Kassy Vazquez

For my sixth eco-challenge, I decided to research some better transportation options. One solution is cycling. There is a local group called "The Street Trust"(https://www.thestreettrust.org/), whose mission is to advocate for safe, accessible, equitable, zero carbon streets. Everything they do is about expanding transportation choices to reduce dependence on solo drive trips and making roads safer for motor vehicles and other street users. They do a lot of advocacy work with different community members and are outspoken about injustices such as what happened to an Asain family on Eastbank Esplanade. They also run various clinics and events throughout the month; their calendar is on their website if anyone is interested! 

For my last eco-challenge, I decided to do an energy audit for my apartment. My total score was 8.6, which is not too bad, but there is always room for improvement. The website stated that I was among the top energy use performers over the last 12 months. This is great to hear because my husband and I are very cautious when it comes to not using too much electricity. When not in a room, we turn off the lights, and we do not keep the AC on continuously. However, my son gets hot VERY quickly, so sometimes we turn it on more than we would like if it were just us. We also unplug the things we are not using, such as the charger, the baby monitor, and the hatch. Once I clicked on ways that I can improve my score on the website, there were some interesting options, such as choosing an energy-star-certified TV, replacing the HVAC system, and choosing appliances that are energy-star certified. A lot of the options did not apply in my circumstance because many of the changes I am not able to make due to not owning a house. 

This week (week 7), I choose to track what I spend my money on. I was not shocked to find out that I spend most of my money on food. With the weather scorching, my family and I have been going out to eat more than usual to avoid having an overheated apartment. However, there are other foods I can make that are "summer foods" that don't need the stove or oven. The next big thing I bought was gas and party supplies on amazon. My son's first birthday party is this month, so I am prepping, which means many orders from Amazon. I feel pretty guilty about ordering so much on Amazon, so I decided to go to a nearby party store. I checked out Boom Boom Balloons on Lombard. They are a local party store that carries different types of pinatas. They make them themselves there. I purchased one there and cannot wait to fill it with snacks. 

This week for my eco-challenge this week, I chose to meet a new neighbor. I recently moved into a new apartment complex and met the neighbor down two doors away from me. They have a dog named Nova, and my son loves animals so that is how we got talking. It is interesting because I am a very introverted person and having my son has caused me to be more outgoing. Especially, when he sees someone walking a pet, he has to say hi. So, it is nice getting to know who lives around you to build a sense of community. 

I love buying reusable water bottles and the idea of it but I never really execute it. I am always running late and forget to use my reusable water bottle which will then cause me to buy a plastic water bottle. I also find myself not drinking as much water as I used to. I used to drink tons of water but now I find myself gravitating towards Izzys. So for this eco-challenge, I am going to try and stop drinking so much soda and instead use my reusable water bottle to encourage me to drink more water. 

Whenever I go to the store, I always have a grocery list. I find having a grocery store list reduces food waste. This week I decided to make a meal plan and also have my typical grocery list. I have never actually made a meal plan, I really just rely on the list. I found myself forgetting key ingredients sometimes when I make my list which is frustrating. So having the meal plan as well makes it easier to not forget important ingredients I need for the meal. For Monday, I made party wings, roasted potatoes, and a salad. On Tuesday, I am going to make tofu stir fry, garlic green beans, and broccoli, On Wednesday, I am planning on making taquitos, so that will need tortillas, shredded chicken, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and black beans. On Thursday, I will be making lasagna, in which I will need pasta and pasta sauce, cottage cheese, and ground beef. On Friday I will need ground beef, romaine, avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime to make lettuce cups. 

I went to Hoffman Farm on Wednesday after the field trip with my family. This farm is located in Beaverton. It is somewhere I have wanted to go to for a while, and the weather was so great that we decided to go last minute. We were able to pick our strawberries and had a blast. It was neat seeing my son have such a great time; he was covered in strawberry juice by the time we were finished. We needed the fresh air, so it was a fantastic opportunity to pick our fruit at a local farm. The staff at the farm was friendly, and we even had strawberry milkshakes. Overall, it was so much fun. We hope to go again once blueberries are in season. 

My family and I went on a walk at cooper mountain trail today with my family. We have been here before, but never to the actual trails. There are multiple, and it is a beautiful hike. There were tons of wildflowers at this location! So that was great, we got to show my little one, and he loved looking at the flowers. We also went to another park called Spring Garden Park the other day and walked around and played on the playground. My little guy loved the splash pad and swinging on the swings. Going on hikes and going outdoors is beneficial for my baby's development, so I try to go to many different spots weekly! 

From this course, I hope to learn what exactly sustainability is and what I can change in my lifestyle to be more sustainable. My goal is to know more about ways I can be more sustainable. I would also like to take this knowledge and teach it to my son. I want him to be caring for our planet.