Sarah Haugh

SMU 2021 EcoChallenge

"I am always trying to challenge myself by being a little bit more sustainable. I admit, I do love stuff, but I always buy my clothes and treasures second-hand. A term I have come to know well is "eco-minimalism" (shout out to @Shelbizleee on YouTube for this) and it's a philosophy I live by. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
484 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

2.0

miles

traveled by foot
UP TO

120

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

240

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

90

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

3.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.8

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Sarah's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 60-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home or Dorm Room

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home or dorm room.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Simplicity

Go For A Daily Walk Outside

I will take a walk outside for 60 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 60 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community while observing best practices in my region for not spreading COVID-19.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Learn About Renewable Energy

I will spend 60 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 2 mile(s) each day instead of driving and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Prevent Recycling Contamination

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 30 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and POC-majority neighborhoods. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Energy Learn About Renewable Energy

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Sarah Haugh 4/21/2021 8:38 AM

I'm from West Virginia, where I personally know many families who are directly affected by the negative impacts of coal mining and fracking. Peoples' houses have caved in from irresponsible fracking underneath (where someone owned the mineral rights BELOW property owned by someone else). Other people don't have access to clean water because all the local waterways in mining regions are contaminated with mine run-off. The leadership in WV continues to allow it's people to be treated like garbage because they get sweet kick-backs from coal and fracking companies.
A more recent compelling reason I saw to expand on our renewable energies is from the snow storm that hit Texas earlier this year. While many were left without power and water, my sister-in-law's complex, (which uses solar power in addition to electricity powered by coal and natural gas) retained power through the solar panels, which also helped keep the pipes from freezing over.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Support Local Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Sarah Haugh 4/21/2021 8:28 AM

In preparation for the pollinator garden prep taking place on campus tomorrow, I have been trying to learn more about pollinators and what flowers different pollinators like. I'm learning that pollinators are responsible for producing a large portion of the food we eat by assisting with the plant reproduction process, which allows us to have much of the fruits and vegetables we eat.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What did you substitute or could be substituted instead?

Sarah Haugh 4/19/2021 10:30 AM

I have consistently been refusing to take plastic cutlery from the dining hall since they stopped serving food with re-usable dishes. Since I cannot eat in the cafe and I have to return to my apartment to eat my meals every day, I've been using reusable cutlery instead of taking the plastic stuff to accumulate in my home. I wish others would start doing the same because I cannot tell you how many times I've seen students throw away entire, unopened (or partially used) single-use cutlery packets from the dining hall. It is truly terrible.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity De-Clutter My Home or Dorm Room

How can you prevent yourself from accumulating more unnecessary things in the future?

Sarah Haugh 4/19/2021 9:59 AM

I think it's important to avoid making impulse purchases. I think most of the time, if people would make themselves wait 48 hours before purchasing something, they would forget about it and not end up buying it. I think another good way to prevent unnecessary clutter is to borrow things from friends and neighbors that you know you will only use once in a while (like a stock pot if you don't normally cook and just need it for a pot luck or something).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Go For A Daily Walk Outside

Fresh air and movement are good for our entire being and can help us think more clearly and creatively. How does taking a walk each day affect yourself and/or your work?

Sarah Haugh 4/19/2021 9:52 AM

Going on walks allows me to just reflect on life and take in the fresh air, sunshine, and enjoy the presence of wild animals. On days that I get to take a walk, I sleep better, which makes my whole day better.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?

Sarah Haugh 4/19/2021 8:25 AM

My spouse and I checked out Watershed Park and had a great time hiking the loop. This was perfect for someone who enjoys getting outside, but doesn't want to do anything too strenuous. I think spending more time outdoors allows you to get fresher air, which I think always helps me sleep better, allowing my brain to recharge.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Walk Instead

Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Does this statistic describe your own transportation habits? If so, how might you incorporate more muscle-powered transportation in your daily life?

Sarah Haugh 4/16/2021 4:57 PM

This describes my habits completely! Most of the travel I need to do is down the street to the grocery stores (Fred Meyer, Target). And there are also a few thrift stores within a few miles of campus. I find that I get a lot more enjoyment if I walk there and back instead of driving.

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Sarah Haugh 4/15/2021 10:42 AM

I have been a little slow on completing some of my actions, but I have been expanding my general knowledge of sustainable practices little by little every day. I've been following this YouTuber named Shelbizleee and she posts every day about living sustainably. She has a lot of great content and tells it like it is when it comes to sustainable practices in every day life. She's a very practical person who believes everyone should take sustainability at their own pace and believes in educating people on the unseen impacts that all of their purchases have on the environment. I highly recommend following her if you're looking for practical ways to be sustainable. Here is one of her videos from January 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkhxtPA--14

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Sarah Haugh 4/14/2021 8:35 AM

You can find new ways to wear clothes you already own or buy clothes and accessories second-hand. I don't think you have to deny yourself "new-to-you" clothing, as there is so much out there that thrift stores can't even begin to process, so I would say the most important thing is to take ownership of the clothes you do own and do what you can with them before throwing them away or dumping them on a thrift store. These include modifying your clothes (if you have the skill set to do so), organizing or participating in a clothing swap, donating specific items to groups collecting specific things (i.e. an organization requesting gently-used business clothing for people seeking employment or a shelter requesting hats and gloves during cold winter months). You can also find other ways to use clothes that you feel are not good enough to give to anyone else, like giving ripped up jeans to a company that turns old denim into insulation, or using old beat up sweatshirts as liners for outdoor dog/cat houses so pets can stay cozy.

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Sarah Haugh 4/13/2021 5:36 PM

Great! I watched a documentary called "The True Cost" about how fast fashion is destroying our planet and really harming those who actually make the clothing. Definitely worth the watch!

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