Skip to main content
Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar

Elizabeth Ensslin

Dickinson Green Devils 2018

"I love avocados. That is all. "

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,408 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    locally sourced meal
    consumed
  • UP TO
    675
    minutes
    being mindful
  • UP TO
    900
    minutes
    of additional sleep
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    675
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    10
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    1,409
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    450
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    15
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.0
    energy audit
    conducted

Elizabeth's 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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Go For A Daily Walk Outside

I will take a walk outside for 15 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Carry my Trash

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 30 minute(s)

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 60 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

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.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics - including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl - and instead replace them with durable non-plastic options.

COMPLETED 10
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

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

Community

Join my Student Government or Local Group

I will join my neighborhood association, student government, or another local group of decision makers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Car Share

I will sign up for a car-sharing service or organize car sharing with my neighbors or classmates to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Improve a Bus Stop

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

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

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Know My health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Choose a Carbon Offset

If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

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
    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?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:59 PM
    Going paperless is obviously great for the environment, but it's also actually so much easier. Trying to ensure that documents are transferred online instead of filing papers (that may end up getting lost anyway) helps me to keep track of finances, bills, subscriptions, etc. I also got my mom to unsubscribe from 2 magazines that she receives in the mail, but are online - she's already cutting down on her environmental impact, too!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy Online Energy Audit
    What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint? What changes did you make or will you make?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:59 PM
    I'm participating in an online research audit on campus, and I think I'll be surprised by how much electricity I use. You don't really think often about how many things are always plugged in at the same time, so it will be interesting to see if I can cause a significant decrease in my consumption. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Meet My Local Farmers
    When you know who produces your food, you are connecting personally to your complex regional food system. What are the advantages of knowing who produces your food and where it comes from? How can knowing their food producers enable someone to advocate for a better quality of life for those who produce their food, both near and far?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:15 PM
    Knowing who produces your food can be extremely influential — having a personal connection to food allows you to enjoy and appreciate food more because you're more aware of the effort that went into producing your meal.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Take Control
    How do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:14 PM
    Being good to yourself mentally can also help community and environmental health because feeling happier can lead to doing good for others!

  • Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:12 PM
    It's been really incredible to see how much of an impact someone can make by simply being more conscious of the decisions that you make during the day. Not making any waste is pretty easy to do on campus — dining in the caf or places where plates are used is an easy way to have no food trash, and being conscious about other wrapped items also allows you to have no trash.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Explore My Area
    How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 8:01 PM
    Spending time outdoors is a great way to enjoy nature, but it also definitely makes me calmer — I've noticed that walking unhurried really makes me take in my surroundings and realize what is on my mind.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Know My health
    How do you deal with the physical and emotional stress of the big problems we face? How can you help others cope?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 7:59 PM
    Mindfulness/ meditation can help a lot and making sure to allocate self-care time such as listening to music uninterrupted, or even just drinking tea and writing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Choose a Carbon Offset
    A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2—per person. That’s a lot of carbon! What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 4:08 PM
    I can take the train for longer trips where I have enough time to spend on travel!

  • Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/15/2018 4:06 PM
    I've been using a lot less napkins lately, and have been using my straws instead of plastic straws!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Improve a Bus Stop
    In what ways can you advocate for transportation systems which minimize environmental impact while also meeting human needs?

    Elizabeth Ensslin's avatar
    Elizabeth Ensslin 10/10/2018 8:09 PM
    The buses around my home are fairly dirty, so doing something as simple as leaving a box of Clorox wipes on the bus, encourages people to keep the seats clean so more people feel comfortable riding.