Melisa Crosby
10/22/2018 2:17 PM
I'd rather use that money buying better quality food!
Melisa Crosby
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 490 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO34meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO420minutesspent exercising
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UP TO30minutesspent learning
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UP TO3.0public officials or leaderscontacted
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UP TO32whole food mealsconsumed
Melisa's actions
Community
Express My Support
I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.
Health
Exercise Daily
Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.
Food
Whole Foods Diet
I will enjoy 2 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.
Health
Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns
I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
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.
Create Your Own Action
Grassroots Activism
I will spend at least 2 hours a week connecting with voters, canvassing, phone/text banking, and working to elect candidates and/or ballot measures that are focused on the environment including the Portland Clean Energy Initiative, which aims to create a fund to create green energy jobs and promote weatherization and alternative energy particularly in marginalized communities.
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 QUESTIONFood Weekly Meal PlanningAn 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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Learn About Local Environmental Justice ConcernsWho is most affected by environmental degration and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?
Melisa Crosby 10/15/2018 2:36 PMUnsurprisingly, low income folks and people of color are disproportionately affected by environmental issues both locally and around the globe. In Portland, communities of color have worked with environmental groups to propose the Portland Clean Energy Initiative which will use a 1% tax the largest and most polluting corporations to create a fund to crate green energy jobs, provide weatherization and alternative power, and develop green infrastructure in low income communities. I spent my weekend knocking on doors in my neighborhood, reminding folks that ballots were about to drop, and encouraging folks to support the Portland Clean energy Initiative.
https://www.portlandcleanenergyinitiative.com
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REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Exercise DailyHow can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?
Melisa Crosby 10/04/2018 3:06 PMOne of my favorite ways to maximize my exercise time is to figure out how I can drive less and walk more for in town errands an appointments. And while I'm walking, I love learning from an interesting audiobook. I'm currently listening to "What the Eyes Can't See", and informative and infuriating book about the Flint water crisis. Good for angry speed walking! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth HappinessHow does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?
Melisa Crosby 10/03/2018 1:38 PMI've been doing this for years and, in fact, manage a Facebook group focused on sharing our 5 a day. This way we both keep each other accountable and learn a bit about each others' lives. Cultivating a gratitude practice helps me improve my ability to notivce small things in my day and appreciate when things are going well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Express My SupportWhat sustainability issues are most pressing or prominent where you live?
Melisa Crosby 10/03/2018 1:30 PMPortland's air quality is awful. We breathe numerous industrial contaminants all day long, and during fire season, we have the added bonus of breathing burning trees. We think of Portland as green city, but our air is unhealthy. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Reduce Animal ProductsWhat do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than in other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?
Melisa Crosby 10/03/2018 1:26 PMAffluence and an unwillingness to consider the impacts of our choices. I think we will naturally shift. Every year working Americans' buying power decreases as our wages stagnate. Choosing less meat and fewer animal products seems an inevitable choice as our economic power declines. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Whole Foods DietMichael Pollan states that "it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor." What are your thoughts on this?
Melisa Crosby 9/06/2018 2:50 PMFood is medicine. And since health insurance is a benefit MHCC part time faculty don't receive, eating well is especially important since visits to the doctor are infrequent.