I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 60 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products
Plant-Rich Diets
I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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?
I've gone for several walks these past few weeks! I've found that toward the end of the semester, my mind become slightly more stir crazy, and I need to be outside and walk as much as I can. I do try to walk at a minimum of 60 minutes, and then it's back home to my end of the year work. It's been quite stressful trying to keep up with assignments, but sometimes all you need to clear your head and get back in the zone is a long, regenerative walk.
I calculated the carbon footprint for my home in LA that I share with my parents and my sibling; it came down to $89.71 per month, which "offsets your carbon footprint of 4.98 tons of CO2e every month." I used the website Tradewater, which was provided through EcoChallenge. I was interested by the questions asked during this calculation, such as diet, transportation, renewable electricity, and so forth. I think more often than not we assumer the term "carbon footprint" only applies to big name companies polluting the atmosphere with GHGs. But we also have to be mindful of our own individual impacts, and what we can each do in our day to day lives to minimize our footprints and start living more sustainably.
Today I made vegetable soup! There was no meat in it, although the only broth I had at home was in fact chicken. For the most part, this is a meat-friendly soup. Next time, I'll make sure to buy veggie broth. I'm looking to expand upon some recipes. I love cooking, and I think this challenge is a great opportunity to try some meat alternatives! I have yet to make a vegan recipe. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
I've seen a lot of recipes doing a spin on boneless chicken wings but with cauliflower florets instead! There's a lot of room for customizing with whatever sauces you like best for tossing -- I personally go for a honey gochujang glaze.
I try to walk as much as I can throughout the week, and more often than not I try to walk for the purpose of clearing my mind and being connected with nature. Most of the time I listen to music, but this time I decided to take about ten minutes at the end of my walk to listen to the ocean and reflect. I notice the ripples in the ocean, and the way the breeze washes over you like the earth is sighing in relief. I really love taking pictures while I walk, too. Mostly I take pictures of flowers or sunsets. Where I walk, the buildings and infrastructure are very unique, and I feel that it adds some beauty to my walk in that it's nice to see personality in the human life as much as the surrounding nature. Lately, I've been appreciating time away from social media in order to become more connected with nature and to clear my mind to become more focused on my emotions and schoolwork. Everything is a balance!
