Taylor VanDeWater

It was pretty easy to change my diet to not include certain items because I don't usually consume most of the items that are listed to not consume so that it does not contribute to deforestation. The only challenge for me is cutting down on products with cocoa because I do like chocolate. However, I do not eat chocolate all the time and I can eat other desserts instead.  

Bamboo alternatives are readily available in my community. Big-name stores like Target and Walmart already have bamboo replacements for certain items. For example, Walmart has bamboo face rounds (instead of cotton rounds) to remove makeup, nail polish, etc. pretty much anything that you would use a cotton round for. Amazon, however, has a lot of bamboo products and you can find a lot of bamboo swaps on their website. 

Eating meat affects our bodies because especially red meat is really high in fat. This means that more fat is entering your body and therefore that leads to major heart problems. People who more meat are at more of a risk to have these types of problems because meat may be high in protein, however, it is also high in fat, there are many swaps for meat in order to get a substantial protein intake. Meat affects our planet because, by farming cows, methane is being released into the atmosphere, the more cows, the more methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that poorly affects the atmosphere. Eating meat affects everyone because not only is it not good for you, but it also destroys the planet as a whole because of methane eroding the atmosphere.  

The other benefits that might come from serving smaller portions may be a change in appetite and hunger. The more people eat the more their stomach stretches and therefore they eat more food to feel full. If people only eat what is necessary to survive, then they will most likely be more healthy as well. And by people eating less, there is more food for other people to have instead of people who waste food. Therefore more people can eat if certain people eat/waste less food. 

Environmental quality influences my sense of community because when I start to find what the best options are that are both environmentally and ethically sustainable, I find that they tend to be local shops and farms. I started to learn a lot more about my community and what we do to be sustainable the more I researched the environmental quality of the products I consume. This brings me closer to my community because I am learning about them and getting to know them more because of the goal of sustainability.