Inspired with Nika Lawrie

The Need For Water Conservation, and What You Can Do with Alissa Schafer

• Nika Lawrie, Alissa Schafer • Season 2023 • Episode 38

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In today's episode, Alissa Schafer and I discuss the importance of water conservation and what we can do at home to make a difference. 


ABOUT THE GUEST:
Alissa Jean Schafer is Managing Owner and Director of Copper Stamp Strategy, a strategic communications firm with a special focus on government, political candidates, non-profits, and advocacy. Alissa has a successful track record of working to effect positive change. She is a recipient of the Solutions Project ONE100 award, Southern Regional Director for Young Elected Officials Network, Local Progress Committee Member, weekly contributor to the Sun Sentinel, serves on the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District, is a research and communications manager at the Energy and Policy Institute, and is a former board member for the Broward County Ruth’s List and Floridians for Lowered Energy Costs. Alissa is also a clean energy educator for Catalyst Miami, a consultant to many elected officials and candidates, and a former Sunshot Initiative coach for the Department of Energy. 


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*This podcast and its contents are for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider for any questions concerning a medical condition or health objectives. Additionally, the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every individual and are not guaranteed for business, personal, or wellness success. Use discretion and seek professional counsel when necessary.

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Nika Lawrie:

Welcome to the Inspired with Nika Laurie podcast. Alyssa, welcome to the show. I'm so happy to have you here.

Alissa Schafer:

Thank you, I'm so glad to be here for this. I think it's important and kind of fun discussion.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, absolutely. It's totally in my like obsessive wheelhouse is how do we keep this clean and healthy and good for generations to come? So, yeah, so, uh. So obviously we're going to talk about water today and get into some other stuff, but why don't we, before we start, have you share a little bit about yourself, tell us a little bit about your backstory and how you got to where you are today?

Alissa Schafer:

Sure, Well, I live in South Florida, so I'm actually surrounded by water. We have canals, we have the beaches. I'm also close to the Everglades. We're literally like our elevation is zero, so the water tables even are so close, so we're literally surrounded by water. So this is an issue that's very near and dear to my heart, just in a practical sense.

Alissa Schafer:

I'm actually from Michigan originally, but I've been in South Florida for about 10 years and I came to start to care about environmental issues and eco issues land conservation, water conservation really just organically. I started out when, after college, my first like big girl job was actually in building materials and I got to see firsthand just how finite and limited our resources are. When you know, when you're coming at it from a business standpoint, you only have so much of this stuff that we're all trying to lose and that we need to survive. So from there, it just was a process of trying to learn more about it and understanding very quickly how important politics and policies are, as well as just trying to come up with ways to, you know, live my own life in a way that was reflective of the stuff I was learning as I was learning it, and now, as I'm a mom, just like you are, and that has given me a totally different perspective and motivation, really, in terms of how important this stuff is, cause it's not just for me, it's not just for these businesses Now, it's for my daughter and everybody else in my daughter's generation and generations to come, like I, I love where we live, I love South Florida, but you know, issues with water quality and issues with sea level, right Like this is all these are very real issues that we're trying to deal with now.

Alissa Schafer:

Um, I would love for her to be able to enjoy the same in Florida that I'm enjoying, you know, 30, 50 years down the road, and that's what makes this stuff so important.

Nika Lawrie:

You got to get on the right track for them Right, absolutely. It's amazing how much your perspective changes when you have a little baby, when you have somebody else that you're caring for, and you know I think I relate to in that story. So I was born and raised in New Mexico. I moved away for a long time and then I came back here and had my daughter again, and I look at winter when I was a kid compared to how it is now.

Nika Lawrie:

When I was a kid it would snow fairly regularly. It used to be. Halloween would always be the first snow like right around there, and we always hated it because we were wearing our costumes and then it would get freezing cold because the snow would come, and this year it was like 75 for Halloween. It was really warm and it's only been the last maybe two weeks that we've even dropped into the fifties in the state. And I mean there's no, it never rains. There's, we joke, it rained a couple of days ago and it's the first rain we've had since, I think, august or September. I mean it literally there's like no moisture here in the state anymore, and and so it really puts into perspective the childhood I had versus the childhood my daughter has, let alone the childhoods our grandchildren are going to have. You know, and how quickly. You know moisture and water and all the things are changing around the world and it really just brings a spotlight to it.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think you know we're both touching on a couple of different issues, because we have water scarcity and then we have water quality. So you know, for example, here in South Florida, with the sea level being so close to where we are in the water tables we have to, you know, salt plumes kind of under the surface of the rock, moving towards those freshwater tables. And once a water source is polluted, whether it's, you know, chemicals, like outfall from, you know, agriculture or whatever infrastructure, like a highway, or from salt, it's, you know. Have you ever tried to sort out water Like it's a very, it's a hard process to separate it once it's in the water, Like yeah it is a very big deal.

