Amelia Kusch
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 221 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO3.0documentarieswatched
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UP TO2.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO322minutesspent learning
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UP TO90minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO2.0peoplehelped
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UP TO2.0plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO2.0plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
Amelia's actions
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Simplicity
Core Values
We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
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!
Community
LEARN ABOUT TRANS, FEMME, AND NONBINARY EXPERIENCES
I will spend 60 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.
Community
Host A Watch Party
I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.
Community
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 1 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.
Energy
Learn About Renewable Energy
I will spend 15 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.
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.
Transportation
Advocate for Greener Vehicles
I will spend at least 15 minutes assessing the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.
Health
Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation
I will spend 15 minutes practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation to nurture love and compassion for myself and others.
Health
Healthy Sleep
Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.
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.
Health
Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns
I will spend 15 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.
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.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Help Others
I will offer to help 1 person(s) who are in need each day.
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.
Action Track: Building Resilience
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.
Waste
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.
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.
Waste
Prevent Recycling Contamination
Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 15 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.
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.
Waste
Use Reusable Bags
If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.
Waste
Skip the Straw
Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 3 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
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 QUESTIONNature Explore My AreaHow might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?
Amelia Kusch 3/31/2021 10:28 AMBeing in nature can enhance my brainpower because if I'm in nature, I can relax and clear my head. A clear mind means there's more room for bright ideas and focused thoughts! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Personal Waste AuditWhy is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?
Amelia Kusch 3/31/2021 10:25 AMIt's difficult for people to understand the impacts because we just don't see them, and we don't think very often about what happens to things once they're not of use to us anymore. We don't see the tons of waste that's being consumed by animals on the side of the road or that's being constantly piled up in a landfill island. We actively chose to avoid seeing these things. I counted how many 55-gallon trash bags of waste my family and I had during the past two weeks and it came to about 5 bags. That'd mean in one year my family produces approx. 280 tons of waste a year! And there's only three people in my household! In the future, I'm definitely going to try and reduce how much non-recyclable things I use, and make sure I'm not producing too much waste. -
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?
Amelia Kusch 3/31/2021 10:06 AMI can help address systematic racism by donating to these MBEs so they can have enough support to fund themselves instead of taking on loans. I can also raise awareness by contacting local lawmakers and telling them how certain banks are potentially discriminating against minority-owned businesses.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Support Local PollinatorsWhy is it important to take care of pollinators?
Amelia Kusch 3/29/2021 4:46 PMIt's important to take care of pollinators because they're vital to the delicate structure of our ecosystems. Without pollinators most essential plants would have a hard time reproducing. They also help to create and maintain habitats for multiple other animals to keep surviving and reproducing.