Priya Balasubramanian

The Hartford Environmental Action Team (HEAT)

"I would like to make a positive environmental impact with whatever little actions I can"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
965 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

320

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

285

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

180

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

180

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

42

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

23

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted

Priya's actions

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 10 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED -1
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Recycle Everything I Can

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.

COMPLETED -3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Research My Investment Portfolio

I will find out what stocks and bonds are in my investment account portfolio to determine if they align with my values (e.g. environmental, social responsibility, community).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 10 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Advocate for More Food Options

Access to affordable, nutritious food is a food justice issue. I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work, on campus and/or in the spaces I frequent.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 20 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 15 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

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 10/23/2019 7:25 PM

It was a very busy and tough final day. I had to squeeze in the 10 min outdoor , the day was sunny and that helped the cause. I had a revelation with respect to ethical investing and took my first leap of faith. There is still a long way to go. I am hoping to continue the daily activities as much as I can.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Find Local Recycling Depots

Our ability to recycle certain things ebbs and flows based upon many factors. Luckily there are places that accept uncommon things to recycle or dispose of in a less harmful way. What did you find when looking for places to recycle items that can't be recycled in your curbside bin?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/21/2019 1:05 PM

I was reading about Terracycle's Zero waste program. This also led me to research a bit on local Manchester based recycles. http://www.manchesterrecycles.org/. They even have program to collect Batteries and other things which cannot be normally placed at the curbside single stream recycling. I feel everyone should gain this knowledge so that we can keep contamination to a minimum and also learn how to safely and usefully throw away electronics we don't need.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Research My Investment Portfolio

In what ways can you increase the positive impacts and decrease the negative impacts of your financial investments?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/18/2019 6:28 AM

When I added this challenge I thought it is going to be easy. This by far is the hardest challenge. Finding the right company and at the same time making sure your investment does not take a nose-dive is a tricky thing to do. Nevertheless it is doable. For example Hartford is vote the most ethical company, so we can invest in its stocks, that would also be good investment since it is doing well. At the same time the other options out there are not so transparent. For a lot of companies it is hard to find their environmental practices while we can get their financial reporting very easily.
Some companies do spend effort and time of their employees in eco volunteering, but under the covers they don't really practice it in their business model. So far I have not been fully successful in completing my portfolio with all such companies and I believe the quest will continue beyond the 21 days.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature 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 10/13/2019 5:23 PM

This was by far the easiest of the challenges for me. I love the outdoors. Now being fall, the color change and the last bit of good days to get some fresh air before winter sets in, I was determined to make the most of it. It was completely worth it. Nature has always made me feel good. I too spend time indoors, in front of a monitor all day and then back at home, doing all chores and errands and time flies.
In the afternoon or soon after work nowadays I try to get a 10 mins sneak into that gorgeous outdoors. Weekends are a it more easy I can go to parks, do a picnic and spend more time.
This time outdoors makes rest of the time indoors so much better.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Recycle Everything I Can

What have you learned about what is accepted by local haulers for recycling, what you can drop off or ship to certain places, and what is not recyclable in your area? What is the most difficult part of recycling for you?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/13/2019 5:16 PM

We have single stream recycling available in my apartment. So far I did pay too much attention, I used to drop cardboard boxes and any plastic containers in there, sometime s aluminum foil etc., Recently I read through the label in front and took a picture of it. Then I read about contamination and how certain waste when mixed with the recycle causes contamination and reduces the overall quality hence making it hard for the recycle plant. It ends up as trash in the end.
So I started to make sure I segregate waste from recycle. Food containers have to be washed so there is no residue, same with any glass containers, milk cartons etc. This is easier said than done. I am hoping to reduce contamination and truly recycle.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Exercise Daily

How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/12/2019 5:17 PM

So far so good. I could not do it daily but getting close to that, I missed one or two days. It helps to go for a walk in the evening and take in the fall colors and enjoy outdoors as well as get some exercise.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Advocate for More Food Options

What efforts would help food insecure regions have access to local, seasonal foods?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/12/2019 5:15 PM

I have wondered about this as well. I see in Trader's Joe everything is about pumpkin. What do they do to the products that are not sold by the end of the week especially for the perishable ones like fresh bread.
I wonder the same in our office cafe. Now how would they know who needs it. If we have a technology that can link the two it would be of great use and help a lot.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Power Down the Computer

What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/12/2019 5:07 PM

I learnt a few years back that chargers with a light ,that small red light, also takes energy. I have always felt if we had a switch like the hotel to kill the power to everything that we don't need to run in our absence at home, it would be nice. Now we have Alexa and use it to achieve this. Since I don't own one, (all the privacy concerns etc) I have all chargers plugged to a spike buster with ON/OF switch and have it connected to the outlet that is controlled by the switch. Now when I walk out I just shut that one.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/09/2019 8:19 PM

I normally don't buy clothes for every season every year. I like to have two sets of weekly wear by season and I only buy anything new if absolutely needed. If something is not completely worn out I like to wear them. I believe fashion is what we create and we should not be consumed by ever changing trend.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Go get a check up

How do you practice self care?

Priya Balasubramanian 10/08/2019 6:42 AM

This is a multi-faceted work. Being a vegetarian helps, even with that I need to conscious of the carb intake and avoid processed food as much as possible. It is easier said than done. The more I read about it, I find most of the items available are processed one way or the other. So increasing veggies and fruits and eating that apple on the way to work helps. Now comes the grains, avoiding that polished rice for a whole grain option is hard but doable with a little practice.
Once we have tackled food, next would be sleep. Sleeping a minimum of 7 hours and ensuring I do everything to not reduce it even if I cannot increase it is on target now. 8-9 hours is very good, but hardly I get that except for the weekends.
Finally Exercise. 20 mins daily is my challenge and in theory it seems very doable, but I have split it to two 10 mins to achieve it on most days. I love Yoga and that takes time so I am trying power yoga for a shorter duration. Walking is very doable, even at work so I do add some walking to the overall exercise routine.
I believe more natural food, good sleep and a decent exercise can help with the self-caring of my health.

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