Nika Lawrie:

So actually that kind of leads me into my my next question. You know we're kind of we're talking about water conservation in honor of world water day, but can you talk a little bit about, like, what exactly is water conservation and why does it really matter?

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, so water conservation is, I mean, I think the title there there's a lot of titles that don't make a lot of sense, but I think the title of water conservation is a good one, because it it is. It is what it is that we're trying to conserve or use less water. We're recognizing that water is a limited resource. So applying uh, so applying everything from our day-to-day life to how businesses are doing their operations, to how our electricity is generated, if we're viewing all of that through a lens of water conservation, we're doing it in a way that we're using as little water as possible because we're recognizing that that is a rare and incredibly valuable resource. We're trying to protect it, we're trying to preserve it. And I think you know, in terms of, like we can we can get into the details of those different parts, but like it requires effort at every single level. Like, if we're really talking about comprehensive water conservation and what that looks like like for my daughter and I, we try and do, okay, if you're brushing your teeth, like turn the water off while you're brushing, like don't just leave the water running and there's an economic side to that too, cause I don't want to pay a huge water bill just because we're like leaving the faucet on Cause we couldn't be bothered to turn it off, right. So you know there's the monthly budget and then there's also just trying to like us, take personal responsibility. You know, have low flow toilets, low flow appliances. You know, using less water. You know on a day to day basis, and these are things that we can teach our kids. And then I think on, you know the bigger entity that we're talking about, obviously, the bigger impact that they have. So like from a business standpoint, if you have a large operations center, warehouse, let's say you have 50 cubicles and all those people are using water, obviously the impact of water conservation is a lot greater when you get every person in that every 50, every person in that 50 person cubicle office to be on board and they're all measures to use less water.

Alissa Schafer:

And then I think on the the energy side of things, that's something that a lot of folks don't necessarily think about as much because they might think of oh well, our electricity is either coming from solar or it's coming from fossil fuel like natural gas, or it's coming from nuclear. But water usage is actually a really big portion of how those plants are run. A lot of times they're using it for uh, for cooling, because it's very excuse me. So they're trying. They're either using water just to just to run the plant. So there's a lot of different ways and you know, obviously the bigger the plant is, the bigger the building, you know, the bigger the impact.

Alissa Schafer:

But I try, you know it starts at home, right? Something I was thinking about too is yes, it's, we want to have a lower water bill and we're trying to teach good habits to our kids. But my hope for my daughter like someday she's going to be a professional and kids in her generation are going to be the ones that are running these businesses, that are making these decisions Are we going to have a water-efficient office or operations, or what is this energy plant going to look like? So not only is it just today trying to teach these good habits, it's helping them at a really core level value these resources. So when someday they're running the world, they're doing it in a way that is sustainable.

Nika Lawrie:

I mean, I love that you said that. I 100% agree with you. I think it's so important to not only instill just the importance to have that kind of respect for the resource and what it is and that it's finite, but also to be prepared for the world that they are going to live in, not just in the sense of making the decisions to, you know, have a, you know, a water conservative company or something, but they may really be faced with that and how do they operate in an environment where that's the case and how do they, you know, think on their feet and develop systems that really work for being in that type of situation? So I love that you teach that to your kids and that's something that's important to you, because I think it's something that so many of us really need to start thinking about preparing our children for the future.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, absolutely. And I think there are some kids, uh, there are some kids that are already starting to realize that it's going to be a problem. And I, you know, I, I don't want to approach it from a fear perspective because I think there are solutions. So I, you know, and that's a hard line to walk, as I'm sure you know as a parent like, how do you, how are you realistic without being, oh, this is going to be scary, it's going to be a problem. Yeah, but this is, you know, we're navigating that in real time, I think.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, I think so too. I think it's a it's a big step for our generation as parents is. You know, we're kind of that sandwich generation where it wasn't really, you know, a spotlighted issue as much for our parents. But then we can see the massive effect it's going to have on our children's generation. And how do we stay optimistic, how do we keep them enthusiastic about coming up with solutions and knowing that there is the possibility that they can help fix this or build better processes and keep them motivated and excited about it? It's definitely that kind of balancing act that it's important for us to identify. Yeah for sure, yeah, totally. So you've mentioned some of them already, but what are some of the biggest concerns you have around water conservation, you know, aside from, like, the salt plumes or things like that, what are other things that you're seeing in your line of work or running into?

