Current Location: London
Happy Thanksgiving!!! If I'm being honest, this week threw me for a loop. For the past eight years, Thanksgiving has been a week of spending time with family, swim practices winding down to a partial-taper for a mid-season invite, lots of turkey, and an overall relaxed atmosphere. Since I'm in London this year where Thanksgiving is not..
A guest lecturer in my Environmental and Resource Economics course spoke with us about her experience at COP23 last week. She mentioned that one of the relevant and growing topics among the side events in Bonn (the non-negotiating portion of the conference) has been the concept of "transformative adaptation." The concept itself...
I've been naturally shifting towards a more plant-based diet over the past few years as a result of being heavily involved in environmental coursework and research (the "how the sausage is made" effect, if you will). I stopped eating red meat three years ago after learning how inefficient and carbon-intensive beef production is. I stopped eating shellfish two years ago after a research project where I learned about the destructive ecological consequences of shrimp aquaculture and the widespread use of slave labor...
Following up on my October challenge, I'm working on reducing the amount of food that I waste. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that about 1/3 of food produced is lost or wasted. That is an astounding figure, especially considering that 1 in 9 people in the world struggle with food security. The arguments for reducing food loss and waste are diverse and compelling...
I'm moving from the bathroom to the kitchen. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I've been coming up with the ideas for these challenges by looking at where I am creating the most waste and then thinking about if it is necessary or could be reduced. I started by looking in the bathroom and cutting out plastic...
I've been in London for more than six weeks now but honestly it feels like so much longer. I've finally settled into a life rhythm...
Today is my first day of graduate school at the London School of Economics! I'm incredibly excited to start my master's degree in Environmental Economics and Climate Change. Since I'm back to school (hopefully for the last time...), I decided going waste-free...
This is my last post from Switzerland! Today was my last day of work at UN Environment and I’m moving to London tomorrow, which is a crazy thought. I haven’t thought so much about leaving Geneva because I’ve been so focused on...
Living near the gorgeous waters of Lake Geneva (as opposed to the slightly scary waters of Lake Erie) this summer has made me appreciate clear and clean water. I wrote this post last week in honor of #WorldWaterWeek, but decided not to post it because...
We are approaching the last days of August and I still haven’t written about my August challenge! I’ve decided to make my challenge this month to stop apologizing for male fragility. Just kidding. My August challenge is going zero-waste on...
From Brown to Green 