Aanchal Kasargod

This past week, I monitored my electricity usage by trying to note at least five times where I turned out a light or turned off an appliance when I didn't need it on, and when I would normally forget to turn it off. For example, whenever I went back to my room in my apartment, I turned off my kitchen light instead of keeping it on like I normally do. I also tried to unplug my devices whenever I didn't need them plugged in, and did my best to not plug in anything I didn't immediately need. I noticed that it didn't inconvenience me to do this at all, and it was quite simple to make this change. I commit to being more aware of my electricity usage every day, and trying to limit it wherever I can.

Today, I researched various different woman and POC owned small businesses, and actually purchased from one as well! I read a great article which highlighted a number of woman-owned businesses, and came across two that really caught my eye. The first was Hero, which I realized I have already been using for quite some time for skincare! I was excited to learn that I had been supporting a woman-led business. The second business I looked at was Bonita Fierce, a Latina and woman owned online candle shop which produces natural, coconut soy candles. I really love purchasing sweet aromatics for my apartment, so I picked up some of their very unique mini candles, including their "Azúcar," "Abuela's bakery," and "cafecito con leche" scents. I am really excited to try these out, and excited to be supporting a really cool woman and POC-owned business!

In the past week, I monitored my use of plastics. I noticed that, while I didn't use too much plastic, my daily morning coffee was often served from the cafe in single use plastic cups, and I realized that all of that plastic use added up. I started going to a different cafe on campus, which uses compostable materials for both the cup and straw. I also found my reusable water bottle and started using that more. I noticed that my roommates and I kept plastic grocery bags in our apartment, so I decided to reuse the ones we already had for multiple purposes, like transporting my travel materials and toothbrush over my weekend trip. In all, this week of monitoring my plastics use definitely made me more aware of my plastics consumption, and helped me practice making more sustainable choices!

This past week, I also learned more about expiration dates and what each different type means. I've commonly been confused between "Best by", "use by" and "sell by" dates, so I went to the USDA website and navigated to the "Food Product Dating" page, and read the articles they had on the meanings and differences between the dates. I now know that none of these dates are safety dates for typical food products, and that "best by" refers to when the food will be of best flavor/quality. "Use by" indicates the last date recommended for peak quality food. Finally, "sell by" tells the store about food display for inventory purposes. However, what surprised me is that none of these terms indicate a need to throw away food past these dates. Rather, the USDA recommends that people inspect food for signs of spoiling, and be extra vigilant past these dates. Using this information, I will refrain from throwing food away just because one of these dates has passed, and instead inspect my food more carefully to ensure that I am limiting my food waste.

This week, I made a commitment to doing some more walking and really taking advantage of the mostly walkable city/community that we have here in Westwood. Normally, I will take my car to the store to be able to easily transport my groceries, but this week I decided to try to only walk to the store rather than use my car. I noticed that it was very nice to get some fresh air post-class, and get some exercise carrying my groceries home. However. I also noticed places around Westwood where we could really benefit from some sidewalk restoration, which would likely make it easier for more people to engage in walking as opposed to driving.

Hi! My name is Aanchal Kasargod, and I am here because I recognize how important it is to educate both ourselves and others on the climate crisis, and take tangible actions. Sometimes, I find it can be daunting to implement eco-challenges into my daily life, and I think being a part of a community who is working towards the same mission is a great way to get started. Something that makes me really nervous about the current state of our climate is the lack of education on environmental topics, and the resistance of our general public to make changes as a result of this lack of knowledge. I hope to educate both myself and those around me, and challenge myself to make choices that will help keep our planet habitable.