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah. So I think a lot of this depends on where you are geographically, what's happening, the topography in your area. Do you have an issue where you're just running out of water and there's not a lot to go around? So then the primary issue really is conservation and you're using as little water as possible and you're paying attention. If you have a lawn, when are you watering that? Hopefully not when the sun is just sucking that water right up, or even beyond that, are you doing your own personal landscaping or your office landscaping in a way that uses as little water as possible, or your office landscaping in a way that uses as little water as possible? Like, are you using native plants, for example, that are built for a drier climate, so you're not wasting precious resources? So, you know, in a water scarce situation, that's one impact or one concern. In more urban areas, of course, you're also worried about um runoff issues. So if and that's like you know, every the the gross water that you see like dripping down the street into the storm drains, uh, you know people like washing their cars, changing their oil, doing whatever with whatever God knows what chemicals, and all of that is just kind of running down the drain. That's really concerning from a contamination standpoint. You also have, of course, issues that have, or areas that have, just old infrastructure. So it may be wasteful and maybe leaky is the best case scenario and worst case scenario. You're actually creating health risks. You know, we've all seen the news stories about the lead pipes and so, even if they have water, if it's not good water, I would still consider that a water supply issue because you can't drink it and that's very serious. So you have, you know, on the infrastructure side, that's a concern as well.

Alissa Schafer:

In more rural areas, you also have issues with agriculture. Rural areas you also have issues with agriculture. Again, this comes down to what chemicals are they using for things like fertilizer, even runoff from you know, farms that have cows or poultry, for example, and you're dealing with the runoff from the animal waste products. All of those, even if it's a natural product like manure, is natural. But if you have it in a really high quantity, a really high volume, along with the methane gas that is generated by because it's so disgusting, is we have you may have seen it some people call it like the guacamole algae that covers the canals, because we're literally a state, especially in South Florida, of water.

Alissa Schafer:

It's just canal after canal. Some of it is natural. A lot of it has been engineered by the Army Corps of Engineers when they first came and developed the Everglades, because we needed a spot to kind of contain this water, and so now it's literally a system of canals and it's going like through the Everglades, through the city. We have big, big agriculture operations as well, and so all of the runoff, whether it's from the city or from these farming operations, creating a really high level of they call it nutrients, and this, the algae, just gets so out of control because of all this extra crap that's in the water that it creates this like sludge, like almost guacamole algae. It smells really bad, it's disgusting. You can't go boating Like. You can't do any of the things that we all live here in Florida to do.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Alissa Schafer:

So again, even though, okay, well, we have a lot of water, if it's covered up with this toxic sludge it's unusable. So that's a water issue as well. So I mean, those are. Those are a few of the top ones. I would also say, you know, I mentioned energy generation.

Alissa Schafer:

Down in South Florida there is a nuclear power plant. It's called Turkey Point. It's in one of the hottest places in Florida already, just from the get-go, because we're so far south. But nuclear plants they run very hot, of course, and so they're using a lot of water. They have miles of cooling canals and what's happening there is they're using salt water, but the salt water is going through these canals and evaporating, so it's becoming super salty and then that is creating one. I mentioned the salt plumes. That's creating a salt plume that is gradually, you know, at risk of moving towards our freshwater table, which is our limited drinking water, and they've already had to shut down some of our drinking wells and some of our drinking sources in connection to that. So that's a big concern as well. So that I mean that's a handful of concerns big concerns.

