BENNETT HOLLEY

Sustainable Bruins

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
347 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

340

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

215

minutes

being mindful

BENNETT's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 9
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?

BENNETT HOLLEY 2/18/2022 10:17 AM

(part 1) Why environmentally friendly household cleaning products are important

Many people know about how pesticides in our gardens make their way into the environment and our water systems, but did you know many of your household cleaning products, air fresheners, and laundry detergents do too? Just like pesticides, many of these products contain chemicals that are harmful to plants as well as animals, including humans. In 2002, a study found that 66% of streams in the United States contained traces of disinfectants, and that 69% of streams contained traces of detergents (1&2). If you thought that was bad, in 2017 the Environmental Working Group created a Tap Water Database using "28 million water records and samples from nearly 50,000 water utilities serving 280 million people throughout the USA," and found "more than 160" chemical contaminants with "no governmental limits set for them" (1). They also found 93 chemicals that increase the risk of cancer, and to make matters worse, the database showed that 80% of America's water systems "detected contaminants linked to cancer in levels exceeding health-protective guidelines" (3). I could also go into detail about how many of the disinfectants and air fresheners we use contaminate the air in our homes (i.e. the air we breathe), or how harsh chemicals in our detergent can be absorbed through the skin, but y'all get the idea; they're bad.

Clearly, this is cause for concern. For generations humanity has normalized the contamination of our environment. While the worst of it comes from large corporations, we as individuals contribute our fair share of pollutants as well. Many times, we aren't even aware of the environmental threat a product can pose; until recently I certainly didn't realize how much laundry detergent was leaching into the environment. Thankfully my mother is very environmentally conscious, so I have been using natural detergents and disinfectants for most of my life. And since becoming aware of the issue, I've been able to show my friends a variety of great products to switch to! I wanted to share the two main products I use with y'all as well, but I'm pretty sure this post is already way too long and nobody's gonna scroll this far, so this will be a two-parter.

(1). https://www.aspenclean.com/blogs/sustainable-living/the-environmental-dangers-of-using-cleaning-products
(2)https://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/pdf/FS-027-02.pdf
(3)https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/nearly-100-cancer-causing-contaminants-found-us-drinking-water-0

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- BENNETT HOLLEY 2/18/2022 10:57 AM
  
  (part 3) SOAP BERRIES !!?
  
  Okay, I’m sorry for the spam; I know I’m adding a LOT of text to the feed right now. BUT, when I was doing more research on my laundry detergent for this post (I didn’t want to come on here and make a fool of myself promoting something that turned out to be bad for the planet lol) and found out about Sapindus mukorossi, I immediately wanted to know more.
  
  It turns out these soap berries have been used for hundreds of years as a way to clean clothes. In water, they release a natural cleaning agent named saponin, which “works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric, and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away” (1).
  I just found out you can buy the soap berries themselves online, and all you have to do is put 4-5 in a small bag and toss them in the laundry with your clothes! Berries also last up to 10 loads, and as 100% natural fruit, they can be tossed right in your garden once they’re used! I am very excited to try these, and since I’m out of detergent, now is the perfect time. I have found a bunch of different places online that sell them in sustainable packaging and source the berries from trees that do not use chemical pesticides! One such company, Eco Nuts, is sadly going out of business; however, their website/blog has a ton of information that will answer any questions you may have about Sapindus mukorossi, just in case anyone else wants to learn more!! (1) I think I’m going to order some today, so I’ll let y’all know what I think!
  
  (1) https://econutssoap.com/blogs/eco-nuts-knowledge-base
  
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- BENNETT HOLLEY 2/18/2022 10:45 AM
  
  (part 2)
  Disinfectant: Sol-U-Guard Botanical (2x CONCENTRATE)
  I’ve been using this stuff for years, and it’s great. It’s sold as a concentrate, so what looks like a somewhat small bottle lasts a pretty long time (because you dilute it equally with water in a spray bottle). Instead of harmful chemicals, it uses the natural disinfecting properties of citric acid and thyme oil to clean your home; it was even approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to kill the coronavirus (1). It’s sold by a company called Melaleuca, but I buy it off Amazon. I would link it, but when I was researching the business I found out it’s run like a MLM company (more legit form of a pyramid scheme I guess), and I didn’t want to make it look like I was affiliated (I’m not lol) or trying to sell y’all product. Regardless of their business model, the company makes some great environmentally friendly cleaning products that I like to use, like their all purpose cleaner (I don’t remember the exact name of it, but it has a butterfly on the front).
  
