Science and Sustainability

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science and sustainability

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ocean.alanna

Science and Sustainability
• Marine Scientist 🌊
• @umiamirsmas BSc 🙌
• @umassdsmast PhD Student 🎓

Congrats to our winners @itstoni_withani @joy.to.o

Congrats to our winners @itstoni_withani @joy.to.o and @katielovesearth !!

GIVEAWAY!!! International friendly!

As much as I hate to acknowledge it, I am now on the wrong end of my 20s. In addition to that marine science is a career path rife with opportunity for sun damage to skin. I feel like I’ve always looked a bit younger than I am and I’d like to continue that through the next few decades, so I’ve been using this antioxidant and anti-aging Luminosity Serum from @greenvines.skincare . This serum is formulated with broccoli sprouts, comes in recycled pulp packaging and in a glass bottle, and of course is vegan and cruelty free. The awesome folks at @greenvines.skincare and I are teaming up to give away the Luminosity Serum to three different winners! Even better, this giveaway is open internationally, so I am so excited to be able to include all of you. Here’s how to enter:
• like this post
• follow @greenvines.skincare and me @ocean.alanna
• tag a friend in the comments - each comment with a new tag is an additional entry

Entry will close Friday 11/19/21 at midnight. Winners will be randomly selected and notified the following day. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram.

#giveaway #internationalgiveaway #skincaregiveaway #skincaregiveaways #zerowastehome #sustainableskincareproducts #sustainableskincare #lowwasteskincare #greenskincare #greenvinesskincare #greenvines #broccolisprouts #naturalskincare #naturalskincareproduct #ecofriendlyskincare #antiagingformula #antioxidant #veganandcrueltyfree #veganandcrueltyfreeskincare #luminosityserum #skinserum #greenbeautycommunity #ecobeautyproducts #zerowastebeauty

Can’t believe Halloween was almost two weeks ago

Can’t believe Halloween was almost two weeks ago now! Lots of pumpkins are probably looking past their prime at this point and people will want to start getting rid of them. Unfortunately that means over 1 billions lbs of pumpkin will go to the landfill just in the US! When organic matter like pumpkins decompose in anaerobic landfill conditions they release methane, which is a greenhouse gas estimated to be about 16 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This is the truly scary side of Halloween! Before you put your pumpkins in your trash, consider these other options:
👻 Eat them, obviously! A no brainer, some types of pumpkin are perfect for pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie.
👻 Purée and use as a face mask - fruit enzymes like those in pumpkin are really great for skin, with almost no prep required before it goes on your face.
👻 Feed backyard wildlife like birds and squirrels, who are trying to bulk up for winter.
👻 Save the seeds! Bake and eat or dry them to grow your own, sell them if you have a specialty pumpkin, or give as gifts.
👻 Compost (aerobic conditions, unlike a landfill) - chop them up first for quicker breakdown.
👻 Donate to a farm or animal sanctuary. My chickens are LOVING the pumpkins I’ve been giving them, so reach out to friends with livestock or local farms to see if their animals would like a treat!

What will you be doing with your pumpkins?

#halloween #halloweendecorations #pumpkincarving #halloweenpumpkins #naturaldecoration #foodwaste #pumpkinwaste #compostpumpkins #pumpkinrecipes #greenhousegases #composting #biodegradable #methane #halloweenwaste #zerowastehalloween #sustainablehalloween #zerowastelifestyle #nowasteliving #climatechangeawareness #organicmatter #birdfeeding #backyardwildlife #pumpkinfacemask #ecofriendlyhalloween #zerowastepumpkins

When I moved into my house the folks before us lef

When I moved into my house the folks before us left a big heap of old bricks. I wasn’t really sure how I’d use them, but at this point they’ve been repurposed into at least 5 different projects. I was doing some brick paving around the small pond I put in and this little woolly bear crawled up to say hi. I don’t think there is any real scientific evidence to this, but the folklore is that the wider the brown band of fuzz on them the more mild winter will be. I’m hoping there’s something to that, this one is mostly brown! Either way it won’t impact me too much, I will be away for a large chunk of winter (again) for a research cruise (again). I’ve been using my weekends to get house projects like this done before I go to sea! Are you trying to get any big projects done before winter hits?
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#woollybear #woollycaterpillar #winterweather #weatherpredictions #brickpaving #repurposed #repurposing #repurposedbrick #antiquebrick #diyproject #ponddesign #mothcaterpillar #tigermoth #brickpatio #upcycling #upcycled #upcycledbricks #superstitious #naturefolklore #nature #moths #caterpillars #zerowaste #zerowastehome #zerowasteyard #lowwasteliving #reclaimed #reclaimedbrick

A large portion of my closet is clothes I’ve had

A large portion of my closet is clothes I’ve had since high school. I like to make what I own last a long time, so I’m a little neurotic about stains. I’m usually a panic and try to wash out the stain immediately kind of girl. Sometimes that’s just not possible though! A few months ago while at sea doing some field work - like a very smart and coordinated person - I accidentally drew a big line with a pen across the side of my shorts. Didn’t realize it until I got back, and at that point threw them in the wash and hoped for the best. Forgot about them, they went through the dryer. Permanent stain? Not necessarily! I just used this @kindlaundry stain bar on them and it’s like I never went Van Gogh all across my shorts. The mark is totally gone! This is my go-to now for keeping my whites white, my collars makeup-free, and my clothes generally without stains. On top of doing exactly what I need it to do, it’s everything I love: vegan, cruelty free, zero waste, and no artificial fragrances. Even better, it’s not 90% water like so many products are! It’s a super affordable swap and a great laundry transition to make. Have you given stain bars a try?

