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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Catherine Reyes's avatar

Catherine Reyes

Emerson Waldorf

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 716 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    8.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    14
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    240
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    10
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    203
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Catherine's actions

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will donate to The Nature Conservancy, which works with Indigenous Peoples to secure land tenure and resource rights, support improved governance and local institutions, assist in natural resource mapping, planning and management; and strengthen livelihoods and sustainable economic development.

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

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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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
    Materials Choose Recycled Paper
    Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/21/2019 10:21 PM
    Use less paper, print on both sides, use smaller margins. 
  • 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?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/21/2019 10:20 PM
    Plastic wrap can be replaced with reusable silicone or beeswax wraps. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle
    Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/21/2019 10:19 PM
    Saving the cost of fuel. 
  • 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?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/17/2019 2:36 PM
    I had to account for the additional time needed to drive. 
  • 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?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/17/2019 2:35 PM
    Repurpose and repair clothes and other products that are commonly thrown away. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
    Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/17/2019 2:34 PM
    Overdevelopment, pesticide and fertilizer runoff, deforestation. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/17/2019 2:32 PM
    Reduce appliance and A/C use. 
  • 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?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/07/2019 1:51 PM
    I rarely eat meat during breakfast and lunch, so this challenge has been easy.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit
    What are your next steps for saving energy?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/07/2019 1:50 PM
    Most of our energy use is during the summer months due to the A/C. Making more conscious use of overhead ceiling fans and other, less energy-intensive cooling strategies could improve this.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk
    What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

    Catherine Reyes's avatar
    Catherine Reyes 4/04/2019 12:49 PM
    I have noticed the leaves budding on the trees and presence of transient flowers, like bluets, on the forest floor. I have enjoyed the sunny weather and the sounds of birds looking for nesting materials. Less traffic noise would make my walk more enjoyable, which could be accomplished by sound dampening planting along the high ways and by encouraging electric car options.