Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Michael Liggins

PLNU BUS 4075 SP21 Sustainability in Action

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,766 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

960

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

80

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

62

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

83

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

79

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

150

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

131

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

74

zero-waste meals

consumed

Michael's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Learn More about Food Apartheid

What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Advocate for Greener Vehicles

I will spend at least 10 minutes assessing the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 33
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Research Restorative Justice

I will spend 10 minutes learning about restorative justice and conflict resolution opportunities in my own community or state.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host A Watch Party

I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 34
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 6 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 34
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 133 lbs of CO2 a month and 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Turn it off

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

COMPLETED 38
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 37
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

COMPLETED 35
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 33
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Locally-Sourced Meals

I will source 5 meal(s) each day from local producers.

COMPLETED 35
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 5 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 34
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 5 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 37
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Meet My Local Farmers

I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those around the world who produce my food in order to make better choices when I shop.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus to reduce pollution in the environment and in local communities.

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
Action Track: Building Resilience Learn More about Food Apartheid

What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?

Michael Liggins 5/10/2021 3:04 PM

Luckily, I can honestly say that the "food deserts" in San Diego are not that bad. However, I have lived in San Francisco before, and I must say that the food deserts in San Francisco are some of the worst I have ever seen. If you are young, or marginalized, or if you can't afford motor transportation, then shopping for groceries in San Francisco is very difficult. Living in a food desert makes poor people more likely to eat junk food that can be bought at a convenience store.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Locally-Sourced Meals

If you were to only eat what is in season locally from now on, what would be the most difficult food item for you to give up? Why?

Michael Liggins 5/04/2021 11:56 AM

Pineapple, because I love sweet fruits. I live in San Diego, where most fruits grow nearly all year. However, I really like pineapples, yet they are not locally sourced.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Go Paperless

Reducing your paper mail can reduce mental clutter as well as physical waste -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

Michael Liggins 4/16/2021 8:01 AM

I try to get as little paper mail as possible. Paper mail has become way too wasteful, especially, advertisements from credit card companies. I pay my credit card off online every month, however, I still receive paper advertisements from other companies in the mail.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

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

Michael Liggins 4/16/2021 7:56 AM

I use plastic utensils only once, and I am trying to stop using so much plastic to eat just one meal. I notice that restaurants usually provide too many napkins, and plastic utensils in my area. This issue is much like using plastic straws, something that is easily fixed by telling the employee of the restaurant you are buying food from that you do not require a lot of utensils.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Zero-Waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for using every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable (including the skins, tops, stalks, etc.) during your next meal prep?

Michael Liggins 4/15/2021 1:46 PM

I have a small family, therefore, it is not hard for me to cook meals without wasting too much food. For example, rice is something that I can cook, and not waste anything. If I was cooking vegetables, I would just prepare tomatoes. As long as the tomatoes are clean, I can eat every part of the tomato.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water 5-Minute Showers

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Michael Liggins 4/14/2021 11:40 AM

I don't pour oil down the drains around my house. Whenever I have to change the oil of my car, I go somewhere to get the oil changed where I know that the oil will be disposed of properly.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Personal Waste Audit

Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

Michael Liggins 4/14/2021 11:33 AM

It is hard to ask people to care about the waste that they produce. Many people laugh at the idea of worrying about putting food waste into a compost pile, or separating the compostable products from the non-compostable items. I take sorting my waste seriously, and it is a habit that I will never change.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Use Reusable Bottles

What are some of the needs that water meets or benefits that water provides for you?

Michael Liggins 4/12/2021 3:53 PM

Clean water means everything to me. I use clean water to shower, and to cook food with. I have turf, instead of a lawn in front of my house. Although, I still use the garden hose to water my plants in pots. I also have a small garden in my backyard that requires watering.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

What is the main water source in your region? If you don't know, how could you find out?

Michael Liggins 4/12/2021 2:53 PM

This is probably the easiest task to do, because I always turn off the running water while I brush my teeth. It is completely possible to have white teeth, and not waste a lot of water while brushing your teeth. The main source of water for my region is the Sweetwater reservoir.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Support Local Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Michael Liggins 4/12/2021 12:07 PM

I already knew that the bees, and hummingbirds around my area are attracted to lavender. Lavender is very cheap, it grows fast, and it is very beautiful. Lavender smells nice also, I see different pollinators around my lavender plants all the time.

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