Nika Lawrie:

It's huge and you think about it I mean, even though you know these are examples in Florida that there's so many things like that happening all over the place. I know here in New Mexico one of the things that we've run into quite a bit is we have a large air force base here and there we have multiple air force spaces, but there's one really large one, um, on the South side of Albuquerque, and we've had a lot of jet fuel spill spills that have then contaminated the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people that live in the city, especially people south of it where the water flows. There's an Indian Pueblo that is south of the city and they've had major drinking water issues because of that, and so you think about, you know there's these issues all over the place. It's not just limited to one situation or one state or one area, it really is. You can go anywhere in the country and start to find all of these issues, and people are just now really starting to identify the major effects from them.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, absolutely, and I think it's also, you know, when we're having this discussion, I think it's important to remember that it doesn't impact everybody equally either, and I think there are communities and neighborhoods that have historically been marginalized in terms of you know, maybe they're closer to that power plant, or they're closer to where there's a high level of waste, or their infrastructure is just so bad. So, as these problems get worse if they're not fixed, it's important to acknowledge that there are certain communities that already have been, and are going to continue to be disproportionately impacted, and to me, that's really concerning just from an angle of justice. That's not okay and we need to be's really concerning just from an angle of justice, like that's not, that's not okay and we need to be way more proactive about fixing it.

Nika Lawrie:

Absolutely. So, speaking of being proactive, I'm going to ask you on both sides but we'll start with personally like what are some things that we can do, you know, in our daily lives, to help address water conservation and really water protection? You know, are there, there behaviors we can change and then kind of things we can model for our children too?

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, I think that awareness is the very first step. So just starting from a place where you're like, okay, we don't have infinite clean water. So having that awareness as we're going out or going throughout our day, is a really important first step. It's just being self-aware that this, this resource is valuable and that my personal actions have an impact on how much of that resource is available for me and for everybody else. So in a practical sense, that can look like just being aware of when you're not using the water uh, turn the faucet off. You know from a very very, very basic.

Alissa Schafer:

Um, also taking a look at what appliances you have, how water efficient they are, um, you know, a few years ago, I think that water efficient appliances got a bad rap because people were like, oh, they don't work as well. I think we're we're well beyond that. There are very nice, very like. They look awesome, they work awesome, you're using less water, you're saving money. So, if you're in a position to do some of those energy efficiency upgrades, uh, ultimately you're going to save money and you're also using less water. So so that's a thing to do, yeah, and then thinking about that Absolutely, yeah, yeah.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, so thinking about, um, you know other things that you're doing that are ending up in the water. Uh, this, this requires like a little bit more self-awareness, but like it. For example, if you have a yard, you know what. What chemicals are you using. If you're using any like, for example, fertilizer or any type of repellent uh, basically anything that you're putting out into the outside that, if it rains, it's going to end up in a drain, which is going to connect to the water source at some point. Just being hyper aware and trying not to put extra chemicals or extra fertilizer, you know, in a spot where it's going to end up in the drain.

Alissa Schafer:

Same thing if you're working on your car, you're doing a project, you're painting your house, try not to just let that paint oil, whatever that garbage is that you're getting rid of, don't let that go down the drain. Try and capture that. They have pads that you can use or you can do it over. There's even ways to design a driveway where, instead of just having the concrete, uh, it's either a green driveway, so you have like a strip of like gravel and grass in the middle, so it's catching some of that oil. Um, and then, of course, you know, just being mindful, if you are going to wash your car and you're using a lot of water and you know doing a whole wax job and oil change the whole nine yards, just be aware of where that runoff is going.

Alissa Schafer:

So those are. I mean, those are some basic, uh like personal things and everything that that we're doing. If you're a parent, uh, your kid is watching like it's almost scary, sometimes I forget these little brains are just sponges, yeah, and I'm sure, especially at this younger age so my daughter's five and sometimes I'm like where did you, oh you picked that up for me? So I think, as opposed to having like a you know, a big, you know, sit down and lecture or talk with a kid about, hey, this is why we're saving water, it's the concept like a thousand one minute conversations and them just watching you like live your life in this way is kind of how I try and approach it.

Nika Lawrie:

I love that. The thing I wanted to add with yours too, I think your, your list is phenomenal. And I've had the green driveways and the pads. Those are really good things that most people don't think about or don't even know exist, but they're, you know, things that you can. You know, if you have the means to, you can do your driveway that way, but if not, you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot or your hardware store and pick up those pads to collect those chemicals. The other thing, too, is just thinking about, like the type of laundry detergent you use or the type of shampoos, or like toilet bowl cleaners, things like that. All of those have different types of chemicals, ones that are a little bit less synthetic, more natural ingredients. It's going to be a lot, a lot less harsh on the water system and in all of the kind of ecosystem that's involved in that as well.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, no, that's a great, that's a great point. And that just made me remember. Um, another best practice is, if you have, uh, if you have, prescription drugs, uh, be really careful of not flushing those down the toilet Because there's actually, it's wild. They've done studies on, you know, the marine life, like the fish or whatever and they're having. They're finding some that have just crazy, like abnormal development and it's because of hormones from things like birth control pills that are ending up in the sewer and then in the water system and then the you know, like the frogs and fish are ingesting these hormones and that's like it's wild to think about. But like, yeah, we're starting to see. If folks are interested, they can, you know, google the impact of birth control on fish. Like it's a very weird studies out there. I was just like, wow, so really you never thought you'd say to yourself but yes, exactly.

