Charlie Henriks

For this Eco Challenge, I committed to starting a compost bin at home. I decided to use just an old food container to use for composting. I began by collecting kitchen scraps like fruit peels, coffee grounds, and vegetable remains. The process was surprisingly straightforward, I just had to remember to put them in my little composting bin instead of in the regular trash. It felt pretty good to take a tangible step toward reducing my environmental impact.​ Reflecting on this action, I was reminded of a statistic from Project Drawdown: “Roughly one-third of all food produced worldwide is wasted. Where income is low, waste is generally unintentional and occurs on farms or during storage or distribution. In regions of higher income, food waste dominates further along the supply chain. Retailers and consumers reject food based on bumps, bruises, and coloring, or simply order, buy, and serve too much.” This made me realize how often I fall into the patterns it describes. I’ve definitely thrown out food just because it looked a little off, either too soft, too brown, or just not fresh enough, even when it was perfectly edible. I’ve also definitely been guilty of overbuying groceries, tossing out uneaten food just days later. Starting a compost bin hasn’t erased those habits overnight, but it’s made me more aware of them. Every time I clear my food remains into the compost or toss in uneaten rotten food, I think about how I could've prevented it. I consider how with a little more planning or awareness, it might not have ended up as waste at all. This challenge has shifted the way I think about food, not just what I eat, but what I waste. Composting is just one small piece of a much bigger system, but it feels like a way of taking responsibility for my impact. This challenge, along with all of the Eco Challenges, serves as a reminder that change doesn’t always have to be massive to be meaningful. I hope I can not only compost more of my waste, but figure out how to create less of it in the first place. Below is a picture of the makeshift compost bin I have been using.

For this Eco Challenge, I set aside 180 minutes to explore and appreciate a natural area near my home. I chose to visit a hiking trail that is very close to my house. While I had been there many times, I wanted to go again and experience it without any distractions. I made sure to not bring my headphones and made sure to walk and appreciate my surroundings instead of running the trail like I normally do. It was honestly a very different experience from what it usually was. Without music or a workout to focus on, I noticed many details I had overlooked before. I noticed the birds chirping, the breeze rustling through the bushes, and I noticed the other people completely neglecting their surroundings. Slowing down allowed me to feel more present and more connected to the space I was in. It made the trail feel completely different from the trail I was familiar with. One of the most interesting moments of this EcoChallenge came when I reached the peak of the trail. From there, I could see all of downtown Los Angeles spread out below me. The contrast was striking. Surrounding me were hills, trees, shrubbery, and wildlife, while in front of me was a vast landscape of buildings, roads, and human infrastructure. It made me reflect on how disconnected our urban environments can be from the natural world, and how easy it is to forget the value of the ecosystems that exist just outside of our view. This moment tied in deeply with something I read on Project Drawdown: “Emissions from tropical deforestation and forest degradation alone today are estimated at 5.1–8.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year—a staggering 14–21 percent of anthropogenic emissions.” Standing between nature and city, I saw firsthand the divide between the natural systems that sustain our own lives and the human systems putting it at risk. With the trail I could see the carbon being absorbed, the biodiversity being protected, and the air being cleaned. While with the city below, I saw the human energy and innovation, but also the pressures that that innovation puts on our planet. This challenge helped me realize that protecting nature starts with experiencing it and respecting it. I’ve always cared about environmental issues, but something about being physically present in that space made the urgency of our climate crisis more real. It also made me want to prioritize time in nature more regularly, not only to remind me of the wonder and excitement it brought me as a kid (as I discuss in my first paper), but also as a reminder of what we stand to lose if we don’t act. This challenge has also made me consider how I could carry this connection with nature and trees that I felt on the trail into the rest of my daily life, even when I’m at school or in the city. I’ve shared a photo from the trail at its highest point showing the divide between the city and nature, serving as a great representation of my ideas discussed in this post.

