Naomi Bojorquez

This week I did not use any disposable plastics and spent time outdoors every day. I already own Reusable products that replace plastic waste. This week I made sure to be diligent about not using disposable plastics like straws, bags, and cups. I brought my reusables with me wherever I went. It was not hard to do this at all, so as long as I can remember to bring reusables, this could easily be something I do regularly. I also spent time outdoors every day to reconnect with nature and remember to have empathy for the natural environment. I touched nature as well, which is something I dot usually do. I picked up rocks and sticks and touched grass and trees. I highly recommend others do this because it is oddly fun and reminds me of being a kid. I even wrote stuff and drew things in the dirt with my stick. I want to try touching water next tie I am near a water source.

This week I at two out of three meals every day, zero waste. It wasn't entirely zero waste if you count the bulk items I ate but did not have to purchase, such as rice. But almost everything I bought this week was package free. I shopped from the produce and bulk bins to eat zero waste. It was a surprisingly easy short-term experience. I was able to buy legumes, starches, fruits, and vegetables, all package free. Much to my surprise, I even found A vegan protein called TVP or textured vegetable protein in bulk which had a look and texture similar to chicken when rehydrated. The only challenge I would see going longer than a week is finding things such as oil and vinegar package free. This led to me doing some research and finding out that places can fill containers from bulk supplies. https://www.litterless.com/bulk-food-guide/oregon. This is where I found useful general information about zero waste food options locally and around Oregon. I highly recommend others start skipping produce bags and bringing their own or just washing produce thoroughly when they are home to reduce plastic waste.

     This week I meal planned and ate a whole foods diet. I mainly ate beans, rice, potatoes, veggies, and fruit. I mainly ate Mexican-style food because that is what I am most familiar with cooking. I planned out all the food I would need at the beginning of the week to reduce food waste and ended up with dry rice, beans, mushrooms, half a lemon, and some leftover lettuce. None of these items will be wasted; they will influence what I eat for a couple more days. I ended up using a lot of rice, beans, and potatoes as the bulk of my meals. I ate out-of-season items to make this challenge more manageable, and I am unsure how fun this challenge would have been using local in-season food. 
     The main thing to note about eating a whole-food diet is that there is much less packaging waste. Most unprocessed foods come in either this packaging or no packaging. When I was in the grocery store, I did not use any plastic bags for the produce; I just laid them on a reusable bag in my cart. Some items had plastic packagings, such as rice and beans, but I did not have to buy them this week since I already had them. I buy bulk rice and beans to minimize the plastic to product ratio. I noticed the most significant impact in the reduced amount of packaging. However, I know that there are also health benefits and a lower carbon footprint to not eating processed foods that have been shipped all around and require lots of packaging and resources to make. 

https://www.forksoverknives.com/what-to-eat/#gs.Eo3BPKI 

  This week I recycled everything I could and talked to others about why sustainability is important. It turns out that most items are recyclable somewhere; it is primarily single-use non-plastic items that cannot be recycled but are often compostable. Primarily, some paper products are compostable but not recyclable if they are dirty—some items you have to go out of your way to recycle, such as batteries or technology. However, for the most part, some services will pick up your recyclables, or you can mail certain items to be recycled. I found out that some things are surprisingly recyclable. You can recycle the plastic case that contacts come in. You can also recycle contact lenses: https://www.allaboutvision.com/contact-lenses/recycle/. So far, I have only had to go out of my way to recycle a laptop, which is worth the effort: https://www.chubb.com/us-en/individuals-families/resources/5-reasons-to-recycle-your-electronics-instead-of-chucking-them.html
   I talked to hesitant family members about why recycling is essential (as time-privileged people). Separating trash and compost from our several recycling pile types takes more work and group effort in a shared home. We talked about how we need more education and legislation in society that supports sustainability and takes some responsibility off our backs as consumers. We talked about how it is not sustainable for society to encourage unsustainable actions and blame consumers for not being sustainable. We ultimately concluded that there is only so much we can do, and then the rest is up to people in the positions of power to regulate how much waste we can produce. I talked about how I do the best I can now to encourage habits that care for the earth, in the hopes it might spread awareness of the issue and impact legislation down the line.

