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I love butter chicken and was looking for a vegetarian alternative. I highly recommend trying it out!

Here's the link!

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Thai Green Curry with Vegetables and Tofu

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Thai Green Curry with Vegetables and Tofu

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I looooove curry and with pre-made curry sauces, it’s super easy to cook all the veggies together then throw in the sauce. You can make your own homemade curry with green curry paste but I found a pre-made one from Trader Joe’s. I fried the tofu then added onion, broccoli, red pepper, carrots, mushrooms, and cilantro. Served with rice is the ultimate comfort food for these stressful times. Vegan and gluten friendly :)

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This salad is SO delicious and makes a great side dish or as an appetizer dip with chips. It's okay if you don't have all of the ingredients, it's still delicious! Try it out!

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These two were so good together! It is super easy to make and super quick! For my black bean burger, I usually heat it in the microwave for 1.30 minutes. For my mac n cheese, I put cayenne powder and salt in!

Be warned the mac n cheese will have a distinct smell, but it will still be tasty!

The only part that I didn't like about the mac n cheese is that it contains palm oil (organic). I tend to avoid consuming products that have palm oil because it encourages deforestation. However, it is up to you to decide whether to try Annie's Vegan Mac n cheese.

Images sources:

https://hilaryseatwell.com/products/fiesta-black-bean-veggie-burger

https://www.annies.com/product/organic-vegan-cheddar-flavor-mac/

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This soup is super good and is totally vegan! Here is the recipe and check out the rest of the website which is all plant based.

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I live in an apartment near campus, so while everyone else on campus went home if they could, I remain in my apartment. I take a lot of walks around the area, but it’s almost all houses and streets. I’ve made it a challenge for myself to find parks and new places where nature is the focus. So far I’ve only found one park, where I recruited my roommates to join me on a picnic and where I spent two hours reading in the sun (the book was Psychology for Sustainability). Included in my walks I have noticed so much life starting to push through the dead leaves and grass. I’ve seen blue bells, irises, bright green leaves, and buds on some trees. I marvel at the giant oaks and gingko trees (my favorite) that continue to persist among the thousands of houses and roads. Some of these trees, at the roots, I’ve seen children place little plastic “fairy” doors and toys—showing that some have played next to these trees. I also see so many people outside, with loved ones or children, biking, walking their dogs (and one cat on a leash!), a little girl skateboarding, an elderly couple playing dominos in the park, and more. My hope is that because of this situation, people are recognizing the importance of getting outside—especially with those they love.

Stay healthy and remember that you are not alone. Remember to get outside and revel in the small, brilliant things that are all around you, no matter where you are.

-Elyse Collyer, Co-President of OAKS

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I have been able to start my days with yoga & walking around my neighborhood. I live near a wildlife preservation called Carlos Avery so there is lots of access to trails. The wood frogs & chirping sparrows have been super active on my walks, and sandhill cranes are also a very common sight. It always makes me feel so good to cut out the time to get outdoors. I was able to go kayaking today on the lake near me house. I am hoping to try to get out to the state parks, I recently bought a crash pad so I can boulder outdoors. It is so wonderful to experience the warmer air and freshness in everything around. Here are my dogs, Oakley and Blu on a morning hike the other day.

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The weather was wonderful today ☀️ so instead of setting out on a walk with a destination in mind, I decided to just start walking. I found a new path with a beautiful overlook and a bench and it was such a great reminder that although the same paths feel familiar and comfortable, there is something beautiful to be found on a new trail.

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Ever since classes transitioned to an online format, I have noticed that I do not spend as much time with the lights on. With the more flexible schedule of online learning I am able to study outside more when it is nice out ☀️  I am also able to sit near a window most of the time now, so I do not need to turn the lights on.

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With the shortage of paper products in stores, my family has been a lot more conscious of how many we use. We want to carry this forward and find ways to reduce how many paper towels, kleenex, etc. that we use.

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A reflection on the similarities and differences between the pandemic and climate change

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A reflection on the similarities and differences between the pandemic and climate change

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There are many parallels between how climate change and the current pandemic are being handled. First, in both, many people are not taking the situation and the warnings from scientists seriously. People ignoring social distancing advisories is to this pandemic as people ignoring the consequences of their unsustainable actions is to climate change. When people do either action, they are adversely impacting the situation. Secondly, both this pandemic and climate change disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Stay at home orders, social distancing restrictions, and more have resulted in lost jobs or wages, food insecurity, unstable home situations, increased mental health concerns, and more. Some people do not simply have the luxury to stay home and must continue to work, putting themselves and others at risk. Climate change also disproportionately affects minority and impoverished communities who are also unable to simply “shop and live more sustainably.” Lastly, both problems are deeply affected by inadequate healthcare systems (Wyns, 2020). Both of these global issues require support from healthcare systems thus countries with better systems are able to handle both COVID-19 cases and health problems caused by climate change--like injuries from natural disasters--more efficiently. Countries that lack the resources have been unable to respond as effectively as those which are well equipped.

