Skip to main content
Rachel Rosen's avatar

Rachel Rosen

Coursera

"I am excited to find ways to make a difference and commit to a more sustainable future"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 182 THIS WEEK
  • 843 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    14
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    160
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    water footprint
    calculated
  • UP TO
    50
    minutes
    spent learning

Rachel's actions

Land, Water, and Air

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, Water, and Air

Take Shorter Showers

Conserving water helps protect this precious resource. I will shorten my showers to 5 minutes to save water and reduce energy use - each time saving up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water!

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Land, Water, and Air

Learn to Choose Forest-Friendly Foods

Our food choices can help protect forests and wildlife. I will spend 5 minutes learning how to choose foods that are grown in ways that protect forests, such as avoiding products linked to deforestation and seeking certified sustainable options like shade-grown coffee or palm oil-free products.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Land, Water, and Air

Join a Cleanup Effort

Working together to clean up public spaces helps the environment and builds community. I will participate in 1 community cleanup efforts in my neighborhood or local area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Well-Being

Replace a Product

Small changes can make a big difference for health and sustainability. Using what I learned from auditing ingredients in the products I use, I will replace 1 toxic or harmful products I use with safer, eco-friendly alternatives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Sustainable Innovation

Advocate For Better Food Packaging

When companies and governments make large-scale changes to their products and practices, it makes sustainability more accessible to the masses, in turn creating further demand for sustainable products, and the cycle continues. I will advocate for improved, sustainable food packaging through petitions, letters, or by supporting brands that prioritize eco-friendly packaging - and share my advocacy actions on the feed.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Enjoy a Meatless Meal

Producing 1 kg of beef emits as much greenhouse gas as driving 150 miles, meanwhile, 1 kg of veggies or grains leaves a much lighter footprint! This week, I’ll shrink my climate impact by having 1 meatless meals and/or 0 vegan meals each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Land, Water, and Air

Reduce Food Waste

Wasting food also wastes water, energy, and resources. I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation, and commit to reducing my food waste throughout the challenge.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Learn How to Save the Bees

Bees and other pollinators are vital to ecosystems and agriculture. I will spending 5 minutes learning about local pollinators and why they are so important.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Make Smart Seafood Choices

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED 4
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?


  • Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/17/2025 7:59 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    I spent many minutes last night at the grocery store debating chocolate to buy in order to choose Forest-Friendly Foods. I ended up buying some that based on the packaging looked like it was in alignment with best practices but then I ended up buying chocolate ice cream that may not have been forest-friendly at all 😂 I'm not sure how many ice creams you can get that are sustainable.

    • Edwin Maldonado's avatar
      Edwin Maldonado 4/17/2025 8:22 AM
      • Foodie 🍱
      • 15-DAY STREAK
      Hahah, this is definitely the struggle, but I think if you are making even 80% of the impact you are doing your part! Great job considering a better option.

    • Olivia A.'s avatar
      Olivia A. 4/17/2025 8:05 AM
      • Community Builder 🤝
      • 13-DAY STREAK
      It's really difficult! Congrats on trying your best! I found this site that you might like https://playitgreen.com/sustainable-ice-cream-a-cooler-path-to-green-living/ I generally just choose organic vegan.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land, Water, and Air
    What surprised you most about your water footprint, and how did it influence your perspective on water use? What changes can you make to reduce your water consumption, and how will these impact your daily routine?

    Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/15/2025 1:31 PM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    Wow, this was eye opening. My personal consumption is 1,195 Gallons/Day. I didn't realize how much hidden water use is there in food consumption, commuting, and more! I want to look into lower flow shower heads and faucets for sure. I also want to make sure not to revert back to really long showers everyday after the challenge wraps up.

  • Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/15/2025 10:04 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    It's really helpful to have a continued focus on reducing food waste. I'm often tempted to buy something new instead of eating leftovers but this reminder keeps me honest.

