Sydney Wada

I was curious to see this action, because while I knew that some fish choices are healthier for you than others, I was not aware that some of these fish may have been caught in an unsustainable way or farmed in a way that actually harms the oceans and the marine life. When I visited seafoodwatch.org, I saw that they offer a consumer guide depending on your region, where fish type, and details such as if it was farmed and where it was harvested, are sorted into three categories: “Best Choices”, “Good Alternatives”, and “Avoid”. The best choices categories are what they highly recommend a consumer of seafood to consider purchasing over any of the other alternatives. And the avoid section are ones that you should not buy. I had never considered looking at where my seafood came from before buying, mainly focusing on freshness or price, but now this is an extra thing I feel guilty for not knowing about before. Now that I know, I commit to making educated choices when I purchase any seafood at the grocery store.

When trying to implement this though, I discovered it was a little difficult. A lot of the seafood I buy comes from the seafood counter of stores, and often the label doesn’t say much about its origin. The people behind the counter rarely seem to know as well, so this limits the choices I have when I shop, which is a little bit of an inconvenience when I am on a budget. Though, I think this is worth the extra premium, because after reading about their section regarding sustainability, sustainable seafood does not only mean that it is environmentally sustainable, but it also means that there are fair and safe working conditions for the people harvesting it. Equitable treatment and conditions are something I stand behind and support in my day to day food choices, so I am happy to know how I can continue to support this in my seafood choices. I am glad this website is here to provide an easy to understand and take along guide, because I think that with all the types of seafood, this can be very confusing for the average consumer. If you buy seafood regularly, I would recommend taking a look. There are still a lot of sustainable options.

In an effort to curb my car usage, I used only public transit and carpooling for the weekend. I have been feeling guilty since the places I normally frequent are close and easily accessible using these methods. One option I researched and tried is one that came recommended from a few of my friends. There is a service called Metro Micro, that has been around for a while but just recently expanded its services to around UCLA. It is a ridesharing program, where you can download their app and book a ride within a determined small radius for only $1 a ride. You can also conveniently use your TAP card to pay as well in the vehicle. Most of the time, the cars used are vans that have been converted for this use, often being able to seat 3 to 5 people at a time.

When I used it, the pickup times were reasonable, being able to choose one in as small as 15 minute increments, and the pickup locations are close by, often on a nearby street. On the way to my location, we made a few stops to pick up and drop off a couple of people. Overall, it was a great experience for the cost. To me, it was very similar to the feeling of an uberpool, with only slight delays in travel time due to the stops. One problem I noticed is that as this service gets increasingly popular, you might have to be prepared to book your ride earlier. On busy days and times, like Friday nights or weekends, it seems more difficult to book a ride, even sometimes saying that there are none available. This means you might have to book rides even if you are unsure of plans yet, and it cannot be dependable like an uber. Another drawback is that the area where rides are offered is very small. You are limited to drop off and pick up within it, and a lot of places are outside of this range, which can be inconvenient for all purposes.

I looked more up about Metro Micro as an initiative, and they described their goal as bringing ridesharing to “historically underserved communities and population” as well as areas where their normal metro services are less available. This was great to hear that their goal was providing equitable transportation, and now their fare cost of a dollar makes a lot of sense. This seems almost too cheap to cover costs of gas and labor, but this is a perfect selling point to get people interested and to use their service. I was thinking during the drive, about how the four people who were also in the same car would have each taken their own car if not for this service, and then I started to understand the impact of this program. I recommend checking it out for the cost and convenience!