Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: My Smart Goal

My goal for this past week was to take the bus to and from the UMD campus 5 times per week
I did not meet my goal this week. I have to say I am not to surprised. I do have busy schedule and that is what did me in. I only took the bus 3 times this past week. I ended up driving because I had other commitments right after class so I did not have the time to take the bus. I had been doing good about not scheduling so tightly so I am kind of disappointed in myself for giving in and taking and driving.

When I did take the bus I felt the same things I have been feeling previously. While I was waiting outside in the cold (and this week seemed really really cold!) I would think of how I could be in my nice warm car. I continued to wake up 10 minutes early so I could easily make the bus and I would not have to rush. It seems over the past few weeks I have gotten into a routine and it really helps me succeed in taking the bus.

I look to continue to strive to take the bus at least 3 times per week to and from campus.
Review of SMART Goal Process:

My SMART goal started off taking the bus 3 times per week and then progressed to taking the bus 5 times per week to and from campus. The amount of times I took the bus gradually increased as I would achieve my goal.

I did not meet my goal the first week because I did not change any of my behaviors. I expected I could just wake up and get on the bus instead of driving. This was not successful. I ended up either rushing and missing the bus or finding out I could not take the bus because I had commitments right after school. Therefore, I started waking up 10 minutes earlier and I started planning other things later in the day so I could have time to take the bus home. This helped my achieving my goals week to week. The weather also helped me be successful. I tend to be afraid of driving in snowy or icy weather. So I had extra incentive on stormy days to take the bus.

I benefited because I am now in a routine that I continue even after the SMART goal project is done. I feel that this is a sustainable action. I also saved a lot of money on gas. I noticed I did not have to fill up my gas tank nearly has often as I did before. It is great!

I learned that taking the bus is not difficult at all. I learned it is also very convenient and it takes about the same amount of time by car and it does by bus. I also learned how to take the bus and how to read a bus schedule. Seems silly but I did not know how to read a bus schedule before. I learned about myself that once I get into a routine it is really easy. The hardest part for me was breaking my old routine, once I got past that it was really easy to change my behavior.

My behavior change benefited the environment because as a result of me taking the bus there was one less car on the road. That is one less car contributing to air and noise pollution. Others benefited from my actions because since I was not driving there was less traffic on the road. If a lot more people took the bus there would be a lot less traffic on the roads.

I do plan on continuing this behavior. I have found it to not be that difficult now that I am in a routine. My recommendation for those seeking a behavior change is to stick with it even if it is difficult at first. The hardest part, in my opinion, is starting the behavior change because it is so different from what you are used to. My advice is to stick with it past that first week. Once you make that initial behavior change, it is all down hill from there!

Blogged for AmyintheRain

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Updates

My lifestyle change goal this week was to take the bus to and from the UMD campus 4 times per week.

I once again met my goal! I have ton say I am quite proud of myself. Taking the bus is quite easy and not as inconvenient as I thought it would be. Nothing disastrous has happened yet; I haven't missed my bus or gotten on the wrong bus. All has gone according to plan.

I have continued with my strategies of getting up 10 minutes earlier so I can make my bus on time and I also have been planning ahead so I do not plan anything directly after school. Therefore, I am able to take the bus.

One challenge has been the weather; it is really quite miserable to wait out in the rain. I am always tempted to walk back and get in my nice warm car. One thing I can do to offset this nasty weather is dress properly. I think it maybe time for me to finally break out my winter coat, hats and mittens.

It may sound funny but I am learning how to ride the bus. The first time I rode the bus I didn't know the route at all or even signal how to get off. Luckily the first couple times of taking the bus others had to get off at my stop. I am now becoming more confident when riding the bus. It may sound silly but it is true. One thing I love is how much gas I am actually saving! I haven't had to fill up my gas take in 2 weeks. I can really notice the amount of gas and money that I am saving; it is just fantastic!

My plan for me this week coming week is to take the bus to and from the UMD campus 5 days per week.

This coming week may prove to be a real challenge because I will try not to be tempted to drive to school at all. Hopefully, my schedule isn't to hectic.

Blogged for Amyintherain@blogspot.com

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Updates

My SMART Goal was to once again take the bus to and from the UMD campus 3 times per week.

