For the past two weeks, I have felt a much stronger connection to the environment, which has everything to do with the EcoChallenges that I have been checking off in recent days. The “water” category under the EcoChallenge website has been particularly impactful this past week. The Hetch Hetchy Debate reading provided an insight into these challenges that changed my perspective on the importance of water, and its protection. I feel that in past years, I have taken advantage of the unlimited water resources that were available to me, however, my recent challenges of shorter showers and limiting water when brushing my teeth have made me much more conscious about why and when I use water, in addition to how lucky I am to have it. This debate really spoke to me as so many environmental causes like it are combatted for convenience. This is something that I personally struggle with, as so many of the EcoChallenges are to some point, inconveniencing. While the end result of the fight for Hetch-Hetchy was disappointing, it did shed light on why it is so important to value the future of our planet, over day-to-day convenience. This has been a large factor in what has motivated me to stay consistent in my tasks, even when they get in the way of time efficiency. The “food” category has been impactful as well. The reading from week 5; Naturally by Michael Pollan provided me with awareness of the corruption within the organic market. This made me more aware of what I have been eating and the impact my decisions have on the environment.

Reading about the historical and cultural origins of the counterculture food movement from Naturally by Michael Pollan informed me of how organic food has been a movement for longer than I had originally understood. This, in addition to the information under the EcoChallenges I have been completing, has shown me the personal impact I can make. Beforehand it was more difficult for me to understand that I could have an impact, however now I know that I am responsible for making an effort to make changes, to minimize my harmful impacts on the environment. These origins show how while thinking that a certain act (like buying organic food), has a positive impact, it can also have the opposite effect depending on its background and current corruption. This has made me significantly more aware on what brands mean when they say “organic” which has changed the way I think about many large (technically organic), brands. The challenge that has stood out to me the most in terms of relating it to conservation and the history of counterculture food has been reducing animal products in my daily meals (under the “food” category).

Journal 4

What I have learned about myself throughout the daily challenges is that I genuinely am a lazy person especially when it comes to going on the daily walks or choosing organic ingredients when eating meals since the fries always look good or the burritos sound good but choosing scratch-made meals and also eating the organic fruit bought form giant is way better for our carbon footprint but also at times harder to acquire than regular processed packaged meals. This daily challenge definitely has had me thinking critically about what is going into my body. For example, after watching the video of “ Real Food” I became skeptical about the foods I was eating making sense of what is actually good for my body and what is not. Coming back to the egg dilemma, is it good or bad for us? Well turns out it is good for us not like what medical experts said that it is a cause for high cholesterol levels, which ended up being false. After watching this video I started thinking about other labels or foods we've been told are bad for us or good for us and ended up being false. What I have learned about the relationship with our environment through the daily challenges is that minimalism has definitely decreased the amount of personal waste I create throughout the day, being more conscious about the amount of water I am using and light energy since at the end of the day it has to be paid one way or the other and to generate that power or water there are factories that are polluting ecosystems for me to have this energy source. So ultimately every choice we make in our lives whether that be consuming food water or light energy has an indirect impact on the environment maybe not a mile or two down the road but entire waterways feeding into hundreds of communities are being affected by us humans from our waste mostly and luxury of commodities that in other circumstances would be managed a lot harsher. Some of the impacts can be water pollution, watershed pollution, air pollution, factories creating aluminum for our vehicles release chemical pollution into waterways then getting into the fish and ultimately into our bodies. Origins and history of conservation relate to the challenges in the way that most of the challenges revolve around energy conservation tying into the first couple of policies the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act in the 1900’s. And especially because the NEPA has remained focused on controlling industries and pollution regarding breathable air and drinkable water. The cultural origins relate to the original cultures being native Americans mostly and their symbiotic relationships with Mother Earth, they didn't face climate change or water contaminated or polluted air. They made sure that even when taking from the giving earth they had to give back in some way so they would keep the fish healthy, their ways of living were sustainable like taking cold showers and not using much water since they had no water heaters, almost like the shower head challenge focusing on the reduction of water usage.

