Isabelle Bohanek

"I'm committed to making lifestyle changes that are more eco-friendly. I'm learning more and more everyday how the little impacts can add up and help our pretty Earth. It might not be easy, but the challenge will be well worth it."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
344 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

68

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

24

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

8.0

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.4

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

82

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Isabelle's actions

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 2 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED -1
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 0
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Switch to Cold Water

What do you plan to do with the money you save from making more energy efficient choices?

Isabelle Bohanek 10/21/2019 12:57 PM

I plan on putting this money toward my months rent. I must say my roommates and I were happier with our utility bills during this challenge, so hopefully that can act as our motivation with the coming months.

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Isabelle Bohanek 10/21/2019 12:47 PM

With the Eco-challenge coming to an end I wanted to proudly say I have cut out meat from 2 out of my three meals this past week and a half (I've been being more consistent than I ever have). Some days I can go without it completely, so I'm hoping I can eventually commit to a vegetarian lifestyle! I have noticed I've been feeling healthier as well so this change would really be an overall W. This challenge actually turned out to be the push I needed.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Isabelle Bohanek 10/07/2019 3:36 PM

I use about 4 straws a week with my Dunkin coffee. Typing that made me feel bad, but I must say since this eco-challenge I have been much more conscious of my use of them. I haven't gotten a coffee in about 4 days because I realize more now than ever the impact I could make by not using straws anymore. I plan on keeping this up, I even switched to tea!

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- Annamarie Pas 10/21/2019 12:40 PM
  
  Very awesome!! Try bringing a reusable coffee cup :)
  
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- Barbara Willard 10/09/2019 1:17 PM
  
  I'm so glad to hear this. Imagine if you got a reusable coffee mug, and then made your own coffee at home that would stay hot all day long! That would save money and keep trash and plastic out of the waste stream. Keep up the great work!
  
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- Lauren Paris 10/08/2019 8:57 AM
  
  This was such a struggle for me! I have a bad coffee habit and always like to buy from out due to my busy schedule. However, I have realized how much plastic waste this causes. I've been trying to bring my reusable cup to Dunkin and Starbucks. They're usually really nice about it!
  
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- Hannah Coyle 10/07/2019 5:31 PM
  
  I was in the same boat! I had iced coffee so often, but now it's in the back of my mind every time I hop in line. I can reduce my impact by eliminating plastic straws, and better yet, disposable cups!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Isabelle Bohanek 10/05/2019 5:55 PM

Eating a lot of meat contributes to our carbon footprint more than most people think. The high demand we have for it in richer countries is due to people's need to consume and based off assumptions that they will always have it readily available. I believe most people aren't educated on the process of how their meat is acquired in the first place, which obviously makes it easier to stay comfortable in their oblivion

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Weekly Meal Planning

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. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

Isabelle Bohanek 10/02/2019 7:56 PM

Unfortunately this does not surprise me. It honestly puts into perspective how much waste my family of 6 could produce/produces and makes me want to make some changes. This amount of money could be put towards bills or even the maintenance of a little garden to grow vegetables in my backyard.

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