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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar

Sonia Kushnirskiy

Poly Prep Green Devils

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 817 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    117
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    8.0
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    24
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    203
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    trees
    planted
  • UP TO
    4.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Sonia's actions

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
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

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 4 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

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 implementing some other small improvement.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 4 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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
    Transport Stay on the Ground
    What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/17/2019 11:56 AM
    When I went to Canada last year, instead of flying on an airplane for 3 hours, me and my family drove for 8 hours. It was  exhausting but a lot less expensive and resourceful.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Become A Master Recycler/Composter
    What could you do differently to waste less?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 1:25 PM
    I tend to use more recyclable things than plastic and un-recyclable things.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Fix Leaky Faucets
    What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 8:59 AM
    Another way to save water is when you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off. Then when you need to rinse, turn it back on. Also when you are taking a shower, don't put the water pressure all the way up. This uses up to two times as much water. Keep it on medium or low.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Choose Recycled Paper
    Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 8:58 AM
    When me and my mom were at staples buying supplies, we realized that we needed copy paper. I looked at the 300 pack, and it didn't say it was recyclable. I showed my mom and she said that we need paper that can be recycled. We went to another store and got it, and for a cheaper price. This inspired me to buy more things that are recyclable.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Plant Trees
    How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/04/2019 10:36 AM
    Planting trees is really important for our environment. Trees produce oxygen, which helps us and organisms breathe. Also trees are homes to little animals and bugs. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions
    What is the most exciting solution you explored? Why is it exciting to you?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 11:07 AM
    I found many great solutions, but the best one I found was light sensors. Which means that lights automatically turn on when a person enters a room, and turn off when it doesn't sense motion. I actually have these light sensors in my room and they really help any time I forget to turn off the lights. Instead of wasting energy and electricity when forgetting to turn off the lights, you can have lights that turn off for you. They are also completely affordable.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Zero-waste Cooking
    How are environmental issues like black carbon and other emissions from cooking fires or rudimentary cookstoves also human health and social justice issues? Why do these issues matter to you?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:44 AM
    I saw a zero-waste challenge video on youtube a week ago. This Saturday I wanted to try to make a zero-waste cake with my sister. When I went to the store, I looked for food that can be easily composted and I looked for smaller portions. It was really fun and I made a small no-waste chocolate cake.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
    How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:41 AM
    Whenever I go to the store I always check expiration dates. If I notice something that is less than a week over due, I know it's okay to eat it. Yesterday I actually watched a short video about the truth about expiration dates. It said that it is normally okay to eat food that expired less than a week ago. So I won't throw out food that expires on the day I want to eat it. This helps people make better decisions about wasting food.
  • 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?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:35 AM
    Me and my family hate wasting. Whenever we have the chance to reuse something, we take it. Also if my family doesn't finish a meal, we either save it or compost it. I like to repair broken toys, and things instead of throwing them out. My family also tries to reduce trash every day. We also received two compost bins last year and have been using them as much as we can.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

    Sonia Kushnirskiy's avatar
    Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:33 AM
    I regularly use straws, plastic cups, and plastic bags. I know a couple of cafes that use plastic straws. Instead we can use paper or metal straws. Instead of plastic cups we can use paper cups, or better, glass and clay. I know that most Trader Joe's have recyclable paper bags instead of plastic bags. We can inform our local stores to use paper bags instead.