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Jenna Cassidy's avatar

Jenna Cassidy

JAC Sustainability

"This is my second year doing the ecochallenge! This year I want to focus on creating sustainable habits that I will continue to practice even after earth month ends."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,425 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    0.7
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    84
    miles
    traveled by bus
  • UP TO
    84
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    2.6
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    28
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    34
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    water footprint
    calculated
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    1,210
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    150
    minutes
    spent learning

Jenna's actions

Land + Forests

buying plants that others have propagated

instead of purchasing brand new plants, buying them from others who have propagated them is a better solution.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

sit in nature

while I am doing the 30 for 30 in nature, I often spend that time walking or gardening. I notice that I usually don't just sit outside and observe my surroundings without feeling like I have a task to accomplish, so this was my goal for this action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

read about climate change

spending 20 minutes to understand the seriousness of climate change.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Freshwater + Oceans

Smart Seafood Choices

We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 20 minutes learning about sustainable seafood choices, commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean, and share what I learned on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

watch a ted talk about climate

I enjoy watching Ted Talks and find that the speakers are really knowledgeable about their fields of study. I particularly like the environmental related ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

provide food for wild birds

I love watching the birds from my window, so once a week I put out birdseed for them. I know that there is some debate over if it is okay to provide food for the birds, but I think that it promotes wildlife.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will organize or participate in a trash pickup at a local river, beach, or natural body of water.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Climate + Air

Use Public Transit

Public transportation reduces pollution, improves community, and creates safe streets. I will use public transit 12 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Land + Forests

30 for 30 in Nature

Studies have shown that when we spend consistent time in nature, our health improves, our creativity increases, and our connection to the planet gets stronger. Each day of the Ecochallenge, I will spend 30 minutes outside (in a large or small patch of nature), then share my observations, reflections, and learnings on the feed.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Land + Forests

Carry My Trash

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me this month, to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill. I will post on the feed my reflections, conversations, and actions I will take moving forward.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Land + Forests

Compost Food Waste

Food in the landfill is one of the main sources of greenhouse gasses. I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Land + Forests

Explore My Area

When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 60 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Community

Visit the Earth Day Celebration in the Agora

On Monday April 22 from 10:30-2:00pm, the Sustainability Office is hosting an Earth Day celebration! Come and learn about sustainability and climate action initiatives taking place at JAC and in the wider community. Take part in a workshop and pick up some seedlings or house plants!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

Planting seeds indoors

I planted seeds indoors so that I can bring them out to have a garden during the Summer. Growing our own food is a great way to understand the importance of agriculture and try to lower the carbon footprint that is linked to the food we buy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Watch a documentary about climate change

Learning about climate change is extremely important and documentaries are a great way to really see the impact of climate change in different areas around the globe.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Observe nature respectfully

Taking time to observing birds, insects, flowers, trees, etc. without touching them and simply appreciating them for the beauty that they provide. I have placed a bird feeder in my front yard and watching and identifying the birds is really peaceful. By keeping a distance and staying quiet I can appreciate them while not bothering them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Endangered Species

Wildlife and biodiversity play an important role on our planet and are being threatened each year. I will spend 30 minutes each day learning about the current status of local or global wildlife and how I can align my actions to support their livelihood.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

watch a documentary about wildlife

Watching a documentary is a great way to learn about the dangers that wildlife face and how we can help them

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

watch a documentary about food waste

There is so much food that we waste per year (because of imperfections, best before dates etc). Learning about the negative consequences of our actions is necessary.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

Growing sprouts

I usually buy sprouts at the grocery store and they come in a plastic container, so growing them at home would eliminate the plastic and the emissions used to transport them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

Pick up litter

I see litter pretty much everywhere, so picking up a couple pieces of trash whenever I see them is really important for keeping our planet clean!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

learn about native species

Québec has a lot of native plant species that we should be planting to help balance the ecosystem.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Birdwatch

spending time in nature silently observing the birds is really peaceful.

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?


  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/30/2024 7:34 PM
    I can't believe today was the last day of the challenge! I've learned so much about our planet and how important it is for us and for all of the other species on it. I've also learned how unsustainable some of my daily habits are and am hoping that I can continue to integrate these new habits into my daily life!

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/29/2024 4:57 PM
    For my environmental ethics class, I've had to do a lot of research about green energy. Did you know that over 24 billion people live in energy poverty and 1.4 billion of these people lack access to electricity? (at least in 2015, when this article was published) I found this number really surprising, and it's sad how so many of us (including myself!) take energy/electricity for granted and aren't doing our part in finding greener alternatives.

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/28/2024 2:51 PM
    Today I spent around 90 minutes outside cleaning all the leaves and branches off of my flower beds. I saw 2 beautiful cardinals and saw my first bumble bee of the year!

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/27/2024 6:24 PM
    The weather was so nice today. I went on a long walk and cleaned out my garden beds. I'm getting excited to start planting my vegetables in late May!

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/26/2024 4:09 PM
    I've been saving all of the empty glass jars from my food (olive jars, jam jars, etc) and have been using them for chia seed puddings or to store ingredients in my pantry. Much more affordable than buying brand new glass jars!

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/25/2024 4:51 PM
    I wish that JAC had more composting stations around school! I know that there is one in AME, near the bistro, and in the caf, but it would be really convenient if there were some in every building and on every floor. I hate throwing my compost in the garbage, but it's also difficult to bring it home if I don't have a reusable container to put it in.

    • Melissa Tomecz's avatar
      Melissa Tomecz 4/25/2024 5:22 PM
      Hi Jenna, along the Herzberg hallway (main floor) they have the same bins (at least three), which have the compost. There is even one outside the library, near shipping. The school is planning to get more of these consistent bins everywhere around school, but it is taking a little longer than expected.

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/24/2024 5:00 PM
    I've definitely been slacking on my daily actions lately. Today I noticed that we have less than a week left, so my goal is to reach at least 4/5 of my daily actions for the rest of the challenge!

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/23/2024 6:08 PM
    I've been doing a lot of research on health damages caused by fossil fuels in China for my Environmental Economics class. Did you know that according to WHO, China’s air pollution is responsible for two million deaths each year? That number is shocking, but Canada's pollution is also responsible for deaths, although it's not nearly as much, at around 15,000 people.

  • Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/22/2024 6:26 PM
    Happy Earth Day! I ended up doing a lot of sustainable actions today. I used public transport, I spent 45 minutes outside, I made sure not to bring any food in plastic wrappers, I cleaned up trash around campus, I bought a houseplant, and I got a tomato plant to plant later this spring!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Community Join a Cleanup Effort
    How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel? What results did you see? Please consider posting a photo of your cleanup!

    Jenna Cassidy's avatar
    Jenna Cassidy 4/22/2024 5:19 PM
    I organized a trash clean up for my club in honour of Earth Day. We were surprised by how clean our campus actually is, but managed to fill up a garbage bag!