Amber Hargens

I grew up in a very tiny town of less than 700 people, where the wilderness edged the town & wildlife was prevalent. Living here, I never really noticed how amazing our home was. After moving to a much larger town with more than 70,000 people, I experienced a severe level of culture shock. Not merely because of the number of buildings & people, but the amount of waste & disregard for their home.

Within the urban areas, I have encountered a number of different paths of environmental thought, including: "Everything is good, so why worry?;" "Someone else will fix it;" "It's not affecting me, so it's not a problem; and "It's not that bad, we can fix it later." 

However, I have also met others who have intentionally uprooted their lives to live in locales with worse environmental conditions, because of their "I can fix this"  or "I want to help" attitudes. 

My personal commitment is to maintain the "good" and improve the "bad." 

Black carbon emissions are linked to cardiovascular disease, birth defects, & respiratory problems. I grew up in a home that was heated with a wood-stove & where some of our cooking was also done.  
I was diagnosed with asthma as a young adult, which the doctor indicated was triggered by prolonged smoke damage. I've never smoked in my life, but he said I had the lungs of someone who had smoked a pack a day for several decades. 
Therefore, these issues are very serious for me on a personal level. It breaks my heart that such a simple change in lifestyle could prevent other children from going through what I have.

By eating smaller portions, your caloric intake is less, allowing your body to function at its optimum level. When eating excess calories, your body will store any that are not burned as fat, increasing health risks. 

Many restaurants have incorporated tapas menus, allowing a variety of small plates to be shared.

There are many options that people are currently exploring regarding sustainable food sources and many opinions accompanying these options. It seems as if everyone has a solution, but no one wants to change the status quo.

The most interesting fact I learned is that everyone has a different opinion on what would be the most sustainable form of alternate food sources: including insects, algae,  and GM rice - and some popular restaurants have added insects into their menus.