Priya Balasubramanian

The Hartford Environmental Action Team

"Make whatever positive impact that I can on this earth. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
358 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

138

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

160

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

160

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

36

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill

Priya's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 15 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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Forests

Use a Reusable Mug

If possible, I will avoid sending 5 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Dishwasher Efficiency

I will scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher and only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Fresh Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).

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?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/30/2020 7:15 AM

It has been quite a challenging one this time. I did not even have an opportunity to enter and update for the first few weeks since I have a kid at home with Covid and everything going on at work. Then I felt, I should find time somehow and I did take 5 minutes daily to update. The actual action items were incorporated into my daily routine and i did only 3-4 daily actions, so it was doable. It is already over and it was a very good experience.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Research Benefits of Biodiversity

How can you encourage biodiversity by your own actions?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/29/2020 2:10 PM

I would start with my family, go out more, enjoy nature and bring the awareness of biodiversity with my kid. I would also talk about it with my friends, their kids and any groups and forums that I belong to. Change begins from within, so I would also consciously make decisions about buying more local and advocate my apartment in usage of local plants and reduced use of pesticides.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Dishwasher Efficiency

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/29/2020 2:07 PM

I live in an apartment. Though they call themselves green, they mow the lawn every week and water it every day. I think there should be a state law requiring all such major housing units like condos, apartments, PUDs, shopping malls and huge complexes to follow certain water guidelines. They should give incentives to conserve water and reuse kitchen water for gardens etc., Wasted water is not good, even if the state is not in drought right now.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/29/2020 2:05 PM

One of my friend's asked me this past week the name of the bird that is visiting her backyard these days with a orange belly... care to guess :) Yes the omnipresent American Robin. It is the state bird too. I was genuinely surprised that a month long quarantine was needed for her to notice the most common bird in all her years in CT. Often times even if we go for a run we plug in some music and go about without paying much attention to our surroundings. We prefer running in a gym rather than outside inhaling that fresh air. We prefer spending the free Sunday evening watching sports on TV rather than playing it right outside the door.
This past few weeks I am hearing a lot of stories that changed people's perspective for the better. I certainly hope we become a generation that knows a lot about their natural surroundings than about some actor's personal life.

Read More
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?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/29/2020 2:00 PM

This is such a powerful topic to read about. I never knew that these are not the safety dates and if a product looks good after the date we can still use them. I normally don't throw everything away after the date on the carton. Now I don't have to feel guilty about it, after all I was doing it right. Unless it smells and there is a visible decay, we don't have to throw food away. I hope a lot more waste is reduced this way.
Now I can look at the date and after that date I can look for signs of decay and use it if there is none.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Support Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/29/2020 1:57 PM

Those sweet apples and crisp almonds are all the doing of Pollinators, not just those but a whole variety of fruits and vegetables all depend on pollinators. For the bounty that they give us, the least we can do is not kill them through our practices.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Use a Reusable Mug

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reusable one, but it's just hard to make the switch. What stands in your way of making this a habit? By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?

Priya Balasubramanian 4/28/2020 8:03 AM

So far of all the goals I have, this is the easiest. I never grew up with coffee cups, so it was not difficult to purchase a reusable one, especially with the options we have today that can keep the coffee hot for more than 5-6 hours, it makes the switch very attractive.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Eco-friendly Gardening

What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.

Priya Balasubramanian 4/27/2020 2:28 PM

It was really satisfying doing this and i found common items like Garlic and Turmeric can double as pesticides.

Read More