Alyssa Crough

Moseley Architects

""What I stand for is what I stand on" -Wendell Berry "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
454 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

10

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

165

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped

Alyssa's actions

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 10
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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 10 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

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?

Alyssa Crough 4/16/2019 7:49 PM

Today I donated a Femme Kit as one of my challenges. It felt very great to donate something SO important to help other females across the globe overcome health barriers. If you are interested in donating, here is a link to Femme International: https://www.femmeinternational.org/

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Alyssa Crough 4/09/2019 7:14 PM

One of my challenges was to watch a video about Methane Digesters. I couldn't find a full documentary about these digesters, so I decided to watch a few videos online instead. I had heard of anaerobic digesters because my school, Michigan State University, had one on campus. I felt that I didn't have a full understanding of how they function, which is why I selected this one-time challenge. Here are two that I felt were the most helpful in explaining how they work:

MSU's anaerobic digester: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aULRryCVMyY
Methane digester on a farm in Washington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf5ZOIi6hvA

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?
Alyssa Crough 4/09/2019 6:31 PM
I had never really thought about the carbon footprint that concrete has. I am glad that I selected to research concrete alternatives for one of my challenges. There are probably SO many other building products and every day items (like our diet or clothing) that have larger carbon footprints than we think.

The video below highlights a company called "Ceratech" located in Baltimore, MD (peep the inner harbor at 1:10) that have succeeded in creating a sustainable concrete alternative out of fly ash. Fly ash is a bi-product made from electrical utilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdj_vi1_jyc

Here are a few other articles I read if anyone is interested. Their primary focus is on the environmental impacts of concrete, and not alternatives BUT the information is still interesting.

https://www.thinkwood.com/building-better/sustainability

http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/environmental-impacts-of-concrete/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_concrete
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Alyssa Crough 4/08/2019 8:30 PM

This past weekend was a sustainable one for me! On Saturday I went hiking in Northern MD and hammocked on my roof. On Sunday, I did some gardening and spring cleaning. Aside from the carbon emissions it took to drive to the trail, it was a a very green weekend.

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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?

Alyssa Crough 4/08/2019 8:21 PM

"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?" WOW... this is a loaded question. I would use this money towards a vacation or a few plane rides home to Michigan to visit family. (I would budget some money towards carbon offsets). What would you use this money on?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

In your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?

Alyssa Crough 4/08/2019 8:14 PM

A lot of people in North America don't understand where their food comes from or the impact that their eating habits have on the planet..especially when it comes to meat. When we learned about the food chain in middle and high school, meat was always listed as an important part of your diet..something you needed to have with every meal. In college, I took a few classes about the agricultural systems in America which really opened my eyes to my dietary habits. In one class, we read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollen. "In the book he follows four meals from the very beginning of the food chain to his plate. What he finds is that the food we put in our mouths turns out to be a big decision- a moral, political, and environmental one." Give it a read!

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