This week for my EcoChallenge, I committed to cutting down my car mileage by only taking necessary trips and using walking for transportation for everything else. One of the biggest changes I made was choosing to walk to get my groceries instead of driving. Initially, it felt like a bit of a hassle, especially having to carry all my groceries back to my apartment. But the fresh air, and the thought of helping the planet by just walking made the trips more enjoyable. My giant yellow Trader Joe’s bag definitely helped as well. On my walks down to the grocery store, I found myself slowing down, paying more attention to the walk itself, and realizing how often I hop in my car and drive somewhere just out of convenience. Choosing to walk for a task that I usually drive for made me feel more connected to Westwood, and it gave me the opportunity to get outside, move my body, and reduce my environmental impact all at once. While reading through the resources on Project Drawdown, I was reading an article on abc news, in which Trevor Shilton of the National Heart Foundation states: “Basically, when it comes to the built environment in our cities and neighbourhoods, what's good for health is also good for the economy and good for the environment and good for social policy as well.” I realised that my choice to walk didn’t just benefit my personal health or the health of the planet, but it actually impacted many other parts of my community as well. Sure, I used fewer fossil fuels and avoided adding more traffic to the roads, but I suppose I’ve always known about those effects everytime I get in my car. I think the importance of this EcoChallenge for me, was actually getting me to take action and discovering how this solution is quite multifaceted. For example, I had no idea that “increasing the level of walking connectivity in Melbourne by just 10 per cent would add $2.1 billion to the economy.” This statistic, mentioned in the same abc news article, showed another facet of the walking solution. Now, on top of getting more exercise and producing less carbon emissions, I was also helping the economy by just walking by stores and thinking, “that place looks cool.” By walking instead of driving, I saw how transportation is more than just getting from point A to point B, it is a chance to rethink how we live and move within our communities. It also made me ask questions like: Why do we feel the need to drive everywhere, even if it’s just a short distance? I feel like the ease that driving provides overshadows all the good that can be done from such a simple task as walking. I’ll definitely try to keep this habit going, not just for the environment, but for my own health and for the community's well-being. Below is a photo I took on my walk back from the grocery store, carrying my giant yellow Trader Joe’s bag.

During this Eco Challenge, I committed to a healthy diet by eating 2 additional cups of fruits and vegetables daily. In addition, I also made the effort to reduce the consumption of red meat that I have weekly. Even though this helped my diet, that was not the real purpose of this challenge for me. This challenge was less about eating more fruit and vegetables but more about becoming more aware of how my eating habits impacted, not only my health, but more so the world's health. When I first started this challenge I thought it was going to be simple because I love fruits and vegetables. As I went about doing this challenge, however, I realized I actually didn't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I thought on a daily basis. Whether due to the fact that I am too busy to prepare food or I simply ran out of fresh ingredients and have to go to the store, I found it was slightly harder than I had expected to keep pace with this challenge. One of the things that I found absolutely helpful when performing this EcoChallenge was meal prepping, which made me more conscious of how much food I was getting per serving and also helped me to make sure that I was getting the correct amount of fruits and vegetables. This also made me limit the amount of red meat that I was taking in, which was also an important part of this challenge. I like a good cheeseburger or steak, but I know that eating them all the time has many negative impacts. But, as this activity continued, I was craving less and less red meat. I discovered that, similar to my other EcoChallenge of conscious eating, I felt more satisfied with meals because I felt like I was fueling my body in a healthier and more conscious way. While reading through Project Drawdown's research, I came across this quote: "While plant-rich diets are not necessarily the lowest-emission diets, they represent a significant improvement over current dietary practices, particularly those in countries like the US and Australia where meat (especially beef) consumption is high." It really made me stop and think, because it showed me that I don't need to cut out meat completely from my diet in order to make a difference, but just cutting back on my red meat consumption and increasing my fruit and vegetable consumption can still make a huge difference to the environment. In nations such as the U.S., where beef and other meats are staples of most diets, making a transition towards more plant-based meals can decrease greenhouse gas emissions, save water, and save land, all problems that are currently at the top of global sustainability concerns. Eating more plant-based foods also made me more mindful of my overall food choices. I found myself finding new, healthier foods at the grocery store. I realized that I had the ability to enjoy my meals and simultaneously contribute to crafting a more sustainable planet. From this challenge, I learned that small, incremental food changes of mine could positively make a wider difference in the world. I plan to continue placing healthier food, fruits and vegetables, first in the future, not only for my health, but because I know that all of my choices are leading the way to reducing my effects on the environment. Below is a photo of some of my all-time favorite fruits that I started incorporating into meals on a daily basis.

