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October 7 - October 28, 2020
Alaina King's avatar

Alaina King

SU Sustainability Warriors

"I hope to achieve 1,000 points during this eco-challenge in order to develop patterns to lessen my impact on the planet while increasing my personal well-being."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,230 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    7.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    1,020
    minutes
    of additional sleep
  • UP TO
    490
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    270
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    45
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    1,700
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    92
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Alaina's actions

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

Do at Home

I will replace 45 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Happiness

Do at Home

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Invite a Friend to Calculate the Carbon Footprint of their Household

Do at Home

Individual actions are important, but people and organizations working together can make a real impact. I will share a carbon calculator with a friend and invite them to calculate the carbon footprint of their household.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

Do at Home

I will spend 20 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Research Voter Suppression

Do at Home

I will spend at least 20 minutes finding out what local laws, policies, and practices keep people from voting in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Disconnect from Email

Do at Home

I will only check my email during work hours, using my personal time for endeavors that help me live out my values.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

Do at Home

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 45 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

Do at Home

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 45 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Learn About the Impact of Old Refrigerants

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching the impact of old harmful refrigerants on our environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in My Community

Do at Home

I will volunteer 5 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

Do at Home

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 20 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Native Communities

Do at Home

I will use the resource links provided and spend 30 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Go for a Daily Walk Outside

Do at Home

I will take a walk outside for 20 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Forgiveness

Do at Home

I will begin, or continue, on the journey of forgiving myself and/or other(s). I may do this through journaling, meditation, prayer, and/or talking with a licensed healthcare professional.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

Do at Home

I will use the resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

Do at Home

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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?


  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/28/2020 6:47 AM
    Thank you to everyone for participating in the EcoChallenge this year! This was my first time participating and it was such a great experience!

  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/27/2020 10:35 AM
    Great job everyone for all of your hard work! We are number 6 in the whole competition!

  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/27/2020 10:34 AM
    By disconnecting from email I find myself being more present in the moment and again shifting away from my workaholic nature that makes me feel like I need to respond to every email right this second. It also gives me time to cool off and respond better to emails that I would typically respond in a more heated way to.

  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/27/2020 10:33 AM
    The biggest challenge that I gave myself this ecochallenge was to get 45 minutes or more of extra sleep to make sure that I got at least 7 hours a night. I'm definitely a workaholic so having a goal in mind and being rewarded for it with points has been really helpful. I feel much better when I get more sleep and find that I'm more productive during the day.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Explore My Area
    How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?

    Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/26/2020 7:25 AM
    It was great to get outside with my dog this weekend, it was very relaxing to get out in the fresh air especially with the weather. By spending more time outside I feel more relaxed and in a better mood when I get home.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Research Voter Suppression
    What are the ways in which voters are prohibited from or discouraged from voting in your region and/or state? What could be done to get rid of these barriers?

    Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/26/2020 7:23 AM
    I was glad to see the number of different ways that people can provide ID in PA for voting which is very important to me to allow all people to vote even if they don't have 1 specific form of ID. The only big issue that I noticed with PA is that people in prison can't vote but it seems that they can vote once released no matter the crime.

  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/26/2020 7:14 AM
    Had a very bad insomnia night last night and definitely didn't get my 7 hours let alone the extra 45 minutes, wish me luck in functioning today on about 4 hours of sleep. It stings even more not being able to check my item off for today, this is the first time I have not been able to the entire challenge.

  • Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/26/2020 7:13 AM
    I completely forgot to do my check-ins this weekend but I still found myself doing the daily activities! Makes me happy to see that these things are becoming a habit.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy Invite a Friend to Calculate the Carbon Footprint of their Household
    What kinds of discussions did you have, or are you hoping to have with friends about climate change?

    Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/23/2020 11:09 AM
    All of my friends do agree that climate change is real which is an important first step in having a conversation about its impact. I recently attended an online lecture about ocean acidification and the impact that it will have on humans. I think that it is most important to tell people about the impact of climate change on humanity because even if people don't care about other animals or plants they will care about themselves and their children.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Go Get a Check Up
    How do you practice self care?

    Alaina King's avatar
    Alaina King 10/23/2020 11:04 AM
    I practice self care by stepping away from situations that frustrate me until I can cool off, I can also be open and honest with others about I am feeling to get support from my loved ones.