Christine Thilavanh

City of Portland Office of Management & Finance (OMF)

"To become environmentally friendly. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
514 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

85

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

19

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

19

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

19

pounds of paper

have been saved

Christine's actions

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Track my Purchases

I will spend 5 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 19
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 19
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?

Christine Thilavanh 10/24/2018 8:52 AM

Everything is going good. I'm looking forward to seeing the results overall of the difference we've made after this challenge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Compost Food Waste

New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? Do you know how your compost will be used and the benefits it has on the environment?

Christine Thilavanh 10/24/2018 8:48 AM

I've noticed that I am starting to throw away less, now that I have reusable items. I've read that the benefits of composting is to help provide a better environment and healthy gardens.

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Christine Thilavanh 10/15/2018 11:49 AM

Update: After switching out all of my lights to LED, I'm now paying 50% less than the month before on my PGE bill. :O

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to clean energy?

Christine Thilavanh 10/11/2018 11:57 AM

By educating others on the effects of energy, we should be able to inform them on how beneficial it would be for us to shift to clean energy.

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Christine Thilavanh 10/11/2018 11:32 AM

I'm start to definitely feel the difference when making a difference.

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- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/11/2018 12:24 PM
  
  That's great! The biggest difference for me is carving out meaningful time just for me, and after a week I'm really seeing a difference, too!
  
  Read More
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?

Christine Thilavanh 10/11/2018 9:41 AM

Once everyone changes their default settings to printing on both sides and in black and white, we can all make a difference.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Christine Thilavanh 10/10/2018 9:10 AM

My home had over 25 fluorescent light bulbs with 60-100 watts each, running regularly in my home. I decided to switch them all out for LED lights with 8 watts per bulb. My home went from running a total of 1,620 watts to 200 watts instantly. I opted for Bright White lights, and the difference is truly amazing! My home has never looked brighter and felt more comfortable, which allows myself to be more productive. Although, LED lights can be a little but on the pricey side compared to the fluorescent bulbs, but the money that I would save, should make up for it.

Hint: I hear PGE gives out FREE light bulbs for those who decide that they want to make their homes energy efficient.

Read More
- Melissa Walton Hendricks 10/11/2018 12:25 PM
  
  That's awesome! I was wondering who among us had upgraded their lights as part of the challenge. Kudos to you!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Track my Purchases

What have you noticed about your purchases? Where are you inclined to make shifts, if any?

Christine Thilavanh 10/10/2018 8:39 AM

Every single time that I would go to the grocery store, I end up buying more produce than I would need. The amount of produce that ends up in the trash by the end of the week is ridiculous. So, I decided to start this new method of 1 bag/week, whenever I go to the grocery store. By using the 1 bag/week method, I would have to finish everything that I purchased in that bag for that week (even when I am soooo tempted to try a new recipe with completely different ingredients). This is a great method for both limiting waste and saving money!

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- Monica Martin 10/10/2018 8:47 AM
  
  Boom! Let us know how it goes. I find that saving money is always a good motivator and when it's coupled with doing good it's even better!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Skip the Straw

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

Christine Thilavanh 10/09/2018 3:11 PM

By purchasing my own set of reusable silverware, plates and mugs to be kept at my workstation, I would be taking the first steps to incorporating my "R's" into my lifestyle.

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