The Challenge

Spread the Word Saturday

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – brushed teeth twice, 5 minute shower, flushed 3 times, washed hands 3 times

Food – oatmeal, chips, fruit tarts, fruit snacks, pasta, rice crispies

Electricity – lights, computer, TV

Gasoline – None

$$Money$$ - $9

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

Since today is Spread the Word Saturday, I lectured my mom on keeping the lights on when they aren’t being used so we cut back on how much electricity we used.

3. Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term? Can you reduce your consumption permanently? Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I could definitely cut back on my water use, my electricity use, and how much money I spend on excessive things.

4. Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way? Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

It has been great seeing the changes that people have made to alter their lifestyles for the better, even if for just one day.

Foodless Friday

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – 5 minute shower, flushed three times, washed my hands three times, brushed my teeth twice

Food – chips, brownie, turkey salad, sandwich

Electricity – lights, computer, TV

Gasoline – None

$$Money$$ - $10.50

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

Since yesterday was Foodless Friday, I wanted to cut back on not only how much food I ate, but also my portion sizes.

3. Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term? Can you reduce your consumption permanently? Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I could definitely buy less snacks, which would save me money. I’m sure I could reduce my consumption permanently because getting rid of the excess things would be good.

4. Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way? Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

I saw the effort that my peers put into reducing their food consumption, which motivates me to do the same.

Technology Thursday

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – 5 minute shower, flushed three times, washed my hands three times, brushed my teeth twice

Food – turkey, stuffing, pineapple chunks, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, juice

Electricity – lights, computer, TV

Gasoline – Stove

$$Money$$ - $2.50

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

Since today is Technology Thursday, I tried to cut back on unnecessary use of my phone and my iPod. My phone ran out of battery this afternoon so that took care of my cell phone use. I didn’t have the same result with my iPod since I used it the same amount as I do everyday, which is for about 30 minutes in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. I also tried to cut down on how long I spend on the computer and how long I watch the television.

3. Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term? Can you reduce your consumption permanently? Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I could definitely spend less time on the computer since I mainly spend it watching the same YouTube videos over and over. I could also definitely cut down on how long I watch TV. These two things are easy ways to save energy.

4. Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way? Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

From seeing some of the results of water footprint calculator, it makes me think about how much I myself use and I want to find ways in which I can cut down even more on how much water I use.

Also unplugging electronics not in use instead of simply turning them off is another way to cut down on electricity because I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that even though some electricity-using goods are turned off they still take energy from the source. I’m a bit hesitant about this though since unplugging the computer and the TV would mean I would need to reset my settings.

Waterless Wednesday

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – 6 minute shower, flushed three times, washed my hands three times, brushed my teeth twice

Food – fish fillet, tater tots, pizza, juice

Electricity – lights, computer, TV, radio

Gasoline – Oven

$$Money$$ - $2.50

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

I tried to cut back on how much water I used since it’s supposed to be waterless Wednesday, but it just ended up being just like yesterday. I’m also trying to cut back on how many hours I spend watching TV and using the computer unnecessarily.

3. Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term? Can you reduce your consumption permanently? Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I once again have been trying to stay conscious of my electricity and water usage. I’m sure that I could do this permanently because it’s not a difficult thing to do. 

4. Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way? Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

Beth isn’t turning on her lights and is instead using candle light. This got me thinking about alternative resources for light that I could use instead of keeping my lights on for hours.

Day Trois: Try Harder Tuesday

1. Consumption - What did you consume today?

Water – 6 minute shower, flushed three times, washed my hands three times, brushed my teeth twice

Food – multi-grain cheerios, cheeseburger, fries, juice, okra

Electricity – lights, computer, TV

Gasoline – None

$$Money$$ - around $5 for the burger and fries

2. Reduction - In what areas of your current lifestyle did you try to scale back the use of specific resources?

I once again tried to scale back on buying unnecessary snacks, so I probably saved a dollar or two and I didn’t waste $2.50 on a school lunch that I didn’t want. I also try to scale back on the amount of water that I am using. I am also cutting down on the amount of electricity that I use by not using my phone and iPod too much so that I don’t have to charge them as often.

3. Sustainability - Are there any changes that you made to your daily routine that you could envision making for the long term? Can you reduce your consumption permanently? Why or why not? Please be specific, and provide examples.

I once again have been trying to stay conscious of my electricity and water usage. After our in class assignment today and seeing how much water I use I am definitely going to make some adjustments about how I manage my water. I’m sure that I could do this permanently because it’s not a difficult thing to do. 

4. Following - What did you learn from following the tumblr feed of your peers? Did one person’s actions resonate with you in a positive way? Will you adjust your own actions because of this?

From my peers, I’m seeing that taking small steps to reduce how much we consume goes a long way.