Sophie Kimerling

I really enjoyed this week's activities (along with my old ones of course). This week I chose "Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty", "Switch to Cold Water", "Log a Happiness Journal", and "Go for a Daily Walk". In the past, movies about the environment, animals or food were never my go-to. However, since taking this class I have developed a newfound appreciation for them. This past week, I watched a documentary called "The Need to Grow" on Vimeo. It was about the importance of soil and how it affects pretty much everything. A young eight year old girl was featured in this documentary. She is admired for her environmental activism at such a young age. Once she learned about GMOs, as a Girl Scout herself, she petitioned to have the Girl Scouts make a non-GMO cookie. It was extremely shocking to me how the Girl Scout Headquarters treated her. They first denied her, and then once they agreed to listen to her presentation, they would not let her enter the building. Keep in mind she had to take a plane with her mother just to do this presentation. This shows how industries will go the full nine yards to protect their image, even if it means denying an innocent, ambitious child to fulfill her dream. The film also featured a man who made his own farm filled with optimal soil. He taught us about the importance of composting and how it helps achieve optimal soil. The large companies that do not take care of their soil are ruining acres of viable planting grounds. This cannot be undone, but we can all help make more good soil by planting our own gardens, or even community gardens. The young girl I referenced before started gardens in two local schools. Not only is the food super fresh, but it creates more optimal soil. 
The "Switch to Cold Water" action, although not as informative as the documentary, I still know it made a difference. There wasn't much to it, basically to just use cold water in my laundry rather than warm or hot. The clothes still achieve the same cleanliness, so if it helps the environment I will be glad to do this in the future. 
I also really liked the "Keep a Happiness Journal" because it forced me to think about what I am grateful for everyday. It actually made me smile when I was writing it, which is always a positive. 
Over quarantine I did go on so many walks with my friends, so the daily walk wasn't too new to me. Still, I enjoyed every minute of it especially since the weather started to cool down. 
I still have been keeping my other actions in mind. For example today I went to Starbucks. They started using these "sippy cup style" cups but still give the straw to the customer. So today opted to not take the straw to minimize plastic. 
Overall, this was a great week! 

This week was definitely a challenge! It was harder than the previous week because we leveled up and took on more challenges. My new challenges were Zero-Waste Cooking, Reduce Animal Products, Enjoy a Sunrise or a Sunset, and to Drive Less. I am very proud of myself because I accomplished a lot this week, even with the increase in tasks. I was very aware of how much I used when cooking - not to make too much to avoid unnecessary waste. To be honest, though, this task was not that difficult because I do not cook super often. Moving along to the Reduce Animal Products challenge... this was particularly difficult for me because I have a lot of meat in my diet. My parents when they cook dinner usually prepare one meat, one vegetable and possibly a salad. So, if I remove the meat from the equation then that does not leave me with much for protein. I also do not like beans or chickpeas so it was hard to get a source of protein. I added in pasta for the meals that I was meatless just so that I could actually be full. I really liked the "Enjoy a Sunrise or a Sunset" challenge because, well, it's not really a challenge. I love watching sunsets. Last night I watched the sunset in my backyard with my friends while enjoying a homemade cheese board which was really fun. In the future, I would like to experience a sunrise because I have not seen one in a really long time. I have issues with waking up really early, but I think it'd be worth it if I went somewhere new and pretty. The last task to drive less was also hard for me. Since I am home in New York, I tend to drive a lot, whether it be around my town or to friends out of town. I have been driving to Connecticut a lot, about 40 minutes away, so when I go about 4-5 times a week, it is definitely not ideal. So this week I tried to cut down my driving to Connecticut. I also carpooled more with my friends at home instead of separately driving places like dinner or to each others' houses. 
In terms of the tasks for last week, I still keep those in mind as well. I have been paperless since the start of the school year and continue to do so. Also, I have been trying really hard to stop using plastic straws. For example today I went to Starbucks and used the "sippy cup style" cup instead of getting a plastic straw. Also, I always use paper straws at restaurants even though I am not a huge fan of them. I also have gotten in the habit of using reusable water bottles. 

The first week of my Campus Eco-Challenge was very beneficial to me and the environment. I have been using less plastic bottles, using less plastic straws, and using less paper for sure. Like I said in class, it was difficult for me to remember to log my activities each day. Therefore, for this week I will set a daily alarm so that I never forget and so that you and the rest of my classmates can see my progress. Even though I haven't been logging every day, I still have accomplished my goals for last week. The plastic bottles was the challenge that made the most difference in my life. I usually go to Starbucks every day, and so I receive a plastic up from them (basically the size of a water bottle) that includes a plastic straw. The amount of Starbucks cups and straws that accumulated in my car this summer is borderline gross... Anyway, this challenge has positively forced me to make my own coffee at home and use a reusable cup or bottle. Not only has this benefitted the environment, but it is economically wise as well! I spend so much less money making coffee at home rather than going out every single morning. 
The one time challenge of going paperless is actually very easy to do since all of my classes are online. I don't receive handouts, packets, or in class assignments that I have to physically hand in. All of my assignments are digital, which is definitely a silver lining of all my classes being online. 
This weeks challenges will be harder for me. They are: driving less and eating meatless/vegan meals. I am excited to see how those will go!