Jasmine Torres
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 62 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0meatless or vegan mealconsumed
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UP TO1.0plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO36minutesspent learning
Jasmine's actions
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
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.
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.
Water
Use Reusable Bottles
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 4 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Community
Support A Sharing Economy
I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, neighbors, or classmates.
Energy
Turn it off
I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.
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.
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.
Community
Support Native Communities
I will use the resource links provided below and spend 30 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.
Transportation
Drive Less
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.
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
Buy Used Clothes
I will spend 30 minutes learning about the perils of fast fashion and will buy my clothes at second-hand stores when I shop.
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
Participant Feed
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Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 5:22 PMFor Eco Challenge 8: Nature, me and my boyfriend are looking inot potting and planting pollinators and vegitables. We looked into what is native to the area and what would be useful and realistic for us to grow, and plan to plant it in pots so we can take it with us when we move. He is interested in planting cucumbers and tomatoes, and we are looking at native flowers too. He is very enthusiastic about gardening, and this course has made me like it more as well. I want to participate in gardening more too, and i think it can be a fun activity to do together, and on the bright side, he is more reliable about remembering to water plants, so i won't torture another plant the way i have in the past lol. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 5:17 PMFor Eco Challenge 7: consumerism, I decluttered my room and got rid of what i dont need. Lately, i've been getting overwhelmed by my clutter, but cleaning and organizing my room has opened my eyes to what i need and dont need. When i go shopping, I've started to think about where i would put something, or if i even have room for it, which encourages me not to buy it. Getting rid of items also shows me what I already have, and what I don't have use for or haven't touched in years. When I'm tempted to buy something, and if I just got rid of something similar, I know for sure I will not use or need it. I've also taken the approach where I only make purchases I'm 100% sure about, and even if I'm 99% sure I won't buy it. Then if I keep thinking about it, I know I'll use and need it, but if I forget about it completely, I saved myself money and space.
Also, in our class we've talked about the issue of collecting and wanting to get multiple of something that makes us happy. I have decided i no longer want to buy anything i collect new, instead buying it second hand to take off somebody else hands and keeping it out of the landfill. It makes me feel better about getting plastic figurines, but with clothes getting it used or thrifted helps many different issues. I've been thrifting my clothes for a while, but now with anything I can I will try to get it used, which the swapmeet helped do. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 5:05 PMFor Eco Challenge 6: Transportation, I challenged myself to drive less overall. During the school year, I use public transportation to get to school because it more convient and affordable, but during the summer, since i live in the subarbs I find myself driving everywhere. I've started planning my routes as to reducing the mileage i travel when i go out, going to all the locations i need to in one trip so i dont go out multiple times from my house. I also try to put off errands as much as i can so they can stack up and i can do multiple in one trip. And if i am within walking range of something i try to walk instead of getting back in my car. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 4:57 PMFor Eco Challenge 5: community, i wanted to work on creating a sharing community. Within our class, me and evan organized a swap meet, which actually went very well! It looked like most people got rid of most of their items, and were very happy with items they went home with, me included. We even had conversations about how some people had equipment theyre willing to share. It got me thinking about how other schools have student stores where people can donate their stuff, and students can get anything there for free. I want to see if that's a possible thing to do at PSU, as many of us would appreciate getting items we need, and offloading items we no longer need. I found this experience really rewarding, and I think continuing it would be fun, and provide opportunities to meet more people, and if the student store is successful, it could be a hub where people hang out too and build more community. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 4:42 PMFor Eco Challenge 4: water, I will start brushing and using less water in general, and continue to use my reusable water bottle.
I already use a reusable water bottle all the time, and have started carrying it with me regularly to avoid being given a plastic water bottle or using a plastic water cup at restaurants.
Something new im trying is to use less running water. It's very normalized for me so sometimes i forget but I'm trying to be more aware about turning off the water when im not using it when i brush my teeth and shampoo my hair or shave in the shower. What helps me reduce my water usage in general is when im in the shower or brushing my teeth, i like to imagine all the water im using going into a container, and i visualize how much water im using to encourage me to be faster. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 4:31 PMFor Eco Challenge 3: Food, I've decided to cut back on my meat consumption. I am a bit nervous about completely cutting meat completely, because my family prepares a lot of traditional food and i generally don't like being a bother or asking for people to cater to me specifically, but when given the option i will choose the meatless or vegan options as much as possible when i am given a choice. I've done this in the past for a few years, I cut back on meat and when given the choice, i had plant-based meat or just no meat, and after learning in detail how much carbon is used for meat, I'm inspired to start that again. I am hoping to stick with this for a while however, and once I am more confident and happy choosing vegetarian and vegan options, I would be more willing to go all the way and drop animal products from my diet completely. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 4:23 PMFor Eco Challenge 2: Energy, I practiced turning off my devices, and I already use cold water.
For laundry, I use cold water on all my loads because it is typically better for your clothes anyway. I also prefer to take showers and wash my face with cold water as well, or try to go as cold as I feel comfortable, because I find it refreshing and feel better afterwards. I also have less fog and moisture in the bathroom as opposed to showering with warm or hot water.
For turning off your devices, I'm typically good with unplugging things when I don't use them, but I decided to practice completely unplugging all my cords and chargers. I learned about standby power, which is when a charger uses electricity passively even when not in use. With the exception of my clock, I've started unplugging all my charges and cords, and my surge protector strip as well. -
Jasmine Torres 7/21/2025 4:14 PMFor eco challenge 1: Waste, I chose to limit my single use plastics. Another challenge i considered was to research and use local recylcing resources for things i can't place in my glass and paper recycling, but i already do that and collect diabetic needles and batteries for my family and friends and take them to the appropriate disposal location in my county.
For limiting my single use plastics, i have a reusable cutlery and straw set I put in my purse and use when out in public to avoid using single-use plastic options. I also am carrying my water bottle with me more in general to not only drink more water, but also use my water bottle instead of cups for drinking water. And also I don't go out to get drinks very often, when i do I will plan to bring a refillable bottle and ask to have my drink in that instead. The only issue I've run into with this is just the slight inconvience to keep washing my items everyday, or forgetting to clean them and not being able to use them the next day. I personally have a huge problem with developing habits, but hopefully with more repetition i can get used to washing the items I carry with me everyday.