Cooper Gibson
10/14/2021 7:56 AM
To name a few: air quality/air pollution (forest fires, tailpipe emissions), fossil fuels (oil spill making its way down to San Diego), poor water quality, light pollution.
Cooper Gibson
"To create a more sustainable and equitable world -- one small step at a time. "
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 720 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO2.0conversationswith people
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UP TO50minutesspent learning
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UP TO121pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
Cooper's actions
Health
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.
Health
Support Pollution Reduction
Do at Home
I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.
Health
Learn More about Food Apartheid
Do at Home
I will spend 10 minutes learning about food apartheid and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.
Community
Host a Watch Party
Do at Home
I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.
Transportation
Stay on the Ground
Do at Home
Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).
Action Track: Healing and Renewal
Engage In Active Listening
Do at Home
I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 2 conversations.
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.
Waste
Research Local Waste Sites
Do at Home
I will spend 10 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
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.
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.
Action Track: Healing and Renewal
Core Values
Do at Home
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.
Water
Calculate My Water Footprint
Do at Home
I will calculate my Water Footprint to learn about my tap water use and "virtual water" use.
Nature
Learn About the Impact of Old Refrigerants
Do at Home
I will spend 10 minutes researching the impact of old harmful refrigerants on our environment.
Simplicity
Buy Nothing
I will refrain from buying anything throughout the month (other than what is needed for health and safety) and instead live with what I have or learn about Buy Nothing groups in my area.
Energy
Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household
Do at Home
I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.
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?
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Cooper Gibson 10/14/2021 8:01 AMThe ecochallenge is going great! I really appreciate the structure -- I'm learning about a lot of issues that I previously had only scratched the surface with. Hopefully I can instill a few of these daily actions as habits for well after the challenge has ended! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Support Pollution ReductionWhat environmental factors affect human health in your region, and how do they affect it?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Learn More about Food ApartheidWhat can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?
Cooper Gibson 10/14/2021 7:49 AMLack of nutritious food can lead to health problems such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension in communities. Access to nutritious food can cause a community to become more resilient through lower mortality rates. Also moving away from a transactional, capitalist food model can help to form a stronger sense of community when it comes to food. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransportation Stay on the GroundWhat was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?
Cooper Gibson 10/13/2021 7:51 AMThis is a tentative plan for the holidays, but I will likely be going to Pacifica, CA to visit family for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I am planning to drive from San Diego instead of fly. Driving actually simplifies travel plans -- you are on your own schedule. I also can see how coupling habit substitution for transportation with electric vehicles could have a noticeable impact on curbing emissions. I can avoid more air travel in the future by looking into modes of transport that have less of an impact. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Healing and Renewal Engage In Active ListeningWhat was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation(s) benefit from active listening?
Cooper Gibson 10/13/2021 7:47 AMActively listening helped the conversation feel more deep and connected. Both parties felt engaged and the conversation evolved from practicing principles of active listening: reflection, summarization, and neutrality. -
Cooper Gibson 10/12/2021 7:48 AMThe EcoChallenge is going great! I feel like I am finding areas in my own life to be more conscious and mindful of my impact. It is nice to have a direction and subcategories to choose from within the challenge itself! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Personal Waste AuditWhy is it often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places?
Cooper Gibson 10/12/2021 7:46 AMUnfortunately consumerism promotes an idea of "out of site, out of mind". Since we can't see exactly the negative impacts that our waste causes, I think it is easy for some people to not be worried about it. Performing a waste audit was a good way to visualize the waste I am responsible for. It clued me into areas where I scale down and decrease my impact (ex. farmers market for produce with reusable bags instead of from the grocer). -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth ForgivenessHow has the process of forgiving, or contemplating forgiveness, benefited you?
Cooper Gibson 10/11/2021 8:09 AMContemplating forgiveness and reading through the resources listed under this challenge was really interesting. Learning about the other parts of life that are affected after introducing deep forgiveness into one's life was important -- it is good to cultivate positive habitual reactions to negative stimuli! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Research Local Waste SitesIn what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?
Cooper Gibson 10/11/2021 8:02 AMDowntown San Diego and El Cajon are in close proximity to waste collection site (see attached maps). I compared proximity to waste collection sites to percentage of the population below the poverty line. It does appear that areas closer to waste collection sites have a larger portion of individuals living below the poverty line. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity Buy NothingHow does it feel to be so intentional about not buying anything and instead looking for what you need in community places? What's easy? What's challenging? What's rewarding?
Cooper Gibson 10/11/2021 7:47 AMWhile it has not been a full month yet, I have put together a purchasing plan for the next month in which I only buy the essentials. I have so far stuck to it pretty rigidly and hope to continue throughout the month!