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#zerowastehome #sustainability #savetheplanet #eco #noplastic #gogreen #vegan #plasticpollution #zerowasteliving #plasticfree #sustainableliving #saynotoplastic #zerowaste #ecofriendly #zerowastelaundry #plasticfreelaundry #sustainablelaundry #laundryroutine #stainremover #kindlaundry #slowfashion #sustainablefashion #ecocloset #fieldworkproblems #zerowasteswaps #plasticfreeswaps

Finally time for the chicken coop reveal! This has

Finally time for the chicken coop reveal! This has been our big project since early spring. We built the coop entirely ourselves, with 90% of the credit going to my boyfriend Liam - he gave up a lot of weekends to dedicate to it! Luckily having had chickens at my parents house I had an idea of what works best in a coop and what features I wanted, so from there we built based on a basic plan I found on Pinterest. I’ll upload more pictures and info on the build into my stories and highlights for anyone considering a similar project. I could talk about chickens all day so please feel free to ask questions! Do you have chickens, or are you considering a flock?
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Not sure how it’s September already! Trying to f

Not sure how it’s September already! Trying to fit in the last days of sunshine before it really becomes fall. Eco friendly item I am loving right now: my @cariuma x @4ocean sneakers! These are comprised of 100% recycled plastic knit and laces with a sugarcane outsole. Each pair removes 2lbs of trash from our oceans and waterways! .

Why has the Sixth Assessment Report from the @ipcc

Why has the Sixth Assessment Report from the @ipcc been referred to as “code red for humanity” ?
This report does not beat around the bush at all about the extent climate change and what is causing it, stating that “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.” Here are some key points:
- the increase in and current state of atmospheric CO2 concentration have surpassed the bounds of natural cyclical variability
- each of the last four decades have been the warmest on record
- it is virtually certain that human emissions are the primary driver behind ocean acidification
- the rate and scale of change we are seeing since 1850 is unprecedented over centuries to millennia
- humans need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to aim for our Paris agreement goal of 1.5C warming, and even to avoid exceeding 2C warming

For a full summary of the report, check out my stories or my saved highlight “IPCC.” To provide content like this over the internet does contribute to our carbon emission crisis. That’s why I’ve partnered with @carbonfingerprint . My account is now totally climate positive thanks to the ten trees I plant every month. I’m now at 40 trees planted! This not only works as a carbon sink but also supports reforestation efforts. You can enjoy my content knowing it is environmentally friendly! How do you feel about the IPCC assessment? .

Today I’m taking a break and enjoying the nice w

Today I’m taking a break and enjoying the nice weather with the chickens before the hurricane! I’ve had a lot going on and for that reason haven’t made a post since June. I’ve been adjusting to a new role at work - we had an unplanned opening in our lab so I’ve been hired as a research associate on top of still working toward my PhD. It’s different to what I’ve been used to but came with a pay bump so I can’t complain! Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to in the lab:
- planning and making arrangements for our research cruise from Costa Rica to San Diego
- quite a few short field work trips to the Long Island Sound
- training the new folks in our lab and managing our undergrads
- attempting to keep up on my own research and grant writing
- a handful of different projects we are currently working on in my advisors lab as well as a few I’m collaborating on myself
- trying to stay on top of HR to finish a hiring process that’s taken 3 months

I’ve been trying to balance that with making time to be at home to spend time with my boyfriend and all the pets, plus take advantage of the summer weather to get some yard projects done. The combination of everything has meant I haven’t been super active on Instagram. Even without posting I still get DMs and emails every day about collaborations on different projects and campaigns and it’s all just gotten to be a little too much to manage on here. So if you’re also trying to do everything all the time and feel like you’re just barely scraping by, you’re not alone! I hope you’re all doing well 💙

#sustainability #lowwasteliving #zerowaste #bethechange #phdcandidate #graduateschool #gradschool #gradschoollife #gradschoolproblems #researcher #researchlife #researchassociate #somuchwork #somuchtodosolittletime #marinescientist #marinescience #oceanscience #oceanographylife #newjobnewlife #silkiechickens #silkies #silkiechicken #calicosilkies #backyardchicken #discoverunder10k #ecoblogger #ecoinfluencer #stemeducator #steminists

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