Harry Watkins

"I want to be a "Red Letter" Christian, (that is, paying attention to all Christ said and did, not just the easy parts); a Christ follower who, with the help of the Holy Spirit, chooses love and gratitude, lives sacrificially for others, fights for justice for the poor and marginalized, rejoices in and cares for God's creation, and works out in community with others how to live on ONE earth."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
2,070 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

566

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

196

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

532

miles

traveled by train
UP TO

170

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

70

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

560

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

86

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

101

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2,648

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

21

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

100

locally sourced meals

consumed

Harry's actions

Waste

Print Double Sided

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided.

COMPLETED 100
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 96
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Ride the Bus

I will ride the bus 14 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 4.03 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 40
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Eat Meatless Meals

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) per day.

COMPLETED 98
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Locally-Sourced Meals

I will source 1 meal(s) per day from local producers.

COMPLETED 100
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

COMPLETED 96
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 101
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Containers

I will only use reusable containers for my lunches at work or school.

COMPLETED 84
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 86
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Recycle Everything I Can

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 87
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Ditch The AC

I will use a fan instead of a window air conditioner.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Try Carpool

I will carpool 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 3.02 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 34
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.

COMPLETED 102
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 94
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Ride the Train

I will ride the train 14 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 7.95 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 38
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 87
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?

Harry Watkins 11/12/2017 3:55 PM

Brittany, Alexa, Erla and Heather came joined me, Carol, Lee and Juanita for dinner last night. We visited our chickens, veggie garden, looked at our 800 gallon water tanks and grey water system, and visited our friends pool which they have converted to a pond with water plants, turtles, fish, etc. Finally a good meal/potluck was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Erla for contributing her mom's stuffed pepper recipe! Yum.

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- Grant Alston 11/12/2017 7:43 PM
  
  wow this is awesome! I would love to see pictures in class if you have them, i am sorry to have missed it!
  
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Harry Watkins 11/09/2017 4:41 PM

Taking the trolley home this evening, I had to get off at Fenton Park ( near Ikea) and have Carol come pick me up. The track going East was blocked apparently. The Green line just reverses and headed back to Old Town. Oh well, at least we are carpooling! 😏

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- Charles Schuck 1/24/2018 1:51 PM
  
  When I lived in San Francisco stuff like that would always happen with the public transportation. I am excited to try San Diego's PT and compare the two!
  
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Harry Watkins 10/06/2017 2:29 PM

Welcome to Emme Fridge from Dr. Jimi Valiente-Neighbour's Environmental Sociology class!

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Harry Watkins 10/05/2017 6:58 PM

I commute to PLNU by trolley and bus twice a week and use the car the other two days I come into campus. The two days I use the car, I am working late, and using public transit would get me home really late. We live in a home in Spring Valley that has a really low walkability score (17). I am about a mile and a half away from the nearest trolley stop. We moved here from an apartment in La Mesa to do intentional community with another couple, which means that our actual housing footprint is lower, and we can do cool things like grow our own veggies, raise chickens, do solar and rain water capture, grey water recycling, etc. However, we left an apartment that had a really high walk score (over 75). I could easily walk to and from the trolley (now Carol picks me up on most days), and we often walked into downtown La Mesa for shopping or dinner. I miss that.

A lot of Millennials are simply dumping the idea of a big home in the suburbs and are opting for urban (walkable) living. Sure makes sense to me. What are you guys thinking about concerning housing plans after graduation?

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- Emma Rucker 10/07/2017 9:32 PM
  
  When I graduate, I would love to live somewhere I could walk a lot of places. Not only would it encourage fresh air and exercise, I could really save money on gas. One thing I have noticed specifically in the PLNU community is that many chose to live with roommates in Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach or Mission Beach. These areas are mostly flat and people are more-or-less able to walk where-ever they need, whether its to grocery stores, shopping, or restaurants. I also think a large advantage to walkable areas is avoiding the problem of parking. Because these areas are by the beach and often filled with tourists, I think that more people are walking places just to avoid having to find parking there and back. I would love to live in an area like one of these that is walkable to the beach, food, and energetic environments.
  
