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Sophie Kimerling's avatar

Sophie Kimerling

ENST 246: Fall 2020

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 485 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    46
    minutes
    being mindful
  • UP TO
    3.3
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    11
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    125
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    280
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    291
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    20
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    115
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    10
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    100
    gallons of water
    have been saved

Sophie'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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

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

COMPLETED 7
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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Meditate

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 5 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Learn About Renewable Energy

I will spend 30 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Work-Life Balance

I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Work from Home

I will work from home 3 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

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

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?


  • Sophie Kimerling's avatar
    Sophie Kimerling 9/21/2020 4:10 PM
    I really enjoyed this week's activities (along with my old ones of course). This week I chose "Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty", "Switch to Cold Water", "Log a Happiness Journal", and "Go for a Daily Walk". In the past, movies about the environment, animals or food were never my go-to. However, since taking this class I have developed a newfound appreciation for them. This past week, I watched a documentary called "The Need to Grow" on Vimeo. It was about the importance of soil and how it affects pretty much everything. A young eight year old girl was featured in this documentary. She is admired for her environmental activism at such a young age. Once she learned about GMOs, as a Girl Scout herself, she petitioned to have the Girl Scouts make a non-GMO cookie. It was extremely shocking to me how the Girl Scout Headquarters treated her. They first denied her, and then once they agreed to listen to her presentation, they would not let her enter the building. Keep in mind she had to take a plane with her mother just to do this presentation. This shows how industries will go the full nine yards to protect their image, even if it means denying an innocent, ambitious child to fulfill her dream. The film also featured a man who made his own farm filled with optimal soil. He taught us about the importance of composting and how it helps achieve optimal soil. The large companies that do not take care of their soil are ruining acres of viable planting grounds. This cannot be undone, but we can all help make more good soil by planting our own gardens, or even community gardens. The young girl I referenced before started gardens in two local schools. Not only is the food super fresh, but it creates more optimal soil. 
    The "Switch to Cold Water" action, although not as informative as the documentary, I still know it made a difference. There wasn't much to it, basically to just use cold water in my laundry rather than warm or hot. The clothes still achieve the same cleanliness, so if it helps the environment I will be glad to do this in the future. 
    I also really liked the "Keep a Happiness Journal" because it forced me to think about what I am grateful for everyday. It actually made me smile when I was writing it, which is always a positive. 
    Over quarantine I did go on so many walks with my friends, so the daily walk wasn't too new to me. Still, I enjoyed every minute of it especially since the weather started to cool down. 
    I still have been keeping my other actions in mind. For example today I went to Starbucks. They started using these "sippy cup style" cups but still give the straw to the customer. So today opted to not take the straw to minimize plastic. 
    Overall, this was a great week! 

    • Annie Maley's avatar
      Annie Maley 9/25/2020 12:50 PM
      Hey Sophie! It seems like you had a really great week. One part of your journal that really stuck out to me was your paragraph about the “keep a happiness journal”. That is one task that I have not seen yet on the website, but really need to try. I think that the exercise of writing something everyday that you are grateful for/happy about is an awesome way to focus on the good in life. My roommates and I this year have taken up a similar routine of trying to do something fun or different each day in Lewisburg. It’s been a great way to explore off campus as well as take our focus away from what we’re missing from the traditional Bucknell senior year. It has been as small as spontaneous ice cream trips and as big as going camping for a night. If you enjoyed the journal activity, the “do something fun each day” is something I think you might really like adopting as well! Thanks so much for sharing the documentaries you watched this week in your journal. The one about the girl scout is so sad! Unfortunately, I can’t say that I am super surprised by the actions of such a large corporation, but the little girl’s tenacity in the documentary sounds really inspiring. You seem to be doing an awesome job with the challenge, so keep up the good work! Good luck in the final weeks of this unit and thanks for sharing your insightful blog post. 

