Melissa Szostak
"I am here to become a more eco-conscious human being. "
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 55 THIS WEEK
- 1,071 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO16poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO1.0energy auditconducted
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UP TO35pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO1.0Carbon FootprintCalculated
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UP TO72single-use bagsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO824gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO1.0water footprintcalculated
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UP TO3.0advocacy actionscompleted
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UP TO180minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO495minutesspent learning
Melissa's actions
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Beauty and Personal Products
Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 15 minutes learning about the beauty and body products I use to see if they are refillable or recyclable. If not, I will reach out to the manufacturer to advocate for those options.
Land + Forests
Regenerative Agriculture and Me
Regenerative agriculture focuses on farming and ranching in a way that supports life and restores the soil. I will spend 15 minutes learning about regenerative agriculture and find out if any nearby farms practice regenerative agriculture.
Action Track: Community
Plant Trees
Trees capture carbon and produce oxygen that is essential to life on earth. I will support this important piece of nature by organizing or joining a community group to plant 1 native trees in my community, public parks, office location, campus or backyard.
Freshwater + Oceans
Reduce Pollutants in Cleaning
Understanding cleaning product ingredients and their effect on water and biodiversity is helpful to our consumer choices. I will spend 15 minutes learning about how cleaning products affect our water and try making my own cleaning products to reduce pollutants.
Action Track: Community
Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and Oceans
I will spend 15 minutes learning more about the importance of freshwater + ocean conservation, and how I can reduce my water use. I will share what I learn with people in person, on social media, and on the feed.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Endangered Species
Wildlife and biodiversity play an important role on our planet and are being threatened each year. I will spend 15 minutes each day learning about the current status of local or global wildlife and how I can align my actions to support their livelihood.
Freshwater + Oceans
Smart Seafood Choices
We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 15 minutes learning about sustainable seafood choices, commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean, and share what I learned on the feed.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Save the Bees
Bees are vital to ecosystems. To help save the bees, I will learn which local flowers provide nectar and plant them in my backyard or in a pot on my balcony.
Freshwater + Oceans
Understand My Water Footprint
Each of us has a water footprint, directly linked to our daily activities as well as the water required in the production of things we use each day. Understanding our water use is important for a healthy planet. I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste, then share what I learned on the feed.
Land + Forests
Explore My Area
When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 15 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).
Climate + Air
Weekly Meal Planning
One third of all food produced worldwide is wasted, and so is the energy it takes to produce and transport that food. I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need and eating what I planned each day.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Learn about Native Species
The world is full of unique species. I will spend 5 minutes each day learning what the native plants and wildlife are in my region.
Climate + Air
Consume only Needs vs Wants
The more stuff we consume, the more greenhouse gasses we put into the atmosphere. I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach this month and only buy things I need.
Climate + Air
Declutter My Home Without the Landfill
Each day, I will learn about responsible ways to dispose of items and de-clutter, clean, donate, repurpose or recycle unneeded items in my home to make sure that what I get rid of doesn't go into the landfill.
Climate + Air
Online Energy Audit
Energy use and waste is often invisible. I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.
Climate + Air
Calculate My Carbon Impact
Carbon emissions can show up in many surprising ways in our life. I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Use Reusable Bags
Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals and can end up in habitats that harm wildlife. I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.
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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REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Community Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and OceansWhat did you learn about freshwater and oceans you did not already know? In sharing this information with people in your life, which conversation was impactful to you?
Melissa Szostak 4/30/2024 3:40 PMOne thing that I learned regarding freshwater and the oceans is that sea-level rise is projected to extend salinization of groundwater, decreasing freshwater availability for humans and ecosystems in coastal areas -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Online Energy AuditWhere did you do an energy audit (work, home, school, other) and what did you learn?
Melissa Szostak 4/17/2024 2:08 PMI did an energy audit of my home and I found that our home scored between average and great. I learned that upgrading some appliances to their energy efficient versions would improve my home's energy audit. I also found out that if I changed my AC setting from 74 degrees to 78, that I could have a potential savings of up to $546.00/year. -
Melissa Szostak 4/17/2024 11:44 AMToday I took the time to go to Waste Management's website for my area to see what exactly is acceptable to be placed into our recycle bin for curb pick-up. I was surprised to learn that plastic containers numbered 1-7 are recyclable through curb pick-up.
