For my second year project I plan to help organize and run the annual Earth Month challenge. For this project I will help coordinate the website associated with the Earth Month Challenge as well as inform the new ENR and other Honors and Scholars students about what Earth month challenge is all about and how one can implement these habits into everyday life.

Everyone will benefit from this project. I will benefit because this project will help me to build my leadership and partnership skills. Also, I will gain a better understand of what it takes to be sustainable. This project will help the students participating because it will help them learn better, more sustainable living habits. In turn the actions taken by myself and the students involved will help improve OSU as a whole as well as the world. Hopefully the actions taken that month, and by myself this semester will make a lasting impact for future students.

I would like to work on this project because I believe that my organizational skills will be helpful when making all the arrangements necessary to having a successful earth month challenge. I also believe that I can bring a fun level of enthusiasm to the project that will help encourage and convince other OSU students, not just ENR students, to that the challenge and spread the word about clean, green living

After working on this project I hope to have gained several things. First, I hope to have gained the experience of organizing and running an event such as this. Seeing my work evolve and eventually become a campus wide fight for the plant would be quite rewarding. Also, I hope to have improved my group work skills. I look forward to the opportunity to work closely with other ENR students that share my passion to save the environment.

I would describe my first Earth Month challenge as going pretty well. I t was different being so conscious of my actions with regards to the environment. It was difficult to forget that it was earth month because all of my suitemates had their posters up, the ones that laid out their entire plan for the month. I will not say that this past month has been easy. I mean it definitely took some effort, having to remember to unplug electrical cord when I was not using them or making myself take shorter showers, which I was not overly successful at.

During this challenge I learned that I personally require a lot more effort that I thought I would need in order to change and or form a new habit. It was not easy for to go out of my way to improve upon my habits. I found it annoying, and even more so when my suitemates would so graciously remind me that I was had forgot to unplug my printer and that I was a horrible person and I was “killing all the dinosaurs!” Hayley Perkins is probably the most passionate about the environment in our suite and definitely more passionate than I am. When we are in the shower too long or we leave a light on in a room that we are not in we get chastised for killing the dinosaurs and or the whales. The whales are dying if we are in anyway wasting water. So to conclude, I am a lazy person especially when it comes to forming new habits however as long as I live with Hayley it will be hard for me to not care about the environment.

I think that after this month I will always have the idea of being environmentally friendly/ sustainable in the back of my mind so whenever I think about it I will put forth the effort to improve upon my current behaviors. However, if we are being realistic I’m not sure that I can see myself making these challenges permanent. Some of them, such as not using vehicles or taking short showers, are not practical for me and I think will only continue to become less likely to happen as I get older.

I think that I would be open to another challenge. I find that these can be fun, especially when you do them with your friends. I think that for next year it should be made into some sort of competition, making sure that the participants are truly interested and invested because it will not work if that is not the case. Competition is a great incentive to participate in the challenges, however I think that if it were to be made into a competition there would need t be a better way to track the effort of the students, I am personally not a fan of the oroeco website.

For this Columbus To-Do list I chose to visit 5 restaurants from the Local Food Favorites list. I chose this list because I do not think that there is any better way to experience a city then through its food. Food is an expression of passion, dreams and determination. Food is a representation of several generations and what makes not only cities but individuals as well, what they are.

On a cold afternoon in February, my father was in town for business and he stopped by to have lunch with me. I took him to melt. He wanted to try it because a friend of his had seen the restaurant on a food network show and had told him how cool it looked. I go the Parma chicken sandwich, which is a piece of freshly fried chicken breast with melted mozzarella and marinara sauce on top all between two pieces of toasted Italian bread. Its basically chicken Parmesan in a sandwich. It was quite good. I was unable to finish because there was so much food (and I had gotten half a sandwich!!) With all of that they also serve a side of French fries, which I think to be completely ridiculous and unnecessary. I did not even touch those. My father and I also made the mistake of getting “hangover” fries before our sandwiches because he thought that they sounded good. This was not smart because he really liked the fries, which meant that he literally didn’t touch his sandwich. Hangover Fries are basically Poutine, French fries with gravy, and cheese curds on top. Melt’s hangover fires take it a step further by putting bacon pieces and a fried eye on top of the fries as well. Overall I would give melt a great recommendation. It should only be a place that you visit occasionally and most certainly on an empty stomach, but totally worth a visit.

I visited Katalina’s on the day that I left for my study aboard trip to England. I did not have to be at the airport until the afternoon so I deiced that it would be a good idea to grab some brunch with my Big, she was kind enough to take me to the airport, before my long trip. When I told Louisa, my Big, that I wanted to go to Katalina’s she was thrilled because she loved their pancake balls, just like every other person in Columbus. Pulling up to the restaurant I was rather taken aback by how small the place was. It was just a tiny little shack on the side of the road. But I suppose that when I think about some of the best food comes from the most unlikely of places. Walking in I definitely got the Columbus vibe, very hipster and unique. You drank out of tiny water glasses and everything was hand written on chalkboards. Anyway, I am honestly not a big breakfast person, nor am I a huge fan of pancakes (I know, a sin right?) so I ordered the shredded beef tacos while Louisa ordered the Nutella pancake balls. We sat outside to eat; it was actually warm that day which was lovely. My tacos were pretty good, I felt rather limited by their menu just because I did not think that it was that big to begin with and I kind of a picky when it comes to my food. (That’s a lie; I’m picky about everything) I did try Louisa’s pancakes and they were okay, a bit too decadent for my taste. I would definitely recommend that people try Katalina’s just because it is a Columbus staple, however I do not think that I feel inclined to return.

