Michele Barbin
""To live more thoughtfully in the present and the future -- and share the experience with others" (Photo by Alden Henrie: Sunset on the Danube, July 2017)"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 748 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO154gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO12lightbulbsreplaced
Michele's actions
Energy
Switch to Cold Water
I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of C02 over the course of the next year.
Simplicity
De-Clutter My Home
I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.
Energy
Upgrade My Windows
I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.
Energy
Online Energy Audit
I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.
Energy
Use an Energy Meter
I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.
Water
Install a Toilet Tank Bank
I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.
Simplicity
Work-Life Balance
I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.
Water
Fix Leaky Faucets
I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.
Food
Buy From a Farmers Market
I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.
Energy
Choose LED Bulbs
I will replace 12 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.
Food
Plant an Herb Garden
I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.
Create Your Own Action
Health: Record diet on myfitnesspal
Get back in the habit of recording everything I eat on myfitnesspal.com to track nutrition and calorie intake!!!
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?
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Michele Barbin 10/25/2017 1:04 PMThe simplifying will continue at a rate of 30 minutes a day until my home is a peaceful, uncluttered sanctuary. So much accumulation, so little time -- once I get it where I want it, I will not allow anything to pass through the threshold without an idea of what shall depart first... shirt for a shirt, gadget for a gadget. Wish this was longer than a two-week process! -
Michele Barbin 10/25/2017 8:59 AMWell, yes. I did miss a check-in. Bummer. My herb garden was actually a transplant... invasive oregano and mint moved to foundation planting. -
Michele Barbin 10/18/2017 6:23 AMResisting turning on the heat at night. We're due for a warmup this weekend. Hoping to avoid turning on heat until November by leaving drapes open during the day for passive solar and closing them when I get home at dusk. Doing well so far considering the last two nights were in the 30s. Needed a couple extra blankets. Might make it to November at this rate... -
Michele Barbin 10/16/2017 1:35 PMGot away from the tech on a camping weekend. Feel a bit penalized for not being able to record daily challenge completion as a result -- no wifi. Is there a way to record the previous day or two that I'm not seeing? -
Michele Barbin 10/13/2017 5:53 PMHard to meet daily challenges with travel schedule, but I managed! Camping this weekend. May be unplugged a few days.... which is good, but not a goal! -
Michele Barbin 10/11/2017 7:52 PMOPPORTUNITY -- FREE TO GOOD ECOCHALLENGE TEAMMATE HOME: One Waterpik Low-Flow Showerhead (I already had one when my power company sent me this one) -- Rated 2.0 gal/m MAX; 1.5 gal/m min. I work at Pattee. Will be back in the office Mon 10/16. Save some coin, Help me Simplify, Check off your low-flow showerhead challenge! Reply to arrange hand-off! mlb78@psu.edu -
Michele Barbin 10/11/2017 7:52 PMOPPORTUNITY -- FREE TO GOOD ECOCHALLENGE TEAMMATE HOME: One Furnace Filter Whistle. Whistles when your furnace filter is 50% clogged/dirty to tell you when it's time to replace the filter and save $ by keeping your furnace from working too hard to push air through your forced-air heating/cooling system! I, unfortunately, have electric baseboard zone heating, so this handy device needs to be re-homed. Sent to me by my power company in an energy-efficiency kit. Will be back in the office Mon 10/16. Save some coin, Help me Simplify, Check off your heating efficiency challenge! Reply to arrange hand-off! mlb78@psu.edu -
Michele Barbin 10/11/2017 7:47 PMSwitching to a cold water with laundry is a no-brainer -- I see little difference in the quality of the wash cycle. -
Michele Barbin 10/11/2017 6:46 AMSimplifying... stay tuned for a list of helpful items in the next couple days. I know I have an excess low-flow showerhead (or two) that the power company sent to my house.... -
Michele Barbin 9/28/2017 6:11 AMCool way to track conscientious actions and develop better habits for both the environment and the wallet. Many of the listed challenge items are habitual to me; others have fallen victim to procrastination (e.g., energy audit) or budgeting (e.g., leaky faucet). Hit the first, save enough for the other? Kick those up the list!