Sources:

Energy5, E. C. (2023, November 6). The intersection of renewable energy and water conservation. Energy5. https://energy5.com/the-intersection-of-renewable-energy-and-water-conservation#anchor-1

Sources

The intersection of Renewable Energy and Water Conservation. Energy5. (2023, November 6). https://energy5.com/the-intersection-of-renewable-energy-and-water-conservation#anchor-1

Kaiser-Schatzlein, R. (2021, April 24). The history of New York, told through its trash. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-history-of-new-york-told-through-its-trash

MCGRATH, M. (2019). INTRODUCTION: THE GATHERING STORM Baby Boomers and Their Discontent. In Food for Dissent: Natural Foods and the Consumer Counterculture since the 1960s (pp. 1–14). University of Massachusetts Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvpbnpbk.5

Weil, A. (2014, June 10). Real food | the best diet | Andrew Weil, M.D. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRTKgp5nz18

I chose to heat and cool the room naturally for my energy challenge. I have learned that I enjoy having natural airflow in my room. Heating the room naturally does not feel super effective, but I have a large window and keep the shades open at all times to let sunlight in. When the room gets too hot, my roommate and I turn on our fan and open the windows. It is refreshing to have outdoor air passing through our room, and it is effective in cooling the room. I am not sure that this is tempering the room completely naturally because my dorm does not allow us to shut down the air conditioning system, but I keep it at a moderate temperature and try to use the window and fan to adjust accordingly.

The food category has further solidified to me that I enjoy eating whole foods more than processed goods. My favorite meals at the dining hall are scrambled eggs with vegetables for breakfast and the vegetarian stir fry station for dinner. These meals are both relatively unprocessed, and I feel satisfied whenever I eat them. I also love the smoothies from the dining hall, which are made with whole ingredients as well. This challenge has proven to be easier than expected because I have realized that the processed food I eat is usually in the form of snacking, not meals. It might be more effective to focus on whole-food snacks.

My health challenge is to write down three things I am grateful for each day. I have learned that I have a lot to appreciate in every part of my life. I am generally a positive person, but like everyone else, I find myself looking at life through a negative lens sometimes. I am not sure that this eco-challenge habit could pull me out of a difficult mental state, but I think it is powerful in preventing me from reaching such a point in the first place, which is a much more sustainable goal anyway.

2) I have learned that the environment can provide so much value that I have not yet taken advantage of, that is, until doing the challenges in these last four categories. As I mentioned before, I have taken value from my attempt to heat and cool the room naturally. “Renewable energy… [offers] significant advantages in mitigating climate change” (The Intersection of Renewable Energy and Water Conservation). Although using direct sunlight to warm the room is different than typical solar-powered energy, it is the same idea and proves to have less of an impact on the environment. Therefore, since the environment can offer me so much, it is only right that I try to limit my negative effects on it.

Water is another environmental factor that provides so much value and that I often take for granted. My challenge of taking shorter showers has emphasized this idea. Since “water conservation practices ensure the availability of freshwater resources for present and future generations,” I must make sure to stay conscious about conserving water (The Intersection of Renewable Energy and Water Conservation).

3) The historical and cultural origins of the counterculture food movement and conservation are manifested in modern ways through the challenges in these categories. The counterculture food movement was originally practiced by very distinct groups of people, particularly hippies and organic farmers. The food movement was a fight for a more sustainable food system, orchestrated by people such as Gene Kahn (Pollan). As “the control of Cascadian Farm wound up in corporate hands” and Kahn began taking a business approach to the food movement, the meaning of organic and the counterculture push changed. However, the fact that it changed does not mean that it is less impactful or gone. One of my health challenges is to eat two whole-food meals a day, which aligns with the argument of the early counterculture food movement and the overarching missions of modern-day industrial organic farms.

Another aspect of the counterculture food movement and conservation was related to food sovereignty. Carol Flinders, an early member of this food movement, recalled the value of “food intimacy in ‘one another’s backyards…’” (McGrath). My one-time challenge was to watch a documentary on food sovereignty. The documentary I watched emphasized the value of native people’s ability to grow their food on their own land. This connects back to the early countercultural supporters in Food for Dissent. Further, it emphasizes that native people have been practicing the values pushed in the counterculture movement since the beginning of their time, far before the movement emerged in the 1900s.

2. I have learned how much impact we have on our personal environment through this challenge. One of the things I chose to do was meal prep. It is sort of difficult to do as a freshman in college, however I like to write down what I want my meals to be for the day then plan my day around that. This “meal prepping” has helped me eat healthier and more sustainable food products. In “Real food, the best diet” the guy talked about how important it is to cut out sugary drinks. I used to like to drink a vanilla latte once every few days, but now I tend to just get Americanos. I also feel that meal prepping helps our personal environment. By making sustainable and healthy choices (such as buying farmers market organic strawberries as opposed to Walmart brand) we are contributing to a better life for ourselves and for the environment. By meal prepping, I am able to plan my meals and where the food comes from. I can support local farmers by planning my meals and what I'll need before I go out to shop and then shop at a farmers market.

