Lexie Ellis

PCC SOC 228 Environmental Sociology

"We can make a difference!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
255 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

8.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Lexie's actions

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 1 meal(s) from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Lexie Ellis 4/11/2018 3:23 PM

I would rather use the money wasted on food for a trip. While $1,500 isn't enough to travel to another continent, it would still be enough to take a small trip to somewhere in the US. It's amazing just how much food is wasted in America, not to mention the amount of garbage it creates as well.

Read More
- Kim Smith 4/14/2018 6:24 PM
  
  Hi, Lexie. That is a very idea to motivate yourself with a trip.
  
  As a frequent traveler, I can tell you that you really can travel on a budget and see a great deal. Of course, there is always the question of one's carbon footprint, especially given the goals of the Drawdown EcoChallenge, but there are ways to consider the power of travel in advancing your education. We were able to get flights to Korea for $600 and find nice rooms for about $75, so know that you could stretch $1,500 a long ways.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food composting

Producing uneaten food squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these motivates you the most to change your behavior regarding food waste?

Lexie Ellis 4/06/2018 9:37 AM

My motivation for changing my behavior comes from wasting resources, including water, land, and fertilizer. While the majority of American's see water as an unlimited resource, the more we use up, the more energy and resources it takes to clean that water. With our constantly growing population, land use is an ongoing issue; no space should be wasted! And lastly, fertilizer can be extremely harmful to the environment, so wasting food that was produced using synthetic fertilizer is putting unnecessary pollutants into our soil, water, and atmosphere.

Read More