Trent Parsons

UTKSUST21

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
940 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

486

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

37

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

196

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

486

miles

traveled by carpool

Trent's 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 34
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Try Carpooling

Carpooling

I will commute by carpool 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 34
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

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.

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?

Trent Parsons 4/08/2021 1:31 PM

Today was an easy one for my eco-challenge. As usual, I carpooled with my roommate and I ate a bean and rice burrito to ensure that I completed both challenges for the day.

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Trent Parsons 3/30/2021 9:58 AM

Sometimes PCB has amazing vegan options. Today I had a sweet chili tofu stir fry that was very good. I'm learning to go outside my comfort zone a little bit as part of my ecochallenge, which has been very fun.

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Trent Parsons 3/14/2021 7:36 PM

I haven't consistently been logging into the website to update on my eco-challenge, but I have been able to consistently do it. I've found that I've eaten a bit less conventionally when I try to stick to being vegan. I eat less traditional meals, in favor of what I would call "big snacks" a few more times throughout the day.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?

Trent Parsons 3/11/2021 10:02 AM

It became very apparent some of the things we could be doing differently. Adding every family member who eats meat made our footprint shoot up, as did including each car. Due to the geography of where we live, I don't see how we could make our transportation less harmful. However, I do think that our eating habits could be made more sustainable. Eating less meat per day or skipping it some days would be a great help.

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Trent Parsons 3/08/2021 10:15 AM

Today I calculated the carbon footprint of my home. I used the tradewater website and entered information about me and my family's energy and food consumption. I found out that even though I as an individual have taken steps to reduce my carbon footprint, we're still fairly significantly over the national average. I think I'll use this to have a conversation about it and see what we can do differently. I'd definitely like to see my family try to integrate more vegetarian or vegan meals into our rotation. It's also interesting to see the "cost" of it, and how much it's equivalent to.

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Trent Parsons 3/02/2021 10:06 AM

Even though the challenge is a pretty big change environmentally, it doesn't feel that different in the way I live my life. Changing out a few items at the dining hall is a small sacrifice for potentially making a big environmental difference.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Try Carpooling

List some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?

Trent Parsons 1/28/2021 9:38 AM

I often carpool with my roommate to the grocery store.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

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?

Trent Parsons 1/25/2021 8:52 PM

Firstly, meat is usually a luxury. It is inefficient agriculturally to raise animals for slaughter rather than just eating plants themselves. It is also less sustainable ecologically; the amount of water and land needed to support the animals, as well as the pollution they give off is unsustainable. Meat is also just plain bad for our bodies, as it is extremely calorie dense, and is typically a greater source of sodium and fat than alternative sources of protein.

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