Olivia Timothee

Students of Sheridan's Sustainability Class

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
306 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

18

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

100

minutes

spent learning

Olivia's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Health and Education

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Tour a Green Roof

Green and Cool Roofs

I will set up a visit or a virtual tour of a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

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?

Olivia Timothee 4/27/2023 11:16 AM
Eco Challenge: Reflect on Experience

My experience throughout this eco challenge experience has taught me a lot about various ways that I can practice sustainability. I calculated my household's carbon foot print, did a virtual tour of a local green roof, learned more about regenerative agriculture, learned about society's need for family planning, and even increased my daily fruits and veggies intake. I was successful in meeting all of my eco-challenges. I was delighted to discover a virtual tour option for touring a green roof, as I anticipated that I wouldn't have enough time to tour one in person. Additionally, I found it unexpectedly easy to find ways to increase my daily fruits and vegetables intake. After considering which challenge I would attempt in the future, I would choose to continue the challenge of increasing my daily intake of fruits and veggies. Over these last few months, I have noticed such an improvement on my energy levels, mood, and stamina through out the day just from eating more fruits and veggies. Increasing your daily intake of fruits and veggies is a great habit to get into as it promotes ones overall health, longevity and well being. Increasing ones fruit and veggie intake is also better for the environment, as a high intake of animal products contribute to factory farms, factory farm emissions, and animal waste. In the end, this Eco-challenge has taught me a lot about the many small actions we can take as individuals towards sustainability and towards finding solutions for this climate crisis.

Thanks,
Olivia Timothee

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Olivia Timothee 4/04/2023 10:43 AM
My Carbon Foot Print Reflection

After calculating my Carbon Foot print on the United States Environmental Protection Agency website, my family's foot print was 20,061 carbon tons, for a family of 4 . The country's average for a family of 4 is 47,354 carbon tons, which is way higher above my carbon foot print than I anticipated. Perhaps is because we do not drive that often, as we live in the city. After my 'planned actions' our carbon foot print would be reduced to 10,791 carbon tons. My planned actions include installing energy meters, lowering the heat/ ac, replacing lightbulbs to energy efficient bulbs, washing clothes with cold water, and driving less. These actions would reduce our carbon footprint by half, which is super significant. In the end, this assignment has opened my eyes to all that can be done within my family to reduce our carbon foot print.
*A link to my results are attached below.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:5f764142-a1f4-3c5d-94ea-76cad7834c3b
Best,
Olivia T

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience

What did you learn on your green roof tour?
Olivia Timothee 4/03/2023 7:50 AM
I did not get a chance to tour a green roof in person, but I did find an online virtual green roof tour from ASLA Green Roof that provides the concepts behind the designs of the green roof along with facts about their special selections of plant life that they selected to enhance to design and functionality of the green roof. One plant on the green roof that stood out to me was the prickly pear cactus that they called 'cacti air conditioning' which actually can help cool the surrounding air on the green roof up to 43 degrees. Additionally the green roof has monitoring systems to track the amount of rain water collected as well as the temperature and energy collection. This provides data for how much energy to green house is producing for the building. Lastly, the green house also acts as a space for events such as yoga classes where participants can take advantage of the extra space to unwind, and zen out surrounded by greenery. This virtual tour has taught me a lot about green houses and the different things they can do.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?
Olivia Timothee 3/27/2023 11:22 AM
After conducting research to asses what my family's carbon foot print is, I discovered that our carbon footprint (family of 4) is likely 83,000 pounds of greenhouse gases per year. That is on a metric of 20,750 pounds of green house gases per person. Factors such as driving, rate of waste emission, our food intake, and pets can increase our carbon foot print. My family most certainly drives, takes in a lot of food, and has pets. When considering ways to reduce our carbon foot print, a few things come to mind. We can use our dishes more to minimize plastic and paper waste, and we can use less electricity by unplugging electronics and lights though out the day. We can also ride bikes more so that we drive less, however, my parents cannot do that as they are elderly. We can also consider investing in solar energy, although I would have to inquire building management about this option. It is clear that the main actions we can take are to minimize our waste and energy consumption on a day to day basis.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are just three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons? How could/does regenerative agriculture positively impact you and your community?
Olivia Timothee 3/27/2023 11:12 AM
Regenerative agriculture is not only important to improve our air, water and our food, but also for the purpose of preserving the longevity of our farms. As per the most recent climate change report, crop failure in many countries is predicted to be 4.5 times higher than it is now, and by 2050, it is projected to be 25 times higher. If we don't widely adopt regenerative agriculture fast, then many countries will be facing this reality which can lead to world wide food shortages. Thus, it is clear the regenerative agriculture is something that we should care about. Regenerative agriculture would specifically benefit myself and my community by ensuring the longevity of our access to farm food as well as by keeping our food affordable. The more crop failure there is, the more and more expensive food will become over time. Thus, if New York prioritizes regenerative agriculture, then our food will stay affordable and available for longer.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?
Olivia Timothee 2/28/2023 1:46 PM
Upon researching the need for family planning globally, I found many interesting things. Firstly, spreading the awareness of the importance of family planning is vital for countries that are facing issues surrounding over population. These measures would include, contraceptive education, reproductive health services, education surrounding the health risks of pregnancy, the risks of teen pregnancy, and the risks associated with having many children in a short time span. According to my research, millions of women world-wide are in need of the vital information surrounding reproductive health education. The needs of women in less populated countries are different from women's needs in over populated countries because women in less populated countries, tend to have less children, ultimately leading to less difficulties surrounding reproductive health and family planning. Alternately, women in over populated countries have many children, and are ultimately faced with the many issues that come with a lack of family planning. In the end, the need for the awareness surrounding the importance of family planning worldwide it vital for the continued growth of our species.

