I played the short-film documentary, Island Green, for myself and my two coworkers, which none of us had seen, or even heard of for that matter. The doc essentially talks about the importance of organic farming and it's impact on the environment. I had no idea that the issue with "chemical" farming was that it killed bugs and plants that are essential to keeping the soil rich and basically creates imbalances that are non-reversible. Similar to a lot of the things that I have learned recently in regards to commercial practices, I was shocked to hear about the impact that pesticides and other chemicals can have on the physical composition of the earth. Definitely going to make me thing twice when choosing what to buy at the store or farmers market moving forward.

Having the structure from the Ecochallange provides a way to give out honest, detailed information from a reliable source. Having them be a leader in this space encourages others to join the “team”, where our end goal is to create a more sustainable future. 

A few months back I watch a documentary on Netflix called Seaspiracy, which talked about the insane amount of plastic that is in our oceans. I had no idea the severity of the issue and it is honestly really concerning. Considering that the ocean makes up 2/3 of the planet, it is obviously very important that we preserve it. My partner is from a small town on the southern Oregon cost called Bandon, so we spend quite a bit of time at the beach and on the ocean. Even in the same town where people work very hard to keep the beaches clean, we still end up seeing quite a bit of trash, especially plastic bottles and bags, in the sand and water. Plastic is very toxic to marine wildlife (and land wildlife for that matter), so it hits close to home thinking about the negative effects it has on the beach and environment. I think advocating for reusable bags, water bottles, to-go food containers/cutlery and things of that nature is a great way to help reduce the impact on both a local and global level. Many establishments have already made the switch to biodegradable items, but I think it is important to get everyone on board. It would be great to see some legislation at the state or national level to make this switch and it think it would have a huge impact on the amount of plastic pollution to the environment. 

I think I could definitely make walking or taking the bus to the grocery store a part of my routine and it would definitely make a big impact in my carbon footprint since I got there so often. 

Since I am just getting started with investing its great that I was able to dedicate the time and read some articles on how to invest ethically. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled when it comes to investing in new companies!

My engineers and I went and picked up trash and cleaned up bird seed at both of the bus stops around our building this morning! It was honestly nice to get outside and away from my computer for a few minutes while also doing something good.

I think one of the biggest deterrents for people, specifically in Portland,  that keep them from taking public transportation is that it isn't always the cleanest/ most desirable option. I think cleaning up the bus stops (even if you are just walking by and not taking the bus), is a good place to start in making that form of transportation more inviting. Another thing that I think is a great, easy way for businesses to promote walking is to offer complimentary umbrellas to borrow. I think especially in offices, it is great when there are shared umbrellas in the lobby or near exits that people can use when they need to run an errand when it is raining. This is a simple, but impactful way to encourage people to walk, rather than drive, for short trips even when it is raining.