Janny Lai

This week I collected rainwater! It has been raining a lot recently so I thought this would be the perfect time to do so. My parents have a garden and I sometimes help them upkeep it. We like collecting rainwater so we don't have to waste water especially when it rains so much here. Something I also did was simply enjoy nature. I think we all get lost in our busy lives and have little time to enjoy the outside so that's what I did. I went to a park and sat under a gazebo while it was raining and read a book or painted. It was very therapeutic and I highly recommend it to everyone! 

This week I chose not to buy anything that I didn't need. I'm usually good with my money and don't spend a lot but there are times when I feel an impulse buy coming. I also work at a retail store so it's hard to resist the temptation of cute clothing but I managed to pull through! Something that has helped me is to only carry cash and keep my card at home so even if I feel tempted to buy something I most likely won't have the money for it. 

Public Transit
I'm fortunate enough to live 7 minutes away from a bus stop and light rail station so I take public transit most of the time. However, I do get a ride if I am going to campus most of the time but this week I have pushed myself into taking the light rail. I'm also making it an enjoyable experience by finding new places I can go to via public transit. I don't explore much without a ride but you can actually go pretty far away without one! I live in SE Portland but I was able to go all the way to Beaverton using the MAX. The only thing I had to keep in mind is managing my time well. 

I took a walk around my neighborhood and picked up litter! It was nice to get a breath of fresh air and also help the area I live in. There was actually less litter around my neighborhood than I thought but there was a ton at a nearby park. I did this with a friend and it was nice to chat with her while doing it. If you ever have spare time parks are always in need of a little clean-up! 

This week I watched the Story of Bottled Water. It was interesting to learn about bottled water and consumerism. While water is virtually free, millions of bottled water are still being bought today. I think many people are scared of tap water and that's because of the media that we consume. Many companies create ads that scare people away from tap water and lead them to buy bottled water. In reality, bottled water may be no better than regular tap water. I stopped buying bottled water years ago and switched to a hydro flask which I think everyone should try and use a reusable water bottle! Something else a lot of people doesn't think about is the water restaurants serve you is probably from the tap! If you're drinking tap water from a restaurant then there is no difference from drinking tap water at home. 

This week I decided to eat vegan and meatless meals. I have a friend who is vegan so whenever we go out and eat she shows me new vegan places to try! This week we went to Jade Rabbit which is an Asian vegan restaurant and also went to Ice Queen which serves vegan Mexican popsicles. Both were very good I totally recommend them! I also made some meals that were meatless. Some dishes I made were veggie kimbap, spicy tofu soup, and salt and pepper tofu. I eat mostly Asian food so I tried making dishes that I would usually eat on a regular basis. 

I'm not sure if any of you know but lead has been a problem for Portland's drinking water for many years. It has even been reported that our lead problem is worse than Flint's. Lead is a toxin that can negatively affect everyone but is especially harmful to children and pregnant people. It can cause behavioral problems and pregnant people have a higher chance of a miscarriage. Something everyone can do is to have a filter if you do drink tap water and know where your source of water is coming from since you can't see, smell, or taste it. 

Two local organizations I researched that promote sustainability are Friends of Trees and SCRAP Creative Reuse. Friends of Trees helps combat the consequences of climate change by planting trees in communities. They have different programs that engage the community while also creating a more sustainable environment. They have plenty of tree planting events that you can sign up for on their website. SCRAP Creative Reuse is a network of creative reuse centers. This nonprofit organization was first started by teachers who wanted to make use of their leftover classroom materials. There are centers that collect discarded materials from the community and resell them for a bargain. You can get involved by visiting their reuse center and either donating or volunteering there!