Alexander Tsapos
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 515 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO49locally sourced mealsconsumed
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UP TO98meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO2.0documentarieswatched
Alexander's actions
Food
Visit a Local Farm
I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 7 meatless meal(s) and/or 7 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.
Food
Choose Organic Ingredients
I will enjoy 7 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.
Food
Advocate for More Food Options
I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work or on campus.
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.
Food
Support Local Food Systems
I will source 7 meal(s) from local producers each day this week. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.
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.
Food
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Ecological Principles
Join An Outdoor Project
I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.
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?
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Alexander Tsapos 12/07/2018 2:36 PMCSL 8: COLLECT RAIN WATER
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This is something that i always wanted to have in my backyard and do at some-point. This challenge really gave me the chance to see how much water can you actually save by having even one barrel to capture rainwater. I knew i was going to do it at some point so i wanted to do it right. I ordered 2 rainwater barrels from amazon and i was able to fill in one of them entirely with rainwater, and the heavy rains of the past few weeks really helped.
What i came to realize that it is so easy to do and manage, affordable and you really save money in the long run and you also use less energy. With one barrel i was able to water most of my garden ( it is not a very big one), and i think it is something that everyone can have in their backyards. You might not save a lot of money but you save some and you also decrease your personal footprint so it is just a better way to do it! -
Alexander Tsapos 12/07/2018 2:27 PMCSL 2: PRACTICE GRATITUDE FOR EARTH
I have always struggled in creating time in the day and reminding myself to be grateful for the things we have in general and truly feel grateful in that moment, cause i have found out that these 5 - 10 min gaps of feeling grateful can really shift my perceptive about problems or challenges i am facing in my life. As my wife works for the district church ( non profit organization in DC) she has truly helped me to be more consistent with this practice. Every night before we go to sleep she always prays and creates that space in both silence and gratitude we both need. Since i saw this challenge from this class, i told her that we should incorporate gratitude for the Mother Earth as well. We have been very consistent ever since and what i have noticed is that , this small addition in our prayers really sinks down in your subconscious and your perceptive about our connection to the environment, the Earth and all the creatures in it, becomes much deeper and solidifies even more. -
Alexander Tsapos 12/07/2018 2:15 PMCSL 1: One of my favorite challenges from this section was to learn and research an environmental justice issue in my area. When i used to live in DC i drove by several times the Anacostia River and i had noticed several signs mentioning sewage overflow and high levels of pollution. I noticed that the amount of trash in the river and the coast was truly astonishing. It was miles and miles of trash just laying there.
Everyone, near and far, hears of D.C.’s Potomac River, famous for Washington’s crossing or being strolled past when in Georgetown, it is integral to the city. But there is another river, a forgotten river: the Anacostia River- located in a poor, black D.C. community. This community has an average household income half of the city’s and has housed many of the largest polluters.
While both have been largely susceptible to pollution, historically, far more has been done to upkeep the Potomac, while the Anacostia has fallen behind and must now play catch up. It has been left to local grassroots communities- like the Anacostia Watershed Society and the Sierra Club to advocate for its maintenance which are 2 local non profit organizations taking action. I decided to go out and create a short awareness video highlighting the immense pollution in the region, interviewing locals and i will be sending that to both organizations so they can use it as marketing material. I will also find out more ways to get involved in clean ups or other initiatives in the area as well.
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Alexander Tsapos 11/30/2018 4:30 PMCSL 5: As part of my service learning hours was to clean up the forest, i also picked up a lot of trash on my way home around the neighborhood. These activities has truly transformed how i think about trash and the thing is that some people where looking at me as if i was an alien or weird. But i really didn't care cause i knew what i was doing was good for me and for them. This idea of picking up trash when you see it on the ground is unconsciously now present in me and every time i see a bottle or napkin on the floor i am much more likely to pick it up! Again what i have found out with these challenges is that even small actions can really have an impact in our communities and also our planet. -
Alexander Tsapos 11/30/2018 4:12 PMFor my service learning and for this challenge i decided to clean up a recreational forest area in Annandale Virginia close to my home. I always loved going there to walk, reflect and study but something that was really irritating to me was all the trash you see as you walk alongside the river and also trash laying on the soil. It was a great experience because i was outdoors in my favorite place to be and i really felt i am making a difference. Over a 2 miles radius i was able to collect a bunch of trash and seeing all the trash bags filling up each day was really motivating me to go on because i could see the results of my efforts right in front of me. Honestly it was a bit addicting in some strange way and i really started to enjoy this activity. Restoring a forest from pollution is no easy task but i think even after this semester i might go out and do this again. Hopefully i can bring a couple of friends also to help out and collect even more trash cause it can be really fun. Great experience overall! -
Alexander Tsapos 11/30/2018 3:41 PMCSL 3 Reflection : One of the challenges that i truly found very beneficial for my footprint and my health was eating only fish and organic local vegetables for 3 weeks straight. I was consistent and disciplined to not eat meat. It was a really tough challenge for me because meat is a primary protein source in my diet since i was a baby. I read somewhere that it takes around 60 days to create a new habit and i believe this distance from meat even if it was for the 3 weeks, created a space for me so that i can do this again.I always thought that i can't live without meat but it turns out i survived and still breathing! I was really amazed to see how big of an impact can something so small have in the environment and my overall footprint. Still a burger lover but very eye opening experience. I am planning to do this at least 3 -4 times per year hopefully more.