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.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
Waste
Use Reusable Bags
If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
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.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
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
Health
Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation
I will spend 30 minutes practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation to nurture love and compassion for myself and others.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
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 ACTIONS
Community
Host A Watch Party
I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Simplicity
Limit Social Media
I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 30 minute(s)
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
Simplicity
Core Values
We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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).
Sweetest picture of a couple in the park! This reminds me of Ruether's healing chapter in Gaia & God when she describes the greater love and creativity that is released from the human soul when connected with nature. I think nature has a unique ability to bring people together as shown in the picture and also through our class!
My family was in NYC over break, so we walked in Central Park. Spending time outdoors provides a valuable reset from the typical way of thinking. In college, especially during finals, students often go from class to studying without much free time and Fall into a study and analysis routine. Spending time outdoors allows your mind to take a break from staring at a screen or book and become adept in noticing your surroundings in a different way. Also, spending time outdoors with my family was a much-needed change of scenery and de-stressor right before finals.
Instead of flying home for Easter, I took the train. This means that it took me a little longer to get home, but overall, there wasn't much change or hassle in restructuring my trip. I am going abroad in the Fall and I hope to take advantage of ground train as I find it easier than air travel. I will make sure to look into the train systems in Copenhagen and see how I can use them to travel to other cities I am interested in visiting. When I was abroad this past Summer in Italy, I used the train system constantly, so I hope to do this again. In general, when I am traveling to and from Georgetown I will try to rely more heavily on train travel.
For this action, I searched online for articles that explained the sustainable fashion issue how best to approach a solution. One of the most common tips that was suggested was to look at where the product you are buying is made. From there, research if the workers who made this product are treated fairly, paid living wages, and practicing environmentally sustainable production methods. This sounds like a lot to do when buying clothes, but it actually could just be a quick Google search. Another tip is to look for quality and durability when buying clothes. If an item is more expensive but it will last longer this may be worth it in the long run. This can also help you limit your spending habits as you are taking the time to consider if you really need each piece. Also look for sustainable materials; for example, tags that list Global Organic Textile Standard and OEKO-TEX are sustainable. A final suggestion for practicing sustainable fashion is thrifting. There are so many unique thrift shops around DC, and Georgetown even has a club called Georgetown Reuse, which holds thrift sales at the weekly farmer's market. This helps make sure that clothes are not thrown away and can be repurposed or reused for someone else. Thrifting is also a way to get pieces that no one else has so your style is more unique to you!
DIY transformation: transform old clothes by yourself, such as cutting, dyeing or adding decorations (such as embroidery, sequins). Matching innovation: try new ways of matching existing clothes and find different style combinations.
While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?
I use a reusable water bottle every day. I find that this is so much more convenient as Georgetown has water fountains in almost every building that I can use instead of finding a place to buy a water bottle all of the time. Something fun about reusable water bottles is that they often showcase a person's personality. People tend to have fun colors or put stickers that are significant to them, which I love looking at! I also find that having a reusable water bottle makes me drink more water because I have it with me all the time. I think the biggest challenge to having a reusable water bottle at school is constantly having to wash it so it doesn't grow mold. Maybe having water bottle washing tablets available to students in common rooms could help with easier washing and provide an incentive for more people to use reusable water bottles.
Choosing two-sided printing can be an easy adjustment on your computer settings. How can you help others make this same switch? Can it be encouraged company wide?
I think Georgetown does a great job with encouraging two-sided printing. When you print something, this is the automatic setting that comes up on the printer. I print a lot of things for my classes because most of them are reading-heavy. Switching to two-sided printing makes sure that I use less paper. Although I appreciate having articles on physical pieces of paper in front of me, and sometimes it is essential to have a technology-free classroom, I am wondering if there is a way to accomplish this without using paper. Maybe someone in class has an idea!
What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What did you substitute or could be substituted instead?
I regularly use straws, coffee cups, and plastic grocery bags. Lately, I have been trying to limit my use of straws by opting for different lids or not using a lid when I am not taking my coffee to go. I think I could make a more conscious effort moving forward to use fewer coffee cups in general. I could invest in a reusable travel mug to bring with me around campus. Even though this is a small thing, I think it is a hard change to implement because of the added inconvenience of washing a mug daily in the dorm sink. However, I think this effort would be worth making and maybe would help me drink less caffeine if I didn't want to wash the mug all the time!
Social media can keep us connected with loved ones, make us laugh, and help us to learn new things. It can also create echo chambers and take more time than we realize or intend to give. After completing this action for a few days, how do you feel? What do you notice?
I have noticed since intentionally limiting my time on social media that I feel a lot less anxious. I like social media for seeing what my friends are up to and what moments have stood out to them as important to photograph and highlight, but sometimes I find myself spending way too much time just scrolling. I don't think I even realized that I had a negative relationship with social media until I started using it less because I never felt noticeably anxious after using it. However, by limiting my use of social media, I have had more time to appreciate the daily proceedings of my life outside of my phone. I don't think social media is a bad thing entirely, but I do think spending less time on it generally has helped me become less reliant on it for happiness.
I use the Five-Minute Journal in the mornings to write down three things I am grateful for, three things that will make the day great, and a daily affirmation. Then, at night, I write three highlights of my day and one thing I have learned. Sometimes, the things that I write about are very simple, such as being grateful for waking up in a good mood, but I do feel like specifically naming these positives has had a genuine impact on my motivation. As Georgetown students, we all have so many wonderful things going on in our lives, but these can sometimes get lost under the pressure and workload we face. I love having memories and moments of gratitude to look back on when I am feeling particularly stressed, as they get me through some of the tougher weeks at school. I also think reframing stressors as things to be grateful for has improved my stress levels. For example, instead of dreading a paper I have to write, I try to focus on how lucky I am that I get to spend the time expressing the things I have been fortunate enough to learn this semester. This is definitely not an easy thing to do and something I am still working on, but this challenge has helped!
