CHAISE PUCEK

As a vegan, I ALWAYS get asked: "how do you get your protein?" People in the United States are obsessed with protein unlike anywhere else, and the truth is, you don't need as much protein as you think you do. The demand for meat in higher-income countries eat more meat because it is often considered a sign of wealth. People who can afford to eat meat, which is usually less readily available in under-priviledged countries, want to demonstrate their wealth. I think it is also a combination of culture, though. America is obsessed with fitness and health, and diet culture encourages a high-protein diet. Most people are uneducated about other ways to get their protein, so meat seems to be the easiest option.

Eating more meat has a variety of health concerns, especially when red meat is consumed. Meat consumption is associated with many health issues, specifically heart diseases, as well as lower libidos, diabetes, and some cancers. Eliminating meat from one's diet is beneficial for all these reasons, but also for the environment. Animal agriculture is labor-intensive, water-intensive, and requires a MASSIVE amount of land use. Not to mention, it produces a larger carbon footprint than all forms of automobiles combined. If we can decrease the demand for meat, we can help the environment, increase the overall health of populations, and maintain better food security. The land provided for animal agriculture can be utilized for more native landscapes, or for community gardens or other food production. There are much better uses for that land.

I think an important part of consuming meat is being educated on what else to consume. I have attached a image that shows some high-in-protein alternatives to meat. I hope it helps someone!

When calculating my household's carbon footprint, the thing I noticed that most heavily increased our carbon footprint were the trips via plane we take each year. 4 out of 5 of my household are out-of-state students at UCLA, and we each go home about twice a year during holidays or breaks. While this is difficult to eliminate, it is not possible. Instead of going home during the summer, we can stay in LA and use the utilities we are already paying for. Since one of us lives in-state, it also may be beneficial to go to her home instead during breaks or holidays. Other than that, none of us own cars and walk essentially everywhere. I am, however, the only vegan in the house, and the rest of my roommates eat meat. We do cook together a lot, so they eat vegan meals fairly often, but I am always encouraging them to limit themselves even more. In my previous post, I also talked about other opportunities for us to reduce our waste. In terms of energy usage, we live in an apartment and don't have control over the type. However, we can be diligent about limiting our use of electricity, and remember to turn off the AC as much as possible. I like the natural lighting as oppose to artificial, so we hardly have our lights on during the day. 

In regards to the original 5 R's (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle), I think I do an adequate job of practicing reusing and recycling. I have always made it a priority to buy products that are reusable and eliminate as many single-use items as I can. In the grocery store, I utilize reusable bags and avoid buying products in unnecessary packaging. In terms of recycling, I always recycle products that are able to be recycled,  and break them down and sort them into their proper bins. Of course, there are many other ways I can improve my actions.

After reading through 100 Tips for Zero Waste, I have been inspired to start many other practices. I have also forwarded the article on to some friends and family members to hopefully inspire them to make some changes as well! From my research, here are some more "R's" that I plan on adding to my daily routines, and encourage everyone else to as well.

Rags: Swap paper towels for reusable rags. My roommates and I have already invested in some "reusable paper towels" that are washable and can be used many, many times. When we keep paper towels in our apartment, I find that I am inclined to use them more. If I remove them from me space, I will remember to use the more sustainable option.

Reap: Shop the farmers market or plant your own garden! At my place, I don't have any outdoor space that would be suitable to grow my own fruits or vegetables, so the next best option is buying locally, and hopefully, organic. There is a weekly farmers market in Westwood that I would like to start stopping by each week and stocking up on needed groceries. 

Refill: Purchase from businesses that allow refills of the same containers.  I have found a couple places in LA that refill common household necessities like: shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, dish soap, detergent, etc. I plan on switching to these alternatives and eliminating the unnecessary waste that comes with buying new products every time they run out.

Return: Some store, like Lush, pride themselves on sustainability. If you collect the containers, you can return them to be reused, and you also get rewards in return! I'm sure there are other stores that have similar practices, so I'm going to do more research on that.

Ruthless: When purchasing something new, by ruthless! Does it actually fit correctly? Will you honestly use it? Do you NEED it? If I can be more intentional about the things I purchase, it will reduce unneeded product and lower my impact on the environment. 

Rummage: Shop second hand. Fast fashion is so damaging to the environment, and the production of new product, especially clothes, uses so much water and produces lots of pollution. By shopping second hand, it can eliminate the need for more production, and also discourage the waste that comes along with ordering online. 

Each day I have been taking time to go outside for either a walk or a run. Today I went on a 5 mile run in Brentwood and the weather was perfect. Sometimes I listen to a podcast, but other times I look at all the beautiful houses and take note of my favorite features. It makes me think about where I want to live when I graduate and what type of house I am going to have one day. Sometimes my roommates like to come walk with me, and we put our phones away and talk about any thing and every thing. The weather recently has reminded me of Fall back home in Wisconsin, which makes me a little sentimental, but overall, spending the added time outside is wonderful for my mental health, especially when almost every thing I do currently is on a computer in my room (or living room if I'm feeling adventurous). 
Walking around the Westwood and Brentwood area is interesting - a mix of residential neighborhoods, college students, and large businesses. There are multiple construction projects going on that are very loud and seem way too big for the area. I think that Westwood has a charm that is slowly becoming too industrial... The noise pollution and industrialization in general is evident all around, and I've definitely noticed it more as I have been walking. I have also noticed a lot more trash. I think next time I go out, I will bring a grocery bag and pick up some trash to help alleviate some of that. It baffles me that people litter. 

Today, I spent my lunch in Westwood with my roommate and we set our phones aside and enjoyed each others' company. It was nice to feel the warmth of the sun  and laugh at each other as we recounted the weeks events. We made plans for the remainder of the weekend instead of scrolling aimlessly through TikTok. I loved the quality time.