Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Amelia Hart

Blue Marbles

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
513 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

12

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

8.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

630

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

700

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

630

minutes

not spent in front of a screen

Amelia's actions

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 6 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Water

Conserve Toilet Water

I will save up to 12 gallons (45 L) of water a day by flushing only when necessary.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Community

Express My Support

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation

I will spend 10 minutes practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation to nurture love and compassion for myself and others.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 180 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Use an Energy Meter

I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

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
Simplicity Eat Mindfully

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

Amelia Hart 11/26/2021 10:03 PM

When I'm paying attention to what I'm eating and not watching TV or anything like that, I eat slower and I enjoy the food more. I also tend to eat less just because my brain realizes how much I'm eating and tells me to stop because I'm full.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Conserve Toilet Water

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Amelia Hart 11/26/2021 10:01 PM

The toilets in our dorm flush for a very long amount of time and seem to be using a lot of water. While this kind of toilet flushing keeps the toilet very clean and easy to manage, it wastes a large amount of water. Installing smart flush toilets might be expensive in the beginning, but eventually the school would save money in the water bill. I also think people just need to be more mindful of how much saving a little water can do, even though it's really big corporations that need to change. We know they won't, so we have to do something.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Conduct Virtual Meetings

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

Amelia Hart 11/26/2021 9:57 PM

I don't work for a company yet, but instead of traveling downtown to meet with college coordinators and any other people I am required to meet with for college, I have been having virtual meetings. Our virtual meetings are just as genuine as being in person because we both keep the cameras on and I try to leave my microphone on the whole time. I have also been vocal in virtual classes, so the teaching assistance have something to work with.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Needs Vs. Wants

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?

Amelia Hart 10/21/2021 1:35 PM

I think that we get caught up in all the functional fixedness in consumerism. We think we need a lot of new things or different things for each task, when really we could use one thing for multiple tasks. You need to be creative with everything you own, so you can get it's full use and not try to buy something new.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Amelia Hart 10/21/2021 1:31 PM

I think everyone needs nature whether they know it or not. I think that our indoor culture has lead to an increase in depression and bad health. When I walk outside in the morning after being sad, I get instant endorphins and sometimes I can't even remember what I was sad about. Here in Hawaii I have the mountains to remind me how small my problems are and nature is just healing. Especially the sounds, when you just sit and listen.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Turn it off

How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?

Amelia Hart 10/21/2021 1:26 PM

I live in a dorm and all my energy is generated by coal burning, so it's not renewable. There are many negative impacts on wild life. Climate change is being accelerated and my source of energy is one of the main problems. It's hard to limit my usage because my roommates sometimes don't support the turn it off concept, or just don't think about it, and I feel like it has to be a whole room effort for it to have any real effect.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation

How can practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation be helpful to the health of the environment?

Amelia Hart 10/21/2021 1:23 PM

Everyone is going through their own things and even if they bother you or you find them extremely annoying, it's important to calm down and make sure you're full of love for everyone. Spending time away from people, thinking of how to be loving and kind is a great way to help people with their battles and maybe it will help you fight your own. Self love is very important as well. You need to be kind to yourself even though it's really hard.

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