Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Rhiannon Mansfield

ENST 246 - Spring 2025

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
675 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

43

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

25

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

222

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

17

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

216

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

535

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

20

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

1.0

hour

volunteered
UP TO

320

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

80

minutes

spent learning

Rhiannon's actions

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Learn About Renewable Energy

I will spend 15 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

I will enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset each day.

COMPLETED 32
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Meditate

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 5 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 33
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Learn More about Food Apartheid

What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Joyful Movement

I will spend 15 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Talk To My Friends and Classmates

I will decide which social or environmental issue in my community is most important to me and tell 1 friends and/or classmates each day about the issue.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Rhiannon Mansfield 2/20/2025 4:49 AM
1) What have you learned about yourself through the daily challenges in the "waste
and "community" categories?

The choice I made for the waste category was to avoid plastic bottles. I already use a re-usable water bottle, but I also am a serial 'fun' drink consumer, who drinks a lot of coffee, and matcha, and things like vitamin water. So I decided to try and cut out on buying drinks, and make coffee at home for the whole week, and buy myself some water flavoring packets (though these also raise the problem of coming in disposable packaging) so I could still have my ritual of making a fun drink. I find myself really missing going out to get a coffee. I've learned that for me, the habit is less about the drink itself and more about getting myself a treat. It's taught me that I need to come up with activities that count as 'treating myself' that are more environmentally friendly and less based in consumerism. Regarding the community category, I chose the one-time action of connecting with a local organization. I chose the Clean Air Council, as they had briefly talked to the rowing team here at Bucknell, so I was vaguely familiar with them. Browsing through their website, and signing several petitions reaffirmed how important small act of activism, particularly in public policy, are to me. The eco-challenge always makes me feel a little good about myself, but the simply act of signing a petition was even more gratifying, to me. It's very satisfying, very comforting almost--it gives me a sense of control, that even in times of political turmoil, at least I am doing my part for causes I believe in.

2) What have you learned about your relationship with the environment through the daily challenges across all the categories?

I've learned that my relationship to the environment is deeply tied to the current overall political climate. Jimmy Carter's reaction and leadership during the 1973 energy crises is a strong example of this. If I had lived during this time period, I would likely have different opinions/place perhaps more value into the environmental benefits of saving energy. I consider myself relatively environmentally friendly, but electricity was the only category where I found many of the actions weren’t things I had considered doing before. This article showed me the importance of what political figures say and do in shaping what the public’s conscience looks like regarding environmental concerns.

The readings in week four taught me that politicians don’t only mediate our relationship with the environment through what they say, but even through organizations like the FDA. Here, I think about the standards for organic food that are discussed in the Pollan reading. By defining what is and what isn’t organic, they encourage a food system which is not only lacking in health benefits for us, but not environmentally sustainable. My one time task for this week was to learn about food apartheid, and I read this article from the National Resources Defense Council, which discusses that a large reason we experience ‘food deserts’ is due to the policies which make unnutrious, highly processed food more affordable.

This week, I learned that our relationship with the environment is also highly tied to consumerist culture. My challenge was something I thought would be very simply–cut out plastic water bottles. It instead is one of the more difficult challenges I’ve had, because it stops me from buying things. The reading by Strasser, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” really shed light on how pervasive plastic is–largely because it is all wrapped up in things we buy. It’s no coincidence that our use of plastic, particularly of single-use plastics, has skyrocketed as individual spending increases. The ease of plastic manufacturing makes it incredibly pervasive, (which speaks to Strassers point about the use and amount of plastic in the home) and due to that it is used heavily in just about everything we buy, and so as we become a more consumerist nation, the more plastic we use, the less environmentally friendly we become.

3) How are the historical and cultural origins of organic food and/or disposability related to the 'daily' and 'one-time' challenges available in the "food," "health," "waste," and "community" categories?

Regarding waste, I think part of what Strasser was getting at is that plastic was once something that was almost revered–it made manufacturing so much easier, that it was nearly a point of pride. It was something that we saw as helpful, that made our daily lives easier. And so we put it everywhere, in everything. That cultural foundation is why it is so difficult now to cut out plastic, because it has become such an everyday, ingrained part of our lives. Particularly, the use of plastic in the home–all of your bath and shower care products are likely made out of plastic, for example. This is likely why most of the challenges in the waste category, at first read seem like smaller tasks focusing on reducing, compared to some of the more involved tasks in other categories(like many of the health challenges, for example, expects you to take significant time out of your day. There is an almost sort of recognition that waste is incredibly difficult to reduce in today’s economy and society.

