ANNA YAKURA

With the recent USAC election, I was incredibly excited for the transportation referendum, which would allow students to pay a quarterly fee of $2.65 for the Universal Access Transit Pass, giving students access to unlimited LA metro rides. As someone who takes public transportation often (I live in West LA/Santa Monica, which is a fairly walkable/bussable area, and don't have a car on campus), I really advocated for my friends to vote yes. When I took summer classes at SMC a few years ago, I remember I could have free unlimited Big Blue Bus rides just by showing my student ID-- when I came to UCLA, I was surprised that a similar student discount initiative was not put in place. If this passes, it would greatly encourage students to bus to popular tourist/hang-out spots, such as Koreatown, The Grove/Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and more. Additionally, with the new LA metro purple line UCLA station being currently built, in a few years, UCLA students will have more access than ever to public transportation, making commuting to home/work/volunteering, and exploring LA much easier. This is a great step towards helping student alleviate some of their carbon emissions.

As someone who enjoys physical books/planners/notebooks and loves collecting stationary, going completely paperless is an intimidating action for me. However, ever since I got an iPad for college, I've found it incredibly easy to reduce my paper usage-- all of my school material is stored digitally, and the convenience of being able to download the lecture pdf and annotate directly, and store it in digital folders has allowed me to go a few years without using much paper. There are also so many sophisticated apps that allow me to indulge in my hobby of drawing. There are so many different colors I can use on the iPad that I don't have access to as individual pens. Though I still own a manual planner and enjoy decorating it, owning an iPad has significantly decreased my paper usage and waste, proving as a practical investment. I save money on paper, pens/writing utensils, printer ink. While I understand it is a huge investment, I do think it is incredibly helpful in the increasingly digital academic environment!

I love fruits and veggies, and I think it can be fun and adventurous to explore ones you don't eat as often, or follow their seasonal harvests. For example, recently the dining hall Bplate has strawberries, which is a fruit they did not have at all earlier in the quarter. Eating them now with my meals not only leaves me more energized and is a healthier option than other snacks, it leaves me with a newfound appreciation and excitement for strawberry season!

Incorporating these foods in your diet in this way can help you reduce some of the harmful health effects of processed foods, along with their harmful impact on the climate. It will likely keep you fuller longer and more energized, reducing your food consumption/waste as well!

One attainable change people can make is to buy less clothes and stop supporting fast fashion/ unsustainable brands. I've always considered myself a low-spender on clothes, and still have, use, and wear clothes that I wore in high school, middle school. I do this through many ways: 1) I don't fall for microtrends in fashion and opt for more classic pieces of clothing that I can pair with other garments I already have, 2) When I do buy newer pieces, I try to buy quality > quantity, 3) Even when something is no longer within my taste, I either donate, give to a friend/relative, store it in the back of my closet (after all, trends are cyclic and something you thought you didn't like may end up being fashionable/ your taste in the future), or use as rags, 4) Buy/support local businesses or thrift! Overall, this practice can really help you think more critically about your consumption, and differentiate between some of your "wants" and "needs" when it comes to material items. I still think it is nice to indulge in nicer clothing especially if it's your hobby, but there are many ways now that this can be done sustainably, especially with more information online about the policies and ethics of certain brands.

Coming to UCLA has helped me explore and get exposed more meatless meals naturally. Prior to college, I mainly ate Japanese/Asian foods and was not familiar with products like tempeh and seitan (though tofu was already a good part of my diet), and viewed things like the impossible burger as a novelty. I still feel as though vegetarianism/veganism has not gained traction among the East Asian population. However, through my vegetarian/vegan meals at UCLA, I not only realized that I'm actually quite poor at identifying whether something is meat, but that I don't care as long as my taste buds are satisfied. I couldn't even believe Veggie Grill's entire menu was completely plant-based; I was fooled for the longest time that the crispy caesar "chicken" wrap had actual chicken. Seitan curry, tempeh tacos, and tofu bowls are now accessible to me and I want to continue exploring these meatless options. I used to believe that I could never "give up" meat, especially because I was caught in the "all or nothing" mindset that is so prevalent in the conversation of decreasing meat consumption. But I now realize that not only do I have plenty of alternatives that are equally satisfying, something is better than nothing, and I can continuously work on phasing meat dishes out of my normal rotation. Being open to these new recipes and dishes has contributed to an adventurous attitude about food!

The original reason I did not bring a car to campus/school is because I'm an anxious driver (especially on these roads), and for that reason, my dad took me off the car insurance. I've always thought this was better for me-- I don't have to deal with the LA traffic, parking, or get hand cramps from holding onto the steering wheel too tight. Putting my experiences into the context of this class however, has really made me more aware of how much better I feel without a car. I walk to class and around Westwood, take public transit whenever I want to go farther beyond the neighborhood, and I enjoy the bus ride with my friends by taking a nap, chatting with them about life, and people watching. I've grown accustomed to (and prefer) long walks, and am consistently reaching my goal steps each day because I have a destination to walk to. Because of this I feel more energized and lead a more active lifestyle than I did when I drove more. I can take note of the small changes within the area that usually wiz by in a car, such as flyers for an event coming up the next weekend, new flowers blooming, or passing by a friend. I recognize that much of what allows me to not own a car is because I live near the campus and there are essential stores within walking distance. Many people who have to commute long distances to school/work may not have this option. Thus I think it is important to develop more options for public transportation and integrate the many different types (rideshare, electric vehicles, bikes, buses, etc) seamlessly so that sustainable options become preferable/more convenient to owning a car.

My dad and his siblings grew up gardening (both in Japan and in America), and my grandfather was one of the many Japanese American immigrants pre/post WWII. My dad has always maintained a beautiful garden in our front and backyard, and now that he is retired, he spends even more time on his plants. When I went home this weekend, I helped him tend to the garden and also made a visit to my community garden, where we can take some of the veggies/fruits grown there. I found that this not only served as self-care by calming down my mind, but also made me realize the extensive community built around personally grown produce/gardens-- whenever we have lemons on our tree (they are so sweet!), or onions, or eggplants, we distribute them to our neighbors or relatives, and in return, we receive oranges, kumquats, and more. We also share some of our plants so others can grow and collect certain flowers they do not already have. Thus, I believe gardening is a great way to "be green" while engaging with your community.