3. The historical origins of conservation and the counterculture that I relate to the eco challenge is Hetch Hetchy. They wanted to build a dam so that the people of San Francisco would have water, however some people disagreed because they felt it would ruin a national park. We know that they did build the dam and it was good. In our reading about organic farming, we learned that a lot of the mom and pop farms were sold to big corporations and now most of the big corporations claim to be organic. These are related to the challenges because it shows us that we have to look outside the box. For instance, if I really want something fresh, organic, and to support local farmers, I should go to a farmers market rather than the grocery store to get my produce. For my one time challenge this week, I chose to host a viewing party of a documentary. I am excited to find a good one to share with my friends! I want to find one about American farms and organic food.

From the health challenge, I learned that building more movement into my day really isn’t that hard. For my joyful movement, I’ve just been playing music that I can dance to while I get ready for the day, and it has made me feel happier and more energized in the morning. I know I talked about how hard it feels for me to add things to my life, but building more joy and movement into something I have to do anyway (get dressed and ready every morning), it has felt pretty easy. My other health challenge has been loving-kindness meditation, which I have been doing for a couple minutes before bed. I used to journal every day, but on nights when I was up late I wouldn’t want to take the time to do it, so I stopped recently, but the meditation makes me want to get back to the journaling practice. The meditation itself is nice–I like having a chance to clear my mind and think of something positive before I go to sleep–and I think getting back to my journaling practice would help me do that, too.
2. Through my water and energy challenges, I realized that, especially when I’m at Bucknell, I’m not very frequently thinking about the amount of resources I’m using. When I’m at home and know that my parents are paying for electricity, water, etc, I'm very cognizant of how long my showers are, when I leave the lights on, what electronics I leave plugged in, etc. But on campus, more of that falls to the wayside when I don’t have to think about who’s paying for it. Timing my showers and unplugging anything I wasn't using, however, made my resource consumption far more top of mind. When Dr. Udo came into class and in reading the Sustainability Plan, I realized how much my individual actions contribute to a larger campus climate, and also that my actions have more than just economic effects. My daily water and energy choices definitely contributed to the “waste and consumption reduction” area of behavioral change that the Sustainability Plan seeks to foster in individuals on campus, and seeing this framed as helping to “[reduce] waste status, [achieve] carbon neutrality along with [enhance] the ecological conservation and restoration of campus,” I connected my behaviors to larger environmental goals, and learned that I need to keep those in mind regardless of where I am (15). In Maryland and Lewisburg, it’s the same resources we are trying to protect.
Being more aware of the food I’m eating in the last week has also made me realize how much of what I consume is only distantly related to the environment. Even in getting my meatless meat, because I was dead set on making taco pasta, I recognized how removed that is from natural food and food cultivating processes. I also got a very sizable shipment of Valentines Day candy from my parents that I was happily eating, probably a direct contributor to Dr. Weil’s data about Americans’ total sugar intake skyrocketing in the last 160 years. As I was watching his lecture, and arrived at his point that we are eating more processed foods than ever before that are so far from what nature produces and have displaced real food in our diet, I was eating a cup of microwave Kraft Mac & Cheese–ironic, right? Though all of these things are technically vegetarian, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any detrimental environmental contributions or health contributions for me. Dr. Weil’s talk demonstrated to me that those two things (my health and the environment) aren’t actually that far apart–what’s most beneficial for the environment would most likely be the most beneficial for me, and vice versa. My current diet is fraying my relationship with the environment, distancing me from what it naturally produces and in the most convenient for me cases, is leading me to contribute poorly back into it, which is something I would like to continue to address.
3. Beginning as far back as our class history covered, many of the water challenges probably stem back to environmental concerns raised during the Hetch Hetchy debates. Warren Olney explained that the reason they wanted to dam the Tuolumne River was to give the Bay of San Francisco area the access to a sufficient amount of water for their growing population, and other small streams wouldn’t be enough. While those on the other side argued for the importance of preserved, untouched landscapes in the National Parks, one thing that never came up was if the Bay area truly needed that much water. After the Hetch Hetchy Dam tarnished a beautiful environment and as we’ve depleted many more water sources since these debates, the need to reduce our own personal water consumption is extremely clear; almost every single one of the water challenges was aimed at using less water in our daily routines. As Energy5 details, water conservation leads to “preserving ecosystems,” “saving energy” (therefore supporting another challenge category), “protecting water quality,” and “ensuring water availability,” all of which we can trace back to conversations about Hetch Hetchy.

