Lissette Gomez

This week I dedicated some time doing some research. One thing I did was found some environmental movements and petitions. I found one that hit very close to home. I found a petition that aimed to create roadside projects where the monarch butterflies can stop, rest and replenish during their migration in order to stop their decline. I was very drawn to this because my family lives just an hour away from the monarch's final destination in Mexico. The monarch's cover the trees there completely, making them look orange.

I also did some research on Portland's neighborhood projects. This required some time as I decided to find out which neighborhoods were the most economically-deprived in Portland. After this I decided to see what projects are in the process all throughout Portland. As I went down the list I located the projects on a map in order to see if any of these fell within the boundaries of the "worst" neighborhoods. I found that on average half or a little less than half were taking place in or near these neighborhoods. The projects include new paving, new greenways, bike lanes, and more. I thought I would be disappointed by my findings but I was pretty satisfied to know that they are giving lower-income neighborhoods funds for beneficial projects like these. 

This week I was able to watch The Biggest Little Farm which I absolutely loved. It was great to see how the farm "balanced out" throughout the years and how the couple were able to find solutions to their problems without having to use monoculture methods. My favorite creative solution was when the orchards were infested with snails and they released the ducks into the field to eat all of the snails.
This week I also devoted some time into thinking about the items I purchase (food and other necessities) and whether or not I will need to use single-use plastic. I have been able to say "no" to items like straws and plastic bags. This required some thinking ahead or simply saying "no" to a drink at the coffee shop. I have also invested in some reusable bags for bulk items to help with the elimination of single-use bags.

This week I did not have much time to do some of the actions I wanted to do previously but I plan on doing those this following week. This week I was able to sign some petitions on the Black Lives Matter page and on another page.  Here are some that I signed regarding COVID-19. I have been very passionate about this subject and have compared the US with other governments who have been more successful in containing the virus. I watched The Story of Bottled Water and it absolutely blew my mind realizing how much we have been manipulated and are manipulated every day by large corporations. It makes me more aware of what I am being sold and how much more research I should do when buying products.