Waste

I think recycling is very important, when done correctly. I think the best choice is to get rid of disposables once and for all, but until that happens, recycling is a small step in the right direction. I didn't know that plastics when recycled weren't magically restored into new plastics, and in fact little of it is saved, which we learned from the first video. I think that if more people knew that they wouldn't be so placid and think that by recycling they save the world. We should recycle things like water bottle and plastic bags, but also e-waste items like computers or cell phones. I am not sure the best (safest, least destructive, most return per item) way is, and I would leave that up to scientists to predict, but there has got to be some way to do it.

Personally, I think that of the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) reduce and reuse are the best ones. This is why I make choices to use reusable shopping bags, re-use poly's to hold hair ties or leftovers, shop at thrift stores, choose items with less packaging, fill (and re-fill) my camelback water bottle instead of buying a new one every day, limit my use of paper towels in the bathrooms, and basically cut down on my consumption. It is hard, don't get me wrong, but there are little daily choices everyone can make to be more sustainable.

I liked the first video best; I thought it was funny and tried to get the message out to a large audience. The second video was mostly pictures, which didn't have the same effect to me as actual statistics. Neither speaker seemed to really have a clear solution, which I understand because it is a hard and complicated problem that doesn't really have a quick, clear, easy solution. And that's okay. I think that people should make changes in their daily life (and Davis should ban plastic bags, which is actually a campaign I am working on with CALPIRG), but a whole overreaching solution has yet to be found.

Food Systems

Interview with a farmer:

Unfortunately I took notes for this conversation on my phone, which is now broken (all sorts of bummers). However, I can remember most of the conversation I had with the orange seller. I first saw him handing out wedges of oranges to people and he seemed pretty friendly. He gave me an orange, which was awesome (I bought a ten pound bag for $7) and then asked him a few questions. He is not a full time farmer; it is his dad that grows the oranges and other citrus (900 trees) on his farm in Winters. The man I talked to mostly liked the selling part because he got to meet cool people and have lots of conversations. He wanted everyone to know how sweet and delicious his oranges were.

Interview with a grocery store employee:

I chose to go to Trader Joe's (I needed groceries anyways) and talked to a great guy named Andrew who was working the sample bar. He had worked at Trader Joe's since it opened because he needed a job and TJ's was hiring. He graduated from UCDavis and has lived here ever since. Although Andrew works every job in the store, his favorite job to do is probably working in the wine section, because he traveled a lot and seeing the wines from different places reminds him of the good times he had. When he first started working at TJ's, he didn't realize how quick the turnover was for fresh foods, but he soon realized that's why everything is always fresh. That's one of the main reasons he likes to buy food from where he works.

I think knowing where your food comes from is important. Whether you are trying to eat locally, organically, or just curious about the origins of your food, it is nice to know where it comes from. If you were really concerned, you could go to the actual farms (especially those that provide for the farmer's market, since they are so close) and see how they grow their food. It is interesting and can show you more about the other side of things. I'm glad I got the opportunity to learn more about the food systems available in my neighborhood. Although I mostly eat at the DC this year, next year I want to focus on eating in ways that are healthy and sustainable.

Gardening Assignment

calendula

Calendula officinalis

The plant I chose is the calendula plant. I know that you can eat some flowers, like nasturtiums, but I never knew about this type of flower. Apparently it is a kind of marigold that comes in shades of oranges and yellows. It has antibacterial properties.

I went to the garden to get this very Georgia O'Keefe picture (taken with my phone, sorry the quality isn't up to par). It was a freezing bike ride but it was so worth it when I got there! What a beautiful and well-designed garden. So pretty. I look forward to seeing it in the spring when everything is growing and blooming.

I really like the way Davis is organized. The buildings all have plants around them and there are lots of open spaces with grass and trees. Coming from San Diego, I am used to more asphalt! Outside my dorm, there is a tunnel of trees. In the fall, with the leaves changing color and dropping, it was so beautiful! I fell in love with Davis (and seasons) right then, although with this brisk weather I may have to rethink my position!