Miranda Ortiz

Low Energy Enthusiasts

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
227 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

30

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

7.0

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

90

minutes

spent outdoors

Miranda's actions

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

More Fruits And Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 2 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

COMPLETED
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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Farm Irrigation Efficiency

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
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?

Miranda Ortiz 5/31/2021 5:50 PM
One of the challenges I did was to mulch the base of the trees in my yard to prevent water runoff. I believe my household is already practicing lots of water conserving methods and the reason for it is a little funny.

Houses where I live use septic tanks rather than a sewage system. You have to empty septic tanks about every 5 years. I would say my dad is a very handy man so he isn't afraid to do risky house projects. This includes inventions to prevent the septic tank to fill and while doing so he is reusing water.
1. Washer machine waste water drains to our front yard thus watering the lawn with every wash.
2. He made a special septic tank for the kitchen sinks. He connects a hose to drain this septic tank every couple months and uses it to water our trees, plants, and cacti.
3. When waiting for the water to warm up before showering we collect the water in a bucket and use it to water the grass and plants.

These are all things I grew up with and thought were normal. At college I would feel guilty letting the water run while it warms up.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?
Miranda Ortiz 5/24/2021 10:12 PM
Whenever I go on a walk to the mountains down my block and around he neighborhood it puts me in a good mood. I believe walking is an underrated exercise as it's always a good way to clear your mind and appreciate your surroundings. Looking at little rabbits and quail run through the dry bushes reminds me that these mountains are home to many. It makes me happy to know that there are places like these where humans can explore without disrupting nature.

These walks also make me appreciate growing up in this town where I can take these daily walks. Everyone my age and younger always complains on social media about living in the Antelope Valley and how lame it is, how there's nothing to do over here. They all want to move to LA and always brag about going or moving to LA and the valley. Being away at UCLA made me love my hometown even more. Although everything is dry and brown I like the nice starry nights and fresh air, being able to hear the birds at night rather than sirens and traffic.

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- Andy Song 5/25/2021 12:22 AM
  I definitely agree with you about how walking is such an underrated but powerful way to put yourself in a better state of mind. My hometown, Santa Clarita, is like yours in that it is known for being pretty boring and dry, but I recently had the chance to explore a bit of my city and was surprised by the little animals and nature areas I was able to find. I ran into this pond with a few ducks and being able to just sit in the grass and watch them dive for seaweed or waddle around was a memorable experience. I think it also reminded me of another reason to continue to work against climate change: We are fighting for our own lives, but also those of the many animal communities and environments around us. I can't imagine a world in the future where the parks and spaces we were able to find would no longer be present. I hope that more people can take the chance to just explore their community, and finding the pockets of life that are so wonderful just to watch. I have also included a city view that I was able to find while exploring Rowland heights with my friend, once again showing the amazing landscape and beauty that is still present within our cities.
  
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- Miranda Ortiz 5/24/2021 10:13 PM
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal

How does eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat positively affect yourself, other people, and our planet?
Miranda Ortiz 5/19/2021 12:33 AM
Eating more vegetables makes me just feel better about what I'm putting in my body. It's probably a placebo affect but I just feel healthier that day more energized and stronger. It feels more filling to eat vegetables rather than carbs. One thing I am trying to work on is reducing the plastic waste my fruit and vegetables are packaged in. I bought a big bag of frozen broccoli however inside were 4 individually packaged smaller bags. Next time I would rather go with the fresh broccoli loose in one big bag or fresh unpackaged broccoli.

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- Sriharsha Talapaneni 5/20/2021 2:42 PM
  Hey Miranda, I actually started doing that recently. I started to get fresh broccoli and other vegetables in a loose bag rather than choosing pre-packaged ones, which had five plastic covers in there. And I feel the same whenever I eat vegetables. It's like a placebo effect, where I feel much healthier and I feel as if I have eaten a much healthier diet.
  
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Miranda Ortiz 5/12/2021 9:00 PM
Before starting this class I was already becoming more concerned about the current climate crisis we are facing. I was aware of I would say 80% of the climate related issues I know of now however the new ones Iv'e learned about are very serious and urgent. This class is what pushed me to take action and fully commit. I want to help prevent an unlivable planet. I want my siblings to get to see the beautiful nature the world has to offer. In June my baby sister was born and she motivates me to have hope in saving our planet. My parents recently got their visa and I want to be able to see new places with them. It's a shame that a lot of our natural wonders are dying but that motivates me to make changes to help preserve them.

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- Miranda Ortiz 5/12/2021 9:02 PM
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
Miranda Ortiz 5/12/2021 8:50 PM
I live in a small rural town (Lake Los Angeles) that is at least 20 miles from the bigger town (Palmdale or Lancaster) with all the big shopping centers. Car is the most convenient mode of transportation for everyone in my community. However being far from town personally makes my family's trips more mindful as we make the most out of our trips. We do have a few convenient and dollar stores in town however mostly everybody drives to them. On rare occasions I see people walking to the store. A few taco trucks have popped up and my family and I have walked or rode our bikes to the one near our house. On the way we greet people who we come across outside. Having to wait for our tacos outside rather than in the car also encouraged us to make talk with other people and with each other.

In the evenings my family and I go on walks around the neighborhood. We have a few bike lanes next to the main roads that are very convenient. On these walks we sometimes run into neighbors and greet them. This wouldn't happen if we were driving. Walking

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