Sofia Alvarado-Martinez
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 101 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO3.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO131pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO3.3pounds of paperhave been saved
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UP TO20gallons of waterhave been saved
Sofia's actions
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.
Waste
Go Paperless
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Water
5-Minute Showers
I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.
Participant Feed
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Sofia Alvarado-Martinez 7/06/2025 7:01 PMThis week, I decided to conserve water by taking 5 minute showers. This challenge had me on my feet the whole time. However honestly I am glad I decided to take shorter showers; after looking over the linked page for this action titled Take 5 Minute Showers, I felt like this was something that I had to try out. Not only does taking shorter showers save time it also saves money! Honestly for me taking shorter showers also allows me to become more conscious of my water usage, it allows for me to become more mindful. This challenge also allowed me to become more grateful towards running water. So, thank you running water!-
Amy Minato 7/07/2025 8:52 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Sofia Alvarado-Martinez 7/06/2025 6:42 PMThis week, I participated in consuming meals that were vegan/meatless. As a former vegan this was definitely like a walk down memory lane. As the days went on I felt myself feeling like I was making a change, even if it was just consuming less meat/animal products. I made creative dishes that were filling and nutritious including tofu salad rolls, vegan falafel balls and frozen fruit with dark chocolate. I spent time cooking from scratch as part of my challenge which did add a level of difficulty however was really fun. One of reasons I decided to choose this as my weekly action was to face past obstacles with eating vegan/plant based. In the past I often found myself not carving out the time to make meals and lacked creativity. I also gained some helpful insights on how to include culturally aligned meals from a YouTuber who lives in Mexico City and follows veganism. Her videos have been super helpful and have given me countless ideas. Her handle on Youtube is VIDA VEGANA (vegan life) if anyone wants to check out her page for inspo.-
Amy Minato 7/07/2025 8:53 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Dianna Ferrell 7/06/2025 10:05 PMHello Sofia! Going vegan is a complete lifestyle change in a variety of ways and I can totally understand how having a lack of time is a big challenge to overcome. For example, I can imagine making recipe changes or finding alternatives that taste yummy with certain dishes could be very time consuming! I like the variety of times you selected to try this week, I had no idea what a falafel ball was so I totally had to Google that one. The best possible Eco-Challenges are one's that end up being fun in the process, I think that is great it ended up being a fulfilling experience for you :). I have always been curious with what adaptations are made to dishes that have cultural significance, many cultures incorporate meat regularly in their meals. I have been looking into ways to cut down on my animal product consumption, I do not think I could ever go fully vegan but I am always open to learning new recipes and how to be more sustainable. Thanks for sharing the YouTube channel I will check it out. Keep up the great work and I look forward to hearing more about your journey trying vegan meals!
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Sofia Alvarado-Martinez 6/29/2025 10:31 PMIn terms of energy consumption I have decided to switch to cold water for washing clothes. This was definitely something that I would have never considered before, as I thought hot water cleaned clothes much better than cold. However when I decided to make the switch I did some research and learned that modern technology in laundry machines allows for this switch and allows for clothes to just as clean. So this week when I did my laundry I opted for cold water and I did not notice a significant difference in the smell or feel of my clothes. This action definitely made me want to spread the word so I brought up the benefits of cold water washing during Sunday Dinner to which helped spread the word and hopefully allow others to opt for cold on their next wash. Also this website Cold Water Saves https://coldwatersaves.org/index.php/cold-facts/
has been a source of valuable information for the benefits of switching to cold water!-
Amy Minato 6/30/2025 4:00 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Sofia Alvarado-Martinez 6/29/2025 10:18 PMFor a lasting impact on waste I decided to go paperless with my bank statements. I have three cards at separate banks that would send my account statement every month. I was shocked to realize how much a singular paper statement can have on my consumption of natural resources. All three of my banks have mobile apps where I could choose a paperless statement option so the process was quite simple and straightforward. Personally I grew up with a parent who often collected so much paper waste due to paper statements and junk mail. For me it became normalized to receive paper statements so by switching to paperless statements it feels quite liberating actually!-
Amy Minato 6/30/2025 4:00 PM- TEAM CAPTAIN
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Evan Davis 6/29/2025 10:48 PMThis is on my to-do list!! I always select the paperless option with my banks and other financial institutions but for some reason I still get at least one credit card statement from my bank via mail. I need to take a closer look at my settings and get it sorted. I found a resource page but now I can’t locate it, but basically you can also called the people who do the credit reports, like Experian, and have them remove you from credit card ads, if you get those in the mail as well.
I resonate with you. In my childhood home, there was a spot on the counter that loomed with paper mail that my dad refused to do anything with. I find myself generating a little pile on the counter as well over a month.
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