Blake Salfer

Hi Blake! Like you, I've taken on this challenge of cutting forest-unfriendly foods and products out of my daily life. I was also surprised to learn all the different names that palm oil can be listed under because it is such a sneaky way to include its use in so many products now that it has been revealed to be a major contributor to deforestation. As for me, the cocoa product removal from my diet wasn't difficult either, but the coffee one was the hardest, followed by the palm oil. I am an avid coffee drinker, and was drinking around 2 cups a day, which you've read requires about 12 coffee plants to sustain demand. Now I am down to 2 cups a WEEK! This is major for me because I have tried to reduce my coffee/caffeine intake many times before and have always failed, but knowing that there are tangible stakes to doing so really has helped. 

As for the palm oil removal, I'm glad that you've turned to alternative, unpackaged snacks! Upping your fruit and vegetable consumption is a great way to definitively avoid palm oil products. Similarly, I've started making my own snacks from scratch, and turn to things such as oven-baked edamame. Kudos to you for doing such great work, keep it up!

Hi Blake! I was also surprised about how many food products contain palm oil, because I don’t typically think of palm oil as it is not widely used in cooking. However, it is a very common vegetable oil that is used in many packaged products from the grocery store, as well as personal products. Your response has made me begin thinking about being more aware of food labels and the products included in them, such as palm oil, and how they affect the environment. I also thought the restoration project that used drones to deposit seeds that you discussed was very intriguing, and advancements in technology can definitely be put to good use in addressing climate concerns. As for my own personal diet, I have tried to cut out most red meat and in general look for opportunities to substitute plant-based meals in place of meat. There are so many fun ways to cook tofu, and it is delicious in my opinion! Although it would realistically be very difficult for me to be a vegan, I have thought about going back to being a vegetarian (I used to be one), as plant-based diets make such a difference and also often make me feel better, as I have more energy and know I am fueling my body with healthy foods.

Hi Blake,

Seeing you do this challenge is inspiring and was really eye opening for me. Your research on palm oils was super interesting and something I have taken for granted time and again. Looking into it myself, I also found things that were easy to cut out, much like yourself coffee and chocolate are not huge consumables for myself. After finding out which foods have palm oil, it has been a challenge to find substitutes or completely get rid of them from my life. Like you, I also tried to cut down on certain snack foods and started looking closely at food labels just to try to do my part. In doing so, I found that the substitutes for the food I was now getting were cheaper and at times, healthier. The more you know, right? Of course, I have not been able to completely cut it out of my life entirely, but I have definitely reduced it to a certain degree. 

Also seeing the way technology affects how we can improve our environment was super interesting. The projects in Myanmar and Brazil show that if groups come together and acknowledge that we have a problem, we can solve the issue one effort at a time. Using the drones was a great idea, and a fantastic use of existing technology to solve our problems. It goes to show that we do not necessarily need billions of dollars of infrastructure for land maintenance, but more we need it for educational purposes to show communities the benefits of reforestation keeping existing forests safe. 

Seeing that you are making the effort to give up large portions of your diet is an inspiring effort as not everybody has the tenacity to do it. It shows that you are willing to make changes to your lifestyle for the betterment of our environment and I hope that when others see this, they also are driven to make similar changes to make a meaningful impact. Your bowl looks really good, I may try it out!

 

Hello Blake,

Your post also caught my eye as I too invest in stocks. I never even thought about using my stocks in that way. Hopefully, these stocks work out for you! I too never even thought bout investing in Chevron and Exxon but after hearing your reasoning, there is even less incentive for me to invest in them. I think clean energy is definitely the future as this is a hallmark of the Biden administration. These stocks should definitely be long-term holds which will yield you lots of profit in the future.

The statistic that you shared about companies shifting to 100% renewable was MINDBLOWING? Are these large established companies or any generic small business. If not, that is an incredibly pleasing thing to hear. I wasn't sure if our capitalist ran country would be able to convert to renewable energy. I believed that these corporations were way too greedy and they didn't give a rats ass about our environment. All they care about is profit and they will do anything in their power to maximize their profit margins. However, this statistic gave me lots of hope in terms of the trajectory of climate change in the upcoming years. If it continues at this rate, we may be able to reverse the effects of humans on planet earth. The future is looking bright if everything you said in the second paragraph came true! Fingers crossed.