The most immediately obvious difference in people’s reactions to the pandemic versus climate change is that the pandemic is a present threat. COVID-19 sparks immediate fear and response because, unlike climate change, it is not psychologically distant. The wide-spread and constant media coverage of the situation leads to everyone being informed yet also knowing what they must do to be safe. While for most people it’s easy to ignore climate change due to the lack of current consequences of their behavior, this is not true during this pandemic. Not taking the proper precautions could have pressing or fatal consequences, which everyone is aware of as we remind ourselves of the consequences of what will happen if we don’t follow orders. However, with climate change, people feel like it’s an option to behave sustainably because it’s not currently socially unacceptable to live unsustainably in the same way that it is not currently socially acceptable to ignore public advisories. Yet in both situations, people also choose to behave directly against cautions from health professionals and scientists. There are still people being highly social or going out for the sake of going out. Just like, despite warnings from environmental scientists, people are still choosing to live in highly unsustainable ways. However, despite that both warnings should be taken very seriously, unlike the first case, the latter case accounts for the majority of how people behave.

I think the important difference between these problems lies in how serious the world is taking them. There is wide-spread action to prevent further devastation from COVID-19 because it is immediately concerning. Thousands of people are dying every day from this; what individuals do has immediate consequences. This hits a lot closer to home than climate change, but the only real difference is when the devastation is happening. People cannot instantaneously see how their unsustainable habits will affect themselves and others, nor is there wide-spread media coverage constantly warning people about the state of the situation. While the pandemic is almost always on everyone’s mind, climate change gets largely ignored.

Lastly, I see this pandemic as foreshadowing as to what could occur if people continue to push off climate change. We are living in uncertain times and people have begun to realize that their actions have real consequences. What if we presented climate change in a similar manner such that people were not only informed on the severity of the issue but were also told how to behave. Just like our current situation, it would take time for people to learn and adjust accordingly, but if this pandemic has shown us anything is that behavior changed so quickly because the problem was presented as immediate and to be taken with the utmost severity while also directly telling people what they need to do. I know that fear is not the best way to spark change, I am simply pointing out that the particular coverage of the situation combined with the specific actions to take has resulted in wide-spread behavior change. If people had a similar level of exposure related to climate change, it seems to me that there would be a greater cause for behavior change.

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How climate change and the coronavirus are linked

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COVID-19 has disrupted communities worldwide but could this period teach us anything about another existential threat we are facing: the climate crisis?

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While we stay home, air quality around the world improves

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While we stay home, air quality around the world improves

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Air quality is improving as millions of busy lives halt to a stop and air travel has almost completely suspended. This means that CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions have deduced. Additionally, while unfortunately economies around the world head towards recessions, a silver lining is that because for every $1 million of global GDP, about 500 tons of CO2 are emitted which means that a recession will further decrease CO2 emissions.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on countries around the world, causing a global health crisis while forcing economies to shut down in the face of strict quarantine measures. But the outbreak is also having an intriguing impact on Earth's environment, as nations restrict the movement of people.

One of the areas that scientists are witnessing a big difference is in air quality. It seems that the pandemic is already leading to huge reductions in air pollution in those regions that have been significantly affected by COVID-19-such as China and Italy-as industry, aviation and other forms of transport grind to a halt.

"Air pollution levels as observed by satellite are showing drastic improvements in many areas that have been undergoing restrictive quarantines due to COVID-19," Peter DeCarlo, an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told Newsweek.

"Both China and Italy industrial areas are showing strong drops in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) corresponding to reductions in industrial activity and vehicular traffic. This isn't surprising given that vehicles and industry are the main source of NO2 and when these sources are essentially turned off, the atmosphere will clear up relatively quickly," he said.

Reductions on the amount of cars on the roads in some countries are one of the clearest impacts of work-from-home and social distancing policies, according to DeCarlo.