I felt I did much better this week. I actually met my goal! What helped me greatly was planning ahead. I would wake up ten minutes earlier so I wouldn't have to rush to catch the bus and it seemed to work. I also did not have such a busy week, so it was much easier to take the bus because I did not obligations directly after class that I had to rush off to.

Sometimes while I was waiting out in the bitter cold, I would think I could be in my warm car driving right now. It was hard to resist the urge to walk back home and get in my car. Once I was on the bus and a little warmer, I was proud that resisted the temptation because I was one step closer to meeting my goal.

I learned this week, that taking the bus is not that difficult, it is actually quite easy and quite convenient. I was timing my commute and if I count the time it would take for me to walk to my car in the parking lot and then drive home it takes almost the same amount of time to take the bus. I also do not have to deal with headache of parking at UMD. The buses run so often that I do not have to wait to long to catch a bus to and from school. Also, the weather and roads were not to pleasant this past week, so I really enjoyed not having to drive and just taking the bus, It was a lot less stressful!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Since I completed my goal this week, I am going to up the ante and shoot for taking the bus 4 times per week to and from campus.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Updates

My SMART goal was to take the bus to and from UMD three times per week. I

I did not do so hot on achieving my goal. I only took this bus once this past week, but one day I did car pool with my roommate one day also.

What helped me make the bus once was planning ahead. If the night before I knew I was planning on taking the bus then I would, but if I forgot and then at the last minute in the morning I would try and make the bus I would miss it and end up driving, Communication with my roommate helps to coordinate rides when we have similar schedules. Challenges were trying to make the bus; I would be running late and I would miss the bus. Also, if I had other things to do right after school I would need to drive in order to make it on time. The way I dealt with these challenges was I caved and resorted to driving. I need to find an alternative solution to these challenges.

I feel regret that I did not take the bus more often. It is a fairly easy thing to do and I could not even accomplish it; if I plan ahead more often then I think I could be more successful. When I did take the bus or carpool, I felt rewarded because not only was I helping the environment but I was also save on gas. I think the savings in gas is the what motivates me the most.

I had never taken the city the bus before and I was always nervous about getting on the correct bus. I have learned that it is not that terrifying to take the bus.

For this upcoming week, I am going to shoot for the same goal. I will take the bus to and from campus 3 times per week. I am going to make an effort to plan ahead so I have enough time to catch the bus. I am also going to avoid planning activities directly after school so I have time to take the bus home instead of driving.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My Smart Goal

My Goal:

I will ride the bus to and from the UMD campus three times per week.

Why is my goal eco-chic?

By taking the bus 3 times per week I will be saving gas and therefore saving the environment. I can cut down on my dependency on the non-renewable resource oil. I will also cut down on the air pollution caused by driving my car. I will also no longer contributing as much to the greenhouse gases that are trapped in our environment and contributing to global warming.

Why I chose this behavior and why is this important to me?

I chose to change my driving habits because I believe I am being extremely wasteful driving my car. I live right on the bus route, so I literally have to walk less than a block to the bus stop. I have been telling myself that I am going to take the bus more all year, but I have yet to take action. Therefore, I think setting this SMART goal for class is the perfect opportunity to give me the necessary push. Because of my busy schedule, I am not able to take the bus everyday but I have figured out that I should be able to ride the bus 3 days without impeding on my current schedule. Not only would taking the bus be beneficial to the environment but it would also benefit my pocket book. I believe I could save a lot of money on gas especially since as students we can ride the bus for free.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain.

Hello my name is Sarah Zapp and welcome to my blog, Take a Hike!



I am currently a community health education major at UMD. This blog is tied to an Enviromental Health class at UMD. The blog will be about the impact people have on their environment and the impact the environment has on our lives. This blog will also touch on different things that can be done to improve our environment and our quality of life.

There are going to be 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are

1. Brier@lovinnaturewithbrier
   
2. Kristy@kritysfuninthesunspot
   
3. Jamie@jamiesaysjump
   
4. Ell@ellydreamsgreen
   
5. Lauren@laurenspouringrain
   
6. Mary@blueskiesformary
   
7. Sarah@takeahikewithsarah
   

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile."

This is gist of what my blog is going to be about, a space to learn and share ideas about our environment and how to improve it. Feel free to add input, it would only enhance the experience. It's going to be a wonderful learning experience!