Kirsten Newkirk

LIVEGREENERLAX

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
627 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

240

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

60

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

241

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Kirsten's actions

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 22
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
Transportation Drive Less

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Kirsten Newkirk 4/23/2019 8:06 AM

Growing up my parents were huge on carpooling when we would go to practices or games far away. I think this is instilled in me now that whenever a group of people are going somewhere I always want to carpool to save money and be more conscious of emissions. My dad is also big on biking more recently so when I am home I go on a lot more bike rides and hikes with him. Now that it is getting nicer out I need to focus on modes of transportation depending on where I am going and consider the most eco-friendly decision.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reuseable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to establish this a successful habit?

Kirsten Newkirk 4/23/2019 8:03 AM

I struggle with this because I tend to accept a disposable bag when I forget to bring my own. I need to start making sure I have some in the back of my car and in my backpack at all times so that it becomes habit to always have and use them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Mug

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reuseable one but it's just hard to make the switch. Think about what stands in your way of making this a habit. By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?

Kirsten Newkirk 4/23/2019 8:00 AM

I have started trying to only let myself get coffee from somewhere if I remembered to bring my reusable cup which has helped a lot. It makes me feel better when I do this because I know I am not taking part in as much single-use plastic.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Kirsten Newkirk 4/23/2019 7:58 AM

I replaced plastic straws with 2 metal reusable straws that I have and have been working to always bring a reusable mug/cup with me for coffee or smoothies on campus. I also am trying to replace plastic bags with reusable ones that I purchased online.

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