  Detergent: Greenshield Organic laundry detergent (laundry bottle with "go" written across it)
  
  This one’s not pictured, because I’m kind of out of laundry detergent right now. I switched to this a while ago because I have sensitive skin, but it is also made with environmentally friendly ingredients and is USDA Certified Organic (2). Instead of harmful chemicals, the detergent uses organic saponin produced by “soapberries” (Sapindus mukorossi) to wash your clothes (3). I thought that was really interesting to read (before, I just bought it because it was labeled as organic).
  
  Air Freshener: Essential Oil Diffuser (image: source 3)
  
  Air fresheners can contain toxic chemicals linked to causing cancer, asthma, birth defects, and more (3). Up until college I had been using an "organic" air freshener, but I found that it still irritated my lungs every time I sprayed a room. Freshman year I switched to an essential oil diffuser and it was the best decision ever. Essential oils are natural and won’t irritate your skin and lungs, and they often smell way better than conventional air fresheners. And unlike a typical spray, a diffuser will keep pumping the scent throughout your home over a longer period of time. You can get a diffuser from anywhere really, but I got mine from Target. Essential oils are also sold in a ton of different places, but I like to order large variety packs from Amazon so that I have a lot of scent options (just make sure you’re buying organic so there aren’t a bunch of added chemicals!).
  
  (1) https://www.bhg.com/news/thymol-natural-cleaner-coronavirus/
  (2) https://econutssoap.com/blogs/eco-nuts-knowledge-base/what-are-soap-nuts
  (3) https://www.madesafe.org/toxic-chemicals-in-air-fresheners/
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

BENNETT HOLLEY 2/17/2022 5:08 AM

One weird thing I've noticed (in California especially), is the lack of walkable space in nicer neighborhoods. I may be speaking from limited experience, as I have only lived here a few years, but during my time here I have noticed that a lot of areas surrounding UCLA don't have sidewalks. Beverly Hills and Bel Air immediately come to mind. One time, I was walking with a friend to a party in Beverly Hills, and we realized that as the surrounding houses got bigger, there were significantly less sidewalks around. We ended up walking in the street most of the time, which was nice on the late walk home, but during the early evening we were moving for cars so often it felt like we were playing real-life Frogger. I've never really understood this. Do rich people not walk? Personally, if I lived in such a beautiful neighborhood, I would want to take walks around it every day. The whole situation sort of annoys me because I know that the lack of sidewalks in these neighborhoods is likely an attempt at keeping people that don't live there from walking around. It feels very dystopian to see that the rich would rather have an unwalkwable neighborhood than risk the presence of poor people. It also means that the people that do live in these neighborhoods are going to be much less likely to walk places. With more cars on the road, these people that are already generating massive amounts of emissions from their (forgive my language) corny ass mega-mansions are going to be contributing even more to air pollution and global warming. Considering the abysmal air quality in Los Angeles, this a problem we cannot afford to keep perpetuating. There is not a single neighborhood I can think of back home that has this problem. Even the nicest neighborhoods in Dallas have sidewalks. I can *maybe* understand the logic that many celebrities live in these neighborhoods and do not want to be constantly disturbed by wild fans, but let's face it, if they can afford that house in Bel Air, they can afford to pay a security guard to stand outside saying "move along."

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- Kyleigh Follis 2/24/2022 5:26 PM
  
  It is interesting you point this out because I have always questioned the lack of sidewalks in my hometown and this was especially noticed during COVID. My family religiously went on sunset walks together throughout the pandemic to get in some rare and much needed outdoor time. However, this meant walking in the streets and continuously needing to stop and step aside whenever a car drove by. While my neighborhood is quiet and usually not too busy, there are still a decent amount of cars that drive by. There is one busy road in particular that runs parallel to the cliffs overlooking the ocean where it is a little dangerous to be walking on this street with all of the cars that drive by because of the beautiful scenery. On top of all of this, you can only walk when the sun is out because there are no street lights in my city either. All of these city planning decisions are very purposeful with the intent to keep visitors out. No sidewalks, no street lights, no traffic lights allowed in the city. This too coming from a city that tried to have a ban on all skateboarding in any public street. They say it is to protect the natural beauty of the city. But we really know that the rich residents don't want to be disturbed by outsiders or street lights that might shine into their homes.
  
