Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Sophia Dinh

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
160 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

meatless or vegan meal

consumed

Sophia's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

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 0
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

Buildings

Fix Leaky Faucets

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water a day or 270 (1,020 L) gallons of water a month per faucet.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Practice the 5 R's

Recycling

I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown 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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 20 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Support a Community Garden

Multiple Solutions

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Sophia Dinh 6/08/2023 9:17 AM
I've noticed that on my daily walks, I have spent more time enjoying nature and talking to my friends. Usually on drives, we put on music and get there pretty fast, so there's not much time for conversation. Unlike that, on walks I am able to talk to my friends. Something that could make my walk more enjoyable is better sidewalks, as Westwood's streets have a lot of cracks that could cause people to trip or fall.

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- ANDREW TRAN 6/08/2023 10:36 AM
  Hi Sophia, I definitely agree with how the streets in Westwood suck. I find that walking with music is therapeutic in a sense because I can listen to what I want and still experience all of my surroundings.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?
Sophia Dinh 6/08/2023 9:14 AM
An advantage that inspires me that most is that usually these fresh produces are cheaper and more accessible to the local community, so it increases local consumptions of fresh produce, all while supporting local farmers. This seems like a win win in my opinion because it is providing jobs and making the local diet healthier.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 1:24 PM
Planting trees can be good for your physical health in that it increases the amount of oxygen and decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, which is good for your respiratory health. Research has also shown that urban green areas are linked to decreased levels of depression, stress, and anxiety, so having more trees planted would increase the general happiness of the population.

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- TAYLOR SCHAFFER 6/06/2023 8:18 PM
  Hi Sophia! I agree with you and find that being in green spaces makes me feel very at ease and I like to think that it is because we have evolved from nature and it is my body and mind is returning home. Even if this is not scientifically accurate, I think it is a nice thought and I just feel connected and calm when with nature.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

What are the multiple benefits of community gardens, including carbon sequestration? Why do these benefits matter to you?
Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 1:22 PM
Community gardens can play many important roles in helping with climate change. Starting community gardens redirects attention to empty lots and green spaces, and makes use of these spaces. Cities in particular are large heat islands, so having many community gardens through a large city can increase the amount of green space. Community gardens also increase the amount of fresh produce that people consume, which in turn decreases the need to go to fast food stores, many of which sell found grown unsustainably. Because community gardens are also usually closer to people's homes, it can also decrease on carbon emission released as a result of transportation of produce and transportation to farther grocery stores to get produce. This is important to me because community gardens in my own city has increased the amount of fresh produce that I consume, and they provide it in a more accessible and cheaper way than a grocery store does.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?
Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 10:00 AM
I definitely noticed that driving around has a large impact on my carbon footprint, so I've been trying to cut down on driving to places that are accessible by walking or busing. When I go back home, this is really easy because San Francisco has a great and efficient bus system, but this is a bit harder in LA. Something small that I have also been working on is making sure to open all the windows and the blinds in the morning, because it makes sure that the apartment won't get hot enough to turn on the AC, and it makes the apartment brighter, so we don't have to turn on the lights until late evening.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 9:58 AM
Something I've been doing to be reduce my water usage is take shorter showers. I have a bad habit of getting distracted in the shower and just standing there, so I make sure that I am efficient in shampooing and conditioning and washing my body. I try to aim for my showers to be under 20 minutes now, which has saved me a lot of time as well. Something that I also do is wash all my dishes with soap first, and then do all water, so that the water isn't running in between soaping the dishes. While this is small change, I think that over time, especially when there's a lot of dishes, it will save a good amount of water.

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- Lilian Doan 6/07/2023 7:13 PM
  Hi Sophia, I've been doing something similar recently too! I am definitely guilty of blasting music in the shower and taking 20-30 minutes as a way to unwind after a long day. But, I realized that this repetitive behavior can quickly add up in water loss. Instead, I try to limit my showers to 15 minutes max and I turn off the faucet when applying shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. Since I still live in the dorms, it is easy to use more water since I am not paying utility bills. However, instead of relying on monetary costs as motivation to not overuse water, I am being more mindful of environmental costs. Now, my new means of decompressing has been meditation to relax!
  
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- MOLLY MCANDREW 6/06/2023 8:32 PM
  Hi Sophia, I think it's really interesting to consider your own water usage at home. I often don't think about how much water I waste on a daily basis, but I am also guilty of taking extra long showers. I'm trying to cut back now and one thing I've been using is hair masks. I'll put one in my dry hair for a few hours, or even overnight, and then just quickly rinse it out in the shower. I seriously love them! I've been getting compliments because my hair looks so healthy, and smells really good. And because I put it in my hair while it's dry, I only have to worry about rinsing it out afterwards. I attached a picture of one of my favorite ones that I've tried so far. But you can also make your own masks, using ingredients like honey, coconut oil, or olive oil. It's a fun project to try with friends and test out different types of masks. I also liked your idea about saving water while washing dishes. I've learned that running the dishwater typically uses less water than washing dishes by hand. So, I've been encouraging people at my sorority house to fill up the dishwasher rather than hand-washing. We can save water by condensing more dishes into one load of the dishwasher versus individually washing different dishes. If you have a dishwasher, maybe you can try this as well!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some more "R's" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 9:55 AM
Something that I've been wanting to do more is reuse. I hate clutter, so I like to throw a lot of things out, even things like glass bottles and plastic bags, but I am now trying to be more proactive in reusing plastic bags as trash bags for our small trash cans, and reusing glass bottles as vases or for my morning coffee. I have also been trying to recycle more. Unfortunately my apartment is on the 6th floor, and the recycle is in the basement, and there's no elevator, so I've definitely thrown a bunch of the recycling in the trash before because I was too lazy, so I have been more proactive in walking all the way down to the basement to recycle.

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Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 9:47 AM
Something I've been doing recently is walking more. I've definitely been guilty of driving to class or the library when I want 10 more minutes of sleep or just super lazy, but one of my challenges is walking more, so I've been more proactive in getting up in time to walk to class. Before I brought my car down to LA, I used public transit a lot more to get to work and to places out of Westwood, so I've also been trying to do that more. I work about a 10 minute drive away from Westwood, so last week I tried to bus there instead. I ended up being late, but I realized I needed to set more time to dedicate to busing and walking. In my time walking and using public transport more, I've notice that I've called my mom and siblings more. Usually when I'm driving talking to them stresses me out, but I've had very great calls with them while walking to class, which was super nice!

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