Nina Smith

This week I chose to drive less and skip the straw. I have the tendency to drive a lot to my classes and drive uphill because I live off campus. This is more of a tendency I have in the winter months because it is colder out. I am more likely to walk everywhere on campus when it is warm out. I worked to drive one mile less a day. The mileage was low because I really only drive around campus besides going to the grocery store once a week. Choosing to skip the straw was easier for me because I use a reusable water bottle every single day. Additionally, when I got Starbucks this week, they had lids that did not require straws. This made making this switch easier. The one time challenges I chose were car sharing and going paperless. If I was driving, I would offer my housemates rides to see if they needed to go up or downhill any time soon. Additionally, I am in charge of my house's electric and water bills and chose to receive both of those bills mobily every month. This is honestly going to be easier for me because my house does a poor job of checking our paper mail daily. The cold weather and rain is a barrier in making the change to drive less more permanent. However, since I do not want to receive parking tickets, that can be a motivation to drive less around campus. Skipping straws is an easier change. When going to restaurants, I can drink out of my glass without a straw and if I were to get Starbucks they have no straw friendly lids. Additionally, the bison uses paper straws. I read a resource called “The Last Plastic Straw.” The article explains that 500,000,000 plastic straws are used every day in the United States. The article explains methods to take action and that the first step is not using plastic straws anymore. The article also provides alternatives to plastic straws. This movement is supposed to help with the plastic pollution problem. After reading about plastic straws, I am definitely willing to make this lifestyle change permanent. I am going to stop asking for straws at restaurants and bars. Additionally, I will continue to use my reusable water bottles. I also think I may purchase some metal straws for my house to use when we are drinking out of our glasses. I had no idea how many plastic straws were used each day and the negative impact it had on plastic pollution. Additionally, the straws are hurting sea turtles and causing harm to the environment. Overall, this change I am definitely willing to make permanent and I am interested in seeing how next week's daily and one time challenge go and how those changes will work with these changes. 

This week I selected the adjust the thermostat and brush my teeth without running water daily challenges and the switch to cold water one time challenge. I think the most challenging challenge was adjusting the thermostat. I live in a house with multiple roommates so sometimes we adjust the thermostat for each other. Additionally, the upstairs of my house is not heated so we rely on having the downstairs be warm to help heat the upstairs of the house. The earlier end of the week was cold and adjusting the thermostat was easier during the day because we are not home as much during the day but at night I found myself turning it back up. However, the week did become much warmer making it significantly easier to turn down the heat and enjoy the outdoors. I think that this challenge would be easier when living alone rather than with roommates.  I noticed that my typical habit is to usually turn off the water when I brush my teeth except when I am in a rush. I am more likely to leave the water running early in the morning than in the evening. However, this was an easy fix and change to implement into my life. I typically wash my clothes with warm water but making the switch to cold was super easy and if it helps the environment, it is an incredibly easy step. Additionally, washing my clothes with cold water takes away the risk of my clothes bleeding and staining each other. I think permanently adjusting my thermostat will be challenging until I live alone. Switching to cold water when I do my laundry is an easy fix and so is turning off the water when I brush my teeth. However, all of these changes help my water and electric bills be lower which in addition to helping the environment is also a nice incentive. I looked at the adjust your thermostat article by the Oregon Zoo. The article was brief but it explained that most likely we will not feel the temperature change in our houses but it makes a big difference in the arctic. It additionally explained that we are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally this resource also showed what animals and insects we will be helping through turning down the thermostat. I read about polar bears and how climate change is negatively affecting the polar bear population. Additionally, some other species that are in danger are penguins, bumble bees, butterflies, and frogs. 

These daily and one time challenges were definitely challenging but it was nice to connect with nature in the winter. Because I am not a huge fan of the snow, I tend to stay inside during the winter and fail to connect with nature. Making sure I walked outside every day was a nice way for me to connect with my surroundings. However, on the days it was very cold and the days it snowed or rained it was challenging for me to walk around campus rather than drive. I also had a hard time meditating every day. I am working on improving my fear of missing out but sometimes when I would step away from my housemates to go upstairs to try to be in silence I would be thinking about my friends and how I wanted to be hanging out with them or wondering what they were doing. My one time challenge was more challenging this week because of the weather. It was hard for me to find a day and time where I felt I could go explore. I had hopes of going to Dale Ridge hiking trail but I ended up walking around the farm and exploring the uphill part of campus. I think the barriers I have been facing making these lifestyle changes permanent are creating these into daily habits. I currently need to set up a reminder every day to remember to complete my challenges and check into the eco challenge. I am hoping in about thirty days that the habits will begin to form and I can implement some of these lifestyle changes into my everyday life. I think that the one time challenges are harder to remember but I do think that some of the changes are easier to implement into life. For example, using a reusable water bottle. This is an easier fix. For example, I stop purchasing plastic water bottles at the grocery stores and work to start bringing my hydroflask around campus. 

Knowing what you know from your personal experience and the "resources" you read this week, 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)

After reading about how to meditate and learning how to attempt to start to implement this challenge into my life I think I can find ways to work to make this permanent. Previously, I used to put things into the universe and say affirmations. One thing that is challenging is not letting my mind wonder. The resource explained mindfulness meditation and working to not allow our minds to wander and focus on the present moment. The article I read was “How to Meditate” by the New York Times.