This past Friday, a friend and I wanted to get together and grab some lunch because we had not seen each other in a long time, so we went to Tasi Café. Getting there was kind of a hassle. I have really grown to dislike the COTA bus system, just because it is not super efficient and it takes forever to actually get the bus that you want. Anyway, we took the COTA bus down high street and got off right around Jeni’s. It was then just a short walk to the café. Tasi was another very cute little café, it seems that Columbus is full of them. There I got the fish tacos, which were fantastic and I want them now that I am thinking of them. My friend, Libby, got the marinated chicken sandwich, and she said that it was very good. I would definitely recommend this place. It was cute and the food was really good.

Finally, this past weekend I went to Lindey’s with my parents, siblings and my cousin. Monday was my 19^th birthday, as well as my cousin’s so my parents drove three hours to come send the day with me. I chose Lindey’s because I had only heard great things about it. This restaurant was great from the very beginning. It is located in German village along a cobble stone street so that uped the cute factor right off the bat. Walking in I fell in love the warm colors on the walls and the beautiful decorative accents on the walls and ceiling. We sat inside, despite the gorgeous weather that day, so I definitely want to sit out side next time I go. Anyway, because it was a Sunday, in the afternoon we were given their brunch menu. I found this rather disappointing because when I asked around about the restaurant all I kept hearing about was their crab and lobster risotto, which sounded divine. Because that dish was not an option on the brunch menu I ended up getting the strozzapreti, which was a pesto pasta dish that was amazing. Overall Lindey’s was amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I had a wonderful experience and left very full and content.

Looking at my Columbus To-Do List experience as a whole I can say with confidence that Lindey’s was my favorite restaurant tout of all the ones that I visited. I most certainly want to go back there. After visiting all five of these restaurants I feel that I have definitely gotten the feel for Columbus, it is a lively city that prides itself on being original. All the places I went to had hipster vibes to them, with the exception of Lindey’s, which had more historical character and charm to it. I think that that is why I chose that restaurant as my favorite. I think that after this past weekend I am definitely feeling inclined to go wander around the German Village. If I could give any advice for completing this list it would be to try and visit all these places on a warm day because Columbus is so much prettier when the weather is nice.

This week went really well. This week’s challenge was to not use any kind of transportation that used fossil fuels, so no cars or buses. This was a relatively easy task for me because I usually walk everywhere anyway. I don’t have a car on campus which is very helpful in preventing me form using a car, and I am a broke college student which means Uber is not really a good idea, especially since I really can just walk everywhere. A bike would have been an appropriate mode of transportation but seeing as I do not have a bike here on campus with me, it’s not really an option. This week was definitely more difficult than I had previously anticipated due to the weather. We had wind, rain and snow all in one week. What makes it even worse was that it’s the middle of April, this should not be happening. So because the weather was not as more or sunny as I had anticipated it was very tempting to take the bus when I just didn’t feel like walking. Sadly, I did, a few times, succumb to the cold and or rain and take the bus, especially when I was all they way on high street and needed to get back to Morrill.

I think that the biggest thing that I need to do in order to improve upon my work this past week is simply suck it. I need to become more motivated, so much so that my motivation is stronger than my desire to be comfortable. Which is going to be hard but I am definitely going to try. Based on this past week, I do not think that I have really learned anything new about myself, I am kind of lazy and I rather take a bus or car than be wet and or cold.

Next week is most definitely going to be hard. My challenge is to take shorter showers. Well if I know anything it is that I love my showers, and I require them in the morning to help wake myself up and prepare for the day. I am going to try my best to limit myself but I honestly do not think that I will be very successful next week.

This second week of the Earth Month Challenge went well. This week I had proposed to “unplug”, I would make sure that any electronic device that I was not in the process of using would remain unplugged until I was ready to use it. This proved to be quite the challenge. For the first couple days of the week I forgot to unplug the fan on my counter as well as the docking station that is on my nightstand. In the case of the fan I hardly use it so I do not think about it that much, where as the docking station is what tells me the time and charges my phone while I sleep. Because both things have never moved sine I moved into my dorm it is so easy to forget that they are plugged, also the outlets are hidden. Compared to the plugs that I see everyday above my desk. However, after forgetting a few times, by the end of the week I was remembering to unplug everything and I felt good leaving my room knowing that I was not wasting energy. I’m thinking about having some sort of system that reminds me everyday to unplug things before I leave in the morning. Perhaps I could put a sticky note on my mirror as a quick reminder.