Something that I did that was kind of similar was to get a smart thermostat that saves electricity and makes my household a little bit greener. I didn't think about companies the way you see and check if whether or not they are sustainable.  I wonder if the company that makes it, NEST, is 100% green. I can't believe that APPLE is. That was shocking to hear. It is also good to know as I too have APPLE products and it feels good knowing that these products might have been generated sustainably.  I completely agree that the solar panels are a good investment; not only are you going to be saving the earth but you will earn that money back in a couple of years! I too need to convince my parents to add solar panels to my house.

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Good on you for making changes where you can to limit your impact on the climate! 
A couple of days ago, I was looking through the aisles at Target and it confused me so much to see that recycled paper was almost twice as expensive as regular paper! Intuitively, that seems like such a bad move. It's definitely not going to encourage many people to purchase the more sustainable option. After some research, I learned it's because recycled paper requires additional steps in its production-- sorting and de-inking in addition to milling and distribution.
But I really like the way you looked at it. The small sacrifice of one coffee a month can help you afford the better option. It's also a "kill two birds with one stone" kind of situation because coffee, I believe, is also not the best for the environment (sadly). 

Hey! It's so cool to hear that your family was so open to making that switch. It's always interesting when you realize how easy some of these changes to more sustainable choices can be. Also, thanks for the recommendation for that recycled paper, I'll definitely look into it!

Hey! I loved hearing about the new incorporation of walking to your daily life! Since this class has begun, I have also been more mindful of using walking as my main method of transportation! Before, I was also definitely guilty of using uber or asking for rides, but since this class have begun, I started to analyze every decision to use a car. Before I do drive, I decide weather or not I actually need to use gas to get where I need to go. Typically, I decide that walking is better for my own mental and physical health and so much better for the environmental health. And so, I rarely use my car.
Something else I did since the start of this class was having discussions with my friends about how our transportation usage is affecting the environment. This is just to spread awareness of how directly our actions are affecting the environment. 

I definitely agree that walking makes me feel like I'm part of a community, so much more so than driving. You definitely miss out on a lot when driving from point A to point B while ignoring everything in between departure and destination.
Also, I totally second that driving in LA is always so much of a pain. I hate to complain but I feel like everyone is always in a rush, people get irritated so easily, it puts me in a bad mood and it definitely raises my blood pressure. It is really hard to get used to driving in LA when I come from a quiet suburban area. But walking in Westwood is a completely different experience altogether. The scenery is always enjoyable and it provides a much-needed break from the 24/7 Zoom sessions! Ever since I started walking to work, I look forward to it every day and I don't really want to revert to driving even though it is more time-saving. 
I also want to try public transport. It would be a good alternative to driving for greater distances. I've heard the bus system is quite convenient and even the metro system is not bad. But I always feel a bit unsafe taking public transport, especially in the evenings. Although, I'm not sure if this is a valid concern or if I'm just worried for no good reason.

Hey Blake, I think thats awesome! I will definitely check out this app. Even though I personally do not eat seafood, the rest of my family absolutely loves it. I'll definitely recommend it to my father the next time he buys the ingredients to make his favorite ceviche. You touched on a really great point that I did not think about, and that is asking the people serving the food if they have any sustainable meals, or if the dishes are made of sustainable practices. Obviously most of them might not know how to answer, but if all of us collectively decide to have that as one of our criteria when dining out, then eventually it will catch on, gain momentum, and they might change things to make their food more sustainable. Overall great work man!

Hi Blake! Thank you for your post. I think this ecochallenge is really interesting and will probably do it as well! I love fish and eat a lot of it, whether it be canned tuna, baked salmon, or fish in my sushi. However, I too have never considered the impact of my fish consumption on the environment. I always thought that fish was always a better option than other red meat or poultry. 

I am curious to learn more about how fish are farmed or caught can impact the environment. I have definitely heard bits of information about how farming fish can be bad, and catching fish with certain methods can harm the natural ecology of that location. I also feel like when buying sushi, it can be difficult to know exactly what fish they use and how it is caught. Perhaps it would be useful in the future to implement including this information in food labels, so the consumer can make more educated choices about the type of fish they are buying.