Kat Berge

UWRF Green Team

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
463 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

70

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

10

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

40

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

24

more servings

of fruits and vegetables

Kat's actions

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Deserts

I will spend 15 minutes learning about food deserts and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 2 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 25 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Skip the Straw

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

Kat Berge 10/12/2018 7:06 AM

Reduce: I can eliminate the amount of trash that I produce by switching to sustainable materials that can be re-used multiple times, such as mason jars and re-usable totes for groceries.
Reuse: By using products made of metal or glass, I can avoid using single use bags for my lunch and instead use these products, as they can be washed and re-used.
Refuse: By refusing plastic straws, I can keep up to 2 straws out of the landfill each day.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bringing your own bags and containers to the grocery store, and even to restaurants for leftovers, are a couple of ways to reduce your waste. What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Kat Berge 10/12/2018 7:03 AM

Plastic silverware, plastic cups, and takeout containers are my most commonly used single use plastic items. To replace them, I can do the following: when ordering takeout, ask that they do not include silverware and then use my own metal silverware at home, make a habit of bringing a bottle with me to use instead of plastic cups, and find ways to re-use plastic take out containers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reuseable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to establish this a successful habit?

Kat Berge 10/03/2018 3:02 PM

If I find myself without a re-usable bag but need one, I will take my cart out to my car and either place the groceries into the re-usable bags I keep in my car, or if I don't have those I'll just place my groceries into my car without a bag.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Kat Berge 10/03/2018 3:00 PM

Single-use items that I use regularly include sandwich bags and coffee cups. To replace the sandwich bags, I could invest in more containers for my snacks, including glass jars that are more durable and long-lasting than plastic containers. To replace coffee cups, I could get into the habit of carrying my own coffee thermos places so if I decide to stop for coffee, I can have them fill my re-usable cup instead of wasting plastic.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health More Fruits and Veggies

What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How can we start shifting from a meat-focused food culture to a more plant-based one?

Kat Berge 10/03/2018 2:58 PM

I believe that people in North America eat more meat than anything else because they don't know how to properly fruit and veggies in a way that is delicious and appealing to them. Additionally, they see meat as a cheap and easy, protein-packed meal for their family that they don't have to worry about someone not wanting, as little kids can be picky with their vegetables. What this say about our way of living is that we're so focused on preparing food as quickly as we can rather than learning new things and ways to cook, such as roasting vegetables or grilling fruit. We can start shifting from a meat-focused culture to a more plant based one by encouraging restaurants, both sit down and take out, to include a more diverse range of vegetarian options.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Online Energy Audit

What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint?

Kat Berge 10/03/2018 2:55 PM

How much light I actually use each day. I think that I'm being 100% eco friendly with my lights by using energy efficient bulbs and turning them off when I'm not in the room; however, there are definitely times of the day, such as high noon, when there's enough light in my room to not need a light on yet I still do. Also, I didn't realize how much CO2 I emit into the atmosphere by doing little things such as leaving lights on when not needed and leaving things plugged in when they don't need to be.

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Kat Berge 10/03/2018 2:50 PM

I keep a bundle of re-usable totes in my car for groceries, but sometimes I forget to bring them in. Today, I remembered! I saved 3 plastic bags from the landfill by doing so.

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Kat Berge 10/03/2018 2:48 PM

Today at lunch, I choose not to use a plastic straw to drink my pop. I did keep the lid on in case of spills, but I just took it off when I wanted a sip. Also, I brought my own re-usable cup to the cafe for my iced coffee drink, saving not just a straw from the landfill but also a cup!

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