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Cierra Koitmaa's avatar

Cierra Koitmaa

PSU Capstone

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 324 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    21
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    7.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    3.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    3.0
    documentaries
    watched
  • UP TO
    10
    petitions
    signed
  • UP TO
    210
    minutes
    spent outdoors

Cierra's actions

A Call to Sustainability

Sign a Petition

I will sign petitions in support of an environmental or social initiative in my state.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 7 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Carry my Trash

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Watch a Documentary

I will watch one of the films suggested in the additional resources and discuss it with friends or family.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Track my Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Improve a Bus Stop

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 1 mile(s) each day this week instead of driving and avoid sending up to 8.44 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Pick Up Litter

I will pick up litter on my street and ask others to join me in taking care of our neighborhood.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Say No to Plastic

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. This week, I'll say "no" to plastic bags at the store and plastic straws in all of my drinks.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 01 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 3 meal(s) with zero waste each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 4 meal(s) free of processed foods each day this week.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Research Renewable Energy Options

I will find out if my local utilities offer an option for supporting renewable energy investment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Reduce My Footprint

I will calculate my ecological footprint and talk with my family or roommates about way we can reduce our negative enviromental impact.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Practice Gratitude for Earth

This week, I will spend 30 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Talk To Others

I will tell 3 people why sustainability is important to me and what my vision for a sustainable world is.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Pay Attention to Current Events

I will watch or read the news each day this week with a specific focus on sustainability issues and happenings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Start a Sustainability Journal

I will start a sustainability journal, capturing my thoughts, concerns and learning about sustainability issues.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a movie about a sustainability issue I would like to know more about.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Recycle Everything I Can

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale, or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Eco-friendly Gardening

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Support Local Businesses

I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Join my Neighborhood Association

I will join my neighborhood association or another local group.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Watch The Story of Bottled Water

I will watch The Story of Bottled Water to learn more about bottled water's impacts on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Advocate for Sustainability

I will contact local officials and city leaders this week to challenge them to support sustainability policies.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Visit a Local Farm

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

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 5/30/2020 4:46 PM
    I took advantage of the couple days we had of sunny, hot weather. I have never walked out around my neighborhood since I moved apartments. The area is surrounded by walking/biking paths and a few parks. Because the dog parks opened back up, my friend and I brought her dog, Beso. We walked along a trail for while that eventually led us back to the park where Beso could run off-leash. Greenway Park has a lot of open area to run too, where we spent the next hour wandering and playing at the park. Luckily my friend is from the area and knows where the good spots are. After resting for a bit, we returned home because it was getting too hot to enjoy the weather.

  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 5/14/2020 4:50 PM
    Since I am at my parent's place for a bit, I don't have to worry about cooking for myself every single day, which is very nice! When I am cooking for one sometimes, it can be difficult to get the portions right. For example, I can never make the right amount of pasta for myself and I often end up having leftovers. At least it makes for a meal for the next day. My family however get their dinners delivered (I think they use Plated)  so they rarely have leftovers. But if my parents decide to cook from scratch, there are almost always leftovers. It either gets tossed or put in the fridge to be forgotten about . So this week I asked my parents if they'd like to try the "no food waste" eco challenge with me. So far, we've been paying attention to serving sizes and being better about eating leftovers before they go bad. It gave me a change to talk with them in depth about my capstone and explain the Eco Challenges. I also got to try a couple Plated meals, which are already pre-portioned. These kind of food delivery services are good at reducing food waste, but it is a somewhat expensive service, so I wouldn't use it myself. 

  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 5/07/2020 4:03 PM
    This week I was able to give away my first batch of veggies. Since the zucchini plants were growing the tallest, I decided they would be the ones. I made print-outs in English and Spanish that explain how to transplant and care for it. I'm keeping a couple seedlings to myself but I ended up giving away 9.
     

  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 4/30/2020 3:26 PM
    I thought I'd share photos of the beginning of my project and where I'm at now. My veggies and herbs are sprouting nicely! In the greenhouse I currently have cucumbers, zucchini, okra, and spinach. I just moved my parsley and oregano outside, too. My tomatoes and bell peppers are slow growers and are still in the planter until they get bigger.

    • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
      Cierra Koitmaa 4/30/2020 3:30 PM
      I added captions to each photo, but I don't see them for some reason. The first two pics were taken on April 21st. The cucumbers had sprouted along with a couple spinach and okra sprouts. I also added oregano and parsley to the mix. The last two pics were taken today, April 30th. I've got most of my plants packed to the brim in the greenhouse. Pretty soon the zucchini will be ready to  be given away and I'll have more room for my tomatoes and bell peppers when they grow a bit more.

  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 4/28/2020 3:42 PM
    Last week's challenge for myself was eat vegetarian meals only. Because of the impact the beef industry has on climate change, I wanted to see if I could enjoy myself eating meals without meat. I actually do not eat much red meat already as I cut down on consuming it for health related reasons, but I like chicken and to snack on ham/turkey/salami sandwiches. Though it isn't red meat, I also tried to cut out eggs. Finding delicious vegetarian recipes was easy and encouraging and my boyfriend was interested to try eating vegetarian too. Breakfast included things like fruit, yogurt, and cereal. No bacon or eggs, unfortunately. For lunch I usually snack on an apple or PB&J, so that wasn't hard. Dinners were the fun part! We made a couple different pastas, , oven roasted veggies, lentil soup (first time my bf tried it), veggie tacos, black bean enchiladas and vegetable stir fry. I'm happy I tried this challenge because I got to cook a number of recipes I was unfamiliar with and know how to make now! For this week's challenge, I am currently stepping it up and trying vegan-only meals this week. So far, Sunday's meals consisted of oatmeal with fruit, leftover veggie stir fry, and vegan mac & cheese. On Monday I had avocado toast and meal prepped a couple days worth of burrito bowls. 

  • Cierra Koitmaa's avatar
    Cierra Koitmaa 4/16/2020 7:24 PM
    Thanks to the great weather, I was able to spend 15-30 minutes every day this week to go for a walk. It was easy to appreciate the beautiful flowers and trees that grow in the area, especially now that there are less people impacting the scenery. I've never tried meditation before, but the serenity made me want to give it try. "Being one with nature" is what I seem to need right now after being locked inside all day.