"But it's [also] very clear that airline passenger numbers are way down, as many countries introduce travel bans and meetings/conferences/work related travel is cancelled. Industrial activity is also reduced, but not necessarily to the extent of traffic. For example, power plants still need to run to produce electricity, water treatment plants still need to continue to treat water, etcetera," he said.

Pieternel Levelt from the Dutch Met office KNMI and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, echoed DeCarlo's comments telling Newsweek that there have been significant reductions in nitrogen dioxide over China and northern Italy in particular.

Examining data from the Dutch/ESA Tropomi instrument on the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, Levelt and her team noticed significant drops in NO2 levels from the Chinese New Year when quarantine measures came into effect in China, showing concentration levels which were 35 percent lower compared to the same period in 2019, and 50-60 percent lower for some individual cities. Over Italy, Levelt reported reductions in NO2 of up to 40 percent above cities like Milan, for example.

"We've never seen a strong reduction like that in nitrogen dioxide before. We measured over a couple of weeks because you want to be sure that weather is not the main source of a reduction in nitrogen dioxide, which could be the case due to rain or wind. We also compared with the same period last year to basically take care of seasonal effects," she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also likely to have a significant impact on other environmental factors, including the emission of greenhouse gases as the global economy heads into recession, according to Kevin Rose, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Kolleck Career Development Chair in Freshwater Ecology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"Economic recessions and resulting declines in energy use and population shifts can drive dramatic reductions in environmental impacts," he told Newsweek. "For example, the consumption of fertilizers, which harms freshwater quality, declined for many years in eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Greenhouses gases, such as carbon dioxide, have declined during many past recessions as energy-intensive economic activities slow. Quarantine protocols may also have a deep, but short-term, impact on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, as fewer people are traveling and fewer businesses are operating."

Steven Davis, an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, said that the economy and emissions are tightly coupled.

"In recent years, we've emitted close to 500 tons of CO2 for every $1 million of global GDP-for example, 40 billion tons of CO2 for $88 trillion in 2019," Davis told Newsweek. "If this ratio holds, a decline in world GDP can be expected to cause a proportional decrease in global CO2 emissions."

"Past economic recessions we've seen global emissions bounce back quite quickly, though growth has been slower in the U.S. since it coincided with an underlying shift in the energy sector (gas.) Not clear how much this pandemic might be different in terms of its geography, longevity, and the activities it's affecting-for example, manufacturing, labor and travel," he said. "For example, past recessions haven't stopped people from commuting, so we haven't ever seen the huge and almost overnight improvements in air quality that we're now seeing in places like Southern California right now."

The effect on economic output as a result of the pandemic is is clearly demonstrated by countries like Italy, where electricity consumption has dropped as businesses shut down amid the quarantine, Bloomberg reported. These reductions in electricity consumption can potentially have a significant impact on emissions.

"It partly depends on where the drops occur and the energy mix in those areas, or the types of fuels used to generate that electricity," Christie Klimas, an environmental scientist at DePaul University in Chicago, told Newsweek.

"If the mix is predominantly coal, that will have a bigger pollution reduction impact than a more renewable mix of wind, solar, hydropower and nuclear, where pollution is already low," she said. "So reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants will have the most pollution reduction. And the energy mix is high in coal in areas like West Virginia."

Venice's clear canals

In some cities, such as Venice, the pandemic is having unexpected environmental effects. Several social media users have reported that the water in is famous canals-which are now virtually empty as a result of the coronavirus lockdown-appears to be unusually clear.

"Maybe this Virus is Mother Earth putting us in time-out for a while....while she cleans up the mess we made," one Facebook user, Elisabetta Cappellari, who posted pictures of the clear canals, wrote.

The unexpected clarity of the water isn't necessarily a sign of improved water quality, however. Perhaps the most important factor behind this phenomenon, experts say, is the unusual lack of boat traffic. Normally, the large number of boats which frequent the canals stir up sediments, making them float and increasing the water's turbidity-the cloudiness or haziness of a liquid. Now that there is a lack of boat traffic, the sediments stay on the bottom of the canals, making them appear much clearer than normal.

"In these days of quarantine the inner canals of Venice-the 'rii'-are more transparent,
clearer, than usual," researchers Roberto Zonta and Davide Tagliapietra from the Italian National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences, and Annamaria Volpi Ghirardini from the Ca' Foscari University of Venice told Newsweek. "Usually you cannot see the bottom of the rii even though they are very shallow, and you can see fishes just when they are close to the surface."