I am happy to say that even though I am a rather lazy person, when I pushed myself and had helpful reminders from my roommates, I was able to form new habits that are helpful to the environment. I can honestly say that I am proud of the things that I have accomplished this week and I am excited to continue to reform my daily habits to reduce any negative impact I may have on the environment.

Next week should be pretty easy. I am supposed to walk everywhere and not use any kind of transportation that emits pollution. This should not be too difficult of a task seeing as I do not have a car on campus and I usually walk everywhere anyway.

This first week of the Earth month challenge went well. My first challenge was to only wash my clothes in cold water. Well I did one load of laundry during this week and I did use cod water. This challenge was not that complicated or hard to complete. I think one way I can better challenge myself and reduce my environmental impact would be by not using a dryer to dry my clothes, but only use a drying rack. I think that this would make a bigger impact than just using cold water and it is more of a challenge for me.

During this first week I have learned that it is actually very easy to make subtle changes to your everyday routine to help reduce your energy usage. It’s all about making sure that either you can keep yourself motivated and accountable or having a friends or family member keep you accountable. I am lucky enough to life with 7 other girls that member of ENR scholars and share the same passion for the environment that I have, so I have easy access to friends that will make sure I stick to my challenges.

Next week my challenge is to unplug. My goal is to keep all my unused electronics unplugged in order to conserve energy. This should not bee too hard, I just need to make sure that I remember to unplug, and avoid the urge to not unplug due to the inconvenience that I may cause me, having to always plug things back in before I use them.

For this year’s earth month challenge I am committing to do four different things each week to reduce my environmental impact on the planet. The first week I plan on only washing my laundry with cold water. The second week I will unplug all of my devices that I am not using at that certain time to save energy. For the third week of earth month I pledge to walk everywhere, meaning that I will not use any of the buses to get around campus. Lastly for the fourth week I plan on taking shorter showers everyday to reduce the amount of water that I waste.

The fist week should not be that hard, I usually only do laundry once a week anyway and I don’t see why I cant just use cold water. We shall see if it will make any difference for my clothes. The second week should also not be too bad to accomplish. I think that the hardest part for this week will be to remember to unplug. It is so easy to just leave things plugged in so that they are ready to be used the next time that you need them. The third will probably be a little bit harder just because I like to take the cabs bus to the union because Morrill is so far a way from High street it is very convenient to take the bus instead of walking. However it will be good for me to walk around more, especially since the weather is beginning to get warmer. The last week will most definitely be the hardest because I enjoy taking longer showers, especially in the morning because they help me wake up. But I believe that I can reduce my shower time if I try hard enough. Hey, maybe I’ll even realize that shorter showers are better and start a whole new routine for myself.

For this year’s Earth Month Challenge I have chosen to focus on Energy and Transportation. I have chosen this area of focus because I feel very passionately about finding sources of sustainable energy because the human species is killing the only planet that can sustain life, so after it is dead we do not have any other options.

Here are 15 things that we can all do to decrease our impact on the environment:

1. Change all of the light bulbs in your house to compact fluorescents
2. Keep the thermostat set at either a hotter or cooler temperature depending on the season when you are not home to save energy
3. Unplug unused electronics
4. Buy local produce in order to cut down on the energy used to transport goods from other areas
5. Use mass transit, carpool, walking, or biking
6. Make sure that your tires are inflated because driving with deflated tires reduces your gas mileage by up to 3%
7. Use a line to dry your clothes instead of a dryer
8. Turn off the pilot flame of your gas furnace in the summer
9. Get rid of excess weight in your car to increase gas mileage
10. Turn off the lights when you leave a room
11. Purchase appliances that have the Energy Star logo
12. Air seal your home to avoid extra heating/cooling costs
13. Insulate walls to maintain efficient heating/ cooling
14. Use rugs a cheap insulation
15. Enable the “sleep mode” feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity

Campus resources:

• On the Faculties Operations and Development page on the campus website there is a tools and resources tab that has many links to helpful websites. One of theses links, the energy dashboard, takes you to a websites that explains how OSU uses energy
• On the Office of Student life’s webpage there is a section for commuter students and their a link on the page for a “Commuter Rideshare” program that allows OSU commuters to find each other and form carpools, which is a great way to save energy on transportation
• On the CampusParc website there is a section that explains how the university is promoting sustainability initiatives. One such program is the Low Emission, Fuel-Efficient (LEFE) parking initiative, where at certain garages 5% of total garage spaces are dedicated as LEFE parking spaces.

Helpful Websites:

• http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/calculators/

This is a footprint calculator that allows an individual to calculate how much land area it was require for everyone on the planet to have a lifestyle similar to their own. This would allow a person to take a hard look at the sustainability of their own actions and help them make some beneficial changes.

• http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/

This is the EPA’s website that gives a helpful outline for Americans to follow to help decrease their carbon foot print and help make the world a better place

• http://rprogress.org/ecological_footprint/reducing_your_footprint.htm

This website, redefining progress, gives helpful tips on how to reduce energy usage and provides alternative transportation options.

• http://www.epa.gov/recycle

This is another part of the EPA website that talks about ways to reduce your use of everyday products to help save energy and money on transportation.