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April 3 - April 21, 2023
Alison Mirani's avatar

Alison Mirani

Dickinson Green Devils 2023

"I hope to better understand how my actions impact the Earth and how I can change my habits to have a positive effect on the planet."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 870 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    8.0
    more servings
    of fruits and vegetables
  • UP TO
    14
    neighbors
    met
  • UP TO
    32
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    120
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    650
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    1,190
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    845
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    2.0
    community events
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    14
    hours
    volunteered

Alison's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 10-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home or Dorm Room

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home or dorm room.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Core Values

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Meet My Neighbors

I will meet 1 new neighbor(s) each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 5 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Do Nature Activities

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 3 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 20 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 60 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community while observing best practices in my region for not spreading COVID-19.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

SIGN UP TO VOTE

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Visit A Local Farm

I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES

I will spend 10 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host A Watch Party

I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 10 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Learn About Renewable Energy

I will spend 10 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Engage In Active Listening

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 2 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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
    Community Host A Watch Party
    What did you learn about in the documentary you watched? How did it make you feel?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/21/2023 8:59 PM
    I learned about fungus and how many uses there are of mycology to solve ecological issues.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Engage In Active Listening
    What was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation(s) benefit from active listening?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/21/2023 8:57 PM
    I felt frustrated, but knew that arguing would not be productive and would get me worked up and upset.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Volunteer in my Community
    What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/21/2023 8:52 PM
    I can support small businesses and advocate for things like green spaces and ecologically friendly practices.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Personal Waste Audit
    Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/20/2023 5:12 PM
    Like Lindsey said, once we throw our trash away, it just disappears and we never have to deal with it again or think about where it goes. For this challenge, I collected all of my trash and recycling for a week. Seeing it every day made me realize that it doesn't just go "away", it goes somewhere once it's out of my sight, and will probably end up in the ocean. My recycling bin filled up much faster than my trash bin, which surprised me; it was probably a combination of the trash can I used being a little bit smaller, and the items I recycled taking up more space due to being more structured (e.g. hard plastics, glass bottles, and cans). My bedroom trash can filled up in one week, which made me realize how much trash I produce (along with carrying around all my trash until I got back to my dorm each day!). I also realized that I don't really compost outside of the caf and snar, because I don't know where to put my food waste to compost it. I just throw out my banana peels and apple cores with everything else. If Dickinson made composting easier outside of the caf, it may reduce our waste further. Also, I always feel guilty for throwing away my smoothie cups, but I don't have time to rinse them and don't want to contaminate the recycling.

  • Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/20/2023 11:07 AM
    Someone said 4/20 was weeding day or something? XD I think I pulled enough bedstraw yesterday to make an actual bed! It was so satisfying.

  • Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/19/2023 5:52 PM
    seek slay

  • Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/19/2023 5:39 PM
    I weeded the pollinator garden for a couple hours this afternoon--it was so fun! Ann and Bob, the Penn State master gardeners, always teach me so much about the plants and bugs. Everyone should come to the garden workdays! The garden is looking great and I can't wait to keep working on it! I also got to play with some worms, which was fun.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Join An Outdoor Project
    How well do you know the area you stay in -- whether your hometown or your campus community? In what ways is a deep knowledge of your surroundings -- known as a 'sense of place' -- important to you?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/19/2023 5:31 PM
    I don't know Carlisle as well as I know my hometown. I have a lot of pride for the town I grew up in, but Carlisle is really very similar, as it also has a strong sense of community. Going to campus events and joining about every club there is has made Dickinson feel like my home, and interacting with the Carlisle community through swing dancing, going to the farmer's market, and volunteering through APO and CCLA has also given me a stronger sense of place. Community is really important to me and I love when Carlisle has events like the Halloween parade, Ice Art Festival, and Northside Ride.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Meet My Neighbors
    In what ways can you create more real and meaningful interactions with friends — or strangers — each week?

    Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/18/2023 8:35 PM
    I can ask the names of people I don't know when I meet them so I remember them later. I can also ask about their majors and interests to get to know them more. To interact more with my friends, I can sit in the caf more often even if I don't like the food to chat with them.

  • Alison Mirani's avatar
    Alison Mirani 4/18/2023 1:02 AM
    Eco-challenge has been so fun--I don't want it to end! Nothing motivates me more than accumulating points. I love seeing my silly little numbers go up. Going to make the most of the last 5 days and I can't wait for next year's!