Alissa Schafer:

So, like you know, stuff like that, just being aware of what you're, what you're putting down, the drain.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely it. I mean it's heartbreaking and fascinating at the same time. Yeah, so beyond our homes, you know you took an interesting road, kind of moving into this more involved kind of political business world of water conservation and protecting your community. So for the rest of us, beyond our homes, are there ways that we can make a bigger impact or get involved to kind of help in this area? Yeah, absolutely.

Alissa Schafer:

I would say a couple things. First of all, if you're in a position where you know maybe you're a building operator, you're in management, like a faculty manager or facility manager, taking a proactive look at how water efficient your facilities are is a really great step and you can approach that from a budget perspective because, honestly, at the end of the day it's the larger your operation is, the bigger your water bill is. So everybody is. You know inflation is going up. People are looking for ways to save money. Using less water could be one of them, so that's a really practical thing For folks that aren't in that position. I would say again, it comes down to awareness, and I know a lot of folks. You know they get a bad taste in their mouth when they hear the word politics.

Nika Lawrie:

Right.

Alissa Schafer:

But I have to say it, politics matter on these things. And so just you know, as you have local elections coming up, you know all the way at the city level to the state legislature and then, of course, federal, just being aware that water conservation is a really important issue for where you live, regardless of you know what the specific issue might be for you have it in the back of your mind. You're listening to candidates you know give their their elevator spiel about why you should vote for them. Uh, think about, okay, well, I know that you know we haven't had rain for six months and usually do what are they doing about that issue? Like, is that even on their radar? And just having that awareness and and potentially, uh, having it be a deciding factor when you're thinking about who to vote for, because, again, we're thinking about setting the world up for future generations. So those are the bigger set and the bigger.

Alissa Schafer:

I guess one thing that I'll say is, as corporations, you know, are also navigating this changing world right along with us, something that I have seen that I think is really concerning is the large corporations will turn around and put the responsibility back on individuals and they'll say, ok, well, just you like, turn the water off when you're brushing your teeth, and, yes, that is a good step that we can take.

Alissa Schafer:

But the key is, those corporations need to also be taking their own actions and doing the turn the water off when you're brushing your teeth, except on a like that times a thousand, because they are the largest water users. So, but you know, they have very talented and high paid PR teams that try and spin the responsibility back on us. It needs to be both, and it's always both, and it's not going to be one or the other. We all are in this together. So those are kind of like some big picture things that you know it's less well, this is what we can do tomorrow, but I, you know, that's, I think, where where our minds need to be thinking like 10, 15 goals online.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, absolutely, I totally agree with you. So we've talked a lot about water today, but I wanted to bring up one other area that I think isn't necessarily addressed enough and people don't quite understand the importance of it, but that would be soil, and talking about how, um, how much of a role this plays in our life in the sense of agriculture. We live on it, you know, we do grows on it and, um, you know, I know you you're, uh, you're part of the water and soil conservation department, so can you talk a little bit about, um, the importance of soil, basically, and and and your perspective on it?

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, dirt is so important. Yes, yeah. So I, you know, I grew up just loving the outdoors and going on hikes with my family and now to this day, I do the same and I'm trying to pass that along to my daughter. She loves to just get down and dig in the dirt and so I'm like, okay, great, something is working here. So you know, land conservation is really it's so intersectional with water conservation, like it's, and that's why so I'm on the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District and I think that's why both of those things are so intertwined. Both of those things are so intertwined Water, water quality, soil quality like you can't have one without the other.

