Nate Swartz

SUNY New Paltz

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
237 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

195

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning

Nate's actions

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Nate Swartz 4/11/2019 11:23 AM

While tracking the food that I wasted, I found that I didn't eat half the cereal I ate, and I didn't finish my bacon egg and cheese and while that doesn't seem like a lot that sandwich alone was $5 on my dining plan which is a lot when you consider that the amount given each semester is $13.58 a day. So with that in mind I would by myself new tires for my car, and then with the rest of the $900 from that 1,500 saved I would by myself a new gaming monitor for my computer, and then go buy new clothes, and donate my older clothes to a place that can Reuse (part of reduce, reuse, recycle) the clothing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Nate Swartz 4/11/2019 11:17 AM

Firstly, my campus is capable of doing this, however currently my residence hall has high flow shower heads, but with the reduction in water consumption on this campus would allow for the vast amount of agricultural land in this area use the water we saved and results in a net lowering of water use around the area, because this water can be sent elsewhere in the region.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Nate Swartz 4/11/2019 11:07 AM

I actually study urban planning as my concentration in the geography department and I have learned a lot about the way that cities are laid out and how we can cater to either cars or pedestrians and by far the most interesting fact is that by making roads for pedestrians it can increase efficiency of traffic around the whole city by streamlining the traffic patters of people and cars. This results in net benefits to people and the cities alike. An added benefit is healthier people, less pollution due to cars, and less pedestrian car interactions (people getting hit by cars).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Nate Swartz 4/11/2019 11:03 AM

Other benefits include watching my weight, spending less money on food, and makes me feel better about my body!

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