Gabrielle Alvarado
"SCU OAKS"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 882 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO3.3pounds of paperhave been saved
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UP TO120minutesspent exercising
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UP TO2.0documentarieswatched
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UP TO2.0water collection systemsinstalled
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UP TO635minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO13poundswaste composted
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UP TO146pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO535minutesspent learning
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UP TO5.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
Gabrielle's actions
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.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Waste
Compost Food Waste
I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.
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.
Energy
Turn it off
I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.
Food
Smart Seafood Choices
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
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.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Tend a Garden
I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.
Nature
Practice Gratitude for Earth
I will spend 15 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.
Health
Eliminate Toxic Plastics
I will avoid buying toxic plastics - including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl - and instead replace them with durable non-plastic options.
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.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support Businesses Owned by People of Color
Racial inequity is both a sustainability and justice problem. I will support businesses owned by people of color in my community whenever I shop.
Nature
Go for a Daily Walk
I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.
Energy
Power Down the Computer
I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.
Energy
Upgrade My Windows
I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.
Community
Support Native Communities
I will use the resource links provided below and spend 60 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.
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.
Waste
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.
Waste
RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES
I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
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?
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
Health
Audit Toxic Cleaning Products
I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home or dorm room.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Learn More about Food ApartheidWhat can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 6:09 PMLack of access to nutritious food negatively impacts the health of individuals in the community--negatively impacting community health. Having access to nutritious foods increases the health of community members and because better health is associated with higher socioeconomic status, will likely increase the socioeconomic status of the community as well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Support Native CommunitiesIndigenous 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?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 6:04 PMBalance is important to sustainability because it allows humans and the environment to co-exist without either causing excessive damage to the other that cannot be repaired. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Practice Gratitude for EarthKathleen 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?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 6:02 PMI do think gratitude leads to a sense of moral obligation because you are taking time to appreciate things; when you appreciate things, you tend to want to protect them and feel an obligation toward them. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Smart Seafood ChoicesMany states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 6:01 PMMy diet does fall within Minnesota state fish guidelines/advisories. When I do consume fish, I can try and choose local fish caught using sustainable practices. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Watch a Documentary about Food SovereigntyHow does food sovereignty address the complex transition from localized food systems to modern global food systems?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 9:07 AMFood sovereignty shifts food consumption from global sources to local sources. This also helps to increase/maintain the environmental and physical health of communities by providing sustainably produced , culturally appropriate food instead of mass-produced and hyper-processed foods from halfway across the world. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Support Businesses Owned by People of ColorA recent Keen Independent Research Foundation study found that Minority Businesses Enterprises (MBEs) are more likely to have difficulties in receiving loans or city contracts. In what ways can you work to address systemic racism like that demonstrated in this study?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 9:04 AMI can support MBEs by buying from their businesses directly instead of through a third party carrier like Amazon, as well as investing in their business. I can also support MBEs by attending their events, recommending their business to family and friends, and showing up for support at city council meetings. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Go PaperlessReducing 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?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 9:02 AMReducing waste always feels so amazing, like a physical weight has been lifted! My next step to reduce waste is to unsubscribe from unwanted emails to help lower my carbon footprint. Unsubscribing from emails is also going to prevent me from overconsuming on items I don't need, such as clothes. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Support Local PollinatorsWhy is it important to take care of pollinators?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 9:00 AMPollinators are vital to environmental health because they keep plants healthy, which keeps animals (us) healthy! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Take ControlHow do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 8:59 AMA community is only as healthy as the environment its located in! If the environment isn't healthy, the individuals within the community are not as healthy as they could be. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Audit Toxic Cleaning ProductsTo what extent do environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?
Gabrielle Alvarado 4/25/2021 8:57 AMEnvironmental factors have a huge impact on health! Air quality, water pollution, levels of sunlight, soil quality, and lots of other factors contribute to individual health.