The huge reduction of tourist numbers and commuting workers in the city may also be leading to an improvement in the water quality due to a reduction of sewage discharges into the canals.

Wildlife

Quarantine measures appear to be having effect on wildlife around the world, as humans are increasingly confined to their homes. In Japan, for example, sika deer living in the popular tourist destination Nara Park were spotted wandering into urban areas to look for food after restrictions on visitors from China and South Korea came into place. Normally, tourists buy special snacks to feed the deer, and many of the animals have become accustomed to eating these treats.

In Thailand a video emerged of a mob of monkeys fighting over scraps of food in the city of Lopburi. The animals have come to rely on food given to them by tourists, but visitor numbers have dried up dramatically in recent weeks.

James Parkhurst, an Associate Professor of Wildlife Science at Virginia Tech, told Newsweek that in some of the busier metropolitan areas of the United States, which are now under 'shelter at home' orders, there could be some impacts on local wildlife.

"I suspect there likely will be far fewer food resources available in these urban environments as people are gone, restaurants have closed, businesses are slowing down or shuttering, and as a result, dumpsters remain empty and trash on the streets vanishes-could be an interesting study as animals that have come to rely on such resources now have to scramble to find alternate options," he said. "We may actually start to see an increase in some human-animal interactions as this search for food intensifies."

"The significantly lower level of human activity might lead to greater visibility of the diverse assemblage of species that live in urban areas and that often go unnoticed by the average human inhabitant," he said. "In response to the daily hustle and bustle of activity during daylight hours, many species adopt a nocturnal lifestyle in urban settings, but with less activity now, it would be interesting to see if anything adapts and takes advantage of the opportunity to roam during daylight."

The COVID-19 pandemic is already transforming the lives of millions of people across the globe, and right now minds are understandably focused on tackling the growing public health crisis. But what could the potential long-term implications be when it comes to the environment?

"In the long term, there are lots of folks talking about how the COVID-19 pandemic holds lessons and opportunities for environmental action," Davis told Newsweek. "For example, we will have a new baseline of what's possible to do online: telecommute, educate, shop, etcetera. And to the extent our government, institutions, and social networks succeed by coming together, we may feel more empowered to take on daunting issues like climate change and a transition to sustainable energy sources.

"On the other hand, hard economic times could undermine enthusiasm for environmental protection as people prioritize health, safety, and recovery. For example, if consumers turn their backs on solar and electric vehicles, the pandemic could stem the progress we've been making toward decarbonization."

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Coronavirus is having a major impact on the environment, with reduced CO2, better air quality and animals roaming city streets

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The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on countries around the world, causing a global health crisis while forcing economies to shut down in the face of strict quarantine measures. But the outbreak is also having an intriguing impact on Earth's environment, as nations restrict the movement of people.

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Personal 3-2-1 Sustainability Challenge: Contacting 3 MN government Reps, 2 Vegan meals a day, and 1 Neighborhood Trash Clean Up

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Personal 3-2-1 Sustainability Challenge: Contacting 3 MN government Reps, 2 Vegan meals a day, and 1 Neighborhood Trash Clean Up

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Happy Earth Week!

There are so many ways to use this week to reflect, get inspired, and take action for environmental justice.

This week, I decided to commit to two vegan meals a day in addition to joining the Youth Climate Strike online, calling and reaching out to MN representatives,  and doing a trash clean up in my community!

I hope these goals help inspire you all to do something you're passionate about, to make the most out of living sustainably this week and every week.

PS Here's a link to the digital climate strike:

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Thanks for being registered to vote - you're awesome :) The next step is to remind your friends to vote too. We need everyone to join us this year if we're going to save our futures.

Text "earthvote" to 56525 now to get started.
Can we count on you to remind three friends to vote?
You will receive periodic updates. Msg & data rates apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy for more information.

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Thanks for being registered to vote - you're awesome :) The next step is to remind your friends to vote too. We need everyone to join us this year if we're going to save our futures. Can we count on you to remind three friends to vote? You will receive periodic updates.

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This morning I went on a walk on one of my favorite trails in a local park. Moments like this are very important for mental and physical well-being, and it reminded me that protecting land that we can share and enjoy is so important. I encourage you to make some time to get outside today if you are able!

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This week I am working on getting my garden ready to plant native seeds. In the past I have planted pollinator-friendly plants in my garden, but this year I am really interested in focusing on native plants for the many benefits they provide. I have a seed mix that includes milkweed, wild bergamot, little bluestem, goldenrod, etc. Has anyone planted native seeds before? I would greatly appreciate any tips you can share! Thanks!

