Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Kelly Gocke

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
242 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

40

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

80

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Kelly's actions

Health and Education

Overcoming Health Barriers

I'm in a club here at UCLA called Refugee and Migrant Wellness Association that focuses on education and awareness of disparities that refugees face. While looking at the actions within Health and Education, I got inspired to help make health kits for some of the organizations that this club works with. This quarter, I organized a meeting for club members in which we compiled health and hygiene kits for a refugee organization in Downtown LA. We also had a representative from the organization come and speak at one of our meetings to discuss the most-needed supplies as well as how female refugees often need more menstrual products. I hope to be able to help the club to receive more funding to provide menstruation kits in the future.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Go Paperless

Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

UNCOMPLETED
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 1
DAILY ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Tour a Green Roof

Green and Cool Roofs

I will set up a visit or a virtual tour of a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Spread the Word about Energy Alternatives

All Electricity Solutions

I will research and tell 3 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.

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 0
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 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

UNCOMPLETED
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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Kelly Gocke 6/08/2023 12:30 PM
Researching the differences between the expiration dates allows me to make better decisions because I waste far less food instead of just throwing something out if the date has passed. I especially researched the meaning of these dates for different types of food, because some expirations can impact your health or make you ill while others only impact the taste. For those that affect taste, I've found that the taste is not even bad after the expiration date, like with orange juice. I've also shared my research with my roommates when we do our fridge clean-outs and it has significantly reduced our overall food waste as well as our grocery costs.

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- Miguel watson manuel 6/16/2023 2:10 AM
  Great stuff you have shared with us. I have read your post and it's very useful and helpful. PrepaidGiftBalance Visa
  
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Kelly Gocke 6/08/2023 11:56 AM
I recently decided to take the train to my hometown for Mother's Day for the first time ever. I've never taken the train before because you have to take a bus to Bakersfield and then go on the train, so there's multiple stops and it makes it more difficult. Since I don't have a car and my options were either to fly home or have my parents drive and pick me up (both of which would be awful for the environment considering it's such a short distance), I decided to try out the bus/train situation. It wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be and I actually got a lot of work done and enjoyed people-watching.

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- Miguel watson manuel 7/09/2023 9:39 PM
  I have read your article, it is very informative and helpful for me. I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. Thanks for posting it.. MyAccountAccess Online
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Kelly Gocke 6/08/2023 11:37 AM
I researched some barriers to women's success in STEM in particular since that is the field I am in and that's where I've personally seen the most disparities. A lot of the barriers center around the stereotypical view that women should be homemakers and must take care of the family instead of working. One male doctor even recently said that the pay gap between female and male physicians is justified because women are more likely to have to leave work early to pick up the kids or be distracted by their work because they're worried about the kids. These blunt generalizations that result in discriminatory acts like those that affect the pay gap keep women from being able to pursue higher professions since they're not even earning as much to pay back all of their debt and they have to consider more setbacks to their career than men do.

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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?
Kelly Gocke 4/30/2023 10:48 PM
I've always been a fan of having a show to watch while I eat dinner, so I decided to try mindful eating to see if it felt any different. It definitely helped me from passively eating, and my food honestly tasted better when I was actively paying attention to it. I was thus much more satisfied with my meal and ate less than I probably would have if I had been passively eating while watching a show. This helps reduce waste and made me feel better after my meal instead of too full, so I will definitely keep doing this action.

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- Aileen Castillo 5/01/2023 11:00 AM
  Wow! I related to your experience when practicing mindful eating. Not only is mindful eating a time to reflect but also being more attentive to your food and being mindful of your portions. I try to be mindful of my portions as well because sometimes I feel like I can eat an overwhelming amount of food. Sometimes it looks unappetizing to see the loads of food on my plate so I probably just end up throwing it away because it is honestly too much. As I practice being mindful of what I eat, I feel myself throwing away less food and feeling much more energized.
  
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- TALIA DINI 5/01/2023 1:50 AM
  It's so great to hear that you had such a positive experience when practicing mindful eating. I too have recently eaten meals without distractions and noticed how much more satisfying it was. I definitely plan to continue this action as well and truly believe it has had a positive impact!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

What did you learn on your green roof tour?
Kelly Gocke 4/30/2023 10:44 PM
I ended up doing a couple of virtual tours of green roofs to see the differences between them. I loved seeing a large variety in the plants that were planted in cities of different regions. The most interesting thing that I learned was that green roofs help a lot with holding rain water and helping the storm drainage system to not become too overwhelmed. I thought this was a cool benefit since I saw so many cities across California being flooded with rainwater earlier this year.

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- Karena Caro 5/01/2023 2:20 PM
  Hi Kelly! I never considered that having more green roofs would help with storing water. Now that you mention this, this is actually something great that many cities should implement given that they would not only help with floods, but help absorb more carbon and they would also elevate the look of many places.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?
Kelly Gocke 4/30/2023 10:38 PM
It was very interesting to learn about biochar, especially since it relates to my essay topic (fire ecology). I had read about it in one of the books I got from the library, so I wanted to learn more about it through this action. Not only can biochar sequester carbon from forest resides to decrease the amount of fuel available to intensify wildfires, but it also helps with water retention for soil.

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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?
Kelly Gocke 4/13/2023 11:10 AM
I've sought to reduce my use of single-use plastics like straws/bottles as well as plastic bags. I've used a reusable water bottle for years, but I've now focused on using reusable bottles for other drinks such as coffee or tea. This includes researching restaurants and coffee shops that will fill my reusable cup if I order a drink from their establishment instead of giving me a plastic cup each time. I also recently bought reusable meal prep containers to pack my lunches in. Before, I would often use plastic sandwich bags or buy individually-packaged salads from Trader Joe's or Ralph's, but now I aim to make my own salads and put them in my reusable containers.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Kelly Gocke 4/13/2023 11:08 AM
On my walks, I've noticed a lot of nature within Westwood that I didn't notice when I wasn't being as mindful about my surroundings before. The weather has also been really nice recently, so I've enjoyed seeing more birds and other animals outside. One infrastructure change that could make my walk more enjoyable is related to the construction that has been happening on my street for several months. The construction site blocks the sidewalk for about two blocks, so I often have to walk in the street and pay special attention to cars. This isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it does detract from the peacefulness of my walk a bit.

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