The cultural origins of organic food, in the 70’s, as discussed by McGrath were largely focused around the idea that organic food was healthier. Today, this idea has created a base of consumers who seek out organic food not because it’s environmentally friendly, but because it’s good for them, which is where the Pollan article focuses. Thus, large companies have motivation to commodify and industrialize organic food, because they know that they have a customer base who will bring in large profit. In this way, the government then has a powerful external voice encouraging them to keep the standards for what is ‘organic’ low, because the lower that standard is, the more money corporations can make off it. This helps to explain why many of the challenges in the ‘food’ category are focused on getting people involved at the local level–whether that be through a co-op, or farmer’s market, or even directly from farmers themselves.

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- Andrew Stuhl 2/20/2025 10:45 AM
  - TEAM CAPTAIN
  - 28-DAY STREAK
  Amazing Rhiannon! A very thorough and thoughtful journal. I loved reading more about your answers to each of the prompts and seeing how you combined your own personal experiences and the readings to arrive at a deeper meaning about environmental activism, politics, the history and evolution of our social norms, and more. Excellent work. I'm a "fun drink" person too!!! I will say one saving grace for me is aluminum cans. My typical fun drink when on campus is a Spindrift sparkling water. It is in aluminum can that came in a cardboard box and both are 100% recyclable, unlike plastic. My "fun drink" at home is usually some kind of kombucha or probiotic drink that I mix with sparkling water (we make our own sparkling water at home with a SodaStream device -- which has cut our single-use plastic a lot). I also LOVE that you connected with Clean Air Council!! I worked with two of the attorneys from CAC closely last year during the fight against ENCINA, which I think may be why CAC reached out to the rowing team. I'm so glad to see you demonstrate your comprehensive awareness of the waste / plastic / food issues and their historical origins. That is a powerful base of knowledge to operate from, to both conceptualize what the problem is (ie. structural, policy-level problems) and what appropriate solutions are. We are going to need that kind of critical analysis when we move to the next unit, so that we can develop social movements that address the roots of the big problems we face and advance solutions that actually address them.
  
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Rhiannon Mansfield 2/04/2025 7:02 PM
What was it like for you to experiment with these daily and one-time challenges over the past 7-8 days? what was surprising to you?
I think in general it's been eye opening and motivating. Watching how fast the impact adds up has really changed my perspective on just how quickly small actions can accumulate. I was also surprised by how easily these actions become integrated into daily habits. I'd say it was an average of 2 to 3 days before it became easy to remind myself to complete my tasks without having to take a lot of conscious effort. Maybe I've been too kind Checking in, on the other hand is something I still find that I am likely to forget to do
The other interesting change I've noticed is that these challenges are actually a little bit of bright spot in my daily routine. I expected to find them tedious, and sometimes, I still do. However, I also find it satisfying. It's nice to feel like I'm doing something, that even in a small way, is for a greater good. It makes me feel accomplished, and a little bit proud of myself--it's fulfilling.
What are the barriers you face in making these lifestyle changes permanent?
I think that when the challenge is over some of the daily changes will stay permanent. Leaving the water off whilst I brush my teeth, for example is something that I think might stick, as it's a very simple change. However, I think that when the challenge is over, the lack of something to keep me accountable may make the harder challenges much easier to give up on. One of my energy challenges, for example was to turn the thermostat down, and that's something I know I will be tempted to revert to the minute this challenge ends. Further, I think without the motivating factor of points, there is less impetus to stick to these habits, even though I know, logically, that they're good habits to have. Regarding the one time challenges as well, I believe that because those are not a habit, it's much harder to go out of my way once a week to do something extra for the environment. Even coming up with new ideas will make it difficult to keep this goal.
Additionally, one thing I struggle with mindset wise is perfectionism/ all or nothing thinking. I am either doing something or I'm not. If I have an off day where I forget to do one task, I tend to fall into the trap of how easy it is to not do that thing anymore, and have a hard time putting myself back on the wagon. I think this makes it difficult to keep things permanent, because it's a pretty easy trap to stop doing one task, and then another slips, and then another and then very quickly none of your changes have actually stuck.
Knowing what you know from your personal experience and the "resources" you read these weeks, are you willing to make these lifestyle changes permanent? why or why not? (be sure to include some references to your 'resources' in answering this last question)
Yes, I think for the most part I am willing to make these lifestyle changes permanent. Partially, my willingness is admittedly down to the fact that I've chosen very manageable tasks for myself. These actions do take effort, thought, and a small chunk of time out of my day, yes, but they're not difficult tasks, and for the most part, they're even enjoyable habits. Watching the sunset, for example, has actually added something to my daily routine. In no way dos it feel like a chore. I do think that as the challenge progresses, it becomes a lot of tasks, and the tasks become more labor intensive, and I think its much more difficult to commit to, or even want to make those changes permanent. However, I do believe that that the content we've been in class has helped me feel significantly more immersed in this challenge. I found the documentary on minimalism really compelling, and I thought it was a super interesting worldview to adapt parts of. I really resonated with the philosophy behind it, and think I could benefit from implementing some of those principles. I also felt motivated by the Healthline article which listed the benefits of nature--it was a good reminder that not only are these practices good for the environment, they're good for me, too.

