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October 7 - October 28, 2020
Olin Benson's avatar

Olin Benson

PCC SOC 228 - Environmental Sociology

"During this eco-challenge I hope to reduce the amount of meat and processed foods I have in my diet. I also want to go outside more whether it be for walks around the neighborhood or hiking."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 408 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    876
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    10.0
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    238
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    38
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    876
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    4.8
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    28
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    19
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill

Olin's actions

Food

Reduce Animal Products

Do at Home

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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?


  • Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/28/2020 2:22 PM
    By far the hardest action that I took up was creating meals with zero food waste. I found myself being very conscious of the food that I was buying because I didn't want any food waste. The only times where there would be waste from my meals is when I would make meat like chicken and have to cut off some fatty bits. This specific action gave me the motivation to learn how to use and sometimes eat piece of vegetable I previously threw away, like broccoli stems.

  • Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/28/2020 2:17 PM
    This marks the end of the ecochallenge and it was pretty fun. It got me outside more and altering my diet in a way that makes it more sustainable. Eating meatless meals has been relatively easy to the point where I might only eat meat maybe once a week or every other week. I also enjoyed going to watch sunset whenever weather was permitting.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Zero-Waste Cooking
    In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for using every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable (including the skins, tops, stalks, etc.) during your next meal prep?

    Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/26/2020 4:28 PM
    A great way to utilize food scraps like vegetable stocks or chicken bones is to make a stock. There is a myriad of uses for broth and you can store it for a reasonably long time.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Use Reusable Bags
    What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you or aren't allowed to use the one you brought? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?

    Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/20/2020 5:48 PM
    If I don't have access to reusable bag typically I will take the shopping cart to my car and unload the groceries. It's normally my fault that I forgot a reusable so if I don't have my car then I just carry my groceries in my hands. To prevent myself from forgetting I'm gonna keep reusable bags in the trunk of my car.

  • Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/13/2020 5:35 PM
    At the end of today it will mark one week into the eco challenge and it's been a nice experiment. Not eating meat has been relatively easy but I admit I ate some chicken yesterday. After reading the Michael Pollan article in Session 3 of the Choice For Sustainable Living I decided I need to read more of his work. The fact that one persons invention of chemical fertilize allowed humans to potentially feed billions of more people blew my mind. Other than that I plan to switch up my actions especially because it's a new week!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

    Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/09/2020 5:29 PM
    Meat is a rather expensive commodity that not everyone who lives in a less rich countries can afford. To procure good meat and then to transport said meat without it spoiling is a large cost investment. Not every country has the resources or infrastructure to make wide spread meat consumption possible. In my opinion that isn't such a bad thing.

  • Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/09/2020 5:27 PM
    Day 3 of the Eco-Challenge and I have to say this isn't too bad. I initially thought replacing the meat in my meals would be difficult but I've found quite the contrary. To get the protein I would usually receive from meat I've been eating beans, lentils, peanut butter, and almonds. Besides my diet, walking and going to see the sunset has definitely helped to ease my mind despite the chaos in the world around me. I look forward to completing more days, who knows I might switch up my actions soon.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Go for a Daily Walk
    How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

    Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/07/2020 5:26 PM
    While walking around the neighborhood I like to look for cats to potentially pet. Obviously if I'm driving around my neighborhood I have no way of petting any cats. On top of the cats I get more of a chance to look around and enjoy myself.

  • Olin Benson's avatar
    Olin Benson 10/07/2020 4:58 PM
    Today I decided to complete my two nature actions I signed up for, watching the sunset and walking outside. It was the first sunset I've watched in a while and I have to say it never ceases to amaze me. The walk before the sunset was equally as enjoyable. Like many during these tumultuous times I've spent a larger portion of my day inside than ever before. Going to see the sunset and walking around has and will continue to help me feel good while the world around is kinda bad.