Regarding food, many of the food challenges (joining a CSA, buying from a farmer’s market, buying local and organic, eating vegan or vegetarian, eating whole foods, etc.) are only possible and feasible because of the counterculture food movement that made those dietary provisions more in demand, and thus more widely accessible. Carol Flinders, Laurel Robertson, Bronwen Godfrey, Alice Waters, and many others recognized the impact that eating naturally can have on the self and on society, and recognized that food could be a solution to the overconsumption, commercialization, convenience-oriented supermarket (and more general) culture they were observing (McGrath). Food for Dissent and the natural food movements created competition with industrial agribusiness, basically inventing the green economy according to McGrath, and as it became more popular, caused more mainstream businesses to follow suit (McGrath). Not only did these movements create audiences for farmer’s markets and CSAs, but they also contributed to more environmentally friendly, wholesome, organic foods being available in the grocery store. This wider availability, fought for by natural food activists, is what allows so many of the food challenges to be realistic for participants

My food challenge is to have one meal a day that is free of processed foods. This one is also an adjustment for me because even the healthier meals I cook tend to have some sort of “processed” ingredient (cheese, frozen vegetables, sauces, etc.). Typically, the easiest meal for me to prepare for this challenge is brown rice with vegetables. It’s difficult for me to find protein for this type of meal because I am a vegetarian and rely on plant-based proteins and canned beans that are technically processed. While I think after this challenge I could incorporate the idea of eating more whole, unprocessed foods into my diet in the future, I don’t know if it is necessarily sustainable for me to fully cut them out of meals due to issues with getting enough protein in. Finally, my health challenge is to prioritize sleep and get 2 more hours to reach at least 7 hours of sleep a night. This has been difficult for me, but rewarding because I already have more energy in the morning. Getting enough sleep is a challenge for me because I am definitely a night owl and not a morning person (which is difficult for someone with 8:30’s Monday through Thursday). However, getting more sleep has greatly improved my functioning in the morning and how easy it is to wake up, and I am excited to see the added benefits of it in the future.

2) Through my daily challenges, I have learned more about my own individual impacts to the environment. While I typically thought of myself as aware of my impact on the environment, I learned further about what I can do further to limit it. Most of the things I wasn’t aware of before are simple, everyday habits that can also easily be changed, like turning off the lights and appliances when not in direct use, eating more whole foods, and using reusable straws and utensils. Also, the eco-challenge has made me feel more connected to the environment. Challenges like spending 20 doing nature-related activities, eating less processed foods, and getting more sleep have made me have more energy but also feel connected to the Earth. I have also started to see health benefits of these things. One of my eco challenge resources, “Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide,” describes the benefits and basics of a plant-based, whole-food diet. I am a vegetarian and knowledgeable on eating more plant-based and reducing animal products in my diet, but eating vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. This article and my challenge of one processed-free meal a day has helped me adjust my diet in eliminating some of the less healthy choices I make and even pushed me to cook more nights than I typically do.

3) The origins of conservation are involved in my daily challenges related to water and energy as these challenges are related to reducing my impacts on the environment. My energy challenge of turning off appliances and lights when not in direct use is related to conservation in using less energy, which means less fossil fuels and resources in my daily life. Also, my water challenge of not using plastic straws or single-use utensils work to reduce how much waste I generate which is directly related to reducing the energy and resources that are consumed to create those things. Overall, my challenges reduce my environmental impact by reducing how much energy and resources are used, which is related to the article/class reading, “The Intersection of Renewable Energy and Water Conservation” and the ties between reducing water and energy consumption and their benefits.

Also, the counterculture food movement is related to my daily and one-time challenges I selected from the food category. My daily challenge was to eat one meal a day free of processed foods which is related to the counterculture food movement as described in “The Gathering Storm” by McGrath where baby boomers saw eating whole foods as a way to distance themselves from a mainstream culture of TV dinners, processed foods, and quick meals. They also took more time to grow their own food and cook more healthy meals, which related to the one-time challenge I completed of baking bread / learning a new form of cooking. Baking bread was super rewarding and tasty and I hope to keep up with it to avoid buying bread at the grocery store that is processed and oftentimes packaged in plastic (which also helps reduce some of the waste I generate).