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Hi All! I made dividers from cereal boxes! I cut the boxes based on my preference and I wrapped the pieces with tissue paper! The tissue paper were used from wrapped presents. I’m up-cycling! These dividers will go in one of my drawers so my things can get organized and I know where things would be!

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Here is a great online resource to learn how to celebrate Arbor Day this year. One way I have been celebrating is by learning about different types of trees and how to identify them.

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Thank you for your interest in celebrating Arbor Day! While in years past this was a time for volunteer opportunities and community events for all ages, current CDC recommendations for COVID-19 make this year very different.

Even though most community celebrations and tree planting events in the spring of 2020 are being postponed or cancelled, the spirit of Arbor Day is still strong.

Below you will find some resources to help you enjoy Arbor Day 2020 - planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees in this time of social distancing.

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Thank you for your interest in celebrating Arbor Day! While in years past this was a time for volunteer opportunities and community events for all ages, current CDC recommendations for COVID-19 make this year very different. Even though most community celebrations and tree planting events in the spring of 2020 are being postponed or cancelled, the spirit of Arbor Day is still strong.

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My family and I worked a lot in our garden this past weekend. We planted some peas, dahlias, and kale. We also have spinach, more peas, and sunflowers already started in the greenhouse. It feels really good to be outside enjoying warmer weather and fresh signs of life.

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My family and I planted onions, potatoes, radishes, green onions, beets, carrots, and parsnips. In the coming weeks we will be planting lettuce and zucchini! Hopefully this will help us avoid stores this summer :)

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Though the weather has been a little miserable in my hometown, I still try to make time to go outdoors. And the weather being the way it is, along with it being too early to start a garden, I have tried this challenge. While living in suburbia makes it difficult to find new plants that I am not already aware of, I have been practicing with more common plants and also with animals that I see on a daily basis. I have found the birds to be the most interesting, and though I live about 30 miles from downtown Chicago, we have been getting a lot of pigeons in my backyard. It was weird seeing them at first, especially out of the city and eating something that isn't dropped human food, but they slowly became part of our home. Here are two of those said pigeons, along with daffodils and the stick-like rose bush near those said daffodils. I hope everyone is doing well!

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I went on a walk this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather and found lots of violets that were in bloom! I have also seen skunk cabbage and bloodroot around the same area in the past few weeks. It's always exciting to find new wildflowers blooming each week!

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Everything old is new again...or at least, that’s what my grandmother always says. But in a way, she’s right. Recently, I did a major purging of my closet. After working in retail for three years, I had A LOT of clothes that I bought new (not my proudest) but hardly ever wore and most of it didn’t even fit anymore. So I purged and let go of some of my used-to-be favorite jeans, tops, and so much more. First, I let my friends take their pick then I went to Plato’s Closet to see if I could get any cash (before quarantine) for the literally hundreds of dollars worth of clothes. After they only took a few things, the rest I donated. This felt great but then I realized that I have so much room in my closet! I want to do things right this time though. I made a promise to myself to try to only buy used clothes from now on. Gone are the days of my retail jobs so time to redefine my style as sustainable! So, fast forward to now (where I have a itch to shop but can’t) and quo up-cycling: I have been “shopping” my family’s give away clothes and searching for pieces that I can tailor or style to fit me. It’s been fairly successful so far and is a great quarantine activity!

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Sisterhood Virtual Earth Day Fashion Show

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Sisterhood Virtual Earth Day Fashion Show

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Since the sustainability challenge this week is focused on clothes, I want to share an upcoming event related to sustainability and fashion! St. Catherine University Fashion and Apparel program has partnered with Sisterhood Boutique to present an Earth Day Fashion Show. The show will include upcycled clothing made by St. Kate's students and information about why sustainable fashion is important.The date and time is still to be determined so check out this link to learn more and follow Sisterhood Boutique on Instagram to get updates!

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My family usually donates any clothes we no longer need to a local donation center, but we have a pile of old jeans that were used for working that are not in a good enough condition to be donated. I know some places accept old jeans to create insulation for houses and I think that would be a great way to recycle them. Does anyone know of places that recycle jeans? Thanks!

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It has been a valuable time for me to slow down and look through all my junk. I try to think about the clothes I feel good in and comfortable in, keeping those and getting rid of clothes that don't bring me happiness. The same with a lot of other junk I have lying around. I am trying to surround myself with not only positive people but positive items that make me more confident and joyful!