During this Eco Challenge I committed to eating many of my meals without distractions like my phone or the tv. At first, it felt a little uncomfortable to be sitting with just my food and my thoughts, but after a couple of meals without distractions, I found that only being able to focus on my food wasn’t so bad. The small shift in my dining habits helped me slow down and fully experience my meals, allowing me to reflect, not only on how the food I eat affects my body, but also on all that goes in to each meal. While reading over the resources in Project Drawdown I came across something that really stuck out to me: “When food is wasted, all the energy, resources, and money that went into producing, processing, packaging, and transporting it are wasted, too.” This made me realize that distractions at mealtimes can be its own form of waste. When I’m not paying attention to what I’m eating, I tend to overeat, eat too quickly, or not focus on enjoying the meal, which disconnects me from the effort that went into getting that food to my plate. By simply sitting down and focusing on my food, I honestly felt more satisfied. I was able to eat slower, notice the flavors more, and actually ended up wasting less because I was conscious of how much food I actually needed. Every meal represents the labor of farmers, the use of land and water, and the energy spent on transportation and packaging. Giving my full attention to eating felt like a small way to honor that process. It made me more thoughtful not just about what I eat, but how it got there. This experience also made me focus on the impact of influence and support for sustainable practices. As an individual that, unfortunately, is always glued to his phone, a distraction-free meal seemed sort of out of the ordinary for me. But still I was able to appreciate and see the value in considering where all my food was actually coming from. I had never considered such a practice, and I am positive that many other people have never even been introduced to the idea of eating mindfully. The power of small, intentional actions are often overlooked. This is why the Frameworks for Action of influence and support emphasize the power of social connection in driving change. Sometimes small changes in our habits can have huge impacts for our environment and the people around us. I hope to continue practicing mindful eating and introducing others to it in order to help build awareness, reduce waste, and reconnect us to the deeper value of food in our lives. Below is a photo of a breakfast I made that I enjoyed distraction-free. It made me think about where all the food came from and how many different people had been involved just to get this variety of food on my plate.

As a kid, I spent countless hours outside playing soccer, going to parks, going on hikes, and just experiencing the outdoors. I enjoyed just being in nature without a worry in the world. That freedom and connection to the natural world shaped so many of my happiest memories, and I hope one day that my children and grandchildren will have the same chance to form those core memories. I want them to have the opportunity to run and play outside and to explore and feel safe in nature, just like I did. The picture I'm sharing of me and my friends playing soccer at a park is a reminder of those care-free days, when being outside didn't feel like a fading reality. As I've grown older and learned more about harmful air pollution, extreme weather conditions, and the loss of green spaces, I have realized that I have to stop waiting around for somebody else to solve these issues and actually take action myself. As a Los Angeles native, I am already seeing the harmful effects of climate change in my own backyard, literally not being able to step into my backyard because of all the ash in the air earlier this January. Seeing a hiking trail that I frequently go to, less than half a mile from my house, burning due to the LA fires really opened my eyes and served as a call to action. There is a growing risk to the outdoor spaces I love, but also to the outdoor spaces all around the world that bring the same joy to billions of other people. I fear that the same moments of happiness I experienced may no longer be viable for my children or their children. I'm participating in this challenge because I want to take action now, so my family can experience the outdoors with the same sense of wonder, excitement, and safety that defined my childhood and made me who I am today.