      -Annie 


  • Sophie Kimerling's avatar
    Sophie Kimerling 9/14/2020 2:13 PM
    This week was definitely a challenge! It was harder than the previous week because we leveled up and took on more challenges. My new challenges were Zero-Waste Cooking, Reduce Animal Products, Enjoy a Sunrise or a Sunset, and to Drive Less. I am very proud of myself because I accomplished a lot this week, even with the increase in tasks. I was very aware of how much I used when cooking - not to make too much to avoid unnecessary waste. To be honest, though, this task was not that difficult because I do not cook super often. Moving along to the Reduce Animal Products challenge... this was particularly difficult for me because I have a lot of meat in my diet. My parents when they cook dinner usually prepare one meat, one vegetable and possibly a salad. So, if I remove the meat from the equation then that does not leave me with much for protein. I also do not like beans or chickpeas so it was hard to get a source of protein. I added in pasta for the meals that I was meatless just so that I could actually be full. I really liked the "Enjoy a Sunrise or a Sunset" challenge because, well, it's not really a challenge. I love watching sunsets. Last night I watched the sunset in my backyard with my friends while enjoying a homemade cheese board which was really fun. In the future, I would like to experience a sunrise because I have not seen one in a really long time. I have issues with waking up really early, but I think it'd be worth it if I went somewhere new and pretty. The last task to drive less was also hard for me. Since I am home in New York, I tend to drive a lot, whether it be around my town or to friends out of town. I have been driving to Connecticut a lot, about 40 minutes away, so when I go about 4-5 times a week, it is definitely not ideal. So this week I tried to cut down my driving to Connecticut. I also carpooled more with my friends at home instead of separately driving places like dinner or to each others' houses. 
    In terms of the tasks for last week, I still keep those in mind as well. I have been paperless since the start of the school year and continue to do so. Also, I have been trying really hard to stop using plastic straws. For example today I went to Starbucks and used the "sippy cup style" cup instead of getting a plastic straw. Also, I always use paper straws at restaurants even though I am not a huge fan of them. I also have gotten in the habit of using reusable water bottles. 

    • Emily Spitz's avatar
      Emily Spitz 9/28/2020 8:34 PM
      Hi Sophie!! Great job this week with your daily and one time challenges. Although it seems like it was challenging, it sounds like it was a very productive and successful week. I love that one of your challenges it to enjoy a sunrise or sunset. Sunsets are one of my favorite things in the world and they are magical both here at Bucknell and back home in New York. No matter how my day went, watching a sunset always improves my mood and makes me happy. Watching sunsets and sunrises are even better with friends which it sounds like you did! I definitely understand what you're going through with the reducing animal products challenge. My sister recently went pescatarian and has trouble getting protein since, like yours, my family eats a lot of meat. She has been eating a lot of peanut butter to get protein and could be a good option for you too if you like it! In addition, I chose the same challenge of reducing my use of plastic straws. This has been a challenge for me as well since I really don't like paper straws and do not have a metal reusable straw. Although, like you, I have switched to Starbucks since they now use the sippy cup that don't need straws. This works well since I actually like these cups better as they are easier to drink out of, and don't need a straw so it's a win, win. Overall, great job this week and good luck with the rest of the challenge!!

  • Sophie Kimerling's avatar
    Sophie Kimerling 9/08/2020 1:35 PM
    The first week of my Campus Eco-Challenge was very beneficial to me and the environment. I have been using less plastic bottles, using less plastic straws, and using less paper for sure. Like I said in class, it was difficult for me to remember to log my activities each day. Therefore, for this week I will set a daily alarm so that I never forget and so that you and the rest of my classmates can see my progress. Even though I haven't been logging every day, I still have accomplished my goals for last week. The plastic bottles was the challenge that made the most difference in my life. I usually go to Starbucks every day, and so I receive a plastic up from them (basically the size of a water bottle) that includes a plastic straw. The amount of Starbucks cups and straws that accumulated in my car this summer is borderline gross... Anyway, this challenge has positively forced me to make my own coffee at home and use a reusable cup or bottle. Not only has this benefitted the environment, but it is economically wise as well! I spend so much less money making coffee at home rather than going out every single morning. 
    The one time challenge of going paperless is actually very easy to do since all of my classes are online. I don't receive handouts, packets, or in class assignments that I have to physically hand in. All of my assignments are digital, which is definitely a silver lining of all my classes being online. 
    This weeks challenges will be harder for me. They are: driving less and eating meatless/vegan meals. I am excited to see how those will go!  

    • Andrew Stuhl's avatar
      Andrew Stuhl 9/16/2020 6:18 AM
      Thanks for this reflection Sophie! I appreciate your honesty about the cups and straws in your car! :) I'd like you to revise/ repost this, as I feel there were parts of the prompt that you didn't address. I include the prompt below:
      --
      1.     In 500-1000 words, reflect on 

      §  what was it like for you to experiment with these daily and one-time challenges this week? what was surprising to you? 

      §  what are the barriers you face in making these lifestyle changes permanent? 

      §  knowing what you know from your personal experience and the "resources" you read, are you willing to make these lifestyle changes permanent? why or why not? (be sure to include some references to your 'resources' in answering this last question)