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Emily Simons
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 356 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO6.0plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO280minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO275minutesspent learning
Emily's actions
Share Your Story
Find out what’s happening in your neighborhood
While global and national actions get a lot of attention, it’s often at the local community level where individuals can have the greatest input and where change is most tangible. But every community is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I will spend 20 minutes finding out how my neighborhood, town or city is helping the environment and building local resilience.
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Learn about Biochar
Biochar Production
I will spend 60 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Smart Seafood Choices
Ocean Farming
I will visit seafoodwatch.org and download the app to commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Cook With Seaweed
Seaweed Farming
I will use seaweed in a new recipe.
Buildings
Learn about the Legacy of Redlining
Multiple Solutions
I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the legacy of redlining and how city planning and environmental justice issues are interconnected.
Land Sinks
Explore My Area
Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 180 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.
Land Sinks
Plant Trees
Temperate Forest Restoration
I will plant 10 trees in my community, public parks, or backyard.
Transportation
Advocate For Greener Vehicles
Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars, Efficient Trucks
I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Transportation
Stay on the Ground
Telepresence, High-Speed Rail
Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Tend A Garden
Conservation Agriculture
I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping
I will spend at least 45 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.
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.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Smaller Portions
Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
Industry
Go Paperless
Recycled Paper
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions, and opting out of junk mail.
Industry
Recycle Everything I Can
Recycling; Recycled Metals; Recycled Plastics
Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, including electronics and metals.
Industry
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
Multiple Industry Solutions
I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin practicing it in my own life.
Industry
Advocate For More Packaging Options
Multiple Industry Solutions
I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.
Industry
Reduce Single-Use Disposables
Bioplastics; Reduced Plastics
I will avoid buying and using 2 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.
Industry
Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket
Refrigerant Management
I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.
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.
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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Emily Simons 6/25/2024 2:25 PMthis is a really hard one for me right now. i was raised to be chea-thirfty, very thrifty, and have recently outgrown most of my wardrobe. so i'm struggling against buying cheap new clothes that will last as long as it takes to lose the extra weight. My partner and i went thrifting sunday and there was nothing that fit or ws of high enough quality material that it would hold up to tailoring to make it fit. Fast Fashion has been around so long that it has poisoned the thrift market with crummy fabric too.-
Samantha Niven 6/27/2024 6:58 AMI'm currently a seller on Depop who sources the clothes they sell from thrifting adventures! This is going to sound like a very silly suggestion, but it's my rule-of-thumb when it comes to thrifting (especially at Goodwill): find the soccer mom neighborhoods. My go-to is the Goodwill in Maple Shade; they're one of the biggest Goodwill's I've ever been to, and they ALWAYS have designer and name-brand clothing that is practically brand-new. -
Lydia Roe 6/26/2024 11:43 AMFast Fashion really poisons the system AND the planet. I'm struggling with this as I'm trying to build a more adult wardrobe for work, etc., and it's a huge challenge to not use familiar FF brands. I haven't tried thrift apps like Depop or ThredUp but I've heard good things.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONIndustry Learn About & Practice Sustainable FashionHow can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?
Emily Simons 6/25/2024 2:22 PMrepurposing/refinishing older items gives them a personal flair and longer life. -
Emily Simons 6/25/2024 2:19 PMmy favorite (so far) replacement for single use plastic is bee's wraps. its fabric soaked in beeswax. it replaces plastic wrap in most situations. the only issue is if i'm impatient and try to wrap food when its still warm, then it'll melt a little, otherwise its perfect. and i get cute patterns <3 -
REFLECTION QUESTIONBuildings Learn about the Legacy of RedliningHow does city planning and design relate to equity and climate change?
