ALYSHA PANJWANI

That sounds wonderful! Since classes have been online for so long, I grew accustomed to looking at a screen and haven't taken the time to really appreciate my surroundings. I noticed how high my screen time was on my devices, so I also decided to commit some time where I spend time outdoors without using technology. Now that John Wooden Center is open again, me and my friends have been reserving rooms to play badminton. I really recommend everyone to check out John Wooden Center, they offer so many different types of rooms to play different sports in, such as racquetball. We have also been making time to play tennis at the tennis courts in either Sunset Recreation or Westwood Park. In doing so, we have noticed that we were able to healthily de-stress and enjoy quality time with each other. We also get a lot of time to catch up with each other while walking to the court and I really appreciate these moments. 

I love taking long showers and my apartment has that same issue! We only get about 15-20 minutes of hot water if we are lucky and then after that it just becomes ice cold for the next hour or so. Water is a limited resource, especially in California and I think it is important that everyone does their part in conserving it. I looked into it and most of the water we use in Los angeles comes from the colorado river aqueduct, which can deliver about 1 billion gallons of water per day to Los angeles. We have to outsource our water because the water consumption of the city far outweighs the local water resources. The big issue with this is that transporting water over such large distances is wasteful. For one it utilizes a lot of power to pump that much water all the way to Los angeles and in doing so the aqueduct also disturbs many natural animal habitats. The biggest issue, however, is that almost half of the water is lost to evaporation or leakage on its trek from the Colorado river.

It is really easy to lose track of time in the shower, especially when you have some good music on and you’re just vibing. So to keep track of how long I spend in the shower I installed a small hourglass timer that has a five minute run time. I have found that I can enjoy my time in the shower and not be too wasteful by limiting my time. The timer gives me a good visual of how much time I have left.

Here are some other good tips to save water that I try to be conscious of:

This is a really great idea, Alysha--I appreciated your consideration on how virtual programming of activities can be beneficial for the environment. I am a part of a couple organizations myself, and I didn't really think about the impact that hosting virtual meetings had on the environment, but you are totally right that conducting virtual meetings can benefit the environment by making it so that individuals do not have to expend gas to commute to campus if they live far away. As you mentioned, there are also other reasons why virtual meetings can be beneficial: mitigating Covid spread for one. I am also thinking that virtual meetings are great for those with accessibility issues. Specifically, individuals who have back to back activities need only find a stable internet connection to access the meetings. In addition, individuals with disabilities can more readily access virtual spaces. 

While I recognize the benefits of virtual meetings, I also do share many of the same hesitancies and limitations that you expressed about virtual spaces. Zoom fatigue is one of the issues that comes to my mind, as I acknowledge that constantly staring at a small computer screen is not good for morale or mental health. I think striking a balance, as you put it, is a great way to reconcile the environmental benefits with social and logistical benefits of both options. In one of my student organizations, we implemented a strategy similar to the one you talked about where we balanced virtual and in-personal events by hosting in-person general body meetings and virtual executive board meetings. This ensures that we reap the benefits of community building from in person operations, while also reaping the convenience and environmental benefits of virtual operations. In a different organization I am in, we allow members the opportunity to choose between going in person or Zooming in to meeting. I think this option is a great way for individuals who have to commute farther (and use gas) to stay at home, while individuals who can commute by foot can come in person. There are so many ways to negotiate these concerns, and I hope to continue being part of the decision-making process for this programming.

Thank you for sharing how your organization has been transitioning! I always find it insightful how other organizations have been adapting because my organization has also been having a lot of discussions about how we should change. The staff members were split on whether or not to have staff meetings back in person or not. One side wanted to continue virtually because of the commuting distance and the other stated that they wanted more interaction that came from in-person. However, after learning about how much carbon footprint we make, we decided that our staff meetings would continue on Zoom. Since most of the staff live in off-campus apartments that are far from each other, the carbon emissions from their vehicles would only add to the air pollution. In addition, since our staff meetings are at night, we wanted to take into account the safety of the staff members who would have to walk back to their apartment late at night. As for our general meetings, we decided to make it hybrid. People who are within walking distance from our general meeting room can come in person. During the meeting, we have Zoom open so that the people who aren't able to make it in person are still able to participate. 

Hi Alysha! I love this goal for you, and I want to match you this summer. I have a job that I've committed to working on this summer, and I am going to hold myself to only taking public transportation or walking to the office. It's about a ~30 minute drive away, but with the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and buses, it's definitely do-able if I wake up early enough. I've always been a big fan of taking the train and buses because of how cheap it is, but I also find that there are days where it's much more convenient to just drive there with a car. I agree with you: I've also found transportation really enjoyable. It's a time where you can just sit back, relax, listen to a podcast or music, and not have to focus on anything before you begin your day. Since I've started to take the BART to get to jobs I've had in high school, I've also been using public transportation to even see friends in the city. It's an extremely cheap and comfortable mode of transportation I actually look forward to, and I know that if I continue doing it all this summer, that'll only reinforce itself.
Aside from the environmental benefits, I honestly think that having 40-50 minutes a day where I can just de-stress and be driven, along with other individuals in the same boat, it's also greatly beneficial to mental wealth and wellbeing!