PCC SOC 228 - Environmental Sociology

The number one thing I noticed in composting my food waste as opposed to just throwing it away, was how quickly the compost container was filling up and in turn, how much food waste we really throw away. Once my compost material is ready, I plan to use it as planting soil for the various plants I have in and around my house!

Before doing the EcoChallenge the single-use items I used regularly were that of plastic baggies and plastic food containers. In order to reduce these items I bought reusable bags to store food items in and packed my lunch in reusable containers each day. 

This challenge has been really eye opening for me, in regard to how easy it is to cut meat out of a diet when grocery stores have large selections of alternative proteins. In regard to cost, the best option is to make much of the meals it at home and from scratch, doing a lot of meal prepping. For me, that was difficult fitting into a busy...

This Vox article discusses the connections of some chronic conditions, like asthma, and severe cases of COVID-19. Asthma can be caused by air pollution, and studies suggest race and income impact how much air pollution people are exposed to. This is one potential reason why there are racial disparities in the number of COVID cases and mortality...

Trans, femme and nonbinary people make up an important part of our society. They are at higher risk for violence, especially those who are also BIPOC. Equality is important and lifting up the voices of those who are systematically and traditionally marginalized and harmed is extremely important in creating a just and sustainable society.

People in wealthier countries eat more meat because they can. Meat production is an expensive and timely process. It provides protein, but a cheaper and faster protein is beans and rice. Meat production is also not a very sustainable process. This affects our planet by raising air pollutants and water pollutants. It affects other people because...

I do agree that when you feel grateful for something or rely on something, it gives you more of an urgency to give back. At least that has been true in my experience. Whenever I spend time outdoors I try to take in and appreciate nature. All my time spent in nature has lead me to a better understanding of it as well as a personal devotion to do...

Today I set up my hammock in the park and finished my class reading. It was a gorgeous fall day, and the grove I was in had the best scent of trees and fallen leaves. It was a perfect way to end the eco challenge, but certainly not my last day spending quality time outside. 

By far the hardest action that I took up was creating meals with zero food waste. I found myself being very conscious of the food that I was buying because I didn't want any food waste. The only times where there would be waste from my meals is when I would make meat like chicken and have to cut off some fatty bits. This specific action gave me...

This marks the end of the ecochallenge and it was pretty fun. It got me outside more and altering my diet in a way that makes it more sustainable. Eating meatless meals has been relatively easy to the point where I might only eat meat maybe once a week or every other week. I also enjoyed going to watch sunset whenever weather was permitting.