Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course

Luke Gilman

"Exploring ways to improve technological efficiency and economic growth without compromising the future availability of land and resources."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,060 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

7.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

27

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

4.0

miles

traveled by foot
UP TO

116

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

70

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

10

neighbors

met
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

10

hours

volunteered

Luke's actions

A Call to Sustainability

Watch a Documentary

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 0 mile(s) each day this week and avoid sending up to 0.0 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Learn About Local Issues

I will find out what local sustainability issues are most urgent in my region, including both social and environmental justice concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
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

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Attend a Meeting

This week, I will attend one local event or meeting concerning a current issue in my community such as a planning meeting, a town hall, or a training on taking action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 10 hour(s) in my community this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Plan a Block Party

I will plan a block party to meet my neighbors, help them meet each other, and foster a sense of community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Meet My Neighbors

I will meet 2 new neighbor(s) this week.

COMPLETED
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

Support Local Businesses

I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Support Pollution Reduction

I will learn about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

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.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 4 mile(s) each day this week instead of driving and avoid sending up to 15.01 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go by Bike

I will commute by bike 27 mile(s) each day this week and avoid sending up to 100.72 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

I will only use muscle-powered transportation this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 10 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Track my Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Visit a Waste Management Facility

I will visit a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about the waste stream.

COMPLETED
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

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

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?

Luke Gilman 11/29/2018 11:57 PM

CSL 7 Reflection: This past month was actually really concerning, as my house had its entire upper floor carpet replaced with wooden floors and various rugs. Prior to the project, my family and I went through all of our personal belongings to organize and toss out [against my objections] anything that couldn't be saved. Combined with the boxes for the wooden floor shipments and the removed carpet, rough estimates put the total output over 500-750 pounds. While the construction crew took away most of the carpet to repurpose, the remaining pieces my family and I personally had to drop off at the local dump due to it exceeding the town's street pickup size. Considering this was just for a floor remodeling, and with carpet prices totaling over $500, this really challenges what ideas I want and need to bring in with architecture and engineering professions.

Reflecting my spending, the benefits of being a frugal spender is understanding what's is and isn't a necessity, especially with happiness. Keeping a tight budget on weekly spending(mostly meals) and continuing to avoid purchasing luxuries(clothing, equipment, etc.), I've always found more joy knowing that I'm satisfied with what little there is, rather than overcompensating with excessive charges. This really helps with saving for more essential investments, such as graduate school and renewable energy technology for my designs. Another benefit to living in my community are the various local and independent stores available, since some retailers here provide items that I'd normally have to purchase online or are businesses I would've been unaware of otherwise.

Read More
Luke Gilman 11/29/2018 11:39 PM

CSL 6 Reflection: My primary mode of transportation for the year has been driving with a Prius that is NOT fueled by electricity, but a maximum tank of 6.5 gallons with 40-50mpg. However, this hasn't stopped me from reaching both close and far destinations without it. I've taken the local metro out to my high school in Alexandria at least twice this semester, in order to compare the commute I did for my first two years of high school with driving out there in the last two years. Even though this is how I discovered my ability to function on three hours of sleep at maximum, I don't know how I survived those 6:30am commutes. While it might've saved some vehicle emissions, it takes twice the time and four times the cost to take the metro out than driving and paying for gas.

The benefit of living in a neighborhood community close to the town square is the easy access to the local gyms and grocery store through both walking and running. For trips requiring minimal items, I walk the half mile to the local grocery store, while running the 3/4 of a mile to the local gym takes as much time as driving.(Not including waiting for cross signals.) To fully challenge myself, last weekend I decided to bike the FULL 27 mile round trip route to and from work. The first 13.5 miles at 7am were fairly easy for the hour it took, while the route coming back after a ten hour shift was absolutely... Overall, the experience was fun, but I won't be taking it for granted considering I have easily accessible routes.

