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Welcome to Campus Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Campus Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Campus Ecochallenge
Victoria Koppa's avatar

Victoria Koppa

Western Technical College - Fall 2021

"Sustainability takes forever. And that's the point."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 626 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    85
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    363
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    95
    minutes
    being mindful
  • UP TO
    3.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    2.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.7
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    3.6
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Victoria's actions

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Core Values

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Meditate

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 10 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Go For A Daily Walk Outside

I will take a walk outside for 45 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Work from Home

I will work from home 3 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 8
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
    Transportation Work from Home
    It takes the average worker in the United States 26 minutes to travel to work. One way to fix long commutes would be to make cities more affordable. An even simpler option: promote the use of telework. How have you used technology to replace in-person meetings or work this year?
    Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/21/2021 12:35 PM
    I had experience with telework before coming to Western. My previous job allowed me to work remotely 1-2 days per week, even before covid. During covid, I was 100% remote. Being new to Western, I'm currently on a hybrid schedule, working on site 2 days / week. I do not have any responsibilities with students, so this makes my remote work schedule possible.
    I have a 64 mile round-trip commute, so my hybrid schedule saves me 6 hrs in commute time and 7-8 gallons of gas per week. I am completely comfortable participating in and facilitating online meetings. It's a safe and efficient way to get things done. I could think of some advantages to meeting in-person, so I do understand when in-person meetings can be necessary. But telework definitely helps with sustainability and work-life balance. I couldn't be at Western without the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule! 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Weekly Meal Planning
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four in the US spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?
    Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/19/2021 7:04 AM
    I am surprised by how much food is wasted. I grew up in a home where wasting food was not allowed. I avoid throwing out a lot of food simply by freezing leftovers or fruits/veggies for use later in soups and smoothies. Also, we have a small refrigerator, so I can only buy what we can use within the week. Finally, we pack up leftovers into ready-to-eat lunch portions, which encourages us to use up the extra food and makes packing a lunch much easier. I would rather have the $1,500 for a nice vacation or quality ingredients for our meals.
    Read More
    • Cindy Lyga's avatar
      Cindy Lyga 10/19/2021 12:01 PM
      I love what you wrote!  It sounds like you and I grew up in similar households.  There was a use for everything.  The freezer is my "friend" as well. 
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Skip the Straw
    How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
    Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/18/2021 8:49 AM
    Topic: Clothing. The fashion industry can be unsustainable and unethical. How can I incorporate other R's into my family's lifestyle?
    Reuse: I was happy when our daughters crossed over from "it needs to be new" to "it's cool to be used" clothing.
    Repurpose; They often use the sewing machine to restyle their finds. It's fun to see their creations!
    Reduce: We also share some clothing, like sweaters, so that helps reduce how much we need to buy. 
    Refuse: We apply the "do I love it" and "do I need it" questions to each clothing purchase. This helps us say no to unnecessary or impulse buys.
    Repair: We repair as much clothing as possible. My husband even has a local seamstress put patches on his work jeans (it's surprisingly inexpensive) so they last longer.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Use Reusable Bags
    What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you or aren't allowed to use the one you brought? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?
    Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/09/2021 10:28 AM
    I usually keep a stash of reusable bags in my car, so if I make a stop they are readily available. If I do have plastic bags in my house, I give them to the Amish at the farmers' market. They ask for bag donations to use for produce sales.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Happiness
    How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?
    Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/05/2021 1:26 PM
    Practicing gratitude helps me focus on the positive. It reminds me to notice what others are doing and then thank them. It definitely makes for a good day!
    Read More
  • Victoria Koppa's avatar
    Victoria Koppa 10/04/2021 2:06 PM

    Day One: set some actions, including a daily walk (or two). I love to get outside, get moving, and get energized!
    Read More