Ethan Cirmo

City of Portland Office of Management & Finance (OMF)

"Inspiring our employees so that together we can lead the City by example"

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
814 Total

Participant Impact

up to

92

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

1.0

energy audits

conducted
up to

22

pounds of paper

have been saved
up to

22

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
up to

22

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
up to

22

pounds

waste composted

Ethan's Actions

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Choose Two-Sided Printing

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper each day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

Completed
One-Time Action

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 22
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

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

Completed
One-Time Action

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of C02 over the course of the next year.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Ethan Cirmo 10/24/2018 8:55 AM

Last day! I repeat, last day! Getchya points!

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Ethan Cirmo 10/23/2018 3:53 PM

One day left y'all! You could say...it's the final countdown.

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Ethan Cirmo 10/22/2018 3:01 PM

Fun Fact! Do you have a fish tank?

Recently, when I do a water change on my fish tank, I've been using the dirty tank water to water my herb garden. The Basil absolutely thrives on all the dissolved organic in old fish tank water, and it turns what would normally be throw-away water into a highly valuable commodity---well, for me at least.

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- Ethan Cirmo 10/24/2018 11:44 AM
  
  Melissa that is brilliant. Mine's planted too :)
  
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- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/24/2018 11:35 AM
  
  Yes, I have a planted tank and the plants thrive from the bio materials. I've taken to watering my plants with tank water, too. It's like hydroponics-lite, haha!
  
  We also save random cups of water that don't get finished (especially by our kiddo) and put it in one pitcher we use to water the house plants.
  
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Reflection Question
Energy Online Energy Audit

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

Ethan Cirmo 10/22/2018 2:45 PM

What was most surprising? Well, certainly not that I live in a very inefficient home---I already knew that. I rent, and it's old, it's got old appliances, very little insulation, hilariously drafty windows, etc. Unfortunately, there is little that I can actually do to improve it beyond my limited ability to make improvements as a tenant. Do I move? Do I hassle my landlord? Most efficiency improvements, and certainly the most effective ones, are off limits to those who rent, which makes it hard to live efficiently in a city like Portland where much of the rental space is still fairly old. Although that is changing, and bringing new problems with it.

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- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/24/2018 11:38 AM
  
  That's a really good point. I know some things that folks can do without making structural changes are improved window coverings, or those slip on weather strips for doors. Perhaps a low-flow shower head since shower heads easily slip on/ off?
  
  I think changing one's habits is the piece we can all do. There's the opportunity to educate your landlord about things like Energy Trust grants to help finance energy efficiency improvements, but it really depends on the relationship you have with your landlord.
  
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Ethan Cirmo 10/22/2018 2:36 PM

I've thoroughly enjoyed this challenge; not only is it great to be winning one of these challenges, it was actually a much lighter-lift than I was expecting; the actions incorporated into my day to day pretty easily.

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- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/24/2018 11:39 AM
  
  Agreed! Once I got into habits it was easier to keep them up.
  
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Ethan Cirmo 10/22/2018 9:46 AM

Well hullo everyone---I'm super impressed with our showing this year, what an effort! We are killing it, I never anticipated such numbers. Two days left though, keep your eye on the prize!

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Ethan Cirmo 10/04/2018 8:33 AM

Keeping track of all these challenges can take some effort, so I've been dedicating a few moments at the beginning of my day to focus solely on tracking my progress here. That way, I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

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- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/04/2018 8:49 AM
  
  I wrote a post-it note that sits on my computer monitor to remind me of my challenges throughout the day!
  
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Ethan Cirmo 10/03/2018 2:24 PM

How's the challenge going? So far so good, I'd say. The biggest challenge...of this challenge...is that I've maxed out the number of challenges I can participate in :( Having said that, I did just use the word "challenge" three times in a sentence---do you get points for that?

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Reflection Question
Waste Skip the Straw

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

Ethan Cirmo 10/03/2018 10:12 AM

I can use those R's every time I am considering making a purchase, whether routine or unplanned, and also around the house when I am considering throwing something away. Is there a way for me to use something for another purpose instead of throwing it out? Well, there just might be.

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Reflection Question
Waste Choose Two-Sided Printing

Choosing two-sided printing can be an easy adjustment on your computer settings. How can you help others make this same switch? Can it be encouraged company wide?

Ethan Cirmo 10/03/2018 10:10 AM

I encourage others to two-side print mainly by demonstrating how little one has to do to make the change. The procedure is quick, and I've found that most people don't mind at all if a document is two-sided. Some find it more convenient even, like me!

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