Courtney Groszhans

CLEAResult

"To end climate change. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
892 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

120

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

120

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

30

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Courtney's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 60 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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Forests

Forest-Friendly Foods

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

My Carbon Footprint

Use an online tool (links below) to calculate my carbon footprint and see what changes would make the most difference. Each calculator varies, but you'll typically need to gather: utility records, the flight history for the last year, and annual mileage and fuel efficiency of your vehicles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Connection

I will send one thoughtful text message.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY 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

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Courtney Groszhans 4/30/2020 8:02 PM

I just watched a documentary on Hulu called "The Biggest Little Farm." I highly recommend it! It's about a couple who buys a farm that had stopped functioning (the soil was dead, the bees were dead, no water) and how they used natural methods to turn it around. It was fantastic and beautiful!

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Courtney Groszhans 4/30/2020 6:04 PM

Thank you everyone for participating in the EcoChallenge! This challenge always really inspires me, especially seeing everyone's tips on the Feed! I have learned so much this month and thank you everyone for contributing! This month, I really learned to study my surroundings by sitting outside more and researching a bird I saw everyday. I also made an effort to have one Vegan Meal a day (it was always breakfast) and to avoid foods that lead to deforestation. You all inspire me! Thank you!!!

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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?

Courtney Groszhans 4/30/2020 5:59 PM

Yes! These dates are really just guesses! It was nice to know the exact meaning of "use by" (the date recommended for peak quality), "sell by" (the date that stores use for how long to have a product for sale) and "best by" (when the product will have the best quality). This really empowers me to understand to really take your time when throwing out food you think is "bad" and look up how to tell when something has gone bad or use your sight and smell.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Research a Wild Animal

What interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?

Courtney Groszhans 4/30/2020 8:36 AM

I researched the Northern Cardinal. Northern Cardinals live mostly in the Southeast region of the United States. They are the official state bird of 7 states (West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana). The males are the bright red cardinals and the females are tan with hints of red. Their name derives from the early settlers who named them after the Roman Catholic Church since a "cardinal" wears all red. A group of Cardinals is called a Vatican.

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Courtney Groszhans 4/22/2020 7:23 PM

Happy Earth Day Everyone! Thank you so much for joining this team and sharing your thoughts on this page! Today, I was able to watch part of the sunset and really think about the world around us. We live in beautiful world that gives us so much and now we need to give back. We can give back to the Earth by using less water, being thoughtful about our purchases and understanding our individual impact.

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Courtney Groszhans 4/16/2020 5:26 PM

I have been trying to sit outside for 15 minutes to watch the birds. During today's 15 minutes, I saw a red headed woodpecker!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate My Carbon Footprint

What was most surprising to you about your carbon footprint?

Courtney Groszhans 4/15/2020 7:50 PM

I was surprised about how big my carbon footprint was considering how I live my life! I did overestimate some of the questions. For instance, my boyfriend and I share a car we hardly drive, but sometimes we drive to hike or go to the beach. So I overestimated how much we drive the car. Other than those adventures, we walk everywhere! I walk to work, I walk to get groceries, etc. I only really fly once a year. Our apartment does not have air conditioning, so that saves on electricity.

My carbon emissions was 14,501 pounds of CO2, I need to plant 169 urban trees! This is compared to the US average of 63,934 pounds of CO2. Taking your carbon footprint is a great way to access your life and know how much our lives impact the CO2 levels.

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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?

Courtney Groszhans 4/15/2020 10:37 AM

Yes, I believe we do need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. I grew up spending most of my days outdoors. It was a wonderful way to learn and observe the area around me. Now when I spend time outdoors, I try my best to sit and listen. I notice so much more when I just observe. A culture that spends most of its time indoors makes people feel like nature is far away or "other" from them. Really, nature surrounds us! We always need to have a strong connection with plants and wildlife.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Dishwasher Efficiency

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

Courtney Groszhans 4/14/2020 6:47 PM

Just merely making a conscious effort to conserve water makes a huge impact! By scrapping the dishes more before the dishwasher, I find I hardly need to rinse them. Also by reducing the time spent in the shower. There are small ways we can save a lot of water! Also, of course not buying bottled water helps save waste.

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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?

Courtney Groszhans 4/13/2020 2:34 PM

Meat is expensive. Whenever people are on a budget, meat is too expensive to purchase. It is cheaper to buy rice and beans (a full protein) instead of beef or chicken. If you have more money, budgeting for food is not as big of an issue. In some countries, people make as little as $1 a day, so they have to be very strategic on how they spend their money.

Creating pastures for livestock sometimes results in people cutting down forests or rain forests. Raising cattle in particular requires a lot of pasture, water and feed. Thus, the more meat we eat, the more demand of livestock, the more forest that is cut down for pasture.

I remember reading somewhere that if Americans had a "Meatless Monday" that CO2 levels would drop significantly. It really shows that if we all make small changes, we can have a profound impact on the environment.

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