  The lack of sidewalks is very dangerous because little children are constantly running into the streets. When I was little I always walked to elementary school with my parents. I learned very young to be cautious of cars because I was forced to walk in the street and my parents feared for my safety. When I drive at night, I get scared that I'm not going to be able to see a pedestrian because it is so dark out and I can only see someone walking when I get too close to avoid hitting them.
  
  I find it very interesting that there are no sidewalks in my city but plenty of people go on walks. In an oversimplified and judgemental perspective, there is a stereotype from my hometown of the morning mom walks. From my house I can see countless groups of moms that go on daily walks together every morning. I can hear their conversations as they pass and to say it is more of a social gossip hour with the added benefit of exercise might be fair. But in any case, there is definitely a need for sidewalks in the city. Plenty of residents would use the sidewalks whether for going on strolls, walking the dog, or running in the neighborhood.
  
  When I go on walks in Westwood it is a very different experience compared to at home. For starters, there are sidewalks in Westwood. This is very helpful for avoiding cars in the street but it also comes with the added annoyance of electric scooters riding on the sidewalks when they should be in the street. During Spring 2020, I went on daily walks to campus. It was my main form of entertainment at the time and it was nice to still experience some aspect of ucla. As I walked, I often thought about the paths that crossed through the Janss steps grass lawn. I remember my dad, a former ucla student, used to tell me that the bricked paths through the lawn used to not be there. Students not wanting to walk around this area but needing to find the most direct route to class, had created their own paths amongst the vegetation. Based on all of the foot traffic, dirt paths had been carved out amongst the lawn. It is these paths that are now the ones that permanently exist within the space. It is interesting how people can create their own space that contributes to the future development of the area. This got me thinking about future developments that I would enjoy on campus. One thing that really stands out to me is the lack of accessibility on campus. There are so many stairs on this campus and the few wheelchair accessible ramps are very limited, inconvenient, and extremely out of the way for accessing certain parts of campus. This is something that definitely needs to be improved and should already be in place. Something else I would appreciate are more outdoor seating spaces. My typical route for my "mental health walks" during COVID passed Dickson court and the sculpture garden. While I understand the need to preserve the green space, I think that they could incorporate more seating areas within these spaces. This would also encourage more people to spend time outdoors.
  
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BENNETT HOLLEY 2/07/2022 10:47 AM

My apartment complex has a trash cute on every floor, but the only way to access the recycling is to go to the lowest level of the parking garage. Until the new year my roommates and I were unaware that our building even had a recycling bin. Our landlord had only told us about the trash rooms (he's not very communicative), and the dumpsters are in a separate room in the garage that was locked the only time we tried to enter. For this reason, during the fall my roommates and I never recycled. We threw all of the garbage from our apartment down the trash chute, regardless of what it was. While it never seemed to bother my roommates, I never felt right throwing so many recyclables in the trash. When I returned to California for winter quarter, I called my landlord about the issue and he told me where the recycling was in our building. I informed him that the room was locked, and he apologized saying we should have gotten a key along with the one for our apartment (we didn't). About a week later he got us a key and we could finally stop wasting so many recyclable items. However, since we live on the fourth floor it can be a hassle to make the trip down six others to dump the recycling when there's a trash room conveniently at the end of our hall, especially considering that our elevator breaks about once a week. I found out that during the first few weeks, when it was my roommates' turns to take out the trash they would occasionally dump it all down the trash chute out of laziness. This seriously annoyed me; considering how much waste we create, recycling is a necessary step in reducing our negative impacts on the world. I figured that other people in my apartment complex likely do the same thing, and was. inspired by this class to do something about it. I reached out to my landlord and he said he would not go through the trouble of getting recycling bins put in each trash room, since he would have to find someone to take them down to the garage every time they get full.

Since my landlord obviously did not care, I decided to fix it myself. I went on the app OfferUp, and found someone nearby selling the exact number of recycling cans that I needed for a cheap price. I got 4 waist-height recycling cans for $25 altogether, and put one in each trash room in my building. I posted a short note above each explaining that a resident is the one providing this service, and to please help out and take down full bins if people have the time. Now, I empty all of the recycling bins from the trash rooms into the large one in the garage two times a week, and I often find that people from other floors have already taken it down. I believe that this is truly making a difference in my building's waste output. Our recycling dumpster used to be mostly empty while the trash was overflowing. Over the past three to four weeks, however, I have noticed that the trash dumpster has been significantly less full and the recycling has been filled to the top. I plan to continue encouraging my fellow residents to recycle, and hope that my actions will inspire my landlord to continue this service himself for future residents. (I thought about including a picture of the recycling bins and my note, but lets face it, nobody really wants to see a picture of my floor's trash room)

