Amelia Belbin

Green Guardians

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
2,056 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

4,680

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

137

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

528

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

4,365

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

3.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

3,105

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

105

minutes

spent learning

Amelia's actions

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 15 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES

I will spend 20 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

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 68
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Tour A Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 45 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 45-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 53
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Disconnect from Email

I will disconnect from my email when not at work or school, using my personal time for endeavors that help me live out my values.

COMPLETED 33
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 3 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?
Amelia Belbin 11/18/2024 2:23 PM
One thing people can do to help their community become more sustainable is start a community garden. It not only brings the community together to continuously work on a project, but also provides them with locally grown food!

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- Micaela Gates 11/18/2024 9:57 PM
  We have this at our school but I haven't checked it out yet!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

Notice how much time you were spending checking email away from work and make note of that. Now that you have stepped away from it and have not been checking, what changes are you noticing in your thoughts, use of time, stress and energy levels?
Amelia Belbin 11/14/2024 10:03 PM
Now that I have stepped away from checking my email, and spending less time on my phone/ laptop, I have noticed a change in my stress levels. I am not worrying as much during the day and it has given me more time to focus on things I actually enjoy.

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- Micaela Gates 11/15/2024 4:20 PM
  It really is wild how much technology/media can put a stress on our lives.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

In what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?
Amelia Belbin 11/04/2024 8:00 PM
There is a landfill located in Waimanalo. It is hard to have multiple landfills here on Oahu because there is not a lot of space for them, and I imagine it would affect a lot of people in communities if we had a lot of landfills. Communities that are affected the most by landfill locations are the ones that live near the landfills. Their health can be affected, they can be surrounded by unpleasant smells, and also it can affect traffic in the area if trucks are constantly going there to dump waste.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Field trip! What a fun way to learn about our impact and consumption! What facility did you tour? What did you learn?
Amelia Belbin 11/04/2024 7:57 PM
We toured the PRRF, which is a facility on Oahu, HI that collects plastics that are found in the ocean. We got to see types of plastics like nets, and ones that have been put through shredders. I learned that mixed polymer plastic is a lot harder to put through the shredder rather than HDPE. HDPE can be found in trawl nets and make up 20% of our marine debris. I also learned that polyethylene is made up of carbon and hydrogen, and when burned, contributes to GHG emissions.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?
Amelia Belbin 10/28/2024 5:33 PM
Spending more time outside is not only good for you in multiple ways, but great for your brain. By spending time outside one can start to focus on things they usually don't, boost your mental health, and promote physical activity which helps your brain power. I know that when I spend more time outside I feel less stressed and happier.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reusable one, but it's just hard to make the switch. What stands in your way of making this a habit? By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?
Amelia Belbin 10/25/2024 12:08 PM
Sometimes it can be hard to switch to reusable cups, such as for coffee, because not everyone has a coffee maker at home and needs to go to a shop to buy a coffee. It can also be time consuming to make your own coffee at home if you are in a rush to get out the door and a coffee shop is on the way. I went ahead and bought a cheap, small coffee maker to avoid constantly going to Starbucks in the morning, and it feels good knowing that I am not using so many single use coffee cups.

Read More
- Alex Matthews 10/27/2024 12:02 PM
  Reusable cups are hard to adjust to but they are worth it.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water

What is the main water source in your region? If you don't know, how could you find out?
Amelia Belbin 9/25/2024 12:31 AM
The main water source on Oahu is groundwater from an aquifer. If you didn't know where to find this information, you could visit the Board of Water Supply's website (https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/water-resources/oahu-water-history).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health

How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?
Amelia Belbin 9/23/2024 9:10 PM
To incorporate other personal values into an exercise routine, you could do yoga outside so you are with nature. You can also invite your friends to join you. I often exercise with my friends so we can build each other up.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?
Amelia Belbin 9/23/2024 9:01 PM
Creativity is a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity because it can help you find more ways to make multiple things from one simple thing. One pen can write/draw thousands of words/pictures.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?
Amelia Belbin 9/23/2024 8:54 PM
When walking instead of driving, I see lots of things happening in my neighborhood. I see the interactions between people, animals, and myself with nature. Walking allows me to see these things differently, because I get to see more of the beauty around me; feeling the breeze on a hot day, seeing the trees swaying, and hearing the water in the harbour on my way to school.

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