Annika Franck

This week I really became more aware of my water footprint. In my life I think water footprint is not talked about at all beyond things like showers. It made me aware to put a value on the water that I use, both physical and virtual. I've already stopped buying plastic water bottles but this week I tried to both become aware and reduce my other plastic bottle purchases. When unavoidable I actually took into account the type of plastic the items were made with.  

This week I worked on really adhering to a meal plan so I didn't buy food that I would ultimately waste. I also decreased the amount of meat I was eating but also the amount of processed food as well. I ate more meals I prepared myself. I think during the winter/when I'm busy it can be really simple to just get the easy option for food. This week has been a great eye opener for how much I can improve both my diet and my impact. To further reduce my food waste I've also been using my compost bin I made last year a lot more. It's been interesting to see the changes I've made this week aren't hard but just involve being more aware of my habits. 

Hey Everyone, sorry for the late response, this week has been a bit hectic. Over the past week I researched both renewable energy options for my provider and also my own footprint so I can better reduce my impact. My household uses Pacific Power for our electricity and found that they have the BlueSky program which allows customers to opt in for a small increase in the overall bill and support renewable energy. The caveat is that it doesn't actually change the sources my energy comes from, rather it contributes to renewable energy projects and purchasing credits from renewable energy projects which will increase the demand for renewable energy. It may be a step in the right direction but in the short term there seems to be very little change to the unsustainable energy sources being used. I also did the quiz to see what my environmental footprint was and was shocked by how high it was. This last week I've been becoming more aware of how wasteful my lifestyle can be. My newest goal has been to not only cut my food waste down to zero (I've started using my outdoor compost bin again) but also the amount of plastic I buy at the store. This one is a bit tricker considering so much packaging for food is wrapped in it. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love them!

Hey Everyone! For my eco challenge this week I decided to first start off by finding a notebook to create a journal which I can help keep track of both my progress throughout this course and helpful information. I think this will be an especial good piece to reflect back on at the end of the course to see where I started and how I can continue to grow. I also started looking into different sustainability issues that are directly impacting Portland. It was interesting to learn about the pollution happening within the Willamette River and how the majority of it is coming from businesses and different facilities. It makes it far more difficult to feel as though one person can make much of an impact. It seemed as though much of the possible change comes from trying to reach out to our government representatives or signing petitions. On a more optimistic note this last year a project was started to remove contaminants from the banks of the river. Hopefully this will reduce the amount of toxins in the river going forward, but Portland will need to make a large effort to reduce the pollutants/toxins for the continued future of the river after the project ends.