Courtney Sellig

As we are approaching the final weeks of the campus Eco-Challenge, I have really started to think back on the first few weeks and how far I have come since then. In the beginning of the challenge, I couldn’t even remember to go onto the Eco-Challenge website to mark down that I completed my daily actions. Now, it is one of the first things I do in the morning. In the beginning, I was following a vegetarian diet, but it was definitely a challenge for me. Now, I have been a vegetarian for an entire month, I only use a reusable water bottle, I exercise daily, am cautious about electricity and water usage, and I try to use organic ingredients whenever possible. These all feel very normal to be and not strenuous at all. Each of these are very simple tasks, but over a long period of time they can make a big difference. In class, we discussed if the Eco-Challenge felt like a hassle at all, but I don’t feel that way at all. I feel as if I am making a difference just as one person, so our whole class participating in the challenge is having an even larger influence on the environment. 

I have found that out of all of my challenges, being a vegetarian, using a reusable water bottle, and exercising daily are the easiest and most natural tasks to me. Last week, I realized that an area where I struggle is using plastic bags at the grocery store. I go to the grocery store once or twice a week, and I always use plastic bags. Changing to reusable bags could really cut down on my plastic usage. Since this is a challenge for me, I have considered trying to start small by using reusable bags when I am at home with my mom. She has a ton of reusable bags, but I know she isn’t great at using them either. If we have each other to motivate ourselves to remember to use them, I think it would be a great start. In addition to using reusable bags, the other task I struggle with is meditation. I have discussed this in my other journals as well, but for some reason I can’t make myself meditate. I have come to the conclusion that my method of “living a simple life” comes from running. According to the How  to Make Exercise a Daily Habit, consistent actions make them more likely to be a habit. I have always been a runner, so it has turned into a habit for me and it is just a part of my day now. 

Moving forward, I would like to take on even more challenges. I have been trying to be cautious of my water usage, but I have not set an actual goal, so I don’t know how much I have actually cut back on consumption. I looked through the challenges, and noticed the 5 minute showers challenge. I was shocked how that could save up to 20 gallons of water! I think just working on this challenge, in addition to using reusable bags, would make me extremely proud of the work I have done for this Eco-Challenge.

When we first started the Campus Eco-Challenge, I added about daily challenges, but only focused on eating less meat, and trying to meditate. I have been very successful at being a vegetarian, but meditating was very challenging for me. I find that when I’m not studying, I like to spend time with my friends or watch tv, and I am rarely just by myself. I don’t think this an excuse to not meditate because I could take the time every morning or every night before bed. Although this is more of a personal goal, I still think it is important to attempt to stick to it. Last week I wrote about trying to work on other challenges, not ones that I necessarily chose for the eco challenge. Some of these include turning off the lights and choosing to walk over drive more often. I have kept up with trying to continue with these this week as well.

In addition to continuing what I was already doing, I have started to work on some of the other  challenges that I initially added on my Eco-Challenge dashboard. I have started to try to eat more organic ingredients and eat mindfully. I would hope that in addition to the other challenges I have started, that these two would also try to minimize food waste. Using organic ingredients is healthier for the body and the environment. If everyone started to eat organically, there would be less need for the ingredients that are covered in pesticides and preservatives. In addition, I have noticed that by eating mindfully I definitely am full sooner than normal. Normally, I would eat while doing work or in between classes. When doing this I eat very quickly and don’t think about when I am actually full, and probably could have made a meal into two.

The Eco-Challenge has been a great way for me to actually analyze my actions and how harmful they may actually be to the environment. I admit to not always thinking about some things such as using less water, driving less, turning off the lights, and being efficient with the air conditioning and heat. Since the Challenge, I have noticed that sometimes I still catch myself being wasteful, but I have started to improve my actions in these areas. 

Moving forward, I have looked into some of the new challenges that I could be interested in working towards. I have a reusable water bottle, but I sometimes still find myself using plastic water bottles. I am looking to try to only use my reusable water bottle from now on. In addition, I think I could use more reusable bags. I go to the grocery store pretty often, and always use the plastic bags. Now thinking about it, using plastic bags is definitely so bad for the environment, and I could really make a difference by converting to reusable, recycled bags. Overall, I have really enjoyed making small changes so far, but I still know that I have a long way to go to actually make an impact on our environment. 

My  journey through the campus Eco-Challenge has been going really well so far! I have been on eating less meat, meditating, and trying to cook with more organic ingredients. I feel that I have kept up with all of these tasks extremely well. I have been following a vegetarian diet for 18  days at this point, and when I think about how much meat I ate before, I realize how everything adds up, and one person can make a small difference. Working on these tasks have also made me consider other environmental friendly habits I can engage in. I have already noticed I have been more cautious about turning off the lights, recycling, and using less water. I have always cared about these actions, but now that I am actively tracking that I complete my daily-tasks, considering how my actions affect the environment has been much easier. I have really  enjoyed having something to work towards besides focusing on my school work. I feel as if I am making a difference by competing in this challenge! 

Although this has been an exciting process, I definitely have faced some challenges. I didn't mark a ton of daily challenges at first, but I still have been considering others. One place where I noticed that I struggle is walking. I do enjoy walking, but I find myself driving places where I could easily walk more than I would like to admit to. I also struggle with using organic ingredients. Sometimes I only have a short amount of time, so I end up grabbing something to eat quickly. I would say that having the time to ensure that I am following the daily tasks is my biggest issue. I try to be efficient and save myself as much time as possible to fit everything I want to do into a day, which sometimes takes away from the environmental benefits of choosing an alternative. Even though this is one of my  challenges with the overall Eco-Challenge, I believe that I  am finding more success from this than failure on this journey!