Climate CHALLENGE
by Sofie Van Canegem
The aim of this reflection paper is to share my experience with the cCHALLENGE, a 30-day experiment on an environmentally friendly change in my daily life. This paper will first discuss the cCHALLENGE I chose, namely to reduce my food waste, and why I chose it. It will thereafter discuss how I experienced the challenge and my reflections on it, with the Three Spheres of Transformation Framework in mind. The paper concludes that the three spheres of transformation – the practical, political, and personal spheres – positively and negatively affect one another, meaning that a transformation in one sphere can impact or facilitate change in another sphere.
esting you to evaluate how you are influ-
cCHALLENGE
enced by the “Three Spheres of Trans-
We live in a consumer society, a society
by O´Brien and Sygna, after Sharma’s
in which people are encouraged to buy services and goods (Smart 2010). This
excessive lifestyle does not match the
need for a more sustainable society, a society that fosters the primary needs
of our planet. As an individual, and as a
consumer, I wonder how much difference I can make in the bigger picture by changing to a more sustainable lifestyle,
and how much my behaviour will be influenced by other players, for instance by companies whose market model is built
formation Framework” as developed ideas (O´Brien and Sygna 2013; Sharma 2007). The practical, personal, and political spheres are cultural and social
norms, systems and structures, and your
own assumptions and beliefs, respectively (cCHANGE n.d.). The aim of the
challenge is not to calculate how much your changes in daily life reduce your climate impact, but to reflect on your trans-
formation process, for instance on the barriers and limits that you experience.
around maximising profit. To find out, I
This reflection paper will discuss my
by cCHANGE and Karen O’Brien (cCHAN-
days I will reduce my food waste”. First,
accepted the cCHALLENGE developed GE n.d.). cCHALLENGE is a 30-day experiment on a self-selected change in your
daily life that leads to a more sustainable way of living. It brings you, the individual, in relation to the bigger picture by requ-
cCHALLENGE: “During the next 30
I will explain why I chose this challenge. Afterwards, I will share my experience
with the challenge and reflect on how
the three spheres of transformation influenced it. In the end, the changing 94
