Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Kaija Schlangen

Green Bulldogs

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
745 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

384

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

600

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

280

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1.0

water collection system

installed

Kaija's actions

Community

LEARN ABOUT TRANS, FEMME, AND NONBINARY EXPERIENCES

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Conserve Toilet Water

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 9
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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home or Dorm Room

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home or dorm room.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

COMPLETED
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 15 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Tend a Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, neighbors or classmates.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

SIGN UP TO VOTE

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided below and spend 20 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Support A Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, neighbors, or classmates.

COMPLETED 5
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
Action Track: Building Resilience Support a Sharing Economy

What are some of the barriers to sharing economies? What is your plan for supporting or creating one in your community?

Kaija Schlangen 4/23/2021 4:48 AM

I think one big barrier right now to sharing economies is COVID-19. There's still a lot of worry and fear about transmitting the disease through interactions with others and shared items. However, I think it can still be safely done. When I've borrowed books from family I would've otherwise bought, we both wear masks. Another barrier could be finding people to participate in a sharing economy. I think neighborhood forums or apps, and community events like the Duluth seed bank can all help people get involved in sharing economies.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Support Native Communities

Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?

Kaija Schlangen 4/23/2021 4:46 AM

Balance in sustainability ensures a form of equity and justice. There isn't more give than take, which allows both nature and humans to thrive. To me, striving for balance in sustainability means implementing solutions that benefit everyone and everything, not just a select few.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Support A Sharing Economy

What benefits does a sharing economy offer to your own life? What benefits does it offer to your neighbors' and community members' lives?

Kaija Schlangen 4/23/2021 4:43 AM

Participating in a sharing economy allows me to save money and create less waste. During this challenge, I've been trying to borrow things I need from friends and family instead of buying new versions. This has also helped me be more intentional with my purchases, and I now find myself questioning if I NEED this item, or if I can find a sustainable alternative, like sharing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community LEARN ABOUT TRANS, FEMME, AND NONBINARY EXPERIENCES

How is equality for trans, femme, and nonbinary people important to a just and sustainable society?

Kaija Schlangen 4/22/2021 5:02 AM

We can't have a just and sustainable world if specific groups of people, like trans, femme, and nonbinary people, are targeted and harmed by the actions, policies, and attitudes of other people in society. Creating a sustainable world will require a focus on justice and equity because our unjust and inequitable systems disproportionately harm specific groups of people. We cannot have a clean, safe, and healthy world without challenging the social issues that are intrinsically linked to our environmental ones.

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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?

Kaija Schlangen 4/22/2021 4:56 AM

Overfishing is a huge issue in many parts of the world. Additionally, pollution from human activities harms our watersheds, which is why advocating for watershed protection and installing rain gardens is important.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Needs Vs. Wants

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?

Kaija Schlangen 4/21/2021 5:27 AM

By thinking outside of the box, you can find new and unique ways to use the items you already have. This helps decrease waste and consumption. I try to find multiple uses for things that I already have so that I don't have to buy as much stuff. Something I like to do is upcycle empty glass containers from food and use them to propagate plants, store leftovers, collect rainwater for my plants, or use them as vases.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Collect Rain Water

Trace the water that flows down the drain from your house to the largest body of water nearby. What is the route it takes?

Kaija Schlangen 4/20/2021 7:57 AM

At my parent's house, the water from our house goes down a small hill into our pond. However, sometimes in the spring, our pond can overflow and it spills into our driveway. I remember the flood in 2012 took out most of our driveway and it wasn't safe to leave our house for a day.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community SIGN UP TO VOTE

Why is voting important to creating a just, sustainable, and thriving world? In what other ways can you actively participate in important decision-making?

Kaija Schlangen 4/20/2021 7:55 AM

We all deserve to have a say in the policies and decisions that govern our lives. Combating voter oppression is an especially important cause to support by donating to groups focused on protecting voter rights and supporting movements and politicians who are dedicated to protecting this right. Other ways to participate in decision-making are to contact your representatives, help others in your life register to vote and get to the polls, and participate in protests and petitions.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Support Local Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Kaija Schlangen 4/19/2021 6:19 AM

Pollinators promote biodiversity and the health of our communities. They help crops grow bigger and better, which provides us with food. They also help support native plants by helping them reproduce.

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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?

Kaija Schlangen 4/15/2021 4:52 AM

One way that I love to get my clothes is by hand-me-downs. I have a few friends and relatives who occasionally give me any clothes they no longer want. It's a fun and stress-free way to add new pieces to my closet and it reminds me of that person.

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