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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar

Kaia Dresselhaus

SOC 228 Environmental Sociology

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 773 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    102
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    60
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    60
    miles
    traveled by bus
  • UP TO
    510
    minutes
    of additional sleep
  • UP TO
    450
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    150
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    450
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    28
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Kaia's actions

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 15 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to 3.32 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Deserts

I will spend 30 minutes learning about food deserts and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale, or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Improve a Bus Stop

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 30-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 3 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 17
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

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?


  • Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/24/2018 2:01 PM
    I am so glad that I started going to sleep 30 minutes earlier than I usually do! I feel so much more energized and ready for the day! :-)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Collect Rain Water
    Trace the water that flows down the drain from your house to the largest body of water nearby. What is the route it takes?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/24/2018 1:26 PM
    If water flows down the drain from my house, the first body of water that it would go into would be the Willamette River. 

  • Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/24/2018 1:24 PM
    I can't believe it's the last day of the challenge! I feel like this has made me become so much more aware and in touch with my eco-friendly habits and also things I need to improve on. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Use Public Transit
    The US spends roughly 20% of its federal budget on defense. In contrast, 2% goes to education, 20% goes to social security and 3% goes to transportation infrastructure. Do these numbers surprise you at all? Why or why not?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/21/2018 9:08 AM
    This doesn't surprise me because I knew about the unequal spending before seeing this, but I am still shocked at how little money goes to education. I understand that safety and security is important, but in my opinion our government spends too much on defense and should put more of its financial resources into helping people who need food, healthcare, or free education.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Learn More about Food Deserts
    What are the implications of access to nutritious food for a community?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/13/2018 9:23 PM
    Having access to nutritious food makes a community healthier -- for a lot of neighborhoods, the only place nearby to buy groceries is a convenience store or drugstore, which don't have high quality food or fresh produce. This limits important vitamins and nutrients, which in turn can lead to increased risk for certain diseases or deficiencies. Having access to good food makes communities stronger!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Go get a check up
    How do you practice self care?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/13/2018 9:19 PM
    I practice self care by taking time out of my schedule to slow down and check in with myself about how I'm feeling. Having some alone time can be really healing, whether you're taking a long walk to spend time with your thoughts, practicing a relaxing skincare routine, or just wearing a comfy outfit and feeling good in your body. 

  • Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/13/2018 9:13 PM
    It's so nice to be able to see the season shift into autumn little by little! The air is so crisp and chilly in the morning when I get up for work, and the leaves are beautiful and crunchy under my feet when I walk. We've been having some warm days lately, and I'm trying to soak in the sun and blue sky while it lasts!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy Power Down the Computer
    What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/09/2018 5:43 PM
    To save energy, I can turn off the lights and appliances/electronics that I'm not using when I leave the room. I can also be aware of the thermostat in my home and make sure I'm not wasting energy by having the heat up too high when I can just put on a sweater instead.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Healthy Sleep
    Consider how many hours of sleep you get now. How would you like to shift your sleep patterns? What are you finding works for you to be successful in this action?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/05/2018 10:17 PM
    I get around 8 hours of sleep now on average. I wanted to shift my sleep schedule so that I went to bed earlier and woke up earlier. Because of my morning classes and opening shifts at work, I've had the chance to try this new schedule, and I like it a lot; I feel more energized and like I have more time in the day to get things done. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Go for a Daily Walk
    How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

    Kaia Dresselhaus's avatar
    Kaia Dresselhaus 10/05/2018 10:14 PM
    Walking around the city instead of driving is great because I can appreciate the cute houses and gardens in neighborhoods instead of just zooming past them. I feel more relaxed and thoughtful when I'm walking, it also gives you some alone time to think and daydream, which I really like!