Anmol Singh Rattan
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 377 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO14meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO240minutesspent exercising
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UP TO120minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO150minutesspent learning
Anmol Singh 's actions
Share Your Story
SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST
On Sept 4, we will have 3 guests come talk to us about sustainability initiatives at Vanier. In preparation, please read over VANIER'S 5-YEAR SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN 2018-2023 and then write an EcoChallenge post that includes the following: - What do you think about the plan? Is it ambitious enough? Is there anything missing or superfluous? From your own observation and experience, how well is Vanier doing? List some questions that you would like to ask our speakers regarding Sustainability at Vanier? - Identify at least 3 initiatives that you are potentially interested in contributing to this semester and explain why. (Note there is a column labelled student involvement.) For more detailed information, you can also consult the 2020 VANIER ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT in the links.
Transportation
SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST
Write an Ecochallenge POST to our team, briefly stating how you currently commute to Vanier. In Quebec, because we have a lot of hydro electric power, one of the main source of carbon emissions is from transportation. What commuting options do you have that would be healthier for you and the planet? Will you be considering any changes for this semester? If so, select or create an EcoChallenge action. If not, explain what your particular challenges are and what you could do to help other people in your situation (e.g. organise car sharing, propose a bus shuttle, etc.)
Share Your Story
SiA Homework for Sept 11 - Intro Post
Please write a short post to introduce yourself to the class. Mention some of your interests and what program you are in. If you have some ideas for your sustainability project this semester, please share - you might find a collaborator! Inspire others with the EcoChallenge actions that you are interested in trying out. Include a photo of yourself if you like.
Share Your Story
READ Quebec's principles for a just transition AND/OR PARTICIPATE in the Sept 27 Climate March
For the week of Sept 25 to Oct 2, please read the documents attached AND IF YOU CAN, please attend the Sept 27 Climate March. Many people and organisations feel that the government is dragging its feet on the important changes required to meet our climate commitments. For your post, reflect on the value of mass demonstrations. Include a photo of a protest banner or slogan that you find effective (if you can't attend the event then find a photo on the web from other climate marches).
Land Sinks
Explore My Area
Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.
Land Sinks
Buy Bamboo
Bamboo Production
When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
Health and Education
Research Barriers to Participation and Representation
Family Planning and Education
I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping
I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products
Plant-Rich Diets
I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn About Aquaculture
Improved Aquaculture
Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.
Industry
Practice the 5 Rs
Recycling
I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Smaller Portions
Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
Reduced Food Waste
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
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?
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Anmol Singh Rattan 11/13/2024 8:12 PMConsuming smaller portions and more vegan meals not only had incredible benefits to my health, helping me shed a lot of weight but taught me more sustainable buying and eating habits. Food takes a lot of energy to both produce and get transported, constantly eating huge meals means that there needs to be even more food produced and energy used to keep up with demand. Meat and other animal products are often extremely pollutant. Livestock takes a lot of food and water to be raised, and factories to process various animal products aren't exactly green. Cows for example are an incredibly large producer of methane. Just one cow requires an insane amount of food and water. Balancing the amount of animal products you eat, getting them ethically sourced, and eating in moderation are key to a sustainable diet. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 11/13/2024 10:10 AMFinal Post: Doing the EcoChallenge for the past few weeks was an incredible experience. Though I always forgot to log all the things I did, for example my daily walks, vegan meals, etc, I challenged myself to commit to it as much as I could. Bought reusable bamboo products, took care of a garden, etc. At first a lot of it was difficult. Smaller portions of food was difficult for a man of my composition and stature at first, but eventually I got used to it. Getting the confidence to confront my managers at work on wasting tons of food daily was difficult, but I'm glad I did it. My efforts made a difference to me. Taking daily walks through my local area got me heavily interested in Urban Planning, city development, the importance of green spaces and nature in cities, and walkability. It also got me more exercise and helped me lose weight, along with smaller food portions and vegan meals. Learning about regenerative agraculture, expiration dates, barriers women face in society, the "5 Rs" and doing other actions I didn't pick just for the fun of it was very insightful and I got to help those around me learn too. My family has started wasting much less and buying less, saving money and energy. I got to have a lot more cooking date nights with my girlfriend making vegan dishes. I don't plan on stopping these habits any time soon. I will start doing even more Actions from now on to make as much of a difference I can, to make as much positive change as possible. If the world stopped using fossil fuels, there would be several outcomes. The fossil fuel industry is absolutely massive and corrupt. It is well known many gas companies will go as far as to destabilize some countries for money and are comically evil. I feel like we would be better off without them. As for day to day use, a lot if machinery requires fossil fuels to get going. Industries globally would be in danger without them, thousands of people would lose jobs. We would need to rely on electricity much more, but some countries would be defavoured with this because they either rely on gas or don't have a way to produce electricity. Obviously it would benefit the environment a lot, reducing GHG emissions and several thousand other benefits. But if we relied only on electricity, that still requires a lot of material, much of it often being unethically sourced, Mining resources causes a lot of pollution too. Unfortunately, there is no 100% clean, ethical, and globally applicable way to replace fossil fuels AND maintain our current lifestyles yet. We rely too much on fossil fuels because most societies overconsume and want to make as much money as possible. Fossil fuels are a good way to make money and are heavily integrated in many parts of our lives as a result. In some ideal world without them, where an ethical green energy source can be accessed by everyone, I envision a lot less cars, neighbourhoods redeveloped to be walkable and where every important institution like schools or hospitals can be easily found nearby, and a much more pleasant smell (I hate the smell of gas). Rich people will probably find different ways to make money unethically and to rule over lower classes. