Week 1

The three categories I chose were garbage, electricity and water, and eat efficiently. Before the project I did great with the recycling and composting and was aware of the importance of saving water and electricity (although many times I would knowingly waste unnecessary amounts of them.) However, I really wasn’t aware of the real implications of producing garbage and eating meat.

During the two days I found that flipping the garbage bin in my dorm was an effective reminder to not create trash. I did well the first day, but I admit that on the second day I had to throw away the paper liner of a muffin. Plus, going an entire day without using a napkin during lunch or to dry your hands is difficult. When it can to not throwing food away, which can correspond to two of my categories, I succeeded at the task although it was difficult the first day during lunch. I had gotten some pasta from the Commons (which I really didn’t want in the first place) and not only did they give me a large portion but it tasted bad because it had too much pepper. I finished it though and was more careful about what I got after that. I was disappointing though to realize how much food is wasted at the Commons and how little people seem to care about that. Not being able to eat meat was difficult since many of the decent items at the Commons included meat. My solution was to have cereal as the main course during most of my meals, which was a better alternative anyways since I don’t drink enough milk. Regarding electricity and water conservation, I found it more practical to save energy than water. During the two days I spent less time in my dorm and more time in areas that always remain lit and made an effort to use less hot water. Overall, I enjoyed the eye-opening experience of realizing how little actions make a big difference.