Rosie Migsan

Five or more sustainability practices in the Choices for Sustainable Living:
1. Reduce, Reuse or Recycle- In our house hold we are big on doing this. We try to reduce the food waste. So if we make the food, we try not to eat out if we can prevent it. Sometimes it can be difficult because we work long hours and food ingredients that we buy may spoil before we have a chance to put them to good use. My boyfriend and I have been working towards going to the grocery store and buying only ingredients needed for the food we are going to make and ensuring that we eat them by the end of the week. It's all about planning. We tend to reuse plastic containers that we get from take out(usually on weekends to give us a break of cooking). We will re-wash them along with the utensils which saves us from having to dispose of them and allows us to take to work. The utensils usually get thrown away if they break but the containers last a long time and come in handy when we have extra food to give to the family during gatherings. We recycle weekly. We take cardboard, plastics (not able to be used again) and metals to the landfill. And we go to a bottle dispensary to turn in plastic bottles and glass that we can get back money for.
2. Choose Renewable Energy: In the house that we have upstate we have Solar panels. For the house we have in Connecticut, we are in the process of getting estimates to start planning for installation of Solar Panels.
3. Carpooling: Generally if we are going to the same place we try to use one car. So if we are going to the movies or to a family gathering. Sometimes this doesn't always work because my work schedule can be hectic and I would have to leave on short notice. For example, last year my boyfriend, his parents and I went to thanksgiving dinner with family in New Jersey. His parents went ahead because they had to help with the preparation and I got out of work late so I needed to get ready. So my boyfriend and I took a second car. However, an hour after I got to the family's dinner, I was told I had to be at work in 4 hours. So I had to pack up dinner and head back leaving my boyfriend behind. My work schedule sometimes forces me to take a separate car because work times can be unpredictable. We can't bike or walk because it is unsafe on our roads. The only downside to living in the country versus the city.
4. Conserve Water: When we shower, we tend to try to take quick showers. But for times where shaving or washing your hair may take more time, we modify how we use water. So generally while we are scrubbing our scalps or body's we make sure the water is off. For times when we are shaving we tend to have a bowl filled with water so we can keep the water off and turn it back on when we are rinsing our skins. Brushing our teeth, we keep the water off and turn it back on when rinsing our mouths. When washing the dishes, we soap up all the dishes while the water is off and then turn it back on to rinse off the soap. For pots and pans that may require more work, we let it soak so it is easier to clean.
5. Using reusable bags; saving gift bags: Whenever we go shopping, we use reusable bags which comes in handy for any shopping we do. Whenever I receive gift bags, I try to see how I can use them for later use. This comes in handy for birthday's and Christmas. When, I give my boyfriend a gift in a gift bag, I will take it right after to use for another occasion. The good thing about this, is doesn't notice that it is the same gift bag from last year. I mean, what is the point of throwing it away?! It can totally be used for the following year. It also is cost affective.
6. Go paperless: If I can, I try to choose the paperless option. One because I am really bad with opening mail and two, it just ends up getting shredded and discarded. It saves me time and I get to contribute a bit on how limiting excess and unnecessary waste.
7. Supporting local businesses: For vegetable's that our neighbor has, we try to buy from him versus going to a supermarket. Even if it is only seasonal, it allows less traveling and for us to support him in his quest to promote sustainable living. The trouble with this is exactly that. It is seasonal. After about 14 weeks which is usually around the Summer, he can't grow the same crops due to the weather.

Hi All! My name is Gabriella. I am going to be honest. I originally took this class due to me needing it for my major. But after reading about the course description, I was more intrigued about what the course had to offer. Each week and with each assignment I have been impressed with a different outlook on sustainability.

I cannot imagine that I have made a major impact in my efforts to be conscience about waste but I know it is something. When I use to live in the city, I use to walk more even if it took an hour to get to some places as it helped with how I contributed to toxins in the air. I definitely recycled and now that I live upstate we go to the dump weekly. I honestly didn't know what a dump was until I began living up here. It is a way to separate things like trash and recyclables in a more ecofriendly manner. When we go to the house in Connecticut we have something called a compose that is for food that is biodegradable and allows for a more ecofriendly way to get rid of food. The bottles that can be exchanged for money are done. Some herbs we grow ourselves such as parsley and basil. We support our neighbors who grow vegetables out of their garden and sell it.

When it comes to contributing to society, I grew up volunteering and at one point volunteered for a non-profit organization called God's Love We Deliver. Around the holiday's such as Thanksgiving and Christmas I would drive and deliver food to people who were in need. As a teenager, I was involved with a leadership program that would clean-up parks and help out in soup kitchens. I haven't volunteered in about a year but hope to do so again when my schedule allows for it.

I have joined the challenge to learn a different perspective on sustainability. I also want to learn new ways on how I can help make an impact.