ATTEND THE ECOCHALLENGE CONSERVATION WEBINAR

During this challenge, I've been more aware of the little pieces of litter around me. It only takes a minute to pick it up and has made me feel really happy to be able to do a little thing to make the area around me more beautiful. I also saw a guy the other day walking his dog in a park and he picked up about 20 pieces of trash during his walk. I was impressed - I hadn't even noticed all the trash.

I signed up today for this app: "Too Good to Go". Their mission is to fight food waste, which according to trustworthy sources accounts for 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption. 1.3 billion tons/year = 1.3 x 10^12 kg of Food. The app connects you (consumer) to business that have surpluses that would go to waste. Businesses sell those at a cheaper price and everyone wins. The app just launched for the Boulder area. I am hoping it will stay and make an impact! https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb

SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES:
After researching this topic to a small degree, it seems clear to me that not all fish are the same in terms of their environmental impact. some types of fish are significantly more costly to farm than others (per gram of protein that we get from them.) According to Wholely.com, the worst offenders for the environment are catfish, lobster, and shrimp farms, whereas farms for shellfish and mollusks are typically significantly (almost 20x) better for the environment. As a result from this learning, I pledge right here and now to consume minimal catfish. lobster and shrimp going forward.
https://wholey.com/resources/healthy-eating/can-you-eat-fish-without-harming-the-environment/#:~:text=Second%2C%20what%20tools%20were%20used,but%20they%20taste%20better%2C%20too.

ENDANGERED SPECIES:
I have been researching on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife threatened and endangered species list, and I was particularly focused on the amphibians and fish species (such as the Razorback Sucker or the Couch's Spadefoot) that are becoming endangered due to human development of dams and the various chemicals that we pump into freshwater streams. These dams block waterways that these fish and amphibians typically use for breeding/ inhabiting and the chemicals that we pump into their streams can disrupt their endocrine systems, which can cause infertility. While we cant do anything to disassemble various dams across Colorado (without endangering human lives/ homes) we can choose to not use endocrine disrupting chemicals to help out our fishy friends. These types of chemicals typically include things like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, cleaning agents, cosmetics, antibiotics, contraceptives, and illicit drugs, so when using these products be sure to check their contents before entering a waterway where these animals could be affected.

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/SOC-ThreatenedEndangeredList.aspx
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pesticides_reduction/endocrine_disruptors/index.html

In honor of Earth day yesterday, I joined the neighborhood effort to clean up our local greenway! It was as easy as taking the dog for walk and bringing and bag (and a glove, some of that trash was nas-ty!) to pick up trash along the way. It was so easy and something I hope I will do every once in a while outside of an organized event!

In honor of Earth Day yesterday, I attempted a zero waste day. I could not believe how hard it was! I was extremely confident going into the challenge that I was going to breeze through it, only to find myself going to the trash can again and again all day. It's easy to be conscious about obvious waste substitutes (such as using a reusable shopping bag instead of getting a paper or plastic one), but things like paper towels, dental floss, and grocery receipts (and even junk mail showing up in your mail box!) were killer. I also touched a lot of items that were "not waste yet", such as plastic fruit containers or milk cartons in my fridge that weren't empty yet. Sure they weren't trash at the moment, but it got me thinking about what other choices I could make to specifically reduce plastic waste in my home. Overall, it was an extremely eye opening experience and certainly made me more conscious of the waste I produce on an average day, let alone a bad one!!!