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Melissa Wilson's avatar

Melissa Wilson

Actioneers of EVPP 480

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 545 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    14
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    3.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    2.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    1.0
    neighbor
    met
  • UP TO
    1.0
    petition
    signed

Melissa's actions

Community

Help Others

I will offer to help 1 person(s) who are in need this week.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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

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

Community

Meet My Neighbors

I will meet 1 new neighbor(s) this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

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

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 2 hour(s) in my community this week.

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

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

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.

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

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

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

Sign a Petition

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

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?


  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 3/05/2018 4:03 PM
    I volunteered this week at the Ronald McDonald House at Fairfax Hospital.  I prepared dinner for families staying at the facility.

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 2/15/2018 11:04 AM
    Using organic ingredients in 1 meal a week was a little harder than what I expected, however, I think it would have been even more difficult if I lived on campus.  I know some of the options at the salad bars in the dining halls are considered to be organic, but I believe the dining halls don't specify if ingredients used for the entrees are organic.  It has been awhile since I have gone to a dining hall on campus, so that statement may/may not be outdated.  Some organic ingredients are more expensive than their counterparts, so that is another aspect of difficulty for using organic ingredients for a prolonged amount of time.   

    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 2/21/2018 2:32 PM
      Agreed re: organic challenges. Have you checked out organic options at Aldi's or the new Earth Fare market? Both are near campus, where routes 29 and 50 cross...

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 2/13/2018 3:27 PM
    While doing my grocery shopping this weekend, I planned out my meals for the week so I wasn't aimlessly purchasing food, and possibly wasting it.  

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 2/12/2018 11:02 AM
    I am currently learning about water and air pollution in other courses, and have watched short videos on relevant issues of pollution. 

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 2/08/2018 11:02 AM
    By completing the task of refraining from using plastic bags and straws, I came to notice how much of a norm it is for servers to pass out straws to the table at a restaurant.  It had me question if this wasn't the norm, how many less straws would reach waterways, or reach landfills?  Maybe instead of providing straws as second nature, maybe a shift should be taken to only give restaurant guests straws if requested?  

    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 2/21/2018 2:34 PM
      I believe there's a campus in So California where they provide reusable metal straws, but no 1-use plastic ones. Think that would work here?

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 2/05/2018 11:26 AM
    I calculated my ecological footprints, and found that my current lifestyle needs 3.5 earths to maintain.  It is alarming because I am an avid in recycling and energy saving.  However, after taking the test, the two aspects of my lifestyle that increasing my footprint were the fact that I am a commuter student, and my diet.  There is not much that I can change about my commuting, other than continuing to carpool when I go out with friends, but it will be easier to change a certain amount of meals to increase the sustainability of my daily consumption. 

    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 2/06/2018 7:53 PM
      Hi Melissa,

      Session 3 (Food) may provide you some options to try out if you want to change to your food intake to affect your eco-footprint. Good luck!

  • Melissa Wilson's avatar
    Melissa Wilson 1/27/2018 8:36 PM
    Explored the walking trails near my house

    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 1/30/2018 9:54 PM
      Any favorite trails you'd recommend to others in our community, Melissa? A few miles down 123 from Fairfax campus, we enjoyed an afternoon along Burke Lake's trails during a recent weekend warm snap...