    • Harkiran Saluja's avatar
      Harkiran Saluja 4/15/2025 10:53 AM
      • Plant-Based Foodie 🥬
      • 13-DAY STREAK
      That's great! I have a compost bin where I put food scraps in which we put into the compost tumbler outside and that's been really effective in reducing our waste.

    • Veena Tumpala's avatar
      Veena Tumpala 4/15/2025 10:34 AM
      • Exercise Lover 🤸
      • 17-DAY STREAK
      It’s great to have these reminders to stay mindful!"

  • Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/11/2025 12:52 PM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    When learning about Smart Seafood choices today, I learned this interesting tidbit for US residents....
    Choose domestically caught seafood over imports: As much as 32% of imports sold in the United States—nearly $2.4 billion worth, in 2019 alone—is harvested through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

    This complex global problem thwarts legitimate fisheries management and drives overfishing, jeopardizing the health of many fish stocks. Other problems include bycatch (the unintentional capture of other marine species, such as dolphins and sea turtles, in fishing nets), as well as destructive harvesting methods like bottom trawling, which can devastate deep-sea corals, sponge fields, and other unique habitats and denizens of the ocean floor.

  • Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/10/2025 7:24 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK

    I learned some ways to kick-start my sustainable seafood journey

    • Incorporate seafood options from lower down the food chain – filter feeders like mussels, oysters, clams and scallops
    • Ask the retailer where and how your seafood was caught or farmed and check the sourcing details in the Seafood Search to verify if it is sustainable: https://seafood.ocean.org/seafood/
    I was surprised that some tuna is certified sustainable. I wasn't 100% sure how to check if the brands I've bought fall into the categories they listed though.



  • Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/09/2025 11:30 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    Learn to Choose Forest-Friendly Foods
    This website is so interesting https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/find-certified/
    I've started to look up and see if the bananas, chocolate, and other products I like would be certified. Dove and Hershey's chocolate surprisingly are! Apparently a lot of ice cream brands are not, just Breyers. The soap category was also surprisingly light on certified brands.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land, Water, and Air
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money? What patterns did you notice in the food you threw away, and how can you address them?

    Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/04/2025 9:48 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    I'm monitoring my food purchases more closely and being more intentional about meal planning. So far there hasn't been any food waste but I think I may be throwing out some things I bought before the Ecochallenge. As part of this action, I bought some food ideas and portioned them out so that I could easily make the same meal over the next few days and use up all the produce.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Wildlife
    How do pollinators impact your daily life, and what changes can you make to ensure they continue to thrive?

    Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/03/2025 12:46 PM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    I'm so glad that there are already many flowers in plants at my home that are good for pollinators. I think I may try to get some more for the spring to help more. I also will be double checking to make sure the people who help with the yard are not using pesticides that are harmful to bees and similar creatures.

    • Riya Mahato's avatar
      Riya Mahato 4/06/2025 8:32 PM
      • Artist 🎨
      • 16-DAY STREAK
      Oh Yes! Pesticides!! A real threat to the bees. Thanks for raising the concern :)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land, Water, and Air
    How did shortening your showers affect your awareness of water conservation? What other water-saving practices can you adopt in your daily routine?

    Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/03/2025 5:38 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    I'm a big shocked when I think of how much water I must use regularly. I am also making sure not to leave the water running extra when I brush my teeth.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land, Water, and Air
    What did you learn about forest-friendly foods? What sustainable food choices will you commit to making, and why are they important to you?

    Rachel Rosen's avatar
    Rachel Rosen 4/02/2025 6:04 AM
    • ORG CAPTAIN
    • Wildlife Guardian 🦉
    • 16-DAY STREAK
    I learned about a few ingredients that have a negative impact on sustainability and our eco system. The one I would like to especially decrease use of is Palm oil and ensure I don't buy as many products that include this ingredient.
    This was an interesting and sad fact I learned about Palm oil production impact:
    "Palm oil production has been especially devastating to the world’s orangutan population. Nearly 90 percent of their native habitat has been lost to palm plantations. It is estimated that the orangutan species will only be able to survive in the wild 10 more years if the state of their habitat does not improve."