Beau Christensen

PCC SOC 228

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
557 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

33

conversations

with people
UP TO

3.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

10

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

115

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

810

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

810

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

17

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill

Beau's actions

Oceans

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When marine wildlife ingest plastic, they have a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

People

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 45 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside that follows CDC guidelines for preventing disease spread.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

People

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 3 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Leave No Trace

I will respect and protect biotic communities by practicing the seven principles of Leave No Trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 45 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

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
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Beau Christensen 4/14/2020 3:32 PM

It seems that as time has gone on the rich have eaten more and more meat. The average American is found to eat around 100-150kg of meat per year. With current farming practices meat has become easily available and decently cheap. Also, meat has high-fat contents which make it a "bang for your buck" if you were to go to basically any fast food restaurant in the US.

Farming industries account for roughly 20-50% of man-made emissions. The amount of grazing land is vast and If you think about it animals are another step in the food chain, meaning you lose a lot of calories and energy to grow a healthy cow. The numbers of retention of beef (3%), pork (9%), and chicken (13%). You could just as easily eat the vegetation that the land could provide instead of channeling it through an animal that will be of low production efficiency and lose about 90% percent of the nutrients.

Also as a lats note the farming industries can be very cruel, and it is very sad. The close proximity and nasty conditions some of these animals are kept in could contribute to the spread of disease in other livestock.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Leave No Trace

Educator Stephanie Kaza advises her students to focus on what they care about most when addressing the enormity of ecological problems. Is there a specific area you feel particularly called to work on?

Beau Christensen 4/13/2020 10:58 PM

I specifically want to focus on agriculture for my bachelor's degree. I want to focus on urban agriculture technologies that can help in several different areas including higher yields, greener cities, less shipping, and no pesticide use. By focusing my energy on making fresh healthy food available to anyone no matter where it is grown I think this could greatly impact climate change and the amount we are wasting.

Having said that it is really easy to ignite some sort of change in your area. For example, I take my dog walking down by the beach of the river and I clean up all of the litter that could end up in the waterways. It hardly takes any time since I am there anyway, and it gives me a little something to do while my dog goes for a swim. :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
People Connect While Social Distancing

How does connecting with others help your own mental and emotional health? How can it help support others?

Beau Christensen 4/11/2020 9:14 PM

Connecting with loved ones is important for your mental health. It is nice to know that someone is thinking about you. This can drastically change your mood and make the day much better. Especially in trying times of isolation it is important to reach out and show others you care.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Beau Christensen 4/11/2020 9:13 PM

Another great way to exercise our civic duty to protect the environment would be how we use transportation. By going easy on the gas and breaks, checking your tire pressure for maximum efficiency, and carpooling will all reduce your carbon footprint. You can also eat less red meats because they are very labor-intensive. The amount of water livestock require, methane gases, and a costly packaging process can all be cut down by simply eating fewer meats. Finally, keep an eye on your consumption. Try and was as little as you can.

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Beau Christensen 4/10/2020 10:41 PM

Spending more time outside, leaving no trace and contacting people during this quarantine is something that I have been working on and have a few more days until I consider the task completed. It helps that the days have been so beautiful and going on walks with my dog is a great way to exercise. Look to nature and loved ones in trying times, it might make you feel better :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Beau Christensen 4/10/2020 10:37 PM

So much food is thrown out because of confusion around best by and use-by date. Approximately 30% of Food is gone to waste by the time it reaches the store shelves. It is important to know the difference between all of the common label phrases because then you won’t freak out, and throw out perfectly good food because of a date that doesn’t necessarily mean the food is spoiled.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Research Benefits of Biodiversity

How can you encourage biodiversity by your own actions?

Beau Christensen 4/09/2020 6:31 PM

To start it is important to not use harmful pesticides in your garden because all of the runoff ends up in our waterways. Luckily my house has a quasi swampland in the backyard with beavers, deer, raccoons, and other various wildlife. None of this requires any upkeep and it is a nice little area for biodiversity.

Considering how many waste people accumulate, we should going to farmers' markets, buying local and using reusable bags. Doing so will cut down on a lot of plastic that could end up in our ocean. Lastly, it is important to vote! Finding any laws in your area that affect biodiversity and voting on them could make a significant change in not just your home but the whole community.

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Beau Christensen 4/09/2020 5:54 PM

The first official day of the challenge is going well. Lots of different activities to get started on!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Support Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Beau Christensen 4/09/2020 5:52 PM

While researching I found on https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/ "It is estimated that more than 1,300 types of plants are grown around the world for food, beverages, medicines, condiments, spices, and even fabric. Of these, about 75% are pollinated by animals." It is important to entice pollinators such as butterflies and bees. I found on the OSU website that it is good to have lavender and rhododendron because that is what natural to the area and that's what they like. Luckily we have a big rhododendron bush at the end of our driveway and I have just started to germinate more lavender seeds for our window boxes! :)

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