When I was on the website, I also took the time to contact a representative via email as to why organics pickup is not available in our area and if there were ways that I could advocate to bring this service to our area. Having the organics bin is great because then I am able to easily compost food and yard waste. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONBiodiversity + Wildlife Beauty and Personal ProductsWhat new insights did you gain about the skincare products you use? Did you reach out to advocate for refillable or recyclable packaging?
Melissa Szostak 4/17/2024 11:18 AMI learned that about half of the products I currently use are on the safer end of the spectrum (yay!). I already do try to by as many natural products with recyclable packaging as I can and the database provided in the "Learn More" section really makes it easy to find alternative products for my not so safe products that I currently use.
I have advocated directly to some of my favorite brands for refillable and recyclable packaging by using contact forms on the brands websites. I usually receive a positive response back and am hopeful to see changes to the packaging for these brands. -
Melissa Szostak 4/12/2024 9:22 AMToday I learned about how to recycle socks. For some reason every Christmas I have been receiving a plethora of socks. Needless to say after a few years and my sock drawer is overflowing and I have been thinking what can I do with all these socks?? My favorite idea from the suggestions I read, which varied from darning to repurposing for cleaning rags, was donating them to a wildlife rescue. Apparently your gently used socks can be repurposed into a home for a tiny rescued animal like a baby squirrel. How cool is that. -
Melissa Szostak 4/11/2024 2:47 PMI really find it so fascinating to learn about the different types of native bees. In particular, I read about the mason bee today and all the information I found was very enlightening. For one, six mason bees can pollinate a fruit tree, compared to 10,000 honey bees. Secondly, I learned that mason bees like to pollinate close to their homes, so they are a great native insect to attract to pollinate your own garden. After everything I learned, I definitely want to build a mason bee hotel in my yard.-
Melissa Szostak 4/14/2024 4:46 PMMy comment was supposed to say sixty mason bees not six. Still impressive though 🤗 -
Sarah Jarrett 4/12/2024 4:13 PMI didn't know how much more efficient the mason bees are at pollinating?! I wonder how they do it. If you ever want to geek out, Morgan Hannaford at Shasta College is an entomologist and he has one of those pin boards covered with native bees
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFreshwater + Oceans Understand My Water FootprintWhat did you learn about your water footprint and what are you going to do to reduce and be aware of the water you use?
Melissa Szostak 4/11/2024 10:35 AMI learned that my water footprint was lower than the average US citizen (yay!), but I also learned that their are a lot of areas that I can improve. I think one of the easiest ways for me to effectively change my water footprint would be to adopt a more plant based diet (that was my most water heavy footprint). -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFreshwater + Oceans Smart Seafood ChoicesMany states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Melissa Szostak 4/10/2024 4:11 PMI don't know if my past seafood choices have been the most sustainable, but I do plan on making more sustainable choices going forward now that I have educated myself on what that means.
The steps I need to make are to ensure that the brands I am buying from are using sustainable sourcing practices. Another step I plan on taking is to just reduce my overall seafood consumption. I love the ocean and I do not want to contribute to depleting its' natural resources.-
Zhao Daryl 4/10/2024 4:23 PMGreat, thanks for the sharing
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Melissa Szostak 4/10/2024 10:13 AMI really appreciate this ecochallenge because it inspires me and aligns with my core values of being a good steward for the land. One thing I have decided that I would like to do because of this challenge is to get some trash grabbers and bags and go to my local lake spot to pick up trash with my niece and nephew. This way I can pass on the values of being a good steward for the land to the next generation.-
Glenda Harrison 4/10/2024 10:22 AMGood for you for teaching others the importance of being a good steward. I remember the days when our streets/parks/neighborhoods were littered, and it made me sad. I'm so glad that people are becoming aware of the small steps like this that help make things better for us all!
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REFLECTION QUESTIONBiodiversity + Wildlife Endangered SpeciesWhat endangered species did you learn about and what did you learn?
Melissa Szostak 4/05/2024 9:27 AMI learned about the many endangered animals and plants that are threatened today. I had no idea that my favorite animal, the hippopotamus, was listed as vulnerable. Educating myself regarding endangered animals and plants definitely inspires me to do what I can as an individual to positively impact the Earth's many ecosystems.