Todd Hutchinson

Portland State Staff and Faculty

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
467 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

50

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

140

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

0.0

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

23

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Todd's actions

Energy

Use an Energy Meter

I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 10 minute(s)

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 0 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED -1
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?

Todd Hutchinson 10/23/2019 3:54 PM

It was hard to give up convenience of driving places. I was able to pick up take-out on foot, most of the time. Take-out tends to be a source of waste, but I've found some options that don't use plastic.

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Todd Hutchinson 10/16/2019 8:26 AM

Still struggling to remember reusable bags. I will make it a habit soon! I should get a good foldable one to keep in my work bag.

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Todd Hutchinson 10/07/2019 10:35 AM
I looked up where to recycle some things that are inconvenient to get rid of. A trip to the Metro South station in Oregon City is a bit of a long drive.
- Clamshells and foam can be recycled at Agilyx in Tigard for free, but their bins are often full on the weekend. A couple places in Tualatin take foam but charge a fee.
- Cassette Tapes can only be recycled at Green Century, in Northwest Portland industrial area.
- Batteries, bulbs, and some electronics can be taken to Batteries+Bulbs, which is pretty close to home!
- Paint is harder to get rid of, if it isn't house paint. The Metro transfer stations might be the best bet for those, but occasionally neighborhood waste collection events will accept it.
Motor oil might still be accepted at the curb in milk-style jugs. I'll have to look that up with the hauler.
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Limit Social Media

Social media can keep us connected with loved ones, make us laugh, and help us to learn new things. It can also take more time than we realize or intend to give. After doing this action for a few days, how do you feel? What do you notice?

Todd Hutchinson 10/02/2019 3:54 PM

I wasn't ready for this one yet. Twitter is one that I don't share with a lot of people I know, and I do find some fun content on there.

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Todd Hutchinson 10/02/2019 3:53 PM

I checked the toaster and the (clothes) iron, and both use about 1400 watts. We try not to use them very often, but now I know that they really pull a lot of power! I'll be careful to get the clothes ready to iron, work steadily, and unplug it as soon as I finish.

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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?

Todd Hutchinson 9/20/2019 11:30 AM

My parents have refused to accept that there is no more recovery stream for clamshell and polystyrene plastics, and have been hoarding them because there are occasionally places that accept them. I've just started to convince them that it is a losing battle and that even these collection attempts often send them to landfills. My mom reluctantly admitted that she probably needs to re-think her purchase of products and packaging in plastic that can't be recycled curbside. I know from experience that it's a long-term struggle to confront these things, and to strive for zero waste.

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Todd Hutchinson 9/18/2019 11:30 AM

I picked a few things I've been trying to remember to do consistently, but aren't quite habits yet: bringing a bag to stores, asking for no straws, and reducing unnecessary driving. Since I'm trying to do more overall learning, I thought reducing social media use would be good, too.

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