Reference

Published: Nov 11, 2021. (2022, June 24). The U.S. Government and International Family Planning & Reproductive Health Efforts. KFF. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-u-s-government-and-international-family-planning-reproductive-health-efforts/#:~:text=Key%20Facts,low%20and%20middle%20income%20countries.

-Olivia T

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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?
Olivia Timothee 2/28/2023 1:30 PM
Eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat has positively impacted myself, others, and our planet in various ways. Firstly, eating more fruits and veggies and less meat has given me more energy, encouraged me to stay active, increased my productivity, and has kept my mood more stable throughout the day. Due to the fact that I have more energy and am in a better mood to face people and my responsibilities, I have been able to be there for the people in my life more. I have been able to be a better support system, which ultimately affects the other people in my life in a positive way. Lastly, eating less meat with more fruits and vegetables, is ultimately better for the planet, as I am contributing less to factory farms which are a huge source of toxic waste production and pollution. Contributing less to the meat industry will also help sustain the resources needed for an ever growing population . If the world keeps eating meat at this rate, then eventually, we will run out of resources. Thus, easting more fruits and veggies but less meat benefits myself, the people around me, and the greater environment.

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Olivia Timothee 2/28/2023 1:13 PM
Hi Team!

The 5 sustainable practices I have chosen are as follows:
1-Healing and Renewal: Eat more fruits and veggies
2-Building Resilience :Learn more about Regenerative Agriculture
3-Building Resilience: Tour a green roof
4-Electricity: Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household
5-Health and Education: Learn about the need for family planning

I decided to choose these 5 sustainable practices as they nicely support my current goals. I have been going through a hard time since last year, having to be a full time caregiver for my family, so I am in need of some 'healing and renewal' and for some 'building resilience'. I also believe that finding ways to be more energy neutral is very important for society and the environment. Additionally, I also believe that health and education are the root of what keeps a society healthy and thriving. Thus, I believe that these sustainable practices will teach me a lot about being more sustainable and healthy in my own life, and how to bring sustainable practices to others and to the wider society.

Thanks,
Olivia Timothee

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- Olivia Timothee 2/28/2023 1:17 PM
  PS:
  Additionally, the potential challenges that I may face with these sustainability practices is keeping them consistent during my busy schedule. Between work, full time school, amd taking care of my parents, it has been hard to find room for much else. However, if I prioritize this Eco-Challenge, I think it will actually really help me with what I am going through.
  -Olivia T
  
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Olivia Timothee 2/06/2023 12:52 PM
My name is Olivia Timothee and I am excited to begin this Drawdown Eco Challenge. I am currently working as a hot yoga instructor as well as a full time caregiver for my elderly parents all while trying to make it through school. When considering my past efforts to live a more sustainable life, a few things come to mind. One is that I've made an effort to use less water, recycle more, produce less waste, and even consume less energy. These efforts come from small actions such as turning off the lights when I am not using them, washing out recyclable containers before recycling them, reusing take out toper-wares, and even riding my e-bike instead of taking Uber. I also view sustainability fro a personal level, as I try to be sustainable about my work load and stress management. In the end, I hope that this EcoChallenge helps me discover new and improved ways to be sustainable in my own life and perhaps even in my professional life. I am excited to get started!

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