Sophia Cavalieri

Through this challenge I have learned many things. One of them being the little changes I can make in my life for the better. I think many people have an idea in their head that being an environmentalist means you have to do everything in your life environmentally friendly. But through these challenges has been a great example that contrasts that. You don't always have to make big shows or actions to make yourself an environmentalist. The small actions that we have been doing through these weeks have really emphasized the small actions that are important too. Even though they are small it adds up eventually. I’ve found that they don't take too much work to incorporate into my routine and that it's me just being lazy to try to put an effort into doing them. In Anthony Leiserowitz’s article, Building Public and Political Will for Climate Change Action, he classifies a group of people called issue public. These people are “highly attentive to and seek out information about their issue, have relatively high levels of knowledge, have developed strong and stable attitudes, and are more likely than other citizens to take action on the issue”. To me starting doing these daily actions and putting in that effort is the start to being part of the issue public if you want.

The historical and cultural origins of organic food are related to the 'daily' and 'one-time' challenges available in the "food," "health," "waste," and "community" we have been doing. Through our readings of organic foods we have explored the ideas of how food has been developed through society and time. In Maria McGrath’s article she refers to as the “denaturalization and commoditization of America”. This portrays how food has become a corporate game and not focused on human health most of the time. Many businesses just want to make money. Because of this we need to be focused on our health and what we consume. Through this challenge we have been trying to do this. In the food categories many of the topics are buying local foods or organic. The waste plays into this as well as many of our foods are packaged in one time plastic packaging. So therefore buying locally reduces this and helps your health. The health section plays into this because as it has been shown historically many of these food corporations aren't focused on this so as we progress in time we need to think about it for ourselves.

Over the past week, I've enjoyed applying myself to these challenges. At first, it was hard for me to remember to complete the activities I had picked. But as I've been doing them more consistently, it seems to be becoming part of my routine. I still forget about it sometimes, but it's gotten better with each day. One of my new challenges is turning things off when not using them to save energy. Most of my devices are plugged into outlet strips in my dorm room, so I just turn off the strip completely. It's super easy to do, and over time, it makes such an impact on energy conservation. Another one is taking short showers which I never paid much attention to. But now that I'm actively thinking about it, I've been very efficient. Again, this might not be big for one shower but over time it all adds up! Lately I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed with school, practice, and everything, but these activities, especially those in the simplicity category, allow me to slow down and refocus on what's truly important. I think meditation is something I've always wanted to try but never actually done. So this has actually made me commit to it. My other challenge is getting off my phone when I'm eating. That is something I also never paid much attention to, but now that I think about it I can see the difference. If nothing else it makes me much more present in the moment and lowers my screen time. For me, the hardest part is holding myself accountable to complete each one each day. Some days, I would rather go right to bed instead of meditating or scroll on my phone, but I resist the urge and stick to the challenge. There is also the factor of trying to just change my daily routine. I often have a similar routine each day, so switching it up takes an effort to remember. Besides that, I don't think there are any huge barriers that keep me from making these permanent changes. I think I would be willing to take these lifestyle changes beyond our course and make them permanent. I've found that once I’ve been consistent with doing the challenges, they become more natural. I think the more I add, the easier it will become because I'm already building new habits. As the Jimmy Carter article said, every small change adds up when many people contribute over time. That being said, the ultimate change that will make a big impact will be from the actions of large companies. As stated by both the articles we read for the 2/5 class, we as individuals have limited control. However, by collectively adopting these small but impactful habits, we can still drive significant change over time and inspire larger entities to follow suit.

For your personal ecological footprint in the EcoChallenge, both daily and one-time challenges are important. I think the actions of using fewer resources will make a big impact. The challenges that include taking 5-minute showers, turning the thermostat down 2 degrees, or others like that will add up. They seem small by themselves but adding them up will make a big difference within yourself. I think those smaller actions added together are great ways everyone can help the environment. This idea highlights the fact that you don't have to be doing lots of crazy things to help the environment; you can do what is available to you. Not everyone can afford to shop 100% organic or from sustainable businesses but these smaller actions are ways everyone can contribute. However, the challenges that involve organizing or leading different groups will create a bigger impact overall because it involves multiple people. Those might be harder to get started but once they are going, they will decrease an overall footprint the most. Getting groups of people involved will always create a bigger change than what you do individually. Getting groups involved might also inspire more people to get invested in this project, creating a snowball effect.

There are several EcoChallenges that face political, social, and/or economic problems. Some of the notable ones are advocating for different ideas such as better public transportation or better packaging options. The idea of advocating for more environmentally friendly elements in our everyday life is a great way to get involved within a community or even with the government. You could set up different petitions or write letters to your government officials. These can also be used for social movements as well. There are several challenges that might not intentionally be political but, by their nature, they become so. One of them is advocating for more fuel-efficient or even non-gas vehicles on campus. This has been taken on as a political idea which has impacted how it is being used throughout the country.