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Yvonne Chen's avatar

Yvonne Chen

Interface Engineering

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 760 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    638
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    288
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    288
    miles
    traveled by bus
  • UP TO
    8.0
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    22
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    64
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Yvonne's actions

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smart Seafood Choices

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 2 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Fix Leaky Faucets

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 16 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to 3.54 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Go by Bike

I will commute by bike 22 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to 17.41 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
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
    Waste Go Paperless
    Reducing your paper mail can be such a freeing action to take -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:34 PM
    I wish there was a way of prohibiting the delivery of all the advertising letters I get every day, e.g., "You are qualified for a new credit card." Please guys and gals save the trees! I am not reading this stuff anyway.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water 5-Minute Showers
    Five minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:32 PM
    We are already pretty conscious about our water usage. The only thing I can think about at the moment is a new dishwasher and a new washing machine when the old ones break down.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Fix Leaky Faucets
    Fixing leaky faucets is one of the tasks that we can easily put off until later. Good job on completing this action! How will you use the momentum from completing this action to increase your water efficiency?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:30 PM
    We are planning on insulating the interior water pipes (in the crawlspace) as well as remodeling the shower with a water saving shower head. However, this is a challenge for next year.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Compost Food Waste
    New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? Do you know how your compost will be used and the benefits it has on the environment?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:29 PM
    We are starting to use the compost for our vegetable beds as we do have compost bins in the yard. It is one of the the best fertilizers you can get. For sure the cheapest.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Find Local Recycling Depots
    Our ability to recycle certain things ebbs and flows based upon many factors. Luckily there are places that accept uncommon things to recycle or dispose of in a less harmful way. What did you find when looking for places to recycle items that can't be recycled in your curbside bin?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:24 PM
    Batteries can be recycled in certain stores, e.g. Batteries + Bulbs or other electronic department stores. There is s a recycling facility in basically each county/ larger community where you can recycle most of your items, incl. big appliances. Some do require a fee.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Plant an Herb Garden
    Consider the ways you can garden: a plot of land? a patio container? hanging basket? windowsill gardens? What would work best for your living situation and lifestyle?

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/17/2019 3:22 PM
    On our lot we are establishing a vegetable garden with some beds for herbs. We have a beautiful front yard with a lot of spring flowers popping up. The back yard has larger sections of basalt rock so we don't have to water a huge area with lawn.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Eco-friendly Gardening
    What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.

    Yvonne Chen's avatar
    Yvonne Chen 4/05/2019 8:55 AM
    Flood in the winter and drought in the summer