At any given moment, 10 quintillion insects go about their lives - eating, drinking, reproducing, and eventually dying. Their numbers dwarf the numbers of Earth’s mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish. Do these insects feel pain or emotion? Do they have moral value? If they do, what responsibility does humanity have to its distant insect relatives? This fall, Effective Altruism at Berkeley will be hosting a reading group to learn about insect welfare and to discuss insect ethics. Topics will include wild animal suffering, the effects of environmental change on insects, the relationship of insects and agriculture, and the treatment of insects as pests. Come join us if you’re interested!

My role is to contribute to the research and writing of a consumer focused book that can help the general public have a better understanding of plant based alternatives and their impacts, and which consumer consumption decisions are the most beneficial to the individual and the planet. It's often difficult for consumers to understand the complexities of new industries and technologies, and making informed choices to live a more sustainable and healthy life is not always straightforward. The general goal of the book is to make it easier for the general public to understand what personal decisions have bigger impacts and how we can work together to create effective sustainable change.

The EAB Hackathon is an upcoming community-built event designed for college students, in partnership with Superlinear. Participating students will be presented with an open-ended challenge and will have multiple opportunities to learn and network with professionals working in the same problem space. The goal of this event is to get technically skilled students who are not involved with effective altruism in touch with EA organizations and learn about meaningful career paths. If you are interested in contributing to this event or want to learn more, please reach out to Ganesh Pimpale at ganeshmp@berkeley.edu.

A donation drive selling vegan snacks to raise donations for high impact charities, such as the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF).

Impact: Donated $500, which buys about 250 nets. For context, the AMF estimates that 600 nets prevent the death of one child and also prevent 500 to 1,000 cases of malaria. In our situation, that would be about 160 to 330 cases.