Fiona Chrystall
10/17/2018 11:45 AM
Give more of my time to help others face their daily challenges.
Fiona Chrystall
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 372 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO132gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO3.0hoursvolunteered
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UP TO30minutesspent exercising
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UP TO30minutesspent learning
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UP TO9.0plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
Fiona's actions
Community
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 3 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.
Waste
Skip the Straw
Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.
Water
Install a Toilet Tank Bank
I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water each day by installing a toilet tank bank.
Food
Smart Seafood Choices
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
Health
Exercise Daily
Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.
Health
Happiness
I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Volunteer in my CommunityWhat is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?
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Fiona Chrystall 10/15/2018 7:00 PMI chose to do this challenge because I was getting a little complacent in my actions. Sure, I teach Environmental Biology, and I do several things to try and lessen my impact on the environment, but I can certainly do more.
I'm pleased that this challenge has motivated me to buy a set of stainless steel straws and that I've also managed to persuade my husband (who is not nearly so environmentally conscious or active) to carry one, too. So, although I committed to a very modest reduction of one plastic straw a day, in reality, we've saved at least twice that many in the past 4-5 days.
Next, I purchased and installed a toilet tank bank to reduce the amount of water we use for flushing the toilet. That has always bothered me. We have low flow attachments on our bathroom sink faucet but we couldn't do this on our kitchen sink because of the water filter and our showerhead is not fixed, which was the option we had through Duke Energy when we had a home energy/resource audit done a couple of years ago. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth HappinessHow does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?
Fiona Chrystall 10/15/2018 6:51 PMFocus on the positive aspects of life. This is so important in today's political climate in the US (and elsewhere). There is still an awful lot of good going on in the world but it is not always recognized. There's something motivating about recognizing the quiet heroes. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Exercise DailyHow can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?
Fiona Chrystall 10/15/2018 6:48 PMGo for a walk with a friend. Take one of my six dogs for a walk. Just go for a walk on my own somewhere beautiful. That's not hard when I live in such a beautiful place! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Smart Seafood ChoicesMany states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Fiona Chrystall 10/12/2018 8:11 AMIt's much easier for me to make good seafood choices in Asheville than it is in my nearest local town of Marion. I now have the Seafood Watch app on my phone and will check seafood options before deciding what to eat off restaurant menus. I will also consult this before buying fish from my grocery store. I do always check the source of my fish. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Skip the StrawHow could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
Fiona Chrystall 10/12/2018 8:00 AMI need to do more "refusing". I already refuse plastic bags, and I now have stainless steel straws to be able to refuse plastic ones. I try to buy in bulk, when I can, to reduce packaging and I grow as much of my own produce as I can. I do repurpose and repair things, when possible. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWater Install a Toilet Tank BankName some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Fiona Chrystall 10/05/2018 10:06 AMToo many jet skis, and motorized boats in Lake James, affecting both the wildlife and the cleanliness of the water body. Littering along highways that ends up going into drains and ditches, requiring wastewater treatment or directly having a negative impact on local waterways, such as creeks and streams.