Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Lilian Doan

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
491 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

45

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

70

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

7.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Lilian's actions

Industry

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Multiple Industry Solutions

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

Refrigerant Management

I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Bus instead of Uber/Lyft

I will use the bus or the metro train to go to places outside of Westwood instead of using Uber/Lyft.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

I will avoid buying and using 3 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

More Fruits And Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 3 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Lilian Doan 5/21/2023 10:36 PM
$1500 is a good amount of money that is thrown into the trash. On a logical level, I'd rather spend that money towards a quarter of tuition and reduce the $5000 to $3500. But, I'd realistically want to use that money to eat good food at restaurants or travel. This statistic serves as a very persuasive motivator to only buy what is needed at grocery stores or at a restaurant.

Read More
- Andreea Soricut 5/22/2023 1:23 PM
  Wow, I didn't realize how big these numbers were. I also think that buying fewer groceries in bulk and instead buying what's needed for a few days ahead would help to reduce this food and money waste.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Lilian Doan 5/21/2023 10:34 PM
In my own experience, when I eat mindfully without watching a Youtube video, I enjoy the food more and I tend to eat less. My body has more time to digest the food and process how much I am consuming, allowing me to eat a healthy amount and prevent overeating. When I am eating mindfully with friends, I can have meaningful conversations rather than just staring at a phone screen.

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- Hope Dorman 5/25/2023 8:22 AM
  Absolutely. I grew up eating around the table with family and eating in front of the TV was a treat. When we discuss during meals we eat slower.
  
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- Andreea Soricut 5/22/2023 1:26 PM
  I have really enjoyed eating mindfully as well, and do this for at least two meals a day. I am able to give my brain a break and enjoy the food that I'm eating. This also means paying more attention to what I put on the plate and eat, leading to less food waste as well.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?
Lilian Doan 4/23/2023 11:32 AM
I think individuals in more affluent countries may eat more meat simply due to increased accessibility with it in every store while having the money to pay for more expensive cuts. In my personal experience, I've found that eating meat excessively makes me feel slightly sluggish. But in research studies, scientists found correlations between eating red meat to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Meat has a large carbon foot print, so large consumption of it promotes the industry and has a detrimental effect on our planet. While it may not be feasible to give up meat, having one or two plant based meals per week can have a large positive difference.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?
Lilian Doan 4/23/2023 11:28 AM
A new phenomenon I have seen on Youtube is repurposing old pieces of clothing that one doesn't often wear into a "new" garment that can express your niche taste in fashion or unique aesthetic. The methods include using clothing dye, cutting different shirt necklines, turning jeans into shorts, etc. With this method, I do not need to buy new clothing pieces. I plan on trying this by creating new shorts for the summer with jeans I never wear.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
Lilian Doan 4/23/2023 11:19 AM
While I do use reusable bags at the grocery store and glass straws, when I go to Starbucks on campus, I accumulate single-use coffee cup waste. As a substitute, I am buying a reusable thermos cup to get my coffee from now on. It is an easy substitution but effective as I will be reducing around 3-5 plastic cups per week.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Lilian Doan 4/19/2023 8:56 PM
After doing some research online, I saw that California has specific advisories on eating fish for women 18+ and children. Many fish have mercury accumulation which can hinder a child's learning abilities or behavior. The negative effects can develop even before a baby is born, which is alarming.

Black bass species, Brown Trout over 16 inches, Carp, Striped Bass, and Shark species were listed as fish species to avoid. I do not eat any of those fish types, so my diet is clean from main hazards.

There was also advice to eat only about 2-3 servings of fish/seafood per week. Before I went vegetarian, I stuck to this amount and only ate species from the "Best Choices List." This included crab, salmon, and tuna.

Read More
- Catherine Li 4/21/2023 8:47 PM
  Hi Lilian,
  
  This post hits home for me because in San Jose, and in particular the part of the city where I'm from, is close to historical mercury mines. The runoff from those mines into local bodies of water was enough that we aren't allowed to eat the fish from our local lake, even though they're usually small freshwater fish.
  
  I usually only eat sole and tilapia, so I think my diet is also pretty safe, but your post has reminded me to check the fish advisory, and to also think about the sourcing of the fish that I eat.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?
Lilian Doan 4/16/2023 4:48 PM
Loading up my plate with too much food is a problem I started experiencing since moving into the dorms. With the "buffet-style" format of dining halls, I feel tempted to keep grabbing food where oftentimes I end up overeating. I think eating smaller portions will not only benefit the environment, but will benefit my own personal health! It will prevent my freshman 15, since I am a first year and prevent over consumption of unhealthy fats/carbohydrates.

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- Venice Lupus 4/17/2023 12:42 PM
  Hi Lilian! I also noticed after moving into the dorms that it was really hard to control portion sizes and I always felt like I was wasting food when I put my dishes away. I also noticed that it wasn't just me but a bunch of other people also wasted a ton of food. One thing that I thought was done well was that one of the club organizations last year did a food waste event in the dining halls where they composted food and made sure that all the food waste was disposed of properly. I think they should do these events more often rather than just once a quarter. I think that starting out with a smaller portion size is beneficial in many ways because I can eat slower and also go back for more food if I am still hungry and reduce food waste. I really want to give this a try for next weeks eco challenge!
  
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- TALIA DINI 4/16/2023 5:26 PM
  Living in the dorms last year, I can definitely relate to loading up my plate with too much food given the "buffet-style." I would also sometimes overeat which looking back, was not advantageous for my health or the environment. It's so great that you are aware of this and actively willing to make a change!
  
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Lilian Doan 4/16/2023 3:53 PM
Something my roommates and I have been implementing on our weekly outtings is using the Metro Micro! Something people have an issue with for LA public transport is its tendency to have unexpected schedule changes and unreliability. Metro Micro is a shuttle bus similar to the normal Big Blue buses, but you can book your seats ahead of time similar to an Uber. You choose a pick up time and pick up location (closest bus stop to your destination). Its convenience and more reliable pick up times while being more sustainable than a regular Uber makes it our ideal form of public transportation. It only costs $1 per person as well! I highly recommend all to try it out, but I do recommend booking 2 days in advance since it fills up fast.

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