Andreea Soricut

Hi Andreea, this is great! Ever since I was little I would often times see my mom utilize old clothing pieces as rags for cleaning, and I now do the same. Even when a piece of clothing of mine is torn I sew it up and reuse it. I also relate to you with the water bottle. I personally don't own a reusable flask and buy water bottle cases, but once I finish the water I continue to refill the same water bottle until it becomes extremely flimsy.

Hi Andreea, I think this is a great strategy to incorporate more "R's" into your day-to-day life. I'm also going through my clothes right now and deciding what to get rid of, before going home for summer. I just signed up to receive a For Days "Take Back Bag" for their collaboration event with UCLA. For Days is a zero-waste fashion brand that sells clothing made from recycled and recyclable materials. As part of this collaboration event, they'll send me a reusable bag, which I fill with unwanted clothing, linens, shoes, etc. Then, they pick up all of the bags in Westwood (local transport!) and they pledge to recycle a minimum of 95% of what's in your bag. It's a great event, especially for college campuses, when everyone throws out lots of old things before leaving for summer. I remember that last year, on the hill, there were bins that you could throw old clothes and shoes in that would then be donated to charities. I think convenient access to programs like these will encourage more people to donate their unwanted items and re-purpose items for those in need. As far as grocery shopping, I am also guilty of forgetting to bring reusable bags sometimes. But I recently painted some canvas tote bags with friends, and now we always remember to bring them with us if we're going shopping. It was a fun activity and a cool way for us to spend some time together. And now, we're all committed to using these totes instead of plastic bags. I highly recommend!

Hi Andreea,

I totally agree that UCLA makes it very accessible to have bamboo or wood alternatives. UCLA dining services provide wooden utensils and paper straws, which are significantly less harmful on the environment than using plastic utensils. I think the best thing to do, however, is using reusable utensils you may already own so that you do not contribute to the burden of manufacturing the product.

Hi Andrea! I completely agree I often serve myself a small but fulfilling amount of food and if by the end of finishing my plate I serve myself a smaller portion so I won’t throw my food away. Often I notice when I serve self a big portion I find it unappetizing and also if I do eat the plate after I feel so tired.

Hey Andreea, I totally have the same problem with using my phone all the time. I am so used to having some form of stimulation almost at all times, and I really do think it is important to have time away from technology. Doing these eco challenges and reading about other people's experience with mindful eating or just using our phones less in general is encouraging. I think that it definitely is hard to do something with no intentions other than just to do that thing. Mindfulness is definitely hard, especially after a long day.

Hi Andreea. I totally agree! Reading the labels on some of the fruit containing granola bars or fruit juices at the market shows how many added preservatives and chemicals processed foods contain. We are much better off just getting the fruity taste from actual fruit! Even better is getting these fruits and vegetables from local food sources- like the Westwood Farmer's Market- which also helps reduce our carbon footprints.