Laurita Long

Greater San Diego

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
900 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

500

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

water leak

reported
UP TO

245

pieces of paper

avoided
UP TO

34

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

65

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

113

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

64

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

13

individuals

recognized for sustainability
UP TO

10

local or diverse businesses

supported

Laurita's actions

At Work

Report a Leak

I will prevent water from being wasted by reporting one or more leaky faucets, toilets, or other water leaks to my organization's facilities team for repair.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Work

Turn It Off

I will turn my computer monitor(s) off at my work station when not in use to save energy (I will follow my organization's IT instructions for keeping on, turning off, or restarting computers).

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

One Healthcare

Use A Reusable Mug/Bottle

I will keep 10 disposable cup(s) and/or bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle, cup, or mug.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Work From Home

I will work from home 4 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

One Healthcare

Green Gratitude

I will recognize 10 colleague(s) for their sustainability efforts by thanking them on our team feed, in-person, by email, and/or through my organization's recognition platforms.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Shorter Showers

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

COMPLETED 25
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Go Paperless

I will avoid printing 10 pieces of paper by "going digital" and printing double-sided whenever possible.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

In Our Communities

Support Diverse and Locally-Owned Businesses

I will promote equity and support my community by purchasing items at 10 diverse- and/or locally-owned businesses.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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
At Work Work From Home

What have you found to be the biggest pros and cons of working from home?

Laurita Long 4/24/2024 10:50 AM

Biggest pro to working at home is the ability to sleep a little longer in the morning. Also, I like being able to run the dishwasher/do laundry on my lunch break when electricity rates are lower. I also feel that I am more productive without the interruptions of the office (small talk or the time it takes to go from one meeting to another).

The biggest con is that I do like interacting with my people, and working "alone" at home can be lonely and make me feel anti-social. One way I manage this is to host a virtual body double call where colleagues can "work in the same space" even though we are all in different places and different jobs (camera on, mute on or off depending on what works for the group/person).

Read More
- Barbara Hamilton 4/24/2024 12:13 PM
  
  Such a fun idea, Laurita!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
One Healthcare Green Gratitude

Share a creative way you've expressed gratitude to a colleague. How did it make you feel?

Laurita Long 4/22/2024 11:11 AM

I did a no-buy coffee mug exchange with a colleague who always has the cutest mugs. It was a win win because we both exchanged something from our personal collections that we weren't using anymore.

Read More
- UC San Diego Health 4/23/2024 11:40 AM
  
  What a fun idea, Laurita! I like doing a similar exchange with clothes and accessories among friends. It's a free way we can all spruce up our closets.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
One Healthcare Use A Reusable Mug/Bottle

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

Laurita Long 4/18/2024 2:28 PM

One of my main challenges to making a permanent move away from single-use plastics is non-water drinks, like electrolyte water, tea, soda, etc. I am working to make a transition to powder electrolytes to use in my reuseable bottle and am trying to make a change with tea too. Soda will likely continue to me a challenge, I have not found the soda stream to be a preferred option for me personally.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Work Go Paperless

Have you considered doing a review of your work practices to see if there are opportunities to go digital with a process that has historically been paper-based at your organization?

Laurita Long 4/18/2024 2:18 PM

Yes - especially with remote work - building accessible/shareable documents (via Teams) is a key factor in reduction of paper waste.

Read More
- UC San Diego Health 4/18/2024 10:35 PM
  
  Agreed! So much easier to search, share, edit, and collaborate with electronic files. Saves space, too.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
In Our Communities Support Diverse and Locally-Owned Businesses

What did you enjoy most about shopping at a diverse and/or locally-owned business? What are some of your favorite diverse and/or locally-owned businesses to shop at in your area?

Laurita Long 4/10/2024 10:01 AM

I enjoy shopping at local markets for handmade and unique items (many upcycled items). I love the stories and seeing people light up when I appreciate their skill/art. I bought a beautiful ear cuff directly from an artist this weekend and already intend to work with her on a custom piece.

Read More
- Julianne Luong 4/11/2024 10:23 AM
  
  This sounds so cool :) I just recently visited Seahive and the collection of small-business vendors was so impressive.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home Needs Vs. Wants

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?

Laurita Long 4/04/2024 11:00 AM

Creativity is essential to find resourceful alternatives to single-use items or giving new life to items that would otherwise be discarded.

Making homemade cleaning or beauty products (apple cider vinegar has so many uses!), crafting reusable cloth bags from clothes/sheets/towels that may otherwise end up in a landfill, or repurposing containers for storage (my talenti ice cream container has many re-uses - particularly for making overnight oats).

Read More
- Julianne Luong 4/09/2024 11:29 PM
  
  Bonus: When you eat your overnight oats from a Talenti container, you can trick yourself into thinking you're eating ice cream :D
  
  Read More
- Barbara Hamilton 4/04/2024 1:39 PM
  
  Laurita, great ideas for alternatives to single-use items!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Work Turn It Off

Was this action easy to add to your daily routine? Why or why not?

Laurita Long 4/02/2024 5:00 PM

Turning off the monitors was easy, remembering to turn them back on in the morning is not as easy yet.

Read More
- Barbara Hamilton 4/04/2024 5:22 AM
  
  Keep with it, Lauita. Thanks for participating and helping us to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases!
  
  Read More