Keahonui Aiu
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 10 THIS WEEK
- 55 TOTAL
Keahonui's actions
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
Waste
Skip the Straw
Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.
Food
Whole Food Lifestyle
I will enjoy 3 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.
Energy
Switch to Cold Water
I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 133 lbs of CO2 a month and 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.
Energy
Turn it off
I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.
Water
Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.
Water
Use Reusable Bottles
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Water
Brush My Teeth Without Running Water
I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.
Community
Help Others
I will offer to help 1 person(s) who are in need each day.
Community
Support Businesses Owned by People of Color
Racial inequity is both a sustainability and justice problem. I will support businesses owned by people of color in my community whenever I shop.
Transportation
Walk Instead
I will walk 2 mile(s) each day instead of driving and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
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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Keahonui Aiu 2/20/2025 12:22 PMFor transportation this week I have decided to walk a bit more. I realized that I hop in my car for a 2-3 minute drive often when getting food. This past week I walked around SE and SW neighborhood to get food, and even found a new spot. Within a 15 minute walk from my house in SE is Baby Doll Pizza and they were amazing. It is in the opposite direction of me driving to work, so I walked there, then walked back home and then drove to work. Smelling the pizza the entire walk home definitely had me more excited to share it with my co workers.
I would have never carpooled before this class so transportation challenges was a good push for me to offer rides to the Sunflower Farms. I will try to carpool with some of my coworkers to work to stop driving every weekend.-
Amy Minato 2/21/2025 1:31 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Cyrus Qian 2/20/2025 11:49 PMIt’s awesome that you’re walking more and discovering new spots, like Baby Doll Pizza! It's always a win when you can reduce your driving while exploring new places—plus, the smell of pizza definitely makes that walk more enjoyable! I think it’s great that you’re trying out carpooling too. Offering rides and being more mindful of your transportation habits can have such a positive impact. Keep it up, and let me know how carpooling works out for you!
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Keahonui Aiu 2/16/2025 6:04 PMFor community challenges this week I decided to foster a closer relationship with my neighbor Paul. We had interacted before and he definitely looks over our house, but I decided to build on the community feel I’ve been missing. It was a relief to get some heavy things off my shoulders and to just know people still carry a caring heart in these trying times.
For Valentine’s Day I decided to support little local shops for the little gifts I gave my friends instead of big corporations like Target. I can never remember the name but there is a little pink shop in Nob Hill with the cutest little trinkets. Knowing I’m putting money directly into the creative who designed the items is much more fulfilling than buying from corporations and supporting billionaire CEOs.-
Amy Minato 2/21/2025 1:48 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Zoey Krenk 2/16/2025 10:03 PMlocal business is a great way to foster community and it often leads to more thoughtful gift giving! -
Kit Stauf 2/16/2025 8:09 PMLittle trinket shops are so cute! Often have things that are much more fun than big chain stores anyway. It's always a treat to find a fun new store, but I live in a suburb so I'll have to explore the local shops around Portland more!
