

Emily Nies(cho901)
"Increasing self-awareness and efficiency; decreasing waste and ignorance to Earth; and, acting!"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,293 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO28whole food mealsconsumed
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UP TO392milesnot traveled by car
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UP TO659pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO1,960minutesnot spent in front of a screen
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UP TO34plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO37plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO20pounds of paperhave been saved
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
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UP TO3.0public officials or leaderscontacted
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UP TO54conversationswith people
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UP TO1.0community eventhosted or attended
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UP TO3.0advocacy actionscompleted
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UP TO2,200minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO435minutesspent learning
Emily's actions
Water
Insulate Water Pipes and Water Heater
I will avoid wasting water while waiting for the shower or sink to heat up.
Health
Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns
I will spend 90 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.
Food
Advocate for More Food Options
I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work or on campus.
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
Community
LEARN ABOUT TRANS, FEMME, AND NONBINARY EXPERIENCES
I will spend 60 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.
Community
Host A Watch Party
I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.
Waste
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.
Water
Say No to Plastic Straws
An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.
Health
Know My health
I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).
Simplicity
De-Clutter My Home or Dorm Room
I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home or dorm room.
Simplicity
Needs Vs. Wants
I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.
Transportation
Car Share
I will sign up for a car-sharing service or organize car sharing with my neighbors or classmates to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.
Transportation
Drive Less
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.
Transportation
Learn More and Advocate
Access to public transportation is a social justice issue! I will learn about the need for public transportation in my community and tell 3 friends or classmates each day about the issue.
Transportation
Improve a Bus Stop
I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.
Transportation
Stay on the Ground
Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).
Food
Visit A Local Farm
I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.
Food
Whole Food Lifestyle
I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.
Nature
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 60 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.
Waste
Personal Waste Audit
I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.
Waste
Choose Two-Sided Printing
I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided when I have to print documents.
Waste
Reduce Single-Use Disposables
Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and POC-majority neighborhoods. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.
Waste
RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES
I will spend 150 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
Energy
Heat and Cool Naturally
I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.
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.
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?
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Emily Nies(cho901) 10/21/2023 6:42 AMMy friends and I had a sleepover last night and we carpooled to get coffee this morning without straws and we had a reusable cup!-
Rachael Clarke 10/21/2023 7:32 AMThat is awesome getting friends involved!
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Emily Nies(cho901) 10/20/2023 1:39 PMthinking back to why i first started this challenge, i only did it because i was assigned to the team by my professor. now that we’re most of the way through the challenge, i’m really glad i’ve grown to giving it my all! it’s truly been an experience. -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/19/2023 8:55 AMMy prescription medicine bottles are returnable to the pharmacy for reuse. I always used to think of how many bottles I would throw away, before I researched my local recycling opportunities! -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/18/2023 5:33 AMI brewed my coffee at home today and brought it in a reusable cup that I can refill at Starbucks! I just request they put my drink into the reusable cup to cut down on plastic.-
Rachael Clarke 10/18/2023 8:18 AMMaking coffee/tea at home is so much cheaper as well! Sometimes investing in making better drinks at home is beneficial to reduce plastic waste and can save on money in the long term. I enjoy making my coffee and tea much more since I bought a few coffee syrups and a bit higher quality teas
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Emily Nies(cho901) 10/17/2023 3:59 PMThis morning, since I was late getting up for class, I unexpectedly got to take a 4-minute long cold shower where I also brushed my teeth and used the running water to take my medicine. Talk about efficiency! Another thing I’d like to add is that making energy-efficient decisions does not have to torture you. I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did every day. -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/16/2023 10:08 AMI brought a hot tea to school this morning and did some homework before class outside. It was pretty cold but I enjoyed it and was productive. -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/14/2023 9:41 AMToday I heard my coworker quote something from his phone that I wanted to share on this page. He said (not verbatim) “Change doesn’t fail because it began too early; change only fails when it began too late.” It reminded me of the proactivity that is encouraged in this challenge and how all participants are working together, even if we are competing. -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/13/2023 10:37 AMI’ve already completed the one-time action of a personal waste audit. It was embarrassing. Since then, I’ve been focusing on ways to keep my existence as a person as plastic and waste-free as possible by avoiding Starbucks each morning, packing my own whole-food lunches, preparing zero-waste meals, and reusing disposables that could be treated as double or triple use items. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Know My healthHow do you deal with the physical and emotional stress of the big problems we face? How can you help others cope?
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/13/2023 10:31 AMThe way I deal with he physical and emotional stress of my problems is by keeping the people and things I love close to my heart. I prioritize spending time with my family and friends just as much as I prioritize college and work. By maintaining this work-life balance, I can help my self and the people around me release stress and come to terms with the fact that we can only do so much to improve the planet. -
Emily Nies(cho901) 10/13/2023 7:42 AMMy 8amclass was cancelled this morning, so I took my opportunity to bring my pet rats outside for some playtime in the morning dew. They love playing in the water and the grass, and my family loves to watch them play! While they played I harvested some cherry tomatoes from my garden because the rats love them fresh.