Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Ariana Porcello

University of St. Thomas Class of 2023

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
566 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.1

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

21

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

11

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

18

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

135

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

240

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

8.0

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

67

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

150

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

221

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

743

gallons of water

have been saved

Ariana'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

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.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Choose Two-Sided Printing

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided when I have to print documents.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 60-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 6
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

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smart Seafood Choices

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

I will save up to 15 gal (56 L) of water a day or 450 gal (1,680 L) a month by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Ariana Porcello 4/26/2021 8:25 AM
Great work everyone!! It was so fun doing this challenge with you again, thank you for your participation! If you won a prize you will be hearing from us shortly regarding receiving your prize. We came in second overall in the UST teams, great work!! For the MN EcoChallenge, final scores will be announced soon on which schools placed in the top 3. Thanks again for you hard work and participation in this year's challenge!

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Ariana Porcello 4/25/2021 11:59 AM
Happy last day of the EcoChallenge everyone! You are all doing such a fantastic job!! We are in second place so keep up the great work and lets pass the staff and faculty team!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 12:19 PM
I have really fallen in love with biking because not only does it reduce carbon output but is also a great and fun way to get exercise and experience nature all at the same time. Biking is a great and easy way to be sustainable and take care of your physical and mental health too!

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- Elyse Zeswitz 4/21/2021 2:58 PM
  I agree! I hope next year I can bring my bike and explore the trails in Saint Paul!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

Take a moment to think of places you frequent often (school, work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 12:17 PM
If I am going to the same place as a friend or family member I make sure to schedule our time of getting to that place in a way that ensures we can ride share on our way to that location.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 11:20 AM
Since St. Paul has so many beautiful houses and scenery to look at I always love finding different paths to walk down and check out these different areas more and the houses that are older and have so much character are always fun to take a walk by!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Choosing two-sided printing can be an easy adjustment on your computer settings. How can you help others make this same switch? Can it be encouraged company wide?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 11:19 AM
With classes online I know Im not the only student that is likely wanting to print off some of their assignments to reduce screen time. With that being said, having two sided printing ensures that we are not consuming more paper than needed. At St. Thomas most printers have this as an automatic setting now!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 9:54 AM
Being outside always helps me refresh and rest especially with everything being very much online and tech focused. Getting my eyes away from the screen and taking some time to refresh myself outside always helps me get through the rest of the day and enjoy the area around me!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 7:10 AM
At home we use our compost for our garden! It is a great natural fertilizer and helps keep our plants and veggies happy and healthy without the use of harmful fertilizers.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Many people say that “you can’t feed the world with just organic food.” How would you respond to that statement?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 7:06 AM
I have been eating organic for most of my life, however, I realize that this is not always an option for many people since organic food can sometimes be a bit more pricey. I would say that this falls into purchasing power and the way we consume goods. When more people start buying organically even if its just a single product, organic food will begin to rise in popularity and will likely become much more accessible.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Many 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?
Ariana Porcello 4/21/2021 7:04 AM
I am an active vegetarian so I do not eat fish or seafood myself, however, I enjoy learning more about sustainable seafood practices so I can help inform others. I recently watched the new documentary Seaspiracy on Netflix which was very eye opening on the issue of fishing practices that can be very harmful for other sea creatures like dolphins. I think knowing about how interconnected things are in the ocean is helpful to understand the importance of eating sustainability when it comes to fish and seafood.

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