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October 6 - October 27, 2021
Lauren Johnson's avatar

Lauren Johnson

Blue Ninjas

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 726 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    209
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    430
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    734
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    894
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Lauren's actions

Water

Eco-Friendly Gardening

Do at Home

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Do at Home

I will save up to 8 gallons (32 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow shower-head.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Fix Leaky Faucets

Do at Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 3 gallons (11 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
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

Energy

Encourage my company and/or organization to measure and manage their carbon footprint

Do at Home

Organizations have a responsibility to make sustainable business decisions. To understand how to improve sustainable practices, it’s important to start with understanding the current impact. I will share the Tradewater Business Carbon Calculator with my organization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Take Control

Do at Home

Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

Do at Home

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

Do at Home

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Research Local Waste Sites

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Prevent Recycling Contamination

Do at Home

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 30 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Carry my Trash

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Buying a hybrid car

I am purchasing a hybrid car to reduce my gas usage from 13 mpg to 40 mpg

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Work From Home

Do at Home

I will work from home 3 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

Do at Home

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Do at Home

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 10
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?


  • Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/08/2021 8:00 AM
    I love participating in the eco challenge because it is making my hyper aware of my daily actions. I am really enjoying researching different ways to reduce my carbon footprint!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle
    While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

    Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 10:02 AM
    Where I live the tap water isn't the best for you so I use a water filter tap on my sink to help me reduce the need to use plastic water bottles. I bought a nice water bottle that keeps the water and ice cold so there is more of an incentive for me to keep using filtered tap water.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Carry my Trash
    What one thing could you do right away to reduce your waste?

    Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 9:58 AM
    When I shop I can bring reusable bags. When buying fruits and veggies I like to bring mesh bags to reduce the need of using the single use plastic bags in the produce section.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Prevent Recycling Contamination
    What have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?

    Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 9:56 AM
    Glass is very hard to recycle in our area, same with automotive heavy duty plastics. When trying to recycle these items I have learned where I need to take them and stockpile them at my house so that I can periodically make stops when I am in the area so I am not wasting gas to recycle (Making it counter productive on the environmental impact).
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Conduct Virtual Meetings
    How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

    Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 9:53 AM
    Virtual meetings can be hard especially in architecture because everything is about creativity and virtual meetings can more often than not damper the creative flow. Communication and patience will help ensure that our virtual meetings honor our values and help strengthen the company culture.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Drive Less
    How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

    Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 9:49 AM
    Living and visiting different places helped me try a ton of different modes of transportation that gave me the opportunity to figure out what would work best for me. Visiting Portland, I realized how much I enjoy the ease of the rail cars they use and the positive influences of walkability has on mental health.

  • Lauren Johnson's avatar
    Lauren Johnson 10/06/2021 9:25 AM
    It is going great! Glad I can contribute to lowering my footprint!