You can call me overinvolved, but there’s always going to be one club that I’m going to call home. I think this is demonstrated in how as I am writing my papers for my classes, tears are streaming down my face as I read the Phrateres yearbook. I’m going to quote one of my sisters, Nani.
“I don’t think I’d be able to talk about certain things without feeling judged if it wasn’t for you guys. I love that although we’re all so different, all of us love Phrateres for the right reasons. It’s somewhere we can be ourselves, somewhere we can grow, and definitely somewhere we can find people who will always be there for us.”
Just beautiful. <3
Who would've ever guessed that I would be so attached, and affected by an AMS club? (Technically, we're a self-governing women's social-service club that aims to give women a well-rounded experience here at UBC.)
-Aly
Once in a while, you get into these conversations with people where you start talking, and then you find out their name. Or better yet, you meet a person, hit it off with them, then see them again, start talking, and THEN you remember their name. I think that’s what describes this blog entry.
There’s a hilarious clip of Russell Peters on Youtube that I feel sums up me. Here, I’ll post it:
So that’s me. Except I don’t do that “I had a weird dream you did something” thing where I’m mad at someone in the morning and I don’t get all clingy. But the point is, as the Responsible Consumption Week (RCW) co-chair/co-coordinator this year who spent the last couple of months on this project, I did a lot of thinking when the week and the events were going on. Specifically the Backpack Campaign, which was my baby (and still going on until Friday the 23rd!). This campaign was aimed at encouraging people to bring their own reusable containers and mugs instead of using disposables-at UBC, even though a lot of packaging are compostable, we’re still using resources, and it still takes energy to produce and transport the packaging not only to the destination, but to the waste disposal too. In exchange, we would give our free coffee, sponsored by Ethical Bean, and those who brought their own food container and utensil would show us, then they would be entered to win some fantastic prizes, like items from our vendors at the Responsible Consumption Fair, a Fair Trade soccer ball, and Green Zebra coupon books.
So as I’m walking around, either postering, talking to people about RCW and the Backpack Campaign, I walk past several food vendors, which got me thinking. Do we lose our eco-actions when we grow up? At the beginning, I was going to title this blog entry “Do we lose our eco-consciousness when we grow up?” But that’s not the right term for it, because we grow up, we read more, we learn more, we go to school. Our arsenal of information about the environment increases, although it’s more about the political issues than the biological processes of sustainability, like how to recognize different trees and tell birds apart from each other. But I feel that we do less in our daily lives as adults that contributes to a more sustainable world. Why? Individualistic consumption patterns, perhaps.
It could be the way I was raised, but as a child, throwing away things was never an option-my beautiful mother always made sure that my lunch was packed in reusable containers, and I was expected to bring home any sandwich or ziplock bags I brought my food to school in so we could wash them and reuse them. We very rarely had individual packs for snacks-we always brought in bulk, and it was easier too, because as I grew older, my portion sizes increased, so my parents could accommodate that change in my food portions. To me, this wasn’t a form of sustainability-it was normal, everyday life activities.
I’ll be honest with you-I started eating out a lot more this year because of an increase workload and extracurriculars-I love what I do, but food preparation and eating fell down my priority list. I still brought my food containers, because that’s what I grew up doing, but notably during the Backpack Campaign, when I was paying attention to people’s food containers, I started thinking that as a child, I would’ve never seen this much disposable waste. Is it because our food portions are no longer customized to how much we can eat, that we conform to whatever size is offered by the vendors that this is one of the ways we stop doing things that benefit the environment? What if it’s about fitting into the norms of society, that people don’t want to deviate and tell vendors “Here’s my container/bag. Put it in here please” (Try that-I dare ya!) Convenience? Too much on our plates? Maybe we just have to reorient our priorities then, to include sustainability (which little actions like the Backpack Campaign does not take long to do!). What about walking too? That we grow up, and we stop behaving in sustainable ways, even though we have the financial and age agency to choose so?
Some thoughts!
And now here’s where I begin my introduction: My name is Aly, I’m now in fourth year doing a major in Political Science with a minor in Environment and Society (but not graduating yet! One more year!). Talk to me-don’t be scared off that I might be one tall (for an Asian female) hippie! I like to think from as many perspectives as I can and most of my friends are actually not very environmental at all.
Long time no see, UBC Blogsquad! I’m going to contribute to the list of Blogsquadders who have been travelling during their summer vacation. My choice of destination for 3 weeks? Cuba. Yes, Cuba, this great island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, the land of Revolutionaries such as Fidel Castro. I wasn’t in Cuba as a tourist, but rather as a student who had access to places and people that ordinary tourists would not have, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Through Land and Foods Systems 302, I studied sustainable agriculture but also had a lot of fun. I had many experience in Cuba, but I will discuss something that I’ve been grappling with since I returned to Canada two days ago.
So I actually wrote this entry on the bus last Monday, but I never got around to posting it on Blog Squad until now.
Over the January 14-16th weekend, I went to the retreat as a member of the BOO Crew (also known as UBC Orientations: squad leaders and O-Team). Although I attended many informative, interactive, and fun workshops, I also got out a lot personally from this retreat. I’m sure that I knew a lot of this already, but instead of reading it in a handout, this realization and life lesson was like an epiphany that hit me like a punching bag near the end of the retreat.
Before I start my blog entry, I just want to say WOW! And props to the people who engineered this new look with more cool interfaces to the UBC Blogosphere! I’m liking it!
Last week, I talked about going to the UBC Leader Appreciation Day, which was for MUG Leaders, Squad Leaders, Squad Managers and anyone involved with IMAGINE/GALA/the upcoming UBC Orientations. So what happened then?
With exactly a month until the start of school, involved UBC students like me are excitedly preparing for the incoming school year and enjoying the rest of our summers. In particular, we are preparing for IMAGINE Day!!!
To be honest…I’m pretty tired right now, but I’m going to try to stay awake for another few hours. I find that now, when I go to sleep at an early time (like now-8:36PM), I would wake up at around midnight then not be able to sleep until 7AM. Then for energy’s sake I would sleep and basically my sleeping schedule would be messed up for a few days. So I’m going to blog and listen to music at the same time.
So last year, I wrote a Guide to UBC after finishing my first year. It was in my head for a while but I finally wrote it then. In bold is my reply to myself, almost a year later.
As my second year here at UBC draws to a close, I am confronted with a difficult but honestly, kind of exciting predicament. I.have.to.choose.a(or two).major(s).
