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Sophia Joseph's avatar

Sophia Joseph

ESR 171 Fall 2021

"To be better, more mindful, aware, and engaged in protecting the environment :)"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 441 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    8.0
    miles
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    250
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    6.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    425
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    0.0
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    15
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    8.0
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    40
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    29
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed

Sophia's actions

Transportation

Go by Bike

I will commute by bike 2 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and POC-majority neighborhoods. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 30-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

I will enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset each day.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 6
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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 6 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 9
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?


  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/28/2021 6:36 PM
    I'm excited to reflect on my eco-challenge soon. It's been difficult at times but I've really enjoyed challenging myself and learning more about environmental safety in the process.
  • 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?

    Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/28/2021 6:35 PM
    The city of Portland's main water source is the "Bull Run Watershed" and the "Colombia South Shore Well Field", as well as groundwater sources and creeks/springs. I did some research and found out Oregon is one of the top 10 cleanest tap water sources in the states-- due to low levels of impurities!! Surprisingly, we don't source any of our drinking water from Mt.Hood although it seems relatively close.

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/27/2021 1:03 PM
    I think after this Eco challenge is done I'll join another one with more challenging tasks. Some of the choices I selected are difficult, however I think I could step further outside of my comfort zone.

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/27/2021 1:02 PM
    I'm wondering whether brushing my teeth in the shower would effectively save more water? Or if its relatively the same.

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/27/2021 1:01 PM
    The challenges are going alright. I've had a busy few days now so I haven't been able to get outside for as long as I would've liked and I'm working on transferring to a new job that's further away so I can no longer bike to work. I have to use my car, however, I'm looking into carbon-offset ideas I can do to make up for that transport.

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/26/2021 9:26 AM
    Does anyone know what is better for composting? Regular old aerated ( turned) or the anaerobic style? I've also considered using worms but I'm not sure what a sustainable source would be... any gardeners out there with tips?

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/26/2021 9:23 AM
    I'm enjoying the sunset/sunrise goal even more lately. The sun is up later which means I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch it, and its just as beautiful. Although, I do miss the summer skies.

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/25/2021 4:45 PM
    We got a new HUGE composter for our garden! Most people in my house live on plant-based diets so we burn through a LOT of produce every week. Our little compost in the kitchen couldn't keep up. I'm excited!

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/25/2021 4:41 PM
    The tree's are all merging into hues of orange yellow and purple now and the last glimpses of green are disappearing. It was nice going on the daily walks and paying attention to how certain trees changed overtime. For a short time the tree outside of my house was an ombre of all the fall colors-- green at the bottom to red at the top-- beautiful!

  • Sophia Joseph's avatar
    Sophia Joseph 10/25/2021 4:39 PM
    Got new tires for my bike! I'll be using it to go to work as often as I can now. I also want to get some second hand rain gear so that I don't resort to using the bus when the weather starts to get worse.