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Katie McGinnis's avatar

Katie McGinnis

University of St. Thomas Class of 2023

"I aim to consciously limit my over-consumption to the benefit the environment, women's equality, and a more just world."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 572 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    171
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    9.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    1.0
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    2.1
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Katie's actions

Health

Joyful Movement

I will spend 20 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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

Waste

RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES

I will spend 25 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

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

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 30 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Take Control

Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

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

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?


  • Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/23/2021 7:39 AM
    Final stretch of the EcoChallenge! Can't wait to fit in more activities this weekend!🌱
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Joyful Movement
    What's your favorite activity(ies) in which you experience joy while being active and moving?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/21/2021 6:20 PM
    My favorite joyful activities are biking, walking with friends, or dancing to music!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Support Local Pollinators
    Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/18/2021 8:24 AM
    Pollinators are a key part of maintaining our ecosystems because they promote the fertilization of other plants and allow for a large portion of global food production. This is why it is important for me to choose plants such as milkweed, butterfly weed, coneflowers, and goldenrod when planning my friend's rain garden we're going to build this summer. Plus, who doesn't get excited when they see a pollinator doing its job! :)

    • Ariana Porcello's avatar
      Ariana Porcello 4/19/2021 9:15 AM
      Promoting and planting pollinator plants is a great way to help our pollinators and our plants!
  • 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?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/16/2021 1:43 PM
    Since our society is beautifully specialized and interconnected, we rely on others for doing their part to create products. However, when unsustainable shortcuts are taken, it can lead to the entire product being unsustainable. Sometimes businesses cover up these practices so the consumer is unaware, which makes it more difficult to determine which is most sustainable. 
    Personally, the majority of my waste was thin clear plastic from food products so I know now to try food products that do not have as much plastic. Once it is safe enough to do so, I will also bring my reusable cup so I do not need to get a single-use plastic or compostable one instead.

  • Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/14/2021 3:51 PM
    This EcoChallenge is making me excited for Sust week! 🥳
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Practice Gratitude for Earth
    Kathleen Dean Moore says that a sense of gratitude leads to a sense of moral obligation. Do you agree? How can we cultivate a sense of gratitude as individuals, and as a society?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/14/2021 3:27 PM
    Calling out the things I'm grateful for can help me realize that these comforts are a privilege that is not guaranteed for many. For example, I can plug a lamp into the wall and instantly have light. Being thankful for this luxury reminds me that electricity is not accessible all over the world and I do not have to witness the fossil fuels burned to create the electricity.
  • 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?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 5/02/2020 7:02 PM
    Other water-reducing steps that can be taken in the restroom are using water-saving toilet flushing methods and turning off the water while brushing teeth.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 5/02/2020 7:00 PM
    Eating meat requires more water than eating at lower trophic levels. Moreover, it requires farmers to divert crops from feeding people to feeding other livestock.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Eco-friendly Gardening
    What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 5/02/2020 6:58 PM
    One of the most prominent water concerns where I live is flooding in the spring time. When the snow melts during the water season, water has difficulties entering the nearby sewers and rivers. This is why it can be helpful to have rain gardens and other surfaces that allow for higher water infiltration. 
  • 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?

    Katie McGinnis's avatar
    Katie McGinnis 4/22/2020 7:23 PM
    My favorite ways to express personality without the use of fast fashion is to wear minimalistic pieces that function for my lifestyle. I'm fortunate enough to own a working sewing machine so I can create new pieces from items I no longer fit or care for. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, I can trade the laces with another pair for a new look. 

    • Katie McGinnis's avatar
      Katie McGinnis 4/24/2020 8:23 AM
      Ellie let's do it

    • Ellie Romfoe's avatar
      Ellie Romfoe 4/22/2020 9:59 PM
      So Katie, you're saying if Ariana and I send you fabric scraps, you will make us all matching shirts that say "micro-plastics suck & soil rules" ????  👀