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Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar

Lisbeth Rodriguez

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 321 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    55
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    3.0
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    13
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    6.0
    more servings
    of fruits and vegetables
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    3.0
    miles
    traveled by bus

Lisbeth's actions

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 3 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Try Carpooling

Carpooling

I will commute by carpool 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 40 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Women-Owned Businesses

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will shop from women-owned business(es) today.

COMPLETED 3
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 2
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

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Test Drive an Electric Bike

Electric Bicycles

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

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?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Test Drive an Electric Bike
    Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Private vehicles account for 60% of trips of a mile or less. Do you often drive short distances instead of biking or walking? If so, how might incorporating an electric bike into your lifestyle help you make more climate-friendly choices?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/07/2023 11:04 PM
    Electric bikes are not as common here in Westwood but there are electric scooters. I have seen many students rising electric scooters such as birds to and from campus. My roommate and I decided to give one a try when I was running late to class instead of having her drive me to campus. Not only were we able to get there faster than we would have in a car (avoided parking and campus access limitations) but we also didnt have to worry about the scooters whereabouts after we arrived to our destination. It was a bit tough finding routes that didn't involve very uphill drives or stairs but it is definitely feasible at UCLA and it was much cheaper too (don't have to pay for parking permit either!). I will definitely be incorporating more electric scooter rides when I travel short distances.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Conduct Virtual Meetings
    How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/07/2023 10:56 PM
    As finals are approaching, Ive been meeting with my group members more often to practice presentations or talking about what we will include in our papers. Usually, I take the bus or carpool with one of my friends to campus but I recently started opting for meeting on zoom. I use the fact that we can meet for longer if we utilize the time it would have taken to drive and park there as leverage. We decided to try it for the first time last Monday and saw that we could meet for longer not having to leave home and even were able to get to work faster not having to walk back from campus. We were still able to keep each other accountable if cameras were turned on but at first, it was hard if people didnt have their cameras on. As long as we were able to see each other, everything else functioned about the same and less time was spend walking to and from the meeting location which helped to give more time for the actual meeting.
  • 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?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/07/2023 10:51 PM
    I usually eat while watching a YouTube video on my phone or while having Netflix on the TV. I tend to watch something and eat at the same time because I eat on my breaks and like to get in some leisure time while I eat. However, I have noticed that while I watch something, I'm not too focused on the food and at times don't even recall what it tastes like so I opted to give mindful eating a try. For a week, I solely ate my meals without distractions and noticed that I would become full faster or could notice flavors that I hadn't noticed before like noticing I had undercooked my pancakes. Before I would have just chomped away at my pancaked but now I noticed and will cook them for longer. I do also notice that I get bored without distractions and that may be the reason why I finish my meals faster but it is a good technique to use when I want to really savor my meals such as when I order take out from a fancy place or if something took alot of effort to make.
  • 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?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/06/2023 12:05 PM
    Since I don't visit places out of Westwood that often, the only times that I would be able to carpool would be visiting my parents. Carpooling is still achievable in this situation because there are many people that are also visiting their parents. My parents reside about 30 minutes from campus so I could take advantage of the "class of 2023" page on Facebook to find someone that could drop me off closer to my place. Living in Los Angeles, I could take public transportation the rest of the way but even carpooling half way to my parents could be a way that I reduce my carbon footprint. Other than that, when I'm having a heavier load of groceries (ex: getting toilet paper) that can be difficult to carry while walking, I can carpool with my roommates when they get groceries instead of taking an uber.
  • 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?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/05/2023 2:54 PM
    I have noticed that there is more life around me than just pigeons and squirrels. I am a big animal fanatic and it can get depressing being away from my dog and living in a city where I don't have much animal interaction. Squirrels were cute at first but they have become normal to me and they don't bring me too much excitement anymore. But when I went on my walks, I discovered the botanical garden turtles. They are so cute and I have enjoyed the sound of the stream that runs through. I have also varied my routes because I used to go to and from class by the medical buildings but I realized that there was little to no green. If I could make infrastructure changes I would add vertical vegetation along building walls or plant more trees so there isn't just brick and cement. This vegetation would also promote more animal life like hummingbirds and bees which would also make me much happier.

