James Zimmerman

UTKSUST

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
445 Total

Participant Impact

up to

345

minutes

spent exercising
up to

30

minutes

spent learning

James's Actions

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

Completed
One-Time Action

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Reflection Question
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but its carbon footprint may not be obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

James Zimmerman 4/15/2020 12:24 PM

A really common material that has a large carbon footprint is steel. Steel is used in a lot of the skyscrapers and high rises that are being built in large cities. Producing and manufacturing it emits a high amount of carbon, and even more when transportation is considered. This material is used in many structures, as well as many machines.

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James Zimmerman 4/15/2020 12:20 PM

For my one time challenge, I researched alternatives to cement. Cement is used for lots of different things and was quite broad to research alternatives. I chose to focus on one specific area of cement, which was parking lots. I chose this because of how it closely relates to my major of Sustainable Landscape Design. I have attached two examples of alternatives to cement parking. The first is using grass instead cement in the areas not run over frequently. This is more carbon sequestration reduces the urban heat island effect that cement can cause. The second is a picture of a stone parking lot. This parking lot has cracks in between the stones that allows the water to enter the ground and enter the water table. This helps reduce the carbon produce by cement by using a different paving, as well as mitigate storm water runoff.

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James Zimmerman 3/23/2020 1:01 PM

COVID-19 has forced me to return to my hometown in Sylva, NC. I have been doing walks around the neighborhood here. It is really crazy to see the differences in the timing plant blooms from Knoxville to here. It seems that since it is cooler here, that the bloom period is not started until later in the year.

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James Zimmerman 3/03/2020 9:13 AM

I have still been getting most of my walking time done through plant walks in the UT Gardens for my Plant Id class. I have also begun to walk around Main Campus some to learn more about it. Soon, I plan on walking around other areas of Knoxville to get a better understanding of Knoxville as a whole, not just campus.

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Reflection Question
Buildings and Cities 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?

James Zimmerman 3/03/2020 9:10 AM

On my daily walks, I have noticed that there are some areas on campus that do not have paths, but should. Instead, these areas are getting trampled by students taking the shortest path instead of using sidewalks. I have enjoyed being outside and really observing what is going on around me. Something that would make my walks more enjoyable would be more green space/infrastructure.

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James Zimmerman 2/13/2020 12:15 PM

So far, I have managed to walk 15 minutes a day, whether to and from class, or going on plant walks in the UT Gardens for my Plant ID Class.

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