TASNIA RASUL

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
311 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

375

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

212

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

71

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

10

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

0.0

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

25

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

20

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

71

miles

traveled by bus

TASNIA's actions

Electricity

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 2 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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 6
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 6
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 1
DAILY 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 Keep Track of Wasted Food

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?

TASNIA RASUL 6/08/2023 11:25 AM

I would rather use this money to contribute to local farms that practice sustainable practices, whether that be raising animals ethically or growing fruits and vegetables in a sustainable manner. Moreover, I would use those extra dollars to buy plant based alternatives that I normally would not buy because of the financial barrier and instead invest into what I am putting in my body.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Use Public Transit

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

TASNIA RASUL 6/08/2023 11:21 AM

I really appreciate how UCLA is providing students with free public transport next school year. It enables me to not choose an Uber and consider using the Metro system to get to different places. I used the FAC pilot transit pass last quarter to navigate LA and I am pleasantly surprised to see how easy it is to go to different parts of LA. Even UCLA provides free bus services that pick me up from my dorm and take me to the mall or the beach. I want to continue using public transit everywhere at my time in UCLA.

Read More
TASNIA RASUL 5/30/2023 2:27 PM

I have been making an effort this quarter to limit my meat intake for protein intake. This has enabled me to explore meatless protein options that are more sustainable yet keep me satiated throughout the day. I have been enjoying Tempeh and Seitan from the dining hall bPlate because of their texture. Sadly, I do not eat plant based all the time and do feel guilt. I do still eat egg whites, chicken, and ice cream. However, I have cut down my beef and dairy intake because cattle is the largest contributor of global warming. This weekend, I went to a wedding; in my culture, we consume a lot of cattle and goat based products. However, I chose some of the vegetarian options instead. It has not been easy, but I hope to become more sustainable in my eating patternsHere is my vegetarian taco and stacker :b

Read More
- Venice Lupus 5/31/2023 12:50 PM
  
  Hi Tasnia, this is really awesome! I have been trying to do this myself as well. My roommate is vegetarian and has been showing me different ways to cook tofu and different uses of it and how I can get my protein in from plant sources. I honestly sometimes even prefer tofu over meat and really love how versatile and easy to cook it is. I find it hard to not eat chicken and egg whites as well but I have found the easiest meat to cut out to be beef. I don't really miss it anyways and I think I could go the rest of my life without eating beef. Nice job!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?

TASNIA RASUL 5/30/2023 2:18 PM

Recently, I have been putting my phone down to enjoy my meal when I eat. Often times, I am scrolling through TIkTok or texting my friends when I am eating a meal. However, by putting my phone down, I have the opputunity to appreciate my food and enjoy the flavors. If I am just on my phone, eating becomes a task like chewing gum, where it is mindless and I don't feel all the sensations. Moreover, it helps me not overeat and makes me listen to my body intuitively. This helps me eat smaller portions and be more aware of how my body feels.

Read More
- Kaitlyn Cheung 6/02/2023 1:23 PM
  
  Hi Tasnia! I also found that mindful eating helped me to listen to my body more intuitively and appreciate the food I'm eating. When I'm busy I often eat on-the-go and it was nice to actually sit down and relax a little while eating!
  
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- Venice Lupus 5/31/2023 1:28 PM
  
  Hi Tasnia, I also chose to do this for one of my drop down challenges and I have continually done it throughout the quarter and have seen a huge change in the way that I feel about eating and how I can eat intuitively. I have also found that I do not over eat as much and enjoy the process of eating much more when it is the one thing that I am focused on. Nice job!
  
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TASNIA RASUL 4/30/2023 3:08 PM

I eat at UCLA's dining, more specificially bPlate, where they serve small portions in order to prevent food waste. By eating here and not wasting my food, I am contributing to less food waste.

Read More
- Sydney Dyer 4/30/2023 3:57 PM
  
  Hi Tasnia! I have also been eating at Bplate recently as the portions are much smaller compared to other dining halls. When putting my dishes away in other dining halls, I notice so much uneaten food being thrown away, probably because people take more than they need. Having these smaller portions at Bplate really helps me eat only what I need without having to waste food (since I know food waste is a huge factor in climate change).
  
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TASNIA RASUL 4/30/2023 3:04 PM

I go home on the bus because it is more energy efficient for me to leave UCLA from the bus than to have someone come down 1 hour and pick me up and drive back and repeat dropping me off

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity 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?

TASNIA RASUL 4/11/2023 10:35 AM

I feel like I already knew that my family was a contriutor to the global warming problem but that is because it is very hard to live in America (as a middle class or low income citizen) without having to rely on some non sustainable options. For example, protein is very important but plant based proteins can be extremely expensive and so the general population cannot afford that. This module opened my eyes up to the socioeconomic disparities of carbon emission.

Read More
- Joshua Rhee 4/11/2023 3:43 PM
  
  It is definitely a shame that there seems to be a socioeconomic barrier-of-entry that prevents many groups of people from contributing to the environmental cause in some ways. Geographic and economic factors in environmental activism can be very constricting.
  
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