Alissa Schafer:

And, as you know, like when you don't have water, you just end up with really dry soil. So if you're trying to have healthy agriculture, or even like a healthy home garden, that becomes impossible. Same thing, all of the nutrients in the water, you're using that to have good, fertile soil to try and grow your crops, whether it's a huge commercial farm operation or your own personal. And if that water is not good quality, it's also impacting the quality of the soil. And I, so I don't have a yard, I have just like this little balcony thing and I have tried to grow plants and I have seen firsthand how important good soil is game-changing for growing plants.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, yes, yes, especially if you're trying, yeah, anything that's not uh labeled like extra hardy, like on the yeah, it's. Uh, you know plants are very temperamental, um, so the quality of that soil really matters. And you know, especially in some parts of the country, uh, where we're seeing a lot of overdevelopment, um, just the, the simple act of protecting the land that we have and not just rushing to develop it and sell it to the highest bidder is something that is really important. You know, here in South Florida, protecting the land that we have and not just rushing to develop it and sell it to the highest bidder, is something that is really important. You know, here in South Florida, it's a huge issue that we're facing all over the place in the metropolitan kind of hotspots, because in my mind, like I said, we're already surrounded by water. So what you have is, if you have a plot that's not developed, it's likely, like there's likely a lot of water happening there. It's usually collecting storm water, it's helping prevent flooding and it's also, you know, it's part of that whole ecosystem, like the water, the soil, like it all works together. So if you just pave everything over and get rid of all that dirt, like you're, you're setting yourself up a for massive flooding and B for all these other impacts just you know, getting exponentially worse. So you know, again, it depends.

Alissa Schafer:

I don't want to only talk about Florida. It really does depend where you live, like some people have a ton of land and they may. They may be thinking, oh, land conservation is not, not a big issue. But I would say again, think proactively. Think about where people are going to be moving in the next decade, in the next 50 years, and have a framework in place to really make sure that you're protecting that land and protecting that soil so that you're not just destroying it for the future generations Right, not just destroying it for the future generations. And when you talk about agriculture, you can really get into regenerative farming practices. For example, there's ways that we can take care of the soil that we so desperately need to grow the food to feed our families. There's ways that we can do that that is regenerative. So we're not just, you know, maxing that soil out after a few crops and then it takes years to recover. But if we're thinking proactively, how can we do this in a way that's sustainable? That's what's going to set us up for success.

Nika Lawrie:

Absolutely. I mean, I love that you brought up regenerative farming, because it's such an important thing to me. In that sense, I think I wish more and more people would learn about it, so that you know we use our pocketbooks to start making those changes at the store level so that people buy those kinds of things, because, going back to that, not only is it better for the water and better for the land, but it's better for us too, because the nutrients that the food get or the plants get from the ground is what goes into our body and essentially that's really what matters.

Alissa Schafer:

Absolutely, absolutely. And I you know I'm embarrassed that I didn't even know the term regenerative farming until really just a couple of years ago, and this is like, so critical to our future. I'm like, how did I not know about this? But there's, there's a lot of education that I think needs to be done.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of in the same boat with you. I've known for probably six years, maybe somewhere in that ballpark, so you know it was something I didn't know about for a long time either. And but now, like once you've learned, you're just like oh my gosh, why isn't this happening more? Yeah, no, it's crazy. So I have some lightning round questions, uh, for you. But before I get into that, I want to do two things. One is I want to ask where can the listeners connect with you, find out more, get involved, those kind of things yeah, I appreciate that.

Alissa Schafer:

So, uh, the most active platform where I'm having these type of discussions and talking about, uh, land conservation and just environmental issues with a touch of politics, of course, is on my Instagram account and that handle, and hopefully we can put it in the show. But it's yeah, it's Alyssa Jean underscore, so so flat, and that's so. South Florida is what the so so flat stands for, and so it's. But it's my name, alyssa Jean underscore, so so flat, and from there you know there's other contact information that folks can look up for sure.

Nika Lawrie:

Perfect, I'll put everything in the show notes for sure. Yeah, so the other thing I want to say was just to acknowledge you for the work that you're doing. I think it is so unbelievably important, I think it's powerful and it's really just. It's lifechanging for so many generations to come, and so I want to acknowledge you for that.

Alissa Schafer:

Well, I really appreciate that and I think that that reflects right back on you. I mean, thank you for hosting this conversation, so I really appreciate that, thank you?

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, definitely Awesome. So are you ready for the lightning around question?

Alissa Schafer:

Well, I'm nervous, but go ahead.

Nika Lawrie:

They're pretty straightforward, so don't be too scared. So okay, the first one is what is the most impactful book you've read and why?

Alissa Schafer:

Oh my, gosh, okay, uh, I've. I've bought so many books recently so this is hard to answer. Um, so, glennon Doyle, untamed I'm one of the many, many people that bought that and loved that, yeah, and then I also bought her wife's book Forward by Abby Wambach, and then the two of those. I mean, there was just so much in both of their stories that I was like, oh my gosh, yes, yeah.