This week for my eco-challenge, I only bought what I needed. The physical things I did buy were groceries and some household items we needed. It is the beginning of the month, so this is when my bills are due, and for the first time in a while, I had a good amount of money left over after bills. I started buying a lot less last month, and I see the results. This week I did not buy anything exciting, but I still did other fun things to fill the time and energy gap of not buying stuff. I went on a few jogs at my local park, watched a long movie (the Matrix), had a drink with my brother, had lunch with my mother-in-law, and decluttered some of my things. My daily screen time is down a lot. Not worrying about stuff has translated to consuming less social media as well. 
It is not easy to not buy things. I am still thinking about stuff a lot; I am just not looking at it online or buying it. So while I am still saving much time, I want to look for ways to not think about stuff; perhaps the longer I buy a low amount the stuff, the better it will get, but I am concerned that perhaps my past shopping habits were coping mechanisms or distractions from the stress of school, work or life. I want the objects I own not to hold so much weight that they are distracting. Decluttering has helped with this, but consumerism has impacted me more than I thought.

This week in my home, my partner and I ate wholly meat-free and primarily vegan. I usually eat vegan food, but my partner is an omnivore who is more flexible with eating. Last week the only non-vegan food item we bought was eggs. I don't pressure my partner not to buy animal products, and they anticipated wanting eggs despite wanting to eat vegan. Some of the meals that my omnivore partner enjoys eating with me are impossible burgers with french fries, jackfruit pulled pork with mac salad, spaghetti with garlic bread, tomato soup with grilled "cheese," veggie soup and salad, and the biggest hit was the tofu scramble breakfast burritos. They did eat a few non-vegan items that were already in our home throughout the week, but I'm impressed with their effort. 
I have been vegan for a long time, so it's easier for me to present tasty recipes to my partner because I know the best vegan options out there. Cooking food for people has been one of the best ways that I have encouraged plant-based eating to others. I prefer whole foods eating, and I noticed a lot of the meals that non-vegans enjoy that I make include some processed foods. My goal is to gather better whole foods recipes to experiment with. The Superbowl is coming up, and I want to make some plant-based foods for that occasion since it is typically a day of the year when there is high animal product consumption in my home. I have already gathered a few recipes that I'm excited to try. For anyone curious, my partner eating my delicious vegan food got them interested in veganism. Still, some of the documentaries that got them interested in the sustainability side of veganism were Seaspiracy, Cowspiracy, and What The Health. 

This week I tracked my purchases since it is my birthday, and I wanted to be careful about what I bought. Outside of groceries and other necessary expenses, I bought four things. I bought a balaclava winter hat (45$ Etsy) made of recycled wool to wear when walking outdoors since I primarily use public transportation. The other was a camisole top to wear for my birthday (20$ UO). I found a sustainable alternative, but it was out of my price range at 128$, and I could not find a thrift alternative. I already own other things I could have worn. However, I made an exception as I will not be making casual clothing purchases moving forward. The third item I bought was mascara (20$ Nordstrom). The one I use needs to be replaced every six months, and this was just a replacement. I researched and found that mascara can come in more sustainable packaging. I will consider this when it is time to purchase a new one later in the year. The final thing I bought was an eBook (11$ Kindle). The book Spark Joy by Marie Kondo has motivated me to want to buy less and declutter so far. 

This week I decided to eat two organic meals a day for lunch and dinner. I knew this would be an attainable goal since most of the dinner and lunch food items I eat can easily be made organic, or I already eat organic. I did not choose breakfast because I eat "just egg" a few days a week, a non-organic alternative to chicken eggs. In the future, I will incorporate organic tofu scrambles to eat more organically. Just egg and organic tofu are packaged in plastic, so I would be interested in hearing any lower, or zero waste vegan alternatives people have tried. I did have to sacrifice my preferred foods for organic foods. However, it was not bad at all. Whole-food replacements to what I already eat seemed to be the easiest and cheapest alternatives to get organic.