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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Whitney McClees's avatar

Whitney McClees

Team SouthCoast

"Looking forward to making small changes to my daily habits to contribute to reversing global warming."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,163 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    55
    minutes
    spent learning

Whitney's actions

Transport

Advocate For Greener Vehicles

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 8 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

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

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 22
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
    Women and Girls Research Barriers to Participation and Representation
    What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/24/2019 3:01 PM
    Access, support, socioeconomic status. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Advocate For Greener Vehicles
    How does advocating for green vehicles in your community connect to your values? How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to fuel-efficient vehicles?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/23/2019 8:37 AM
    Advocating for green vehicles supports the Town's designation as a Green Community (which included committing to a green vehicle fleet policy) and it mirrors my commitment to reducing my own carbon emissions as much as possible. Getting others involved in advocating for the shift to fuel-efficient vehicles is important so the benefits can be successfully communicated. Talking about it from an economic standpoint may be the way in for many people.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning
    What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/23/2019 8:30 AM
    Family planning is crucial in curbing population growth and reducing maternal and infant mortality. Proving education and family planning options to those who don't have regular access to them can increase access to education and empower girls and women to make decisions for themselves. When family planning focuses on healthcare provision and meeting women’s expressed needs, empowerment, equality, and well-being are the result; the benefits to the planet are side effects. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants
    How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/18/2019 5:48 AM
    It's easy to get overwhelmed about climate change when you think about the apathy and loud dissenters. But, if I focus on the small changes I can make in my own life and have conversations with people around me about making similar changes in their lives, I can think about the ripple effect that may have. Additionally, I am extremely encouraged by the level of involvement from students on the issue of climate change. They can't do all the work, though. Climate change isn't going away nor is it a problem that only a few can solve. We have to work together, which is exactly what I love about the EcoChallenge. 

  • Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/17/2019 7:28 AM
    The momentum is awesome, Team SouthCoast! We're currently 8th and three of our teammates are in the top 100 participants worldwide!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Choose Recycled Paper
    Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/11/2019 5:24 AM
    When my office next buys paper, I can advocate for recycled rather than virgin paper. Additionally, I can advocate for recycled papers among my friends and family as well.

  • Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/09/2019 1:01 PM
    I'm so excited to see how many people have joined Team SouthCoast and the momentum that's happened in just under a week!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit
    What are your next steps for saving energy?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/08/2019 8:48 AM
    I took advantage of Mass Save's online energy assessment. Next steps for saving energy include weatherization of doors and windows and reducing air leaks. I may take advantage of their free in-home assessment as well.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Recycle Everything I Can
    How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/06/2019 12:44 PM
    Incorporating the many "R's" (reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, recycle, etc.) is not always easy. I've been trying to make more conscious choices regarding shopping locally, not purchasing what I don't need, and avoiding purchasing plastic when I can. It's both frustrating and liberating. Frustrating because our current consumer-based society doesn't offer a lot ways to make reducing, reusing, repairing, etc. easy.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Use Muscle Power
    How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

    Whitney McClees's avatar
    Whitney McClees 4/03/2019 11:48 AM
    Mode of transportation has an effect on how I interact with my surroundings. I'm more likely to interact with other people if I'm walking. Plus walking or biking gets me a bit more Vitamin D than driving does.