Emily Simons 6/19/2024 2:21 PMPlanning and design of the build environment has an enormous impact on climate change. The way the US has been planned around individual automobiles rather than any other mode of transportation (feet, bike, animal, etc), the way trees are treated as a nuisance (powerlines, sidewalks, oh NO the leaves and what if it FALLS? /s) rather than focal point, or worse when greenery is considered a luxury that one must be able to pay for privately. As long as voters continue to consider the economically disadvantaged to be non-people we will continue to have rampant inequitable environmental health.-
Tonia Wu 6/25/2024 12:43 PMYes - so many American towns and cities built during the boom period after WWII were designed for cars, not people - . It's frustrating that many of us who were born long after these decisions were made, have nevertheless been locked into car dependency due to the ways our communities have been designed - that will take time and investment to change.
I will say, I have a healthy respect for trees, as someone who had her car crushed by one a few years back! So important to maintain the health of trees - for every one that comes down, two or more should be planted...
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Emily Simons 6/12/2024 7:02 AMmade miso soup last night, which has two different kinds of seaweed: kombu and nori. unfortunately, i think i got a cheap bag of nori or something because it completely disintegrated seconds after i added it to the soup. rather than order better seaweed online and waste all that delivery packaging (bc my grocery store def doesn't have any other options), i'll try it with spinach next time.-
Emily Simons 6/19/2024 2:31 PMnearest asian grocery to me is in Delaware and i just never seem to have time to go there when i'm already in DE. -
Louisa Lubiak 6/12/2024 4:59 PMOr see if you can locate a Korean or Asian grocery store that's in your area. Maybe they'll have some better sea vegetables.
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Emily Simons 6/12/2024 6:55 AMlast night for dinner I was more careful than usual to make just enough for two, rather than cooking as much as I had ingredients for. and we both started with a smaller portion, which left just enough for me to pack for lunch today. :-D
which i pack in a glass container since it will have a longer service life than plastic, but a shorter time as trash. <3 -
REFLECTION QUESTIONIndustry Find a Local Climate-Friendly SupermarketHow close is the nearest climate-friendly supermarket to your home? How could you encourage local supermarket to reduce or phase out their use of HFC refrigerants?
Emily Simons 6/10/2024 7:20 AMThe nearest climate-friendly supermarket is Lidl in Vineland, 40+ minutes away, and I would pass 4 other grocers (two much more "locally owned" than Lidl) on the way there. I'm not sure it's worth the extra fuel it would take to get there. I have no other reason to go into Vineland, so I can't even stop by while I'm in the area.-
Gabryella Pulsinelli 6/12/2024 4:46 AMI Agree! Sometimes organic means grown miles away instead of the produce grown right near me . -
Samantha Niven 6/11/2024 11:22 AMI think this brings up a really interesting point: the "climate-friendly" label for a grocery store becomes kind of useless when you're driving so far out of your way to get there lol. At your closest grocery store, I wonder if it's possible to reduce your climate impact in other ways? Like buying peanut butter packaged in a glass jar as opposed to a plastic one, or using reusable produce bags. Some grocery stores make that hard, but it might be an easier ask than driving 40+ minutes to Lidl!
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REFLECTION QUESTIONCoastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Cook With SeaweedWhat recipe did you make and how did it turn out? Will you cook with seaweed again?
Emily Simons 6/06/2024 9:17 AMi've added spirulina to a loaf of bread and in limited amounts i couldn't even taste it. did turn the whole loaf green, but i like green so wasn't a problem for me LOL -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration DatesHow does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Emily Simons 6/03/2024 2:01 PMKnowing the difference between an expiration date, based on food safety, and a date based on taste or aesthetics, helps reduce food waste and thus also waste generated when disposing of the packaging.-
Louisa Lubiak 6/05/2024 5:04 PMI have a habit of "adopting" what I call "orphans" from the discount shelf of the grocery store and buying last-day-of-sale specials. I'm saving $ and keeping those items from being thrown out by the store.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFood, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller PortionsWhile 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?
Emily Simons 6/03/2024 1:59 PMI tend to overeat, so reducing initial portions or planning ahead to eat only half of what I am served, is a healthy habit to develop.