Sutherland Carson

For this week's theme of nature, I tried to get outside an destress when I could this week. With finals coming up, I have been pretty busy and stressed, so it was nice to have some time set aside for getting out in nature. First, I spent some time up at Powell Butte, and focused on just walking around by myself with no distractions at first. It was nice to slow down for a bit, and definitely helped lower my stress. After that, I found a spot to sit down and read, and while I was less focused on nature, it was nice to be outside instead of sitting in my room like I normally would. Additionally, I went on the class hike through Tryon Creek which was also a nice opportunity to slow down and destress. Finally, I took some time when I had it to walk around my neighborhood. While it is not truly natural, it was still nice to be outside, and I did see some cool plants and fungi growing.

For this weeks theme of consumerism, I focused on avoiding unnecessary purchases, and limiting my consumption to only my needs. I got groceries at the beginning of the week, and had a meal plan that I stuck to as well. I did go out to eat once with my girlfriend which we had already planned; however we made sure to eat at a local restaurant. Food, especially going out to eat or buying excess snacks is one of the main areas where I see my overconsumption. While it was a little challenging to stick to my plan this week, overall it was very rewarding. Outside of that, I did not purchase anything that I would consider a 'want' or a luxury item. I typically am not someone who loves shopping so this did not end up being to much of a struggle. That being said, I do spend a fair amount of my free time, and disposable income on video games to play with friends. However, this week, I did my best to replay games, or get to some games that I had rarely/never got around to playing.

For this weeks theme of transportation, I focused on avoiding driving as much as possible, and instead walking or using public transit. I either took the bus or walked to and from campus all week, which is something I normally try and do. I personally prefer this over driving to campus since parking can be hard to find. Additionally, I really enjoy walking to and from campus when the weather allows for it even though it does take awhile. Its a nice way to slow down and not feel rushed all the time. I also started an internship this week, and I was able to take the bus to it everyday as well. Doing this was a bit less convenient than taking the bus to class, since there is not a great bus route from where I live to my internship. It was also a little more stressful since I was reliant on the bus to be on time to work instead of having the control I would if I drove. That being said, I was able to make it early each day, and it was nice to integrate more public transit into my day to day routines. Because taking the bus to my internship went well this week, I plan on continuing to take the bus going forward as.

For this weeks theme of Community, I tried to organize a game night for some friends and neighbors. Sadly, a few people ended up getting sick, so we had to postpone until next weekend. That being said, it was nice and refreshing to plan an event that did not rely on going out or having to buy things, and could instead be done easily with what we already had. While the game night did not happen, I was able to reconnect a bunch of old friends and classmates in town that I had not seen for years at this point through a mutual friends birthday. It also took place at a bar run by some family friends, which really brought at the feeling of community as well. Overall, while the community event I tried to set-up did not work out this week, I still feel like I got to go and reconnect with people and parts of my community that I have not really seen in awhile.

For this weeks eco-challenge around water, I tried to reduce my water usage a few different ways. First, I made sure to not waste any water while brushing my teeth this week. This is not something that I normally have too much of a problem with, but I wanted to stay on top of it for this weeks eco-challenge. Next, I also made sure to not waste water while shaving this week. I tend to be much lazier when it comes to shaving, and will leave water running when I do not need it. While it was a little more annoying, and time consuming, it also saved a lot of water that I normally would waste. I am going to try and stay consistent with that going forward, and make sure I am not wasting water while shaving, even if it is a little bit annoying at times. Finally, I made sure to limit my shower length to as short as possible, while also limiting my hot water usage more than normal. I tend to enjoy hot showers, which also usually makes me spend more time in the shower, so limiting both temperature and length was easier for me than just doing one. Overall, while limiting my water usage in these ways was at times inconvenient, or less pleasant than normal, it ultimately saved a lot of water that I would normally waste

For my food eco-challenge this week, I decided to do two things. First I went meatless this week; however I am pescatarian, so this is not too abnormal for me. When I do not eat fish, I typically rely on tofu and soy curls as my two main protein substitutes. I also find that it can be cheaper and easier for me to go meatless, especially using soy curls. Soy curls come dehydrated and shelf-stable, so you can buy them in bulk and save money in the long run. Because going meatless this week felt like an easy thing for me to do, I decided to also spend some time researching the types of seafood that are least sustainable using seafoodwatch.org. Specifically, I looked at salmon and tuna, because these are the two types of fish I enjoy and consume the most. For salmon, I found that farmed Coho salmon from Chile, Atlantic salmon farmed in Canada, Chile, Norway, and Scotland (there are some exceptions to this), and Chinook salmon caught in Puget Sound and Southern British Columbia are the least sustainable, and are best to avoid if possible. For tuna, I found that Atlantic, Pacific and Southern bluefin tuna (there are some exceptions but generally not sustainable), bigeye tuna caught in the U.S. Atlantic, tuna caught using drifting longlines, and tuna caught in the Indian Ocean are generally not sustainable. Going forward, I am going to do my best to avoid these sources of salmon and tuna, especially when grocery shopping. I am also going to try and use this resource to look at the sustainability of other seafood I eat in the future, since I only looked at the two.

For this weeks theme of energy, I have been really trying to turn off all lights and electronics when not in use. While these are things I try to do normally, I end up forgetting to do turn off lights and electronics way more than I should. Because of that, I have really been trying to be conscious of what I am using, and making sure I am turning everything off that is not in use. I am hoping to stay focused and consistent on this going forward as well

This week I was really busy with school and work, so I did not have a lot of time to take on a big eco challenge with regards to waste. That being said, I decided to work on finding recycling depots for items that I need to recycle, but can't just throw into the recycling bin. Specifically, I wanted to look at places to recycle used and broken electronics, since I have a few items that no longer work that I have been needing to recycle for a little while. With this, I found quite a few results, however many were either misleading in what items they can recycle, or were primarily aimed at businesses and would require a fee to recycle the broken electronics. The two best options I found were Free Geek, and the Metro Central Transfer Station. Free Geek was definitely the better of the two, as they refurbish and donate the used electronics to people in need if possible, and recycle the ones that cannot be fixed. Metro on the other hand was just recycling items, however they are able to recycle more types of traditionally non-recyclable items. I plan on setting up a time to give my broken electronics to free geek in the coming days; however I am open to advice if anyone knows of better spots to donate used and broken electronics!