Katherine Carr

Ruby Planeteers

"Small changes to my habits can make a big impact. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
462 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

19

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill

Katherine's actions

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Meet My Local Farmers

I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those who produce my food in other regions of the world to make better choices when I shop.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 19
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?

Katherine Carr 10/23/2018 2:36 PM

While I haven't met any of my local farmers yet, I did get to connect with a woman who raises cattle locally. Folks can purchase a share of an animal and receive meat and bones when they slaughter. They also let you come visit and meet the animals, which I think will be an important piece of showing our daughter the full food system and letting her make an informed decision about whether or not she chooses to eat meat and, if so, where she sources it.

Read More
- Marianne Greco 10/23/2018 2:59 PM
  MEET YOUR MEAT !
  This challenge has really exposed the blindness of my actions as they relate to my espoused values. If I were to meet the animal, I would probably not be able to eat it! Not everyone feels this way, but when facing the reality of my food choice, it seems that avoiding the animal in order to be comfortable continuing to eat meat is intellectually dishonest for me. I take this challenge to heart and commit to do some or all of the following:
  1. reduce meat consumption to about 8 ounces per week.
  2. buy only from local farms that humanely raised and naturally pasture their animals.
  3. advocate for humane treatment of farm animals
  4. If I were to "meet the meat," as Katherine suggests, my relationship with meat animals would become honest and intrinsic, rather than conflicted and hypocritical. This is a tricky one - it might make me a vegetarian!
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Meet My Local Farmers

When you know who produces your food, you are connecting personally to your complex regional food system. What are the advantages of knowing who produces your food and where it comes from? Do you think this might enable someone to advocate for a better quality of life for those who produce their food, both near and far?

Katherine Carr 10/23/2018 2:34 PM

Knowing who produces your food gives you a personal connection and a sense of personal responsibility. It also creates a sense of gratitude and respect for the hard work and energy that goes into our food production, and allows us to have a better perspective when we're thinking about policies and community decisions that affect our food systems and our farmers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?

Katherine Carr 10/22/2018 2:53 PM

The documentary I watched was very informative, and I still think I have more to learn to have a firm grasp on food sovereignty. From my understanding, it puts the responsibility and power back in the hands of the people to return to traditional, natural, home-grown/home-gathered food systems that nurture mind, body, and spirit. The particular tribe the documentary focused on spoke about teaching others their traditional ways of growing, cooking, fishing, gathering, and hunting. They also spoke about preserving seeds, returning to the types of foods that have spirit and that nourish the body, and preserving the spiritual practices associated with celebrating their food resources.

Read More
Katherine Carr 10/18/2018 4:56 PM

I was reading this article today about food sovereignty (thank you ecochallenge), and loved the quote by MLK on the sideline "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." http://usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org/what-is-food-sovereignty/

Read More
Katherine Carr 10/17/2018 5:53 PM

Read More
Katherine Carr 10/17/2018 4:17 PM

The EcoChallenge always draws attention to the gaps in my current habits. While meal planning and buying local food from our grocery store, we're noticing that some of that food has a fair amount of plastic packaging. That's especially true of our salad greens. Time to find a farmer's market!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Weekly Meal Planning

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

Katherine Carr 10/15/2018 11:32 AM

This doesn't surprise me. It's a great reminder that what we spend on waste we could instead spend on quality and sourcing locally. And donating to providing fresh, local food to those living with food uncertainty.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles serve an important role in places for health and safety, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. Can you identify the barriers in making this a new habit? How can you set yourself up for success in making this a permanent change?

Katherine Carr 10/15/2018 11:31 AM

Having a water bottle on hand that is easy to clean makes a big difference. Also having easy access to water I trust at work is helpful. The biggest reason I buy water is because I forget to bring enough for making my daughter's bottle (she's a toddler) while we're out and about. I've started bringing a second water bottle just for her to make sure we're always carrying enough, and filling up anytime we find a water station or are at a restaurant while we're out and about. My office is downtown and my partner's office is on the waterfront, so we also have two go-to places we can stop and refill when we're out and about in the city.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reuseable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to establish this a successful habit?

Katherine Carr 10/15/2018 11:26 AM

I typically buy less and carry it out in my hands. Alternatively, I'll purchase a reusable bag. I have a bag that folds up extra-small that needs to be a permanent addition to my backpack to make sure I'm covered when I forget to bring my bags.

Read More
Katherine Carr 10/09/2018 12:35 PM

Meal planning has been really impactful! We're still learning, but we've managed to make breakfasts and dinners at home successfully and to plan so far, with fresh and local ingredients. Tackling lunches has been a lot harder. If you have tips and tricks that get your food prep done in advance, I'd love to hear them!

Read More