Jesse Anderson

Simplicity/Consumerism

The biggest thing I worked on this week was weighing my wants vs. needs. I am quite the consumer and am quite prone to giving in to my impulsive spending urges. This week I only spent money on necessities such as groceries and gas. I had a few opportunites to go out to get food with friends but ended up turning them down becuase I didn't want to waste any of the food I had at home - with the exception of going out to grab some Lunch with Thomas after our time at the Learning Gardens, but he paid so technically I didn't cheat on that challenge :) I also spent some time going through my closet and storage spaces and found some old clothing that I decided to take to Goodwill. Additionally, I helped my dad with a donation run to the ReStore on Beaverton which is a great way of decluttering and giving back to the community.

Thank you so much to everyone for making this class an enjoyable experience! I wish you all well on your future endeavors!

Nature

I worked on my appreciation for nature by spending more time outside in various capacities. I enjoyed the sunset every night this week and was up early enough for a sunrise this morning which was beautiful. I live near a park which I frequently walk - however I am typically playing Pokemone GO when I do this, so instead I left my phone at home and enjoyed the company of my dogs and the essence of nature on my walks. I often forget how therapeutic this is and need to remind myself to do it more often. I also spent a few hours doing some landscaping and blackberry eradication this morning which was quite satisfying (until it started to warm up). Overall, this week I noticed just how much I take nature for granted and know that we need to be proactive about preserving it before it's too late!

For my Transportation Ecochallnges, I did a couple different things:

1. Drive less and combine trips - This week I didn't drive anywhere I didn't need to. The only time I drove was to/from Sunflower farms (with the exception of grabbing a nearby lunch with some classmates), and Work. I had just gone grocery shopping over the weekend and was well stocked on everything I needed for this week. I did carpool with a buddy to see a concert, but he drives an EV so it was EXTRA environmentally conscious :)

2. Walk instead of driving (when possible) - Every once in a while my buddy and I go up to town (about a 4 mile walk round trip) to get drinks in the evening. We did this twice this week, but instead of driving we decided to walk. It was great exercise and I also didn't waste any gas driving up there. It was relatively warm walking up there, but on our way home it was nice and cool in the evening. I think this is what I will do anytime I go out to the strip where I got drinks with my friend.

My day-to-day routine is hard to change due to where I live so it is a little tricky working around a lot of the transportation barriers. Ultimately, I would like to have an EV of my own so that my daily commute is more eco-friendly.

For my Community Ecochallenges I chose to do a couple different things.

1. Meet at least 1 neighbor each day. I live in a cul-de-sac and over the years we have had new residents move in who I had not yet acquainted myself with. I went out of my to knock on a couple of neighbors doors and introduce myself which seemed a little silly because I had seen them in passing, but it was nice to have a formal introduction.

2. I practiced active listening with someone who I may not agree with - My coworker and I get into some interesting conversations and there were a few times this week where she started ranting about stuff that I absolutely didn't agree with. However, instead of stopping the conversation, I just listened to try to understand her point of view (which I still disagree with).

3. I actually made up an ecochallenge which was to go to a community organized event (Go to a Jam/Live music). As a musician, I frequently go to support my friends and other local musicians whenever they have gigs around town. My buddy plays in a band that played at the Alberta St. Pub the other night and I went to that. Live music is always fun, especially when you are with like-minded people who also appreciate it.

4. Not necessarily an ecochallenge, but after our time at Sunflower Farms this week, Bernard, Thomas, Ella (who isn't in the class), and I went out to lunch and chatted for a little while. It's always great to have REAL in-person conversations!

For my Water ecochallenge I chose to conserve water by not running any water while brushing my teeth as well as limiting my showers to 5 minutes. The teethbrushing challenge wasn't too difficult as I rarely run my tap if I'm not washing my hands or face, but I was definitely more conscious of it this week. The shower challenge was a little more difficult for me becuase showering is either a time for me to decompress or get mentally prepared for the day and it can be very easy to lose track of time. I set an obnoxious timer on the opposite side of my bathroom so that I would have to get out to turn it off (and not let it run long enough to wake up my roommates - however I don't think that worked every time). Even if some of these changes are miniscule, getting in the mindset of conservation in just one aspect of my life is helping me to be more conscious of my behavior everywhere else.

For my Food challnege this week I chose to eat one meatless and one vegan meal each day. I didn't find this to be particularly difficult becuase I prepped my meals. In the morning, I would eat a bowl of cottage cheese with some buffalo sauce and a little bit of ranch seasoning (Meatless meal) - If you are a fan of cottage cheese I strongly recommend it. For my lunch I would have a garden salad with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt (for my vegan meal). I am generally a grazer and have smaller meals throughout my day, but having a solid breakfast and a decent lunch earlier in the day helps me stay full (and energized) throughout my work days.

I picked a few different ecochallenges this week.

1. Heat and cool naturally (Energy)

- I did my best to keep my windows open all night and shut them before it sarted to warm up in the morning. Additionally, I used fans to cerculate cool air throughout my house, but rememebered to turn them off at night as to not waste electricity.

2. Power down the computer (Energy)

- Any time that I wasn't using my computer, gaming console, or screens, I made sure to completely shut them down and unplug them (as opposed to just letting them "sleep" while conected to their respective power strips/chargers.

3. Turn off lights and electronics (Energy)

- This one was a little trickier for me because I live with 4 other people and we are all on very different schedules (I think at least one person is awake in the house 24/7). I did my part by trying to do as much as I could without having lights on, as well as hang drying my laundry and washes my dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.

4. Go paperless and opt out of junk mail (Waste)

- I went through a few piles of mail and tried to switch to go paperless with as many mail services as possible. I already don't get too much paper mail so most of it ends up being junk anyway.