    • Venice Lupus's avatar
      Venice Lupus 6/05/2023 4:22 PM
      Hi Lisbeth, I totally agree with the squirrels I see them almost every morning that I am almost habituated to them. I have been meaning to go to see the botanical garden turtles so I will be sure to make my way down there sometime before the school year is over. I never realized that there is so little green near the medical buildings but now that you say that there really is nothing and it's a lot of cement and is kind of sad and boring. I totally agree that more vegetation should be planted.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use More Fruits And Veggies
    How does eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat positively affect yourself, other people, and our planet?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 6/05/2023 1:38 PM
    Over the past few weeks I have noticed that I experience feeling "in a rut" or unmotivated when I don't have a single serving of fruits and/or vegetables. Not having any servings can happen easily because I tend to prioritize protein which means that I often times have to cut out carbohydrate sources like fruits and vegetables to maintain my calorie count. However, upon taking on this challenge I have set aside a few of my macros to having at least 3 servings of fruits and/or vegetables and I have never felt better. I make many açaí bowls with greek yogurt as my protein source or I make sure to have some type of sautéed vegetable with my dinner. I still eat a fair amount of meat because its the easiest way to get in balanced protein but I love the way that making room for fruits and veggies makes me feel. Those around me are much happier too because I have declined to go out less after having more energy. It is also a great feeling to know that prioritizing fruits and vegetables more than I used to can help bring down carbon emissions brought by agricultural practices.

    • Venice Lupus's avatar
      Venice Lupus 6/05/2023 4:27 PM
      Hi Lisbeth, I chose this same challenge for myself this week and also feel much more tired and sluggish when I do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. I have felt so much better both mentally and physically now that I have added vegetables and fruits more into my diet. I also feel more mentally clear and I agree that it makes me and the others around me happier. I also feel like it was such a small change that I made and that it can have a pretty big impact if we all try to incorporate this into our own lives.
  • 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?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 5/01/2023 4:18 PM
    Public transportation has always been something I considered getting into given that I dont have a drivers license. I have been taking the bus these past few weeks to local areas to begin with. I went to my clubs adoption event in Beverly Hills via bus and just last week I ventured further by going to the mall. I was nervous at first because unlike my past ventures, two busses would be needed to get to the mall but the transition from one bus to another wasn't too hard. It got some taking used to knowing on which side of the road I should be waiting for the next bus but I figured it out. By car or uber it would have taken almost twice the amount of money to get to the mall during rush hour if I hadn't taken the bus so its a good economical option. However, I did find that my stops would be skipped at times perhaps because the bus was too full and it took longer to arrive to my destination. Nonetheless, if Im not in a hurry I plan to continue to venture out of my comfort zone by choosing public transportation. Plus, it felt great just having to sit back and enjoy the view!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Smart Seafood Choices
    Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 5/01/2023 4:05 PM
    In the United States, you can eat a variety of fish like blue catfish and crab both of which align with my dietary choices. The blue catfish is the I need to make sure was not sourced from china, and the crab I need to make sure comes from Alaska or Maryland. Both of these options I have seen in my local Costco store is it shouldn't be too difficult to get my hands on. Costco does however sell some of these products from different areas that are not recommended in the seafood choices guidelines so I would have to read the label to make sure its sourced from the right place.

    • Billy Ung's avatar
      Billy Ung 5/06/2023 8:30 PM
      Coming from a Cambodian household we use a lot of fish in our dishes. I have also been trying to be more cognizant of the type of fish being bought and where it is sourced from. I recognize that most fish that are sourced from the USA is one of the better options since it's likely the fish was sustainably grown. Another good thing to look out for is certain logos from Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or Best Aquaculture Practices which I have attached here. Let
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Support Women-Owned Businesses
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. What have you done in the past to support women-owned businesses? How can you better support communities by supporting women?

    Lisbeth Rodriguez's avatar
    Lisbeth Rodriguez 4/11/2023 8:39 AM
    Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I celebrated out anniversary. Instead of opting for the most reviewed fine dining restaurants like we have past years, we opted to looking into dining at a women-owned business. We decided on "Union" which is a fine dining restaurant in Pasadena. I ordered the truffle fettuccine and my boyfriend ordered the squid ink lumache. It was an amazing experience and I will continue to look into women-owned businesses not only when I dine out but also when I shop online for clothing, accessories, etc.