Nika Lawrie:

So I think it's a tie between those two and they just happened to be I haven't read Ford, so I'll have to check that one out too.

Alissa Schafer:

Yeah, it's really great, and I don't know a ton about soccer so I was worried that it was going to be too much soccer, but it was really. It was just incredible. She has a really interesting life story, very inspirational.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, I'll definitely have to check that out. Okay, so your next question, which you've already given quite a few, but what is the best toxin-free living tip that you have?

Alissa Schafer:

Oh, the very best toxin-free living tip I would say just try and use less. Like. A lot of people talk about recycling and my thing is just before you even worry about recycle, think about reduce, and you know that's that's not so much like in the in the toxin stuff, but maybe like, if you're just using less like, do you really need that product? Do you really need that chemical? Do you really need that extra strong, whatever cleaning supply, like? You probably have something in your cabinet that works just fine. Um so, once you get away from the marketing, so I would say just use less. Um so, once you get away from the marketing, so I would say, just use less.

Nika Lawrie:

I actually I love that. I think that's a. It's a really valid tip. It's, um, you know, and there's so often there's natural things that we have in our home that can work as cleaners or whatever that we don't even think about, that we just actually turn to the more chemically based ones. Yeah, my thing.

Alissa Schafer:

I was going to say. My thing right now is wrapping paper um and I don't know how toxic the you know all the that, the wrapping paper that has, like, all the printed designs on it. I don't know if that's toxic, but it does feel a little bit wasteful, yeah, so I try and use. I try and use, you know, paper that we have, or newspapers or old stuff like that, um, but I will tell you actually, because wrapping paper is a pet peeve of mine.

Nika Lawrie:

So wrapping paper that is like the craft paper, the, that those can be recycled. The wrapping paper that has the um, like the shiny, the shimmer to it, the shininess, all of those, that has a treatment on it that it cannot be recycled or reused. So you're literally using it once and then you just have to throw it in the trash and it doesn't biodegrade like other normal paper because it has that finish on it. It's basically like plastic. Oh, no.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, so if you can opt for the craft paper versions or the newspaper, those kinds of things, you're in much better shape.

Alissa Schafer:

Okay.

Nika Lawrie:

Awesome, it's pretty so, yeah, okay. So along these lines, the next question is what is your best tip for living an eco-friendly life?

Alissa Schafer:

I mean living an eco-friendly life. I would say also just use less, use less crap, buy less crap. Have a water bottle that you're refilling every day as opposed to you know grabbing I mean, that's another water conservation tip, um. And then, uh, honestly get politically involved. Um, because, aside from our everyday habits and choices that we're making, and, uh, purchase decisions that we're making, and purchase decisions that we're making, who is in office and who is passing laws that, ultimately, are going to have an even exponentially larger impact than what we're doing personally, that stuff really, really, really, really matters. So I would just say make sure you're registered to vote, pay attention to when elections are coming up and pay attention to where they stand on things like water conservation.

Nika Lawrie:

Absolutely. Can't agree more with you on that one, Definitely Okay. So last question for you what does it mean to live consciously to you?

Alissa Schafer:

To me, living consciously uh means living with intention, you know it's.

Alissa Schafer:

It's one of the reasons that reasons that I work in the field that I do, or I'm working on these issues that are important to me, because at the end of the day, I want to have intention in what I am spending so many hours of my life doing. At one point I was just doing marketing and that's just, you're just selling crap. So that kind of contradicts my whole use less, buy less principle. So if I'm being my most genuine self and living consciously, that means that I have intention behind what I'm doing, and for me, that includes my work, and I know not everybody has the opportunity to make a living off of working on something that they believe in and that's very real. So I know that I'm very lucky to be in a position where I'm able to do this and pay the bills with it. Um so, but for me, you know in a very real sense that that's where it is and that's. I wake up every day with that intention and with that purpose and I feel very lucky to do so.

Nika Lawrie:

That's beautiful. I love that, definitely Awesome. Well, alyssa, thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm so grateful to have you here and all the resources, information you shared. It's so important and super powerful. So thank you. Thank you for having me.

Alissa Schafer:

This was a wonderful conversation. I really appreciate all the work that you're doing Absolutely.

Nika Lawrie:

Thank you, thank you.

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