Read More
Luke Gilman 11/29/2018 11:08 PM

CSL 3 Reflection: With an eighteen credit schedule that grants little to no time for exercise, my meal size and portions have increased just to sustain my hunger in between classes. Despite being a frugal spender, I find myself consuming more at the campus' "cheaper priced" buffets, while spending more at other food destinations. On average, I eat between one to five pounds of food PER meal, bringing my ecological footprint score up 1.5 planets. Though I try to eat less or find reasonably priced food, my weekly meal plan has averaged at $10-$40 per meal per day. Several food chains run down the state route that pass through my community, and living half an hour away from home proves difficult to resist these options.

I've previously tried to prepare my own meals for later or cut down my meal size, but for years I've fallen easily into overeating due to hunger. I'm aware there's issues in hunger and food deserts, and wished I had respected the lessons I learned from my past surgery, where I was unable to eat or drink anything but small increments of water for three weeks. I'm also aware of how beneficial juice cleansing or becoming a vegetarian or vegan can be. This, however, is difficult as my Introduction to Nutrition class discussed last year, where peer pressure and prices pressure what's available. I have the resources and the time to learn how to prepare more locally grown or healthier options, but ironically avoid so due to every exertion.

Read More
- Luke Gilman 12/02/2018 2:03 PM
  
  *Energy exertion...
  
  Read More
Luke Gilman 11/29/2018 10:41 PM

CSL 2 Reflection: Comparing my results on the ecological footprint quiz I took this semester to the results I received last Spring in INTS 210: Sustainable World and the previous Summer in 2017, I find that my decreased transportation output has only been replaced with an increased consumption input. Last year in 2017, I was driving between four of the five NVCC campuses, with an average commute of 6-19 miles one way in 25-40 minutes. Since coming to GMU, my commute has gone down to just 9 miles one way in 25-30 minutes which decreased my score by half a planet. However, as further elaborated on in my CSL 3 Reflection, my meal options have only worsened with my increasingly busy schedule.
Some ecological principles that could improve my footprint results may include "Flow" and "Development." While eggs may not be a completely sustainable solution, I did find a boost in energy when I switched my cereal breakfast diet to purely eggs. Reexamining the documentaries I saw back in my Physical Health and Well Being course in my first year of college, I know there are solutions beyond that such as juice cleansing or as seen with a friend of my father's, a Paleolithic diet.(Further reflection for CSL 3) The main issue with my results is that some questions, such as Household energy efficiency, I couldn't honestly answer due to a lack of knowledge of its dimensions and usage.

Read More
Luke Gilman 11/29/2018 10:03 PM

CSL 1 Reflection: At the start of this semester, I wanted to personally experience more of the physical aspects towards sustainable practices, and continue to explore the deeper regions of sustainability I wasn't previously aware of. To further separate myself from that oblivious and carefree nature I previously harbored in my Freshman year of college, and to take a stronger role within the sustainable movements. While my passions at the start of the course were primarily towards engineering and architecture(which they still are), I've learned and developed more of an appreciation for conservative agricultural methods, fighting for environmental justice and much more. While I've developed a greater perspective on movements and changes I can be a part of, I still feel that I've fallen short on taking charge in my life.

By taking these courses and finding my passions, I've really developed a better sense of what I wish to accomplish in the future, even if its only by minimal increments. I still hope to continue my "research" into exploring different regions of the country during my graduate studies, such as studying Landscape Architecture either near the American Prairie Reserve or down south to help combat sea level rise.(Planning to do 4 Master's, 2 Ph.Ds.) I'm also taking away the format of this course as a model and reminder on the type of education I'd wish to further emphasize for students like myself that thrive more in an active workplace. While I truly respect those fighting to establish new policies and representing political cases in the environment, I can't sit at a desk and do that. If policies aren't approved or cases are overruled, I want to be out on the field ensuring that resources and productions are meeting the criteria for sustainability.

Read More
Luke Gilman 9/27/2018 10:23 AM

This week I assisted volunteers in Mason's Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse, helping sanitize and clean channels after harvest and sorting through outgoing produce to remove any inedible portions. I've also finally cleaned up whatever litter I could easily access within the small 1.5 acre creek behind my property. While I didn't find much along the trail, the farther I got away revealed to have more hidden items. These sections were more difficult to approach as they were separated from the path by the local stream. Coincidentally, I met some of the other residence in the neighborhood, granted they were asking me why I was soaked at the end.

Read More