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 11/12/2024 8:52 PMI haven't been keeping track of my time on DrawDown, but I've been going on 30 minute walks of of area almost every single day since starting the Ecochallenge. Walkability is incredibly important to me. I've seen some cities in the US and it looks like urban hell. Streets only fit for cars and nothing else. I'm lucky to live in the scenic part of my neighbourhood, so having routes that directly pass through nature, dedicated bike lanes, good sidewalk, shade from trees are all blessings. Cities should focus less on cars. A lot of western society and cities were redeveloped for cars and highways, paving through neighbourhoods and destroying communities in the process. I got so into the topic of walkable cities and western urban development because of this Action. Car companies funded neighbourhoods, especially minority communities (described as a cancer on society), to get destroyed to make room for roads. Walkability brings people together. Having so many local and diverse shops I can easily access without a car is great. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 11/12/2024 8:13 PMI spent almost 2 hours learning about regenerative agriculture. A more sustainable and resilient to climate change way to do agriculture, mainly focusing on regenerating and improving the entire agroecosystem instead of just exploiting it. Making it so that the land is always usable to farm on. It's 5 key principles are keeping soil covered, keeping things organic, integrating livestock, high crop diversity, and minimizing soil disturbance. Regenerative agriculture reduces GHG emission, improves freshwater quality, reduces soil erosion, etc. Current agriculture tends to be very exploitative and harmful to the environment, cutting and burning down forests and destroying ecosystems just to exploit the land later on. Many Indigenous peoples practiced regenerative agriculture too. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 11/06/2024 6:26 AMThe results and reactions to the US election have reminded me of just how much harder women have it in life. Women have a lot less opportunities in many fields, including politics, stem, construction, etc. They are severely underrepresented in so many fields, in several places they can't even work. They are systemically oppressed in so many places in the world and have to work much harder to get anywhere in life and have to fight so many negative stereotypes, it's insanity. The reactions from men towards Kamala Harris' attempt at presidency were filled with sexist, bigotted talking points. So many people already counted her out just for being a woman, the amount of videos I've seen of men making sexist statements to her is unreal. They would rather vote for a sex offender with 34 felonies than a woman. What have we come to. I don't think she had a great campaign and disagree with several of her views, but seriously? It's 2024 and women still face so much discrimination throughout the world. I hate it here -
Anmol Singh Rattan 10/30/2024 10:58 AMI work for a Walmart and we have a food problem. We throw stuff out as soon as there's a blemish, it gets misplaced, or expired. All in the trash. So much waste, some of it I have to throw. Learning about expiration dates was eye opening to just how much perfectly fine and still usable food gets thrown out. Some changes have been made, like putting nearly expired items on sale to encourage theur use, but we should at least compost them or give them to those in need -
Anmol Singh Rattan 10/23/2024 9:41 AMThanksgiving. The 4 videos mention mainly individual carbon footprint, societal injustices in wealth and how different economic groups cause emissions. The richest few pollute more than the rest of the population. More developed countries tend to have higher carbon footprints per resident. We have a limit of how many resources the earth can regenerate in a year and constantly go over that limit. I'm grateful for having a source of electricity that doesnt cause emissions and having trees everywhere. I think degrowth is important, we consume too much as a society and are incentivized to do so. I've stopped eating out, using single use products, started shopping locally instead of at big polluting companies. I've saved a lot of money and have improved my health, but I could also stop buying gas and take the bus instead to save more. I should also stop falling into the trap of constantly needing a new version of some product. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 10/16/2024 1:37 PMReducing what I consume, consuming more sustainable products, and decreasing my garbage output was tough at first. Doing the Ecochallenge made me realize just how much I buy, waste, and throw stuff out. I make a lot of my own meals now, buying locally instead of going to big, wasteful, grocery chains. I tried looking into what other uses I could get out of stuff I would consider trash. Turns out banana peels can help out your teeth, which is pretty cool. I also drive a lot less now, saved me a lot on gas -
Anmol Singh Rattan 10/09/2024 10:24 AMI've been eating smaller portions of food and more vegan meals. It's been fun exploring different recipes. I'm a big dude. Very large, well fed man. So this was going to be a bit hard at first but I've begun adapting to it. It's made for some cute dare nights, making recipes with my girlfriend. We made vegan onigiris last night, it was pretty good. I've lost some weight too, it feels good. Glad I started doing this. -
Anmol Singh Rattan 10/02/2024 4:56 AMI find that mass demonstration can be very effective to bring people together on a certain subject but only for a limited time and rarely yields actual results. I couldn't attend the climate march last week because of an injury, but I try to attend demonstrations whenever I can. Though thousands of people taking to the streets, marching for a certain justice, is very powerful, I get annoyed that, not only do many people go just to say that they went or to make a post about it, there's never an actual change that it brings. I attended the climate march from a gew years ago when Greta Thunberg attended, and even though hundreds of thousands of people came, literally no change was made because of it. So many people will come but not have the will to make actual change. Right after that protest ended I saw people go to McDonalds and throw their trash on the floor. What??? Also, politicians had the gall to attend these things and then make no change. Another issue is that people forget about what they're protesting about after a while anyways and stop protesting. I always found it annoying that people move on from these things so quickly.