Jazzmhine Oconer

Hello everyone! On today’s episode of meatless Mondays, I’ll be making an easy, simple tofu scramble with a side of sliced avocado and toast. 

Here’s the recipe for anyone interested in trying it out!

Ingredients for tofu scramble (makes about ~2 servings):

Recipe Instructions for tofu scramble:

Due to the hecticness of the quarter, it can sometimes be hard to set aside time to make my own food. Oftentimes, I fall into the trap of buying something that’s convenient on the way back home from campus, but it tends to be both expensive and unhealthy to consume. Thus, one thing that I have been trying to prioritize more this quarter is cooking foods that are nutritious, cost-effective, and a lot more sustainable for both the environment and my body. The recipe above is one example of such where I have been able to easily incorporate it into my weekly routine of food and it definitely makes me feel a lot better to eat than the typical  $13 chicken bowl from CAVA. 

On Friday, there was another sustainability-oriented event taking place in Bruin Plaza. Specifically, there were various containers that were filled with eco-friendly personal care and household products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser, hand sanitizer, laundry liquid, and dishwashing liquid. All of these products were being given out for free as long as we brought our own container to be filled up with. I ended up bringing the mason jar I had picked up the day before from the Bruin Bazaar and used it to hold dishwashing soap as well as another container I had at home to hold body wash. By doing so, it saved me a trip to the grocery store as well as helped me reduce the amount of plastic pollution I make. I believe that the Refillery LA organization that’s in charge of the event will be coming to campus again next quarter, but here is the link to their calendar of events if anyone is interested in checking it out!

 

This week the Facilities Commission was hosting a Bruin Bazaar, a trading post initiative aimed to promote sustainable living while providing students with basic needs. Through the event, they hope to challenge the fast fashion industry while also fostering accessibility by offering clothing, textbooks, household supplies to students on campus who otherwise don’t have access to these resources as well as to students who want to partake in sustainable practices. Upon stopping by the event that was held in Bruin Plaza, there were several tables and racks laid out with an assortment of clothing. Additionally, school supplies were piled high in bins below the table along with other useful items such as board games, kitchen gadgets, picture frames, etc. I had approached one of the students working the event and she talked about how anything there was up for grabs and all of it was completely FREE!  I ended up picking up a mason jar to use as a mug instead of buying one when I was there and I donated a couple of shirts that I had grown out of. 

Overall, I thought this was a really cool concept! Specifically, the event is one example of a simple and convenient sustainable practice that a lot of students can easily benefit from. I highly recommend stopping by the next time another Bruin Bazaar is taking place as they are held about 3 times each quarter. Even if you aren’t necessarily interested in picking anything up, the org mentioned that they’re taking donations all year round which allows them to continue providing this resource to students for free.

Hey y'all! My name is Jazzmhine and I'm really excited to take this class with all of you. :DD