Tim Zimmer

For this weeks project, i decided to continue my budgeting project of last week (since I didn't do so well), and only try and buy essentials. For this, I decided to try and not buy too many groceries, and try to make meals with what I have just sitting in my pantry (pasta, ramen, soup...etc). I kind of just buy boxes of pasta here and there and the amount of boxes i collect really just add up, so it was nice to make some room in the pantry for new items and try to stick to a budget. I also re discovered some amys soups in my cupboard which I forgot about and they tasted really good. Of course i went to the grocery store to buy pasta sauce, but I only bought ingredients that would complete meals I could make out of stuff in my pantry. Not only did I save money, but I also made tons of new space for new food.

Hi guys! this week, I decided to track my purchasing and try not to purchase unecessary items. I already do some budgeting, working and being in college at the same time, and try to keep my expenses (not including rent or hospital visits) to a reasonable amount each month. I will say, I did a really good job at not eating out or getting takeout and mainly relied on the food I already had stored in my freezer. I did decide to treat myself last night to a bento box as a reward for good behavior. I also did not purchase any starbucks or new clothes this week, and I have to say that definitely helped me out with my bank account. I encourage everyone to try this exercise and keep a closer eye on their finances!

Hi everybody! Hope you had a good week :)
For my eco challenge, I decided to use public transport to go to my job. So four times, i've used the max (back and forth) to my place of work. I am lucky enough where the max stop i five blocks away from my job, so it's not too much of an inconvenience. Overall, I used the max 8 times this week. Typically I use an electric scooter to go to work so this was a nice change of pace. Also, my work offers like a fifty percent discount on monthly trimet passes, which i think is really cool, because at times it seems impossible to park downtown.

Hi guys, hope you had a good week! like many others, this week i decided to pick up trash in my neighborhood. I decided to choose this action, as it has the most visual effect of completing something for the better. So I borrowed some gloves from work and went around the block. Particularly, walking around the one block that encompuses the unversity pointe building. I spent about fifteen minutes, and mostly collected litter, including candy wrappers and a few beer cans. However, I definitely picked up so many cigarette butts, Its definitely one of the most common pieces of litter I see in downtown, and its hard to pick them up because they are so small. For the most part, PSU campus is pretty clean, and I think thats because they hire people to pick up the trash. But that doesn't mean its not worth helping out. 

If you guys smoke cigarettes, make sure not to litter them please!

Hi guys! For this week, I decided to use my reusable water bottle for my task. I have a hydro flask which i absolutely love. I feel like it's easier to hydrate when I can carry around my own personal water bottle. I work at a grocery store for long shift hours, and I tend to buy a water bottle here and there for hydration purposes. But this week was different, I brought it to my job, and the in store starbucks was nice enough to fill it up with water and ice. Out of the five days I worked I brought my personal water bottle 4/5 days. I would say,  to clean out your water bottles with soap! it can be easy to forget (lol). Sidenote: whenever I go to starbucks for a coffee, I bring my own cup, and get a 10 cent discount. Attaching a picture of my water bottle.

Hello everyone, my goal for this week was to reduce my meat intake. I will go over some of the significant meals I enjoyed this week. For breakfast, I like to enjoy a sweet onion plus fresh avocado plus everything but the bagel seasoning, which is already vegetarian so i had no need to change my diet. Notable meatless meals I ate this week were morning star brand black bean burgers, gardein "chicken nuggets", and a large amount of tortilla chips/salsa. I did enjoy a pepperoni pizza this week, but my roommate paid for it, and I am the kind of college student who will not say no to free food (lol). Besides that, I tried out some new recipes at food carts that were meatless and I really enjoyed the mushroom cheddar sandwich I tried from the Chunky Subs food cart, This week I also bought extra firm tofu and plan to make tofu tacos off a recipe I saw on tiktok. Its also notable to say I really enjoyed our food discussion in class, particularly the large amount of vegan oriented restaurants that my classmates suggested and I can't wait to try it out.

Hello everyone, for this week's eco challenge I decided to calculate my ecological footprint. I decided to use the website footprintcalculator.org. According to the website my ecological footprint is 5.2 global hectares, and my carbon footprint is 7.8 CO2 emissions in tons per year. After doing research I discovered that the average carbon footprint for an american resident is 16 c02 emissions in tons per year (one of the highest rates in the world). Keep in mind the quiz probably isn't 100% accurate, and i had to guesstimate a few of the answers. However living downtown, my transportation footprint is quite low (i use public transport the majority of the time), with the exception of one uber a week. If i wanted to decrease my footprint, I would start by subbing in more vegetables instead of meat. I encourage you guys to calculate your footprint and start calculating how you can lower your footprint :)

Hello everyone, for my ecochallenge i decided to watch a documentary on Hulu. The subject was about sustainable farming in california where regions are going through droughts. I chose this topic, because it would make me think about farming and the conditions where my daily food comes from. The video focuses on the center for irrigation technology, which self reports as having three essential functions. Field testing of technology, research related to agricultural irrigation, and a laboratory that tests and certifies irrigation equipment. The center is currently researching four different experiments, which test different aspects of water usage. 

This documentary (titled valley grown) made me question my water usage (lowkey prepping for the water usage module). Like most people, the majority of my water usage relates to getting ready for my day, particularly brushing my teeth, showering, and shaving (also washing dishes). I already "turn off the tap" while brushing my teeth, but I would also like to "turn off the tap" while shaving. This should reduce the amount of water I use on the daily :)

If you guys have any tips or personal knowledge on water usage feel free to let me know.