Author: Tingyu Wang

College life is intensive and tough. We need to study every single day from Monday to Friday. By the evening we would be tired, irritable and unable to concentrate. Then, we sleep during the night without foods. The first thing in the morning when we wake up is to have breakfast—breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

The best thing of living in the Greenbelt from the daily life perspective for me is to have a kitchen in the house. I am a breakfast person, so I need to take time to sit down and have a nice first meal of the day before undertaking the day’s work. With the nice little kitchen in our house, I can start my day with a nutritional breakfast. I enjoy preparing my breakfast every because I can eat different things—vegetable smoothies, low-cal pancake, oatmeal, fresh fruits, porridge, etc. I feel fulfilled and happy everyday walking to classrooms.

In addition, Greenbelt housing has really good views. I live right beside the Swan lake. I can see white and black swans, ducks, and fish everyday. This lively scenery every morning makes my day. Especially if the previous night rains, the air is really fresh in the morning. Then, I can see folks from the campus and the greater Greenville community walking, biking, or relaxing. I feel that I live in a lively community and everyday is a better start.

-Tingyu Wang

 

I cook a lot. So energy used in the kitchen is the primary and the most significant part of my energy consumption. One day when I was cooking my “fabulous” Friday dinner, I thought, “What I can do to reduce my personal energy consumption and therefore contribute to sustainability?”

 

Eating according to the seasons has for many people been largely consigned to the past. But nowadays, we can buy any produce, such as strawberries and asparagus, year-round thanks to refrigeration, heated greenhouses, and global transportation. However, when we benefit from such amenities like technology and globalization, we unconsciously create “food miles,” which adds to the food’s carbon footprint. Therefore, I started looking into what kind of food is more sustainable.

 

To achieve sustainability, food should be sourced “locally” wherever possible. So energy used in production, transportation, and storage can be minimized. In addition, eating local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern industrial agriculture system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment. In contrast, local farms grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest and the best flavors. These varieties contain genetic material from hundreds of years of human selection and abilities to survive in a changing climate.

 

One source of local food is the farmers’ market. Downtown Greenville has a farmers’ market on Saturdays to which I go frequently. I can find almost everything I want from the market: from eggplants to breads; from plants to locally made ice-creams; and from tomatoes to cheeses. Being sustainable is possible. So go for it!

 

-Tingyu Wang  10/7/2016