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Harry Watkins 9/22/2017 12:08 PM

After my morning workout with Carol today, we went to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and some "parallel play" i.e., reading. We forgot to bring our coffee mugs, so instead simply asked for ceramic cups. Did you know that 4 billion Starbucks disposable cups are thrown away each year? Those cups consume something like 1.6 million trees, and 1 billion gallons of water PER YEAR to make. Most aren't recycled because they include plastic. William Mcdonough, who wrote Cradle to Cradle, calls mixed materials like this (paper plus plastic) "monstrous hybrids", because they are so difficult to recycle. I love my coffee. But years ago I decided to "refuse" coffee offered to me in a paper(plastic) cup!

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Harry Watkins 9/11/2017 1:14 PM

I always print student handouts double-sided. However, I'm challenging myself to trust that students will read materials that are on Canvas, or other sites if I give them the links. I'm really conflicted about this because my experience is that students read printed documents/articles etc. more thoroughly than they do virtual ones. What do you folks think?

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- Sabrinna Alonso 9/11/2017 2:39 PM
  
  I personally am the type of person who will not initiate change so for me I will always choose paper out of habit. However, last semester the majority of my professors provided course documents and readings online and I actually found that to be more convenient. Being in college I take up to six classes per semester so sometimes it is easy to bring the wrong paper or forget something at home and I enjoyed the fact that everything was virtually accessible. So I do believe that this can be a positive change for your classes!
  
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Harry Watkins 9/10/2017 7:10 PM

The easiest way to source food locally is to buy at local farmer's markets (I shop at the La Mesa market every Friday), or to join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. These provide you with a box of veggies, fruits and sometimes eggs/meat that are grown locally, organically, etc. There is one available through the Office of Sustainability if you are interested. Given that the average distance food travels from farm to plate in the U.S. is 1500 miles, this dramatically lowers the carbon footprint of your food consumption. Also means fresher, healthier food AND supports local small farmers. WIN/WIN/WIN! :-)

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Harry Watkins 9/07/2017 10:19 AM

It is so easy for me to push, push, push, and then collapse in front of the TV. One thing I'm doing this semester is beginning each day with some time in prayer for myself, for my family, my students, our nation, and the world. This is easy when I'm commuting via public transit, but when I drive, I need to leave time when I get to the office to pray FIRST! A second thing related to mindfulness is that we do school in a beautiful place. I intend to get outside for a walk every day I'm on campus - not thinking primarily, but instead simply observing and giving thanks.

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- Megan Clynes 9/10/2017 9:17 PM
  
  I love that you're being so intentional about taking in the beauty of where we live! It can be easy to get consumed in yourself and how busy life gets put taking time to appreciate God's creation is always a welcome pause. I think that I will try to start taking time to spend in prayer instead of constantly looking at a screen.
  
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- Allegra DeSanto 9/09/2017 11:24 AM
  
  I like your mindfulness! I think it is very important to appreciate your life daily and be grateful for the opportunities that we have. We have the opportunity to attend a Christian college in beautiful San Diego. One big thing that I have learned over the years is not taking this life for granted!
  
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Harry Watkins 9/05/2017 1:02 PM

I'm having to remind myself to enter my daily results DAILY! :-) However, I just noted that I can go back and register my work on daily commitments from this past weekend. Helpful!

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Harry Watkins 9/01/2017 1:15 PM

I went happily vegan for several years, but frankly, I love cheese, and eat now eggs from our chickens. Also will occasionally eat free-range chicken and fish sourced from sustainably managed fisheries. We avoid beef (high carbon footprint due to Methane, excessive water and land required per pound of meat). We often replace beef/pork with meatless sausage, Saitan, Tofu, etc. I'm not a purist on food, but try to eat "mindfully": it is better for my health and for the planet.

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