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Alisha Conroy's avatar

Alisha Conroy

capstone spring 2024

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 36 TOTAL

Alisha's actions

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products

I will spend 15 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home or dorm room.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Get Involved in the Water Justice Movement

I will spend at least 10 minutes using the resources provided to learn about water justice and find out how I can get involved in local initiatives.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Do Nature Activities

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 10 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

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DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 10 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 20 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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?


  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 6/10/2024 10:47 PM
    I have spent time researching chemicals in cleaning products and found some in my house. I have been aware of harmful chemicals in these kinds of products for years now and have shifted slowly. Now, I can take it the next step and make sure I have only products that won't harm me or the environment while I make sure my space stays clean. Also taking it a step further is I am going to start making my own products and avoid plastic bottling or reuse the bottles that I currently have when they run out. The plastic bottles with the spray handle are really useful and can be used for other purposes such as hair or bathroom products once they run out of cleaner if I don't need it for another cleaning product. Using fresh citrus in cleaning products works to remove germs and also smells nice and essential oils can also be added for fragrance.

  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 6/10/2024 10:11 PM
    My plants are doing well that I picked up from the learning garden. I am going to incorporate them into my meal prep once they produce. I have been doing meal prep, utilizing ingredients that I already have on hand and freezing items for later use for sustainable, low waste food practices. I have been more strategic and time conscious about when and how long to shower for, reducing my time spent and skipping the shower if I don't really need one. I have reduced my use of to-go containers and plastic single-use items. I always have my reusable water bottle on me so I don't have to purchase plastic water bottles. I walk when I am able to instead of using my car which is a huge benefit of living in the city. With the weather getting nicer, I want to walk more and drive even less.

  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 5/28/2024 6:21 PM
    When we went to the Learning Garden I was able to get a couple plants for free. I got a purple tomato plant and a kale plant. I have never grown anything before! I didn't have pots or soil or anything so I connected with a friend who has recently set up an entire garden in his backyard. He has a compost setup as well. He gave me 2 pots and a mix of dirt and compost which I used to plant both of them. I have a balcony so they are sitting out there. I water them every other day or few days. I am hoping they will produce this year so I can incorporate them into home cooking.

  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 4/28/2024 2:57 PM
    My food challenge for this week is meal planning. I have done this in the past when I worked in an office, but can utilize this for meals at home since I am home for a lot of my meals. I am just setting this up today and will grocery shop with 2 meals in mind that I can alternate for breakfast and lunch to eat for at least 4 meals in this coming week. I think one will be spaghetti and the other will be rice, beans, and veggies. I have spaghetti sauce in my fridge opened that needs to be used so I can utilize an ingredient I already have. I am going to go to a farmers market to get my veggies for the other meal.

    • Grayson Garbarino's avatar
      Grayson Garbarino 4/28/2024 6:21 PM
      Alisha,
      Good on you for taking what you already had into consideration so that you could accomplish two tasks at once with reducing waste by using your sauce instead of tossing it and planning a meal around that sauce! I have so many random canned goods (fruits, soups, etc.) that I have had for so long because I just haven't taken the time to donate them or use them. Maybe now I'll go through them and plan meals around them, so thank you for that!

  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 4/21/2024 8:00 PM
    For my energy ecochallenges I have been more diligent about keeping my thermostat all the way down before I leave the house. If I am in my room and not using the main space I have kept the heat off out there. Also just in general I have kept it down and utilized my blankets and warm clothing if I get cold. I make sure to power off my tv and other appliances when I am not using them.

  • Alisha Conroy's avatar
    Alisha Conroy 4/15/2024 3:42 PM
    A big focus for me is to quit fast fashion and be more intentional about the clothing I buy. I currently have a large wardrobe and do not need new items, although I do fall into the consumerist mindset of wanting more sometimes. I have wanted to shift from fast fashion for awhile but have not made an intentional effort until now. One of my actions I selected for this week was to learn about sustainable fashion practices which I learned at https://www.earthday.org/toolkit-how-to-shop-for-your-clothes/. There is a great list of things to look out for when buying clothing and it's not just to buy secondhand. Being aware of what our clothes are made from and who is making them is a huge part of being sustainable in regards to fashion and ethical treatment of people involved in the process.
    Another focus in regards to waste for me and a topic I selected for this week is to skip the straw. This is actually a big one for me because I go out a lot and order drinks. I actually already have a set of metal straws at home and if I bring one with me in my bag I can use it at the restaurant/bars I go to. I don't care about looking weird for pulling out my own straw from my bag because who cares! Little things like this are worth it even if it seems to be a strange thing that most people don't do. Along these lines, bringing my own container for leftovers is something I also want to start doing, I just have to carry it separate or bring a bag that is big enough to fit the container because a lot of the time I bring a small bag with me.