Ecochallenge.org

Campus Ecochallenge

Andrew Stuhl

ENST 246 : Environmental Activism

"To challenge myself to live more sustainably on planet earth!"

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
960 Total

Participant Impact

up to

40

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
up to

48

conversations

with people
up to

9

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
up to

35

minutes

being mindful
up to

25

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
up to

3

public officials or leaders

contacted
up to

13

miles

travelled by foot
up to

2

lightbulbs

replaced
up to

13

miles

not traveled by car
up to

1

enery audits

conducted
up to

10

minutes

spent learning

Challenges

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 10 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home or dorm room.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY CHALLENGES

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Transportation

Learn More and Talk to My Friends

Access to public transportation is a social justice issue! I will learn about the need for public transportation in my community and tell 1 friends each day about the issue.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY CHALLENGES

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

I will replace 5 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY CHALLENGES

Community

Express My Support

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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 7
DAILY CHALLENGES

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 1 mile(s) each day instead of driving and avoid sending up to 0.8 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY CHALLENGES

Waste

Lobby For Reusables

I will lobby my dining hall to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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 14
DAILY CHALLENGES

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY CHALLENGES

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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 2 friends and/or classmates each day about the issue.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY CHALLENGES

Waste

Carry my Trash

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY CHALLENGES

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY CHALLENGES

Feed

Andrew Stuhl 3/06/2019 6:10 AM

Really appreciated the 5 minutes of meditation this morning, after a trying time at home preparing the kids for school. Whitley got upset and threw her plate of scrambled eggs on the floor and then refused to get dressed to walk to the bus stop with Everett. The eggs are still there, she'll have to pick those up this afternoon before she can play! I got Ev and Whit to school safely, came in to the office, made a cup of tea, and meditated my little frustrated heart out. Thank you Headspace.

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Andrew Stuhl 2/25/2019 11:42 AM

Abbie Winter from the Office of Campus Sustainability came by the 3rd floor of Ac West to do a "sustainability audit" of the Dept of Environmental Studies and Sciences (at my request). She sat down with me, the Chair of our Department, and the Academic Assistant to learn how we purchase things, print things, use energy and water, fly/drive to work and conferences, how we order catering, and much more. Very informational! The results will be an excellent 'benchmark' so we, as a Department, can improve our sustainability efforts. And we hope we are a model for other Departments at Bucknell -- ask your professors and advisors to do the same! (Also, I brought in 6 old plates from home that we weren't using anymore -- they are for warming up lunch -- no more disposable plates!)

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Andrew Stuhl 2/21/2019 3:30 PM

It's time again to LEVEL UP PEOPLE!! Week 3 of the EcoChallenge means we add 3 more daily challenges (for a total of 8) and 2 more one-time challenges! And, remember, you have to choose 1 challenge from each category (except "create your own" by Week 4). For Week 3, I am adding to daily challenges: meditate for 5 min/day, walk outside for 5 min/day, and power down my computer when not using it for 2 hours. My one-time challenges are: 1) contact 3 state officials responsible for environmental decisions (#mainstreaminstitutionsofpower #targets) and 2) lobby for recycling and reusables in my department (I'm actually doing this on Monday, but much larger than recycling -- a thorough sustainability audit). Looking forward to the challenge!! Let's Goooo!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/20/2019 7:03 AM

Thinking about 3 things I am grateful for (and writing those down) or emailing someone to appreciate them is such a small, powerful thing. Why is that? I am so curious about happiness and how to live so as to be happy. I remember reading thoughts on happiness by David Brooks ( a columnist for the New York Times). He said that there are several kinds of happiness, or, to put it another way, we often mean very different things when we talk about feeling happy (ie. fulfillment, a sense of purpose, a sense of contentment, pleasure, etc). Brooks says that these feelings are not all equal or lasting and that fulfillment is a much deeper sense of happiness than experiencing pleasure. So while I am happy to eat cake after lunch, I am so much more (ful)filled when I practice gratitude. Thank you EcoChallenge (and David Brooks)!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/17/2019 7:02 AM

Just did an energy audit online through the EPA "Yardstick" feature. This required entering some basic info about my house (size, age, # of occupants, etc) and also our utility usage over the last 12 months. Not a huge surprise in the results, but it is interesting to look at. We already employ lots of energy-saving behaviors, but we could go much further in insulating (our walls and attic). Ariana and I just talked about this, and we are likely not going to invest in insulation in this house; rather, we are looking to move to a different house (still in Lewisburg) that we will live in for the next 10-20 years and invest in more energy-saving features there. We also talked last night about eventually buying an Electric Vehicle and powering it through solar panels on our house! Like Prof. Jannson does!!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/15/2019 7:07 AM

IT IS TIME TO LEVEL UP PEOPLE!! Week 2 of the EcoChallenge, here we come! I added some challenges relating to energy, community, and health. The "health" one is to write down 3 things I'm grateful for each day OR email someone to show my appreciation for them. I just texted my bro who is VERY different from me, with whom I often (respectfully) disagree. I told him I appreciate his critical mind and that I respect his different perspectives and I wish we could hang out more (he lives in Texas). It nourishes something deep in my soul to tell someone I care about how I feel about them! Good luck out there!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/13/2019 12:04 PM

Just want to say -- the "Learn More" tab came through in the clutch for my One-Time Challenge (Go Paperless by opting-out of junk mail). I receive so many 'pre screened offers' for credit cards, insurance, and donations to charity organizations each week. It is ridiculous. The "Learn More" tab pointed me to this Washington Post article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-stop-junk-mail-and-save-trees--and-your-sanity/2018/02/12/6000e4c4-05d9-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fc197c7bcda3) and this helpful service (https://dmachoice.thedma.org/index.php). I had to pay $2 to opt out, but I did it quickly and comprehensively! Thanks EcoChallenge!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/13/2019 5:28 AM

Getting excited to level-up my challenges for next week. Need to think about where I want to challenge myself. I spoke with Ariana about her make-up last night -- she said it is all store-bought. She has thought about making it before, but hasn't put in the time to research it. I can say I don't know the last time she bought make up from the store. And, given we keep receipts on everything, that is probably something I'd see in our receipts file. Keep on keepin' on everyone!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/11/2019 5:28 AM

Yes I am carrying around my trash today on campus!!

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Andrew Stuhl 2/08/2019 5:35 AM

Let's goooo! Day 1 of the EcoChallenge is here. I couldn't be more excited and anxious for what is to come. My breakfast rarely includes meat and that was true for me this morning. I packed my lunch and it does not include meat, so I am good for my "2 meals a day without meat" challenge! I'm also carrying around non-compostable, non-recyclable trash with me today. So far, no items! We compost and recycle at home, so I have yet to produce something headed to the landfill. Good luck everyone and congrats on starting this adventure!

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