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- Andrew Stuhl 2/05/2025 10:12 AM
  - TEAM CAPTAIN
  - 28-DAY STREAK
  Great Rhiannon! I'm glad you are feeling motivated by the website/interface, especially the quantified impact of our individual and collective actions. That's wonderful, and is definitely the kind of motivation we all can use when we are trying to make changes in our lives. I hear you re: the 'all or nothing' thinking. I definitely fall into that too! One of my friends put this in perspective for me: if you got a flat tire on your car, would you get out of your car and slash the other 3 tires? Of course wouldn't, that's ridiculous. So, when these thoughts enter your brain, it's totally fine to acknowledge them and say "I'm not going to slip into that "all or none thinking" today" and get back on the wagon! I'm trying to do this too. You're right to see the Eco Challenge as something that gets harder with time. I'm glad you are clear-eyed about this. This also makes celebrating your success so far all the more important: you are more than capable of rising to the challenge as it increases in complexity and difficulty. And the rewards and impacts will be even greater!
  
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Rhiannon Mansfield 1/26/2025 5:33 PM
Journal for 1/28
Which daily and one-time challenges are you most excited about? most nervous about? Why?
I am most excited about the nature tasks. I really appreciate the extra motivation to get outside, as time spent in nature is something that I enjoy immensely, but often struggle to make the time for, especially during these cold winter months. I am also excited for some of the health challenges, as that is an avenue that is newer to me. I haven’t often considered how my own personal health and the health of the environment are linked, and I think these challenges will be a great learning opportunity for me. As far as the questions I am more nervous for, I would say that many in the food and waste category can be challenging, because I know that those are areas where I can be more green. Living and a dorm and being on the go a lot means the majority of my food is quick, easy pre-packaged meals. There is a lot of plastic waste everyday from my meals alone. Additionally, food rituals are such deeply ingrained habits–they’re beyond daily— that I think they are some of the toughest habits to change. Waste, similarly, is something that I think is just such a daily habit in day to day dorm life that I think I occasionally become blind to it, and don’t even realize how much I’m actually wasting. It’s something that I think will take a lot of deliberate, conscious choices and force me to really slow down and evaluate my own habits.
Which of the EcoChallenge daily and one-time challenges do you think will have the most impact on your ecological footprint? Why?

For me, personally, I believe that it will be challenges in the energy or waste categories that will reduce my ecological footprint the most, because I believe those are the two arenas in which I have the most room for improvement. My energy use is definitely something that could be improved. I know that one of my bad habits is forgetting to shut off the light when I leave the room, for example. Turning off my laptop and washing clothes with cold water both seem to have pretty large impacts based on the briefing, so I think these will add up quickly to really make a difference. I believe that waste will be impactful, for largely the same reason, as its definitely one of the avenues which I need to improve the most. I think even just decreasing my use of single use plastics like bottled drinks and plastic silverware will add up quickly. My paper waste is also quite high between paper towels and printing out readings for my classes, I throw out a lot of paper. All my classes are tech-free in class and reading heavy: It’s a LOT of paper that I print out every week, so even if I spend one week relying on hand-written notes without referring to a print out, it’s a significant decrease in waste.

Which daily and one-time challenges will address the political, social, and/or economic drivers of the crises we face? Why or why not?

To some extent, all of these challenges will address the larger drivers of the crises, albeit in a very small way. Particularly, if more people were participating in these challenges, it is likely that many companies, which thrive off our bad habits, would be tipped off and likely prompted to make change. I think the categories that are most likely to have a more macro impact are transportation and energy. Largely, because both of these industries are largely dependent on oil. Oil, and the ways we obtain it, is one of the most destructive forces for the environment. Thus, by reducing our use of energy, and some methods of transportation, we directly decrease one of the most harmful environmental practices.

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- Andrew Stuhl 1/27/2025 11:38 AM
  - TEAM CAPTAIN
  - 28-DAY STREAK
  This is great Rhiannon! You're spot-on that many of these aspects of daily life - how we eat, dispose of waste, use water, and more - are very difficult to change, because they are ingrained habits and the systems/culture around us encourages convenience above all else. Fortunately, you're already well on your way to making small, lasting changes by recognizing this difficulty and being open to trying out new ways of doing things. The goal here is not perfection, but progress - and your willingness to experiment and see what sticks is a wonderful mindset to have as we get started. I'm excited to check in as we progress thru this Eco Challenge to see what is working and what needs work, and what we, as a class, feel by the end of it about the role of individual lifestyle choices vis-a-vis our big environmental problems.
  
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