Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Nordia Rendon

SBVC Human Ecology

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
243 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

30

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

4.0

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

3.0

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

134

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

5.0

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

20

gallons of water

have been saved

Nordia's 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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

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

COMPLETED 0
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 1
DAILY 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

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Tend a Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore My Area

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Energy

Heat and Cool Naturally

I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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
Energy Heat and Cool Naturally

What are other ways you could use the power of the sun to reduce your own environmental footprint?

Nordia Rendon 5/03/2022 6:42 PM

One of the ways I can use the power of the sun to reduce my environmental footprint is by drying out my towels and bedsheets in the sun instead of using the dryer. This helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount of electricity consumed. Similarly, I can use the sun to heat water. For example, this past weekend I changed the way I shower my dog by filling up a few buckets of water and leaving them out in the sun to warm up instead of using the hot water from the shower. Of course the water was not as warm as it usually is when I use the hot shower water but it was warm enough to shower him. Moving forward I will try to continue reducing my environmental footprint by heating my dogs water out in the sun at least in the cold days, not in the summer.

Read More
- Yvette Renteria-Arreola 5/08/2022 12:36 AM
  
  Hello Nordia, using the sun to dry and heat liquids is indeed a good way to reduce the amount of electricity one uses on a daily basis. Also, they do also help reduce the amount of gasses emitted to the atmosphere. It was nice to hear about your ways in reducing the usage of electricity and it motivates me to take in consideration the amount of electricity I use to dry clothes in general and instead start using the sun for this.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How do your eating experiences differ when practicing mindfulness?

Nordia Rendon 5/03/2022 4:44 PM

For this units challenge I tried to eat at least one meal without distractions. I noticed that when I practiced mindful eating I paid more attention to the taste and the texture of the food which made me enjoy my meals a lot more. Another thing that I noticed was that I significantly reduced the amount of time I spent eating because I was not wasting time choosing what movie or show I was going to watch. Practicing mindful eating is not only healthier but also allows you to reflect on your day and be thankful for the meal that you are enjoying.

Read More
- Dania Ramirez 5/03/2022 10:49 PM
  
  This was an interesting challenge! We hardly think of how much of a difference this step could be in our lives. It can help us be aware of the food we are consuming, and appreciate it a bit more. Gratitude is always a good thing to practice in all aspects of life.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health More Fruits and Veggies

How does eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat positively affect yourself, other people, and our planet?

Nordia Rendon 4/21/2022 12:09 PM

Eating more fruits and vegetables allows us to get more nutrients and vitamins that help improve our health and wellbeing. Although, meat provides us with proteins it also has a lot of saturated fats and if consumed in excess meat can cause heart problems. Meat also has negative effects on our planet such as increased fossil fuels and reduction of forest or land for livestock. Therefore, by reducing meat consumption and eating more fruits and vegetables we can increase our health, reduce the amount of fossil fuels emissions to our planet which benefits ourselves and other people.

Read More
- Yvette Renteria-Arreola 4/22/2022 3:51 AM
  
  Hi Nordia, I agree with you. I also remember how Professor Moreno said that eating less meat is also good for the planet since it wastes so much water to get the meat like beef, to us the consumers. And just how you said as well, consuming a lot of meat can be bad for our health and just have so many negative outcomes in general.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Skip the Straw

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

Nordia Rendon 4/21/2022 11:47 AM

In the last days I reduced the amount of plastic and paper straws I use by reusing metal straws. At first I was hesitant to use metal straws because I thought the metal straw would give off a metal taste but it actually makes my iced drinks taste a lot more refreshing. I will continue to incorporate the other "R's" into my lifestyle by refusing plastic bags/straws, reusing plastic containers and reducing the amount of plastic bottles I purchase. I will also try to repair items that are slightly broken over purchasing new ones and will also repurpose items like glassed tomato jars for storing homemade hot sauce or dressing.

Read More
- Christian Perez 4/22/2022 7:12 PM
  
  Hey Nordia i was also wondering about using metal straws also but my only concern was how do you properly wash metal straws? In order to avoid bacteria build up on the hard to reach areas like in the inside of the straw do you use a small pipe cleaner or how do you wash them?
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water 5-Minute Showers

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Nordia Rendon 4/09/2022 6:17 PM

Some of the human activities impacting the health of water system, both locally and globally are the amount of plastic and trash that people throw into the body waters such as the ocean, lakes or creeks. Another would be the use of ships to transport products across the ocean which emit toxins that affect the marine life. I can help improve the health of water systems by reducing the amount of plastic I consume and help pick up trash that I see along the beaches or creeks that I visit.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Drive Less

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Nordia Rendon 4/09/2022 6:03 PM

A few years ago, when I did not have a car I would take the train to travel back and forth from my hometown to Los Angeles and would take the bus to get groceries. Using public transportation was definitely more affordable and sustainable for the environment than driving my own car. However it took a long time to get to my destination which meant I could only travel to a few places each time. Meanwhile, having my own car is a lot more convenient given that I am able to drive to any destination at my own time and travel as many times as I want. Through this reflection, I have realized that having a car readily available has led me to develop a negative behavior which is to take multiple trips to the stores a day without taking into consideration the unnecessary large amount of air pollution I'm putting in the environment. This week I decided to carefully plan out my grocery list to reduce the amount of times I went to the store. Normally, I go three to four times a week depending if I know what I am cooking two days in a row. This week given that I planned out my meals and my grocery list I only went two days and that was because I ran out of an important ingredient for my chicken Alfredo. I will continue planning out my meals in order to help reduce my trips to the store and therefore reduce the amount of air pollution and other toxins that my car emits to the environment.

Read More
- Yvette Renteria-Arreola 4/09/2022 10:26 PM
  
  Hello Nordia, after reading through your post, this motivates me to take in consideration as well how many times I go to a certain place and how I should really do everything I need to do in a single trip if possible. It is also great to hear that you plan your meals, I also have wanted to start planning my meals in order to know what to eat and not waste food that I do not end up eating. Overall, I really liked your post, I found it motivational and inspiring.
  -Yvette
  
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