Micah Chrisman

I completed a small step towards my goal of cutting down on my CO2 emissions via driving less. Last week, I discussed walking to my local H-Mart rather than driving, given that despite the distance being walkable, it is much more convenient to drive (a sort of middle ground of almost too long to walk, but too short a drive to justify driving). That being said, I decided to run an errand this past Wednesday and committed to walking rather than driving. While this was a small step, I believe it is the beginning of a new habit that can slowly but surely reduce my negative impact on the planet.

Oftentimes, for convenience's sake, when grocery shopping, I will drive. For larger grocery runs, especially to places farther away, it is necessary, however, I live relatively close to H-Mart, and will drive there despite it being so close, and my grocery list being relatively short. Now that the weather is getting nicer, it would be easy to walk to H-Mart rather than drive to save on gas and emissions. By doing this, I can cut down more on my emissions, even if it's just by a little, and potentially make a difference in the long term. And for instances in which I have a larger list of groceries, I can take my bike too!

I decided to accomplish two goals related to water this week, given that they individually did not feel like it was quite enough of a change, but the two together were much more worthwhile in terms of a lifestyle change. This week and from now on, I will not waste water via the sink running while brushing my teeth, and not wait for the shower to heat up before getting in.
I already turn off the sink while brushing my teeth, but I realized that as I am reaching the end of my routine, I will turn it back on and leave it on for a minute or two as I am finishing up (since I'll need the water again at the very end), but overcoming this somewhat oddly placed laziness, I can use less water in daily routine. Furthermore, trying to rinse my mouth after mouthwash faster, while it might seem minuscule, can also help in the long run with water usage.
I, like most people, tend to wait for the water to warm up before getting into the shower, but this leads to so much wasted water! Cutting down on this by hopping in the shower immediately upon turning it on has the potential to save countless gallons of water long-term. I will say the cold water initially pours out can quite literally feel shocking at first, but you surprisingly get used to it. The slow increase in temperature is also quite a satisfying feeling as well.

I decided to cut down on plastic use, which can negatively affect marine life. Specifically by cutting straws out of my life altogether (hopefully). I actually have many glass and metal straws at home that I use when making drinks of any kind at home, but I never bother to bring them with me when going out. This, of course, leads to receiving plastic straws from any place serving food/drinks that have them. Putting an effort towards bringing at least 1 reusable straw with me or even simply having one on me at all times is a great way to cut back even during impulse buying.
One problem I found is that my love for boba tea makes bringing my straw difficult due to the size difference of the straws necessary for boba drinks. So I went and bought a metal boba straw as well for this very purpose!
My current struggle at the moment, despite my excitement with my new personal "no plastic straw initiative," is that after using said straw while out and about, I am left with an unclean straw and no container to put it in. Even if I did have a container or pouch of some kind to put the straw in, it would inevitably get quite dirty. If this is a reality I have to accept to be free of plastic straws, then so be it, but if anyone has any recommendations in terms of a way to clean a straw on the go, or a type of reusable straw container that fulfills its purpose wonderfully, please let me know!

This week, I decided to try more meatless meals. I do use meat alternatives now and again, specifically tofu, however, I have not been doing a very good job about cutting down on meat (especially this past month). However, I came across a recipe where, rather than cutting tofu into cubes like most tofu recipes, it involved breaking it apart into very small bits to replicate ground beef. As someone who enjoys ground beef/turkey over rice for easy dinners and meal prep, I was excited to try this. Despite the texture difference between ground meat and this ground tofu alternative, it was delicious and, once again, really easy to make!
Especially after learning about how much energy and water it takes to produce beef products, I have become a hard advocate of ground turkey as an alternative, but thanks to this recipe, I found a way to not just find more energy-efficient alternatives, but an amazing alternative to ground meat altogether.

I am sure there are many recipe websites with a bunch of recipe options, but I found surfing TikTok as a great way to find a variety of shredded/ground tofu-style recipes quickly and easily.

Today, I decided to change out my incandescent lightbulbs for LED. My apartment is relatively small, but I have 6 sources of light total, and I have decided to change out 5 of them (one is a UV lightbulb to help indoor plants). By switching to LED, I can not only save money on my utility bill, but also decrease my use of energy overall.
It is important to keep lights and electronics turned off when not in use, and I am doing a fairly decent job at this; however, by switching to LED, I can further decrease my energy use. I learned that LED lights typically have a lifespan of anywhere between 25,000 and 50,000 hours, which means certain LED bulbs can last up to 50 times longer than incandescent (lifespan typically ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 hours). So not only am I saving money and decreasing my energy usage, but I am cutting down significantly on consumerism, specifically in regard to lightbulbs!

Given that shopping second-hand (when it comes to sustainable fashion) is quite common in Portland, I decided change gears and not just educate myself on the effects of fast fashion/the fashion industry in general, but to look for ethical brands that are much more environmentally conscious in terms of their production and/or material use.

I learned a few things via reading articles: 60% of synthetic fabrics are made utilizing fossil fuels, and 85% of that material will end up in landfills, where it won't decay/decompose. (Young, Robin & Hagan, Allison). Take polyester, for example: Not only are greenhouse gases emitted to produce it, but it sheds microfibers as well.
Many are aware of the extreme work conditions many garment production facilities entail, but what I did not know is that ethical labor costs/workspaces would not cost companies much more than what they're already spending. "Labor costs account for 1% to 3% of an item’s retail price," (Young, Robin & Hagan, Allison).

Here are some sustainable brands I found that source ethically, use organic material, and do much more to stay as sustainable as possible. (Of course, buying second-hand will always be better, but finding more ethical options when you need a brand-new quality blank, etc., is much better than finding a cheap, fast fashion option.):

1. E.L.V. Demin (0 waste via sourcing from vintage denim sellers that would otherwise send material to landfills)
2. Todd Shelton (Uses organic material and makes items to order to prevent excess waste of material and product)
3. Taylor Stitch (Lifetime warranty and re-stitch program to promote repeated/constant use of a single product)
Some other sustainable options:
- Olderbrothers
- Seneca
- Patina
- L.F. Markey
- O Pioneers
- CHNGE