really been considering going vegetarian, but I have a few questions about whether there are ways to be a sustainable meat-eater. I know that shopping locally, such as at local farmers markets can be a really awesome way to positively impact both local farmers and the environment. Shopping locally from smaller, organic farmer cuts back on transportation emissions, pesticides, deforestation, etc. and I'm wondering if purchasing meat from local farms has a similar impact on the environment. I'm curious about what difference it would make if I purchased meat from a local farm that utilizes sustainable and organic practices rather than larger commercial farms. If most people began doing so, I can see it having a positive impact on reducing deforestation and animal born diseases, but would this have any impact on the methane emissions that are produced from cows or the amount of water necessary to raise their animals? Is it mainly the large companies that are responsible for the negative environmental impacts that meat consumption has, or are smaller farms at fault as well? 

Yesterday I booked flights for a spring break trip I'll be going on to Mexico. Before taking this class, I hadn't really ever considered the environmental impact that taking flights has on the environment. I guess mostly because flying isn't an every day event for me, so I didn't consider it to be a "big deal" if it's only every now and again. However, in an effort to be more environmentally conscious, I booked the flights that the website labeled as the "greener choice" with reduced emissions compared to the other flights I could have taken. I was pleasantly surprised that the greener flights were actually cheaper than the other ones. That made me happy because it was something that not only benefits me (and my bank account), but also is better for the environment. I also got my friends to book the same flight. 

As someone who loves to travel, it's a bummer to see the impacts that flying and tourism have on the environment. In the future, I will absolutely be looking for flights with reduced carbon emissions, as well as do my research on the places I go and how I can leave as little of a footprint as possible. For my trip to Mexico, I've made sure that all of my sunscreens are reef safe, and plan on eating locally in the small town we'll be staying rather than going to the big grocery stores that are farther away for our food (which will also cut back on car use). It definitely makes me feel better to know the potential impacts that my traveling habits may have, and do what I can to minimize them. 

I am a campus education ambassador for the Rivkin Center--an organization that conducts research and education outreach on breast and ovarian cancers. Right now, the Rivkin Center is partnering with HundredX feedback, which provides $2 to the Rivkin Center for every piece of feedback they receive for hundreds of brands/companies. It's super easy and takes about 30 seconds to provide a piece of feedback, and I thought that this is a perfect opportunity to push for brands to take on more sustainable practices. For example, I just provided feedback to Starbucks and a couple other coffee companies, and asked them to practice sustainable harvesting of their coffee beans, and switch to more eco-friendly packaging for their beverages. I also asked many fast food companies to provide more affordable red meat alternatives so that more people can easily make that switch and hopefully reduce the methane produced by cows. I know I'm just one person and a big brand might not listen to just my voice, but if anyone would like to participate and do the same, the more voices the better! It also raises money for breast and ovarian cancer so if anyone would like to participate just text "RIVKIN" to 90412 :) 

This afternoon I went to the grocery store and tried to be conscious and mindful when making my purchases. I looked the ingredients of everything I put in my cart to make sure they didn't contain palm oil. I was pleasantly surprised that nothing I usually buy contains palm oil! I also did not buy any red meat products. Normally, home made taco bell is one of my favorite easy and yummy recipes to make, but one of my personal goals is to stop consuming red meat, so I didn't buy the ingredients for it. I did buy chicken, but one step at a time... 

One of the biggest things I noticed while on my trip to the grocery store was how much plastic and packaging there is on almost everything--the plastic produce bags, the plastic containers that lots of produce comes in, the boxes, the cartons... I don't have reusable bags (yet), but I tried to only use plastic bags when absolutely necessary. I saved all the bags I used today so that on my next trip I can bring them back and reuse them until I purchase reusable bags. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for things like ice cream or granola bars that you can't really buy without producing waste. I would love to cut back on my waste production but for some things it seems kind of impossible unless I just don't get them. I always recycle when possible, but if anyone has any tips or tricks on reducing waste from grocery runs I'd love to hear them!