Lydia Heykamp

PCC SOC 228 Environmental Sociology

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
302 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

donation

made

Lydia's actions

Women and Girls

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

If I have to buy paper products, I will only purchase products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 2
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
Women and Girls Fund Family Planning

When family planning focuses on healthcare provision and meeting the expressed needs of women, it results in empowerment, equality, and well-being, and the benefits to the planet are side effects. Why is family planning an important civil rights consideration?

Lydia Heykamp 4/25/2018 9:55 AM

Although some may add to this, I see family planning as having easy access to important resources (such as birth control methods) and education on the topic of reproduction and sexual health. In this regard, family planning is an important civil rights consideration as having children is something each individual should be able to make informed decisions on. It's also important to consider the children being born, as families who've been provided with better education will be able to provide a better life for them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Lydia Heykamp 4/11/2018 10:59 PM

I use single-use coffee cups more than I care to admit. This week I chose to make coffee at home and use my travel mug instead which caused me to spend less money on coffee, and throw away fewer cups!

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- Kim Smith 4/12/2018 8:57 PM
  
  Great job! It is quite shocking when we start to document our waste. Carrying your travel mug really makes a difference and adds up fast (as do the financial savings).
  
  I had an interesting experience at a sustainability center in Korea last week that ties in well to your food waste challenge. They have lots of students and teachers who visit the center and they collect and weigh everyone's food waste to increase awareness. They are encouraged to take smaller portions in the cafeteria and eat all of their food. I ended up not finishing my soup and some of bean sprouts and onions were still in the bowl. I was so embarrassed when they got poured it into the filter and they pointed it out. It is a powerful way to socialize people and redefine norms. Not sure how Americans would respond, but I really liked the concept.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

How can you take your action a step further?

Lydia Heykamp 4/10/2018 10:55 PM

When I went to buy a notebook, I was careful to make sure I bought one that consisted of recycled paper. I can take this a step further by encouraging others to do the same, bringing to their attention that seemingly small actions can add up over time and make a big difference.

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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?

Lydia Heykamp 4/09/2018 10:24 PM

This money could be used to reach those in poverty, and help those without access to enough food have what they need. It could also help each individual family as extra money could be used to pay bills and other necessities.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of this?

Lydia Heykamp 4/09/2018 10:21 PM

When we have more food on our plates we often eat more than we need to without allowing ourselves the chance to digest food and feel full. by Initially taking less we are giving our bodies a chance to process the food we eat which can have multiple health benefits such as weight loss.

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Lydia Heykamp 4/09/2018 3:39 PM

Just got started with the challenges! I was happy to see I already do some of the things listed (such as support local businesses owned by women, and use public transport) and I can't wait to try incorporating other changes in my life. I chose the 'eating less' challenge because I think it's something that I can do that's both good for my health and the environment. I also decided to try taking a log of what food I throw away each day in hopes that I'll become more aware and less wasteful.

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