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- Anisha Thomas 2/24/2022 9:39 PM
  
  Bennett, this is amazing! I love how you took the initiative to figure out where the recycling is happening in your apartment. You went slightly out of your way to allow people to recycle. If they're anything like me, they probably would appreciate the gesture, especially because they had a bunch of recycling products near them but are too lazy to take their items to a recycling center. I actually came across this same problem, however we don't even have a recycling bin. My previous roommates even emailed our apartment manager to ask him about why we don't have one, and we didn't really get a response back accept that if we really wanted to we could take it to a recycling center. As college students I find it really discouraging when we don't have accesses to resources that are walking distance from us. Many of us don't have a car near us, and unless we have a recycling bin near us, a lot of us won't make the effort to do so. The other solution to this is buying less plastics or more biodegradable materials. However, so many of the items that I use are made out of plastics, such as hair, body, and food materials. Unless I can cut out these materials or use more natural products in the near future, I feel that not having a recycling bin is a constant disadvantage.
  
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- Iman Shaikh 2/12/2022 11:46 PM
  
  The way you described the layout of your building sounded so much like mine that I eagerly took out the trash to see if there was finally a recycling bin in my floor's trash room! Unfortunately, I think we live in different buildings, but what you've done is so wonderful. I remember when my roommates and I moved in we had recycling pile up and we did not even know where to find the recycling bins. We found it strange that our landlords also did not seem to enthusiastic to tell us where the recycling bins were actually located since they have gotten some heat for their inconvenient placement in the past. I live on the third floor of my building and there are trash rooms on each floor but no recycling bins. The only large recycling bin is on the first floor in one of the parking garages all the way at the end of the garage, by the absolute farthest wall from the entrance. Taking out the recycling is probably the chore that my roommates and I dread the most as it just is quite inconvenient and out of the way. I commend you for taking the initiative to set up recycling bins in your building, and I think that maybe I'll invest in one at least for my floor!
  
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BENNETT HOLLEY 2/06/2022 9:15 AM

When I began the challenge to eat mindfully, I didn't realize how difficult it would be. I spent the first meals I ate without my phone fidgeting around and staring at random spots in my apartment. I would eat my food like it was a race, and wasn't really understanding the idea behind the challenge. But more I forced myself to eat without distractions, the easier it became. I started to save time by not scrolling, and found it much easier to start my school work after eating, rather than continuing to text or watch television.
My apartment is at the top of a large hill, and has a fantastic view of the surrounding area. However, I found that I barely spent any time on my balcony beyond the first few weeks after moving in this past Fall. This challenge has encouraged me to spend more time outside, and now I eat most of my meals from my balcony. Today for breakfast, I woke up early and watched the sunrise while I had my morning coffee and eggs. This gave me plenty of time to enjoy my meal and appreciate the beauty of my neighborhood, and without any distractions I was able to quickly plan out all of the tasks I have to complete throughout the day.
I told a bunch of my friends about this challenge, and how it has made a huge difference in my productivity throughout the day. Many of them have taken it up as well, and have all benefited as a result. One friend in particular, told me that she used to spend close to an hour just searching for something to watch before starting to eat most meals; then she would finish her food in 5 minutes, and spend another hour sitting in front of the TV. Now that I have encouraged her to start this challenge, she has been using the extra time she had been wasting to go on morning hikes and spend more time in nature.

P.S.: I saw this screenshot on Twitter the other day, and thought it reminded me of this challenge. While I thought it was funny, I was also a little concerned with how many people could relate to the issue, seeing that over 250,000 people liked the original video, and well over 350,000 liked the screenshot on Twitter.

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BENNETT HOLLEY 1/28/2022 3:29 PM

Chemical free pest control

While conducting my project research regarding how human actions and climate change are affecting insect populations, I have learned a lot about how harmful pesticides are to our essential bugs. Chemicals meant to target a specific species affect many beyond that, and spraying our fields contaminates surrounding soil, crops, air, and water. Rain and sprinkler systems spread the pesticides to more ecosystems and into our water supply. These pesticides can have negative effects on insects as well as humans, including increased risk of cancer and birth defects when exposed during pregnancy.

