My first challenge week went well! I expected to have more trouble in regards to forgetting my challenge or forgetting to make sure I unplugged my computer and such; however, I did not have much trouble in this area. The posters that we made in class proved to help quite a bit with remembering my challenge and not skipping out on following through with the challenge throughout the week. We taped these posters on our doors in our room, so every time I came home from class or just looked at the door I was reminded of my challenge. I learned that it is not very difficult for me to make simple changes such as this one in my daily life. The only issue in the past was that I never made it a priority to make this type of small change.

Next week I will be continuing the challenge from this week, and I will also add turning off lights when exiting a room (assuming no one else is in the room). I anticipate next week will probably go as well as this week went. Like the first week, the only issue should occur if I forget to turn off the lights or unplug electronics. A difference between the two weeks would be that turning off the lights will most likely occur more often than unplugging my electronics.

After updating my profile on OROECO, I found that I would save 200 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions per year and $20 per year if I were to continue unplugging electronics.

For the Earth Month Challenge, I have decided to focus on Energy and Transportation. I plan to have my challenges be cumulative, beginning  with the easiest challenge and building up to the hardest one. The first week I plan to add making sure to turn off the lights whenever I exit a room (assuming I was the last one in the room). This challenge will be difficult because I will have to constantly remember to actually turn the lights off, and I am a forgetful person. The second week I will make it a point to unplug my electronics (mainly my computer) before going to bed (so that it does not charge all night long). This one will be challenging because I generally take my computer with me to class every day and use it throughout the day. As a result, I need it to be charged all the way. I have a habit of forgetting to charge it while I am using my computer in my dorm, so I end up having to let it charge overnight. During the third week, I will walk to places on campus rather than riding the bus. This challenge will be difficult because I often end up running late for my 8am classes. As a result, it is very easy to simply catch a bus and make it to class on time. This challenge will force me to make sure that I give myself sufficient time to make it to class on time without riding the bus. Finally, for the last week, I will add taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator. This challenge will be difficult physically, as I will have to refrain from taking the elevator in any of my building. Often times, it is easy to be lazy and take the elevator, but I will have to constantly remind myself why I am taking the stairs instead of the elevator. There are no specific resources that I plan to use for any of these challenges.

I chose to do Option 1 this time for the Columbus To Do List. Option 1 included a choice of which list to go through, depending on which places the student would be interested in visiting. The specific list I chose was the Nature and Outdoor Recreation one. I am excited to get to explore and spend time at multiple different parks and trails throughout the semester and as the weather gets warmer. I think it will also be enjoyable because I will most likely get to go to some of these parks with some of my peers who are also completing this list. For this assignment, I hope to check out parks that I have never been to before, even though I have grown up in the Columbus area. So far, I have only checked off one of the destinations, which was the Olentangy Trail. I spent some time one weekend walking the trail and just taking in my surroundings. It was very peaceful, and it helped that the weather was nice that day. The birds were also starting to come out, so it was nice to see them flying around. I would definitely go back, because walking or running on trails is always an enjoyable thing to do. Because of that fact, I would also recommend it to a friend. I did not really learn anything throughout this first experience; however, I am excited to explore and experience even more as I continue to visit more places on this list.

The picture below features the Olentangy River.

For the Earth Month Challenge, I chose Energy and Transportation as my area of focus. I was drawn to this area just because of how much we seem to take for granted the energy and transportation we have, rather than being smart about how we use the resources. Fifteen things that one could do within this area to decrease his or her impact on the environment are: ride the bus instead of driving, carpool, ride bikes, walk to places that are close enough instead of taking a bus or car, turn off the lights when exiting a room, unplug computers or electronics before going to bed (so they do not charge all night), take the stairs instead of riding the elevator, wash clothes in cold water, air dry clothes instead of using the dryer, turn the thermostat down (to a reasonable temperature), turn the fridge up to the highest temperature it can be while still keeping the food cold enough (do not keep it too cold), keep the fridge or freezer full (more efficient than empty), switch to energy-saving lights, fill the dishwasher all the way before running it, and get draft stoppers for doors.

There are various campus resources that would help one decrease his or her impact in this area. First, the COTA or CABS bus system would be useful in riding the bus instead of driving one’s car to work every day. Second, Ohio State promotes sustainability through things like Low Emission, Fuel-Efficient (LEFE) parking. Finally, there are a number of clubs at Ohio State that can help with education about further environmental concerns and how to be more sustainable, such as the Sierra Club.

If one did not have access to campus resources as an aid to becoming more sustainable, then he or she could use the following websites as guides. First, the following website — http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/services-and-advice/households/energy-efficiency/at-home/top-10-energy-saving-tips — is helpful because it gives ten general energy saving tips. Second, the following website — http://energy4me.org/all-about-energy/sustainability/energy-conservation/ — is also helpful because it gives ways to conserve energy while at home, while on the road, and even while shopping. A third online resource can be found at the following website — https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch8en/conc8en/ch8c4en.html. This website is useful because it would help someone have a more well-rounded understanding of sustainability. Finally, the following website — http://www.globalstewards.org/sustainable-lifestyle.htm — is also useful because it gives steps to living a sustainable lifestyle.