Story Collected by Karl Novak
It is the perfect, stress-free environment for relaxing while getting good exercise, and it allows us a chance to talk to one another without having any distractions
Story Collected by Sharanitha Sampath
It was hard work manipulating the metal, but the final product filled me with a sense of pride. The fact that I could share that experience with my father made it that much more enjoyable
Story Collected by Tania Sosa
Once you harvest the corn you can use it for many different things. The leaves can be used to wrap tamales up. You can use the actual corn for a multiple number of things. You can make corn tortillas and really nothing is wasted. Back in Mexico, the tortillas that are left over are still used not just simply thrown away. If the tortillas turn hard from being out too long after being cooked people make them into tostadas. You fry the tortilla and you don’t need to buy corn chips anymore.
Story Collected by Akhila Gopal
Coming to North America in the early nineties and experiencing the luxuries of the Western world did not change her for the worse. She took advantage of the opportunities available, but also stuck strongly to her culture and her ways. She raised her children to appreciate all they had, reusing clothes until they were so worn that it could only be used as a rag. And even then, she would use it as a rag to wipe the kitchen floor. She taught my sister and I to speak first in her native tongue, Kannada, and second in English, so that the importance of our heritage would always be instilled in us.
Story Collected by Phoenix Chen
During the planting season, my mom would work with her parents planting rice, which was the main crop grown in China and was eaten as a staple food by the Chinese people. During the harvest season, she would help her parents harvest the crop and separate the grains from the rest of the rice plants.
Story Collected by Sarah Hernandez
You don’t know what’s in that hamburger! Have you seen the cows? You don’t know where they make it. You don’t know if the machine is clean! You don’t know what the cow eats. If you want to eat that, you need to have a cow yourself. Have your own chickens and have food from your own farm!!
Story Collected by Ian Torres
From the list of environmentally-friendly practices there were only four items that my mom marked as things she or we do at home. Among those things she marked down recycling, using energy-efficient light bulbs, using drapes and curtains to regulate temperatures, and hanging clothes to dry.
Story Collected by Yaritza Guillen
Every year around Easter my grandmother makes these sweet pastries that resemble French toast, which are called torrejas. It has always been a tradition to create dishes that correlate specifically to different holidays in my family. In the case of this specific pastry, the process of making them is clearly shown as one indulges a piece of a torreja, and its burst of traditional flavors that teleports you to a different place.
Story Collected by Akhila Gopal
The leaf of the banana is a symbol of festivities, because during a time of celebration people are served food onto a banana leaf. More than being just a biodegradable plate, the chemical composition of the banana leaf make using it as a plate, a wonderful experience.
Story Collected by Tania Sosa
My mom taught me that reusing things creates very unique and unexpected results. And if something cannot be reused, always try to recycle it.
Story Collected by Karl Novak
It is cool that my dad wanted to build a bat house because I have been very interested in bats ever since I was a little kid. My curiosity in the critter was piqued after travelling up north to my grandparents summer home on Lake Michigan, where my cousins and I would spend all of our time outdoors including at night with bonfires. My dad and uncles shared with our family how they noticed all of the bats flying and diving for bugs if they looked into the trees at nighttime.
Story Collected by Lucia Whalen
Each time I throw things in the trash now, I feel a pang in knowing that, compared to my immortal compost, whatever I am throwing away is simply going to sit somewhere with no purpose. The compost angels descended when I learned that our lovely neighbors have a giant compost bin in their backyard.
Story Collected by Sarah Hernandez
I realized that indie makeup companies are sustainable in their own unique way. In creating a community with no communicative distance from consumers, sustaining local practices, using ethical and environmentally friendly ingredients, and ultimately creating a new model of production that goes against the corporate norm, indie companies fill their own unique cultural niche of what it means to be sustainable.
Story Collected by Phoenix Chen
When I turned a corner, I saw my physics teacher standing by the door to the classroom. Ms. Kovacs was wearing a t-shirt with WE ADD UP printed in the middle. Each word had its own row, and there was an addition sign to the left of UP. Underneath the words, there was a line and a number beneath it. The message on my teacher’s shirt didn’t make sense to me. Letters certainly could not be added up to numbers.
Story Collected by Sharanitha Sampath
After coming to America, my mother still had the behavior engrained in her, so she continued to take baths the same way. I, however, stopped doing it all together. It was not until one day, when an announcement went out that the water supply to our building would be cut off for a few days.
Story Collected by Yaritza Guillen
Although, it may seem like a simple artwork if you take a look at the finished object, the effort and support from my family lending a hand to finish this project was incredible. I was able to explain my ideas to them, and in exchange I was given feedback on imaginative ways to make my project idea come to life.
Story Collected by Ian Torres
The Ventra card is a big part of my identity simply because I am the kind of person that has to travel a lot every day and I can’t be relying on anyone or anything to get things done. With the card I get things done and at the same time I am engaging in an eco-friendly practice, which is helping me develop a new part of myself which is that appreciation and love for our environment.
Story Collected by Natalie Cruz
I want to look at things the way my mom does, giving everything a second life. I think if we destroyed the negative sentiments and embarrassment towards certain practices that are more sustainable, we’d be able to go back towards a truly innovative society that encourages the use of imagination.
Story Collected by Liz Thomson
One of the funniest stories is how Bay potty trained me, but not like one would think. In Vietnam, plastic disposable diapers were rare to get, so she used cloth. However, since Ma worked for the Army she could get some from the Commissary. One day, Ma caught Bay holding me over one of the rare plastic diapers and making a whizzing sound to pee. I performed perfectly on demand. Ma didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed. I’m sure she laughed and then explained to Bay the diaper’s usage.
Story Collected by Natalie Cruz
It actually began when we lived in Guatemala. I was a baby and my mom lived with my grandma, her mother-in-law. My grandma had, from my understanding, an open room where the chickens had a coop that they could access from there and outside.