Brailynn Garcia (104)

YCP Fall 2024

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
566 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

26

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

carbon footprint

calculated
UP TO

416

minutes

spent exercising

Brailynn's actions

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Share Your Story

Share Your Aha Moment

Fill out this form and share your Ecochallenge story with us!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 21
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
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Brailynn Garcia (104) 10/08/2024 12:20 PM

Yes, I do see many bamboo alternatives in a number of the stores I shop in. For this action I made a trip to my local target and purchased a bamboo tooth brush as well as a bamboo hair brush.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

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 from eating/serving smaller portions?

Brailynn Garcia (104) 10/07/2024 6:50 PM

By serving yourself smaller portions it will allow for your body to be able to process the food and absorb all of the nutrients while also ensure you do not over eat. Over eating may be cause by a person consuming the food too quickly but by serving smaller portions, you will have more time to digest the food and notice when you are full.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?

Brailynn Garcia (104) 10/07/2024 6:43 PM

People who are richer tend to be able to have a more diverse diet than those who are tight on money. As someone's income increases they are able to afford more luxurious items which most of the time includes meats, such as steak. Meat is a great source of protein but is high in saturated fats, which can raise blood cholesterol levels. Eating too much meat can also increase our greenhouse gas emissions due to the methane and nitrous oxide produced by the animals from their waste. Eating meat causes water pollution because of the manure production from livestock which can pollute rivers, groundwater, and lakes, affecting anyone who lives in close proximity to these bodies of water or uses them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Brailynn Garcia (104) 10/07/2024 6:23 PM

Today I took a walk around my neighborhood with my dog which lasted about twelve minutes. I noticed that many parts of my neighborhood do not have sidewalks so it made our walk slightly more dangerous. My neighborhood is also having a lot of construction done in it so the sounds from the machines was not pleasant. Other than that it was a very nice day to go for a walk.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?

Brailynn Garcia (104) 10/07/2024 6:14 PM

After calculating my carbon footprint I see obvious ways I can reduce it. One question asked was how often I use public transportation and my response was never. I could try to substitute some of the trips using my car with public transport. I could also reduce the amount of miles I travel by car each month by opting for the option that is not only better for the environment but also for my health- If the destination is in reasonable walking distance of course.

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