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Keahonui Aiu 2/06/2025 4:23 PMI only use reusable water bottles and don’t purchase single use plastic bottles. I do not let the water run when I brush my teeth, or when I do dishes. I have noticed that water waste is not very big in my life, as my grandmother always stressed saving water. Washing rice seems to be the biggest waste of water in my life and I have started saving the rice water for our plants. I have heard it is really good for hair health and I want to attempt to cook rice (I meal prep it so I only cook it about 1x a week although I eat a lot of it) in alignment with my hair washing days. This will be the challenge I try to implement long term.-
paige Herkemij 2/10/2025 1:43 PM -
Amy Minato 2/10/2025 11:32 AM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Keahonui Aiu 1/31/2025 12:01 PMI mixed up my food and energy challenges so this week I focused on using less energy. After my room warmed up as I got ready for bed, I actually completely turned off my heater overnight this week. It did not get as cold as I anticipated so I will no longer run my heater overnight. Our main floor heater runs on an auto shut-off at 65 degrees, despite how cold all of us are. It just does not seem reasonable to run it on high when we can bundle up with clothes and save energy. I also have switched to washing my clothes in only tap water and have realized it makes no difference than using warm or hot water. I have encouraged my roommates to do the same to lessen our electric bill.-
Amy Minato 2/03/2025 7:18 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
i see no difference washing in warm or even cold water. also i learned that sleeping in cold temps is better for you -
paige Herkemij 2/02/2025 8:36 PMWe do this as well! its so much easier to turn off the heat then turning off the AC so we try to save energy in the winter to save up for our high bill for summer. -
Pierre Kaptanian 2/02/2025 3:09 PM
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Keahonui Aiu 1/22/2025 8:03 PMThis week I focused on whole foods and meal planning to reduce the amount of food waste I produce. Actually considering the resources and energy used to process foods made me realize how much more sustainable it is to eat whole foods. After last week’s changes prompted me to create less waste in my life I realized how much single use plastics and cans are utilized by myself as a result of convenient processed foods such as spam. While I do not eat a lot of processed foods, I occasionally enjoy spam as a childhood comfort food. Cutting back on this did nothing negative to my life in the moment and will probably contribute positively in the long run.The Ted Talk about Anya Chernoff made me realize how privileged it is to have electricity and access to an abundance of energy that brings many conveniences to my day to day. The factories that mass produce products like spam could probably light entire villages that Chernoff mentioned for weeks if they stopped production for just one day. It’s humbling to take a step back and realize just how privileged I am to be able to turn my heater on every night while others in the world live in darkness.-
Amy Minato 1/29/2025 5:55 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Elex Peyote Otero 1/24/2025 9:40 AM- 19 DAY STREAK
Hi Nui, I enjoyed reading your reflection. It seems like you had some profound realizations that positively impacted you. Spam is also a comfort food, so I understand the challenge of that and certain foods. I think the steps you're taking will result in habits that will become second nature, and you'll learn so much from them while being environmentally friendly.
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Keahonui Aiu 1/15/2025 3:41 PMI have used my reusable water bottle consistently and no longer purchase bottled water. Along with this I have brought the reusable straws that I have at home, to work with me where I often use plastic straws. At work I have an iced coffee and juice that led to using multiple straws everyday that I work and I now consume them both with a single metal straw. Realizing I’ve used 8 or more plastic straws a week seemed bizarre but I was doing it mindlessly for years. This made me very aware of the amount of single use small plastics that are a part of my everyday life, like plastic bags for produce in the grocery stores, and the easy switches I can make to lessen the amount that I use. I have always placed all my produce in a separate plastic bag but never stopped to think about why. There is no reason for our vegetables to be put in a bag although it is widely practiced. The benefit of eliminating plastic bottles and straws in my life was noticing many other plastic wastes that can be easily eliminated with little hindrance to my day to day.By cutting out plastic water bottles, straws, produce bags, and ziploc bags I have significantly reduced the amount of plastic waste I create in just one week. The ted talk by Lauren Singer was the inspiration in going further than using a reusable water bottle and cutting out straws from the choices on the Eco Challenge website. Realizing that most of the plastic waste we create is excessive, and the use of these plastics are generally pointless allows me to better understand how much trash humans are producing. The video of the Cateura community put emphasis on how privileged we are to create an abundance of trash and not face it directly, forcing me to consider whether a plastic bag is needed to separate my red from yellow onions; it’s not.-
Cyrus Qian 1/19/2025 8:09 PMI love the switch to using reusable straws and eliminating plastic bags! It’s amazing how easy it is to fall into mindless habits, like using a new straw every time we get a drink, without considering the impact. I completely relate to how switching from plastic to reusable options helps you notice other small plastic items you might not have thought about, like produce bags. I think your insight about how "most of the plastic waste we create is excessive" is on the right track. I’ve been doing the same with my grocery shopping—if I don’t need a bag, I don’t take one! Keep up the great work! -
Amy Minato 1/19/2025 11:59 AM- TEAM CAPTAIN
Nui. I recommend using a reusable mesh bag for produce. its nice to keep them in their own 'space' without using throw away plastic
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