However, this doesn't mean we just have to sit back and accept annoying pests like mosquitos and house flies! There are a ton of natural ways to repel these pests and keep the fruit in your garden free of harmful insects. I thought I would put together a little list to help anyone out!

HOUSE FLIES: BASIL

I can say from personal experience that this WORKS. My apartment has had a fruit fly problem for months now. My roommates and I tried every type of fly trap we could find at Target and saw no results. After I came across an article that suggested planting basil near your windows to deter flies, I bought three small basil plants and placed them near each window in my apartment. That was about three weeks ago, and ever since we have had no fruit flies in our apartment. Before, swatting those annoying little pests was a daily annoyance (And now I never have to buy basil).

APHIDS: CILANTRO AND PETUNIAS

Cilantro in itself does not repel aphids, but rather attracts their adorable natural predator, the ladybug, to your garden. Ladybugs increase garden health by eating aphids and other plant eating insects. Planting cilantro can bring more ladybugs to your garden to control pests and create a healthy garden ecosystem.

Petunias, however, DO repel aphids, as well as a variety of other pests such as leafhoppers. They are also beautiful flowers that help attract pollinators like butterflies to your garden, which increases the heath and reproduction of your plants.

MOSQUITOS: LEMONGRASS, ROSEMARY, MARIGOLDS

Lemongrass is the most common plant used to repel mosquitos, but let's be honest, it is not a very aesthetically pleasing addition to your garden, yard, or balcony. If you share my opinion, consider trying some rosemary for a similar effect. In addition to looking nicer, it can also be added as a seasoning to a variety of dishes.

Marigolds are interesting in that they have been shown repel mosquitos as well as a variety of other garden pests. These include aphids, whiteflies, and rabbits, which have been known to devastate gardens with their feeding habits.

There are so many garden pests out there that it can be tempting to just coat your plants in some insecticide, but I hope this has shown that there are tons of ways to keep your plants healthy without using harmful chemicals! I could go on and on about the other fascinating natural ways to keep pests out of your gardens/homes/apartments, but for the sake of saving space I thought I would provide y'all with some links that I found very informative during my project research.

https://www.treehugger.com/plants-that-repel-unwanted-insects-4864336#citation-3
https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/natural-garden-pest-control/#beneficialinsects
https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/gardening-2/organic-pest-control-that-works/

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BENNETT HOLLEY 1/21/2022 4:06 PM

As soon as I got my driver's license, I became incredibly lazy and avoided walking at all costs. I would even drive my car down the block to hang out at my neighbor's house as opposed to walking or riding a bike. Since I'm from Texas, when I moved to LA for school bringing my car was simply unrealistic. Driving 26 hours every time I wanted to visit home would be a hassle, in addition to all of the costs associated with maintaining a vehicle for 4 years. I was skeptical at first, but living on the hill made life easy; every necessity was a five minute walk away. When I moved off campus last year, however, I found myself becoming more and more reliant on Uber for short trips into Westwood. As the number of trips began adding up, I started to consider both the financial and environmental effects of my actions. I realized that it was time for a change, and without much room to store a bike in my apartment, I decided I would learn how to ride a skateboard and make it my primary mode of transportation.

The next day, I scoured the internet in search of of a used board, and after hours of negotiating on OfferUp, I got a great longboard for less than $100. I began to practice skating every day, and within two weeks I was comfortable riding all throughout Westwood. Now, I still skate every day, and have mapped out all of the best routes through Westwood and campus so that I am not constantly having to get off my board and walk. This has allowed me to easily ride anywhere I need to in the area, regardless of how many hills there are. I haven't taken an Uber in over a year now; I am sure that I have saved thousands of dollars in trips I would have otherwise called, and I am reducing my CO2 emissions as a result. Studies have shown that ride share services such as Uber and Lyft are actually worse for the environment than driving your own car. The sheer convenience of Ubering to class may be tempting, but I hope I can encourage others to consider skating as an alternative to taking those short trips.

I have found skating to be much more than a way to get around. It has been a surprisingly great source of cardio, and a fun hobby. I used to hate walking to class and the library, but now I ride to campus every day. Bikes can be expensive, and skateboards can serve as a more affordable alternative that anyone can learn to ride with a little bit of patience and determination. My friends and I go skating on campus everyday, so let me know if any of y'all ever want to join us!
(Here's a picture of my beautiful board)

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BENNETT HOLLEY 1/06/2022 3:11 PM

Hey guys! I am excited to try some of these eco-challenges with y'all this quarter!

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