Food: I didn't eat much meat at the start of this project, but I've decided to give it up entirely. That goes for red meat, fish & foul. Basically anything with a face. It will be difficult, because though I don't eat a lot of these animals, I thoroughly enjoyed them when I did. I hadn't eaten pork in 18 years & had given up red meat for about a decade. A few of the foods I may miss are carne asada, burgers, salmon kebabs, fish tacos, sardines, shellfish, tapas, burritos & my beloved ceviche, which is honestly one of my favorite foods on the planet. I can go a month without these, a lifetime without them all? That we shall have to see... In the last couple months I started working in a restaurant that pretty much puts bacon on half their menu, so I very recently started eating pork again. Although when I tried the pork chop, I kind of gagged; it's been awhile since I've eaten pork flesh like that & it was weird. They say pork flesh most closely resembles human flesh. There's a thought. This restaurant is great in the fact that they purchase local, organic, sustainable, grass-fed, free-range, antibiotic & pesticide-free produce & animal products. They also use recycled materials throughout the restaurant --restored bowling ball lanes for tables, mismatched, salvaged silverware, etc. It's a pretty great place. Because I don't keep a regular schedule, night classes & work hours that vary from day to night shifts, I don't eat regular meals. I eat smaller meals or snacks throughout the day. So for the convenience factor I will just list my foods in the order I consume them, not really labeled as any particular meal. I studied holistic nutrition so I've been well aware of health & wellness related to diet for some time. I almost always buy organic & seasonal produce, well-sourced meat, poultry, fish & dairy. I think my challenge will be not getting bored with vegetarian fare. But this will force me to cook more, which is something I really enjoy but don't necessarily have/make the time for.
Garbage/waste:
For garbage & waste I think I'm pretty conscientious, in the sense that I recycle & compost. I don't waste a lot of food, I rarely purchase anything new & even then I've gotten into second-hand treasures; I'm pretty frugal overall. I like to think if something is in perfectly good condition, I don't replace it or throw it away. I tend to buy things only when it's absolutely necessary. I get e-bills & recycle any junk mail. I bring bags for planned shopping with me & if I don't have one, I usually just carry the items by hand or in my purse, assuming it's feasible. We started getting fruit flies in the house because of the compost, so we put it outside but then everybody stopped composting, so I washed off the bin & brought it back inside. We're keeping the windows open to keep it nice & cold in the kitchen to deter any bugs. I will recycle all house hold goods and purchase only recycled ones that I know of to be from the utmost green sources, such as places like Rainbow (or similar stores).
Energy:
I will be more aware of my energy use at home & in general. I will turn off any lights left on by me (or my roommates that are not being used). I will be sure to plan errands in advance, so that I'm not using resources more than I should (that's just convenient and common sense). I will wear layers at home as much as possible so that I don't have to use my space heater. I will unplug any appliances that are not in use, ie: BlendTec, toaster, lap top, space heater, phone charger, etc. I actually already type a lot of my homework on my phone, and usually only use my lap top when I have to write an extensive paper. Most of the email and on line interaction I have are via my iphone, which I will now only charge to 100% & then unplug. I will not leave any electronics that are not in use plugged in overnight, other than my alarm clock for obvious reasons. I will not have more than one form of entertainment on at once, ie music &/or lap top. If I must buy something, I will do my best to purchase it from a local, sustainable source, to prevent any external costs in packaging and shipping.
Look forward to reading more.
ReplyDelete