Melissa Ratner

Randall Group

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
399 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

19

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

11

zero-waste meals

consumed

Melissa's actions

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

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

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Leave No Trace

I will practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Create Your Own Action

Reduce Paper Waste in the Home

Replace napkins and paper towels with reusable fabric napkins.

COMPLETED 20
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?

Melissa Ratner 10/24/2018 11:48 AM

This has been a fun challenge. Happy to see all of the participation!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Leave No Trace

Educator Stephanie Kaza advises her students to focus on what they care about most when addressing the enormity of ecological problems. Is there a specific area you feel particularly called to work on?

Melissa Ratner 10/20/2018 9:00 AM

If I were in a position to do so, climate change. We can all do little things, even if we can't be at the forefront of scientific research and problem-solving. Reduce drive time. Recycle. Ride a bike or walk to go short distances. Plant a garden and eat from it. Get a job where you can live on-site and not have to drive to work at all. ;)

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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?

Melissa Ratner 10/20/2018 8:57 AM

It doesn't surprise me. Though there are many social issues troubling this country, a lack of abundance in a general way is not one of them. Food is something that many people take for granted and don't think twice about throwing out. That money could be used for many other things. Even if it doesn't go toward something "noble," it could be used for family trips or adding something fun to the home. Essentially, throwing away food is throwing away money. If you were throwing a $10 bill in the garbage, what would you rather do with it?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Power Down the Computer

What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

Melissa Ratner 10/20/2018 8:49 AM

There are a lot of things that we can do. Car pool, plan shopping trips to minimize the amount of "back and forth," reuse and recycle, hand down items that you no longer use rather than throw them out.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Zero-Waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Melissa Ratner 10/20/2018 8:41 AM

I think a large portion of that food waste happens when food that has gone bad is thrown out. It's more effective to only buy what you need. But, using the whole veggie is pretty easy, especially if you plan for it. Items like potatoes, carrots, onions, etc, can be added to soups, stir-frys, and other similar foods without having to throw out any part of it.

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Melissa Ratner 10/11/2018 9:24 AM

Love nature walks with the pups. Always make a point of leaving our trail clean. I often pick up garbage I find along the way to leave it a little cleaner than we find it.

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Melissa Ratner 10/10/2018 11:50 AM

I've found the fabric paper towels to be more effective and easier to use than disposable paper towels. Long term costs savings and reduction in waste for a win!

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