Frances Baldinucci

The 5 sustainability actions from the Eco Challenge I have selected are: conduct virtual meetings, go for a daily walk, choosing LED bulbs, eating mindfully without electronic distractions, and carpooling. I didn't realize I chose 6 because I liked every idea, my additional 6th sustainable action is to eat more fruits and vegetables for a healthier way of life to sustain your body. With the choices I've made, I wanted to choose actions that would complement my daily life to make it easier for these sustainable actions to become a part of my lifestyle long term instead of end these actions once this class ends. With virtual meetings, I think they are very productive. From FaceTime, Zoom, BlackBoard Collaborate and even normal phone calls, there are many options to stay in contact and be productive with your colleagues. Once COVID restrictions are over, I want to continue the use of virtual meetings to reduce carbon emissions when possible. My next challenge going on a daily walk is important to me because with online classes and more people working remotely instead of commuting to their job, it's easy to become a slave to your electronic screens and be a couch potato. Moving for as little as 30 minutes can make a big difference in your daily life with the increased flexibility and mobility of your joints. This sustains your body long term. I wanted to choose LED bulbs as a light alternative because not only are they brighter and last longer than traditional bulbs, they are much more energy efficient. This next challenge will be my hardest challenge- eat meals without electronic distractions. I am very guilty of binging videos on my phone or laptop during meal times and I don't think it's a very good habit. I decided to make this change because "regular" social interaction is important. I think it's very easy to lose touch with your reality with electronics being so easy to access. Additionally, it's good to break old habits and not have an urge to check your phone in a possible dinner interview for a future job. My last challenge is carpooling. COVID has made me very aware of carbon emissions and how "rush hour" has been less because more people have been working from home. If you're meeting multiple friends at a location, consider carpooling. The amount of gas you use to pick everyone up will be less for all of you than spending gas on all of your own cars. It also significantly cuts carbon emissions which effects our ozone layer. Although the beginning of the challenge, I'm very optimistic in achieving these goals and seeing what effect it has on our ecosystem.