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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Toaster Vernooy's avatar

Toaster Vernooy

Ecoçhallange

"{Insert Mission Statement}"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,377 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    8.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    28
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    7.0
    donations
    made
  • UP TO
    1.0
    energy audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    240
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    60
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    125
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    2.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    44
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Toaster's actions

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

I will replace 30 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support Northwest Earth Institute or another local nonprofit.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Organize a Course

I will organize one of NWEI's discussion courses on food sustainability, 'Menu for the Future' or 'Hungry for Change', with my family, friends, coworkers, or classmates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 25 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 2 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

I will use the 'Learn More' resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Create Your Own Action

Eat Mindfully

Eating mindfully is important to really know what you are eating, to really appreciate your food, and to slow down.

COMPLETED 0
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?


  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/24/2018 5:18 PM
    https://www.wired.co.uk/article/climate-change-facts
    Need I say more?
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Less Screen Time
    What did you notice in implementing this challenge? Was it hard to choose other activities over screen time? How did you decide to spend your time?

    Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/24/2018 4:53 PM
    I noticed that I spent my time doing things that I really enjoy, like playing violin or reading, instead of wasting my time. It wasn't very hard for me to choose these things over screen time, since I really like doing those activities.

  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/24/2018 4:50 PM
    'What have you noticed about your purchases? Where are you inclined to make shifts, if any?'

    I honestly don't really buy anything much. For some things, friends and I pool money together to buy something (like we did for the 'Menu for the Future book). If I do buy something, it is normally very inexpensive and is something that I intend to use a lot (like a book that I know I will read - over and over.)


  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/24/2018 3:21 PM
    Last day of ecochallenge! We are going to continue our discussion course during lunches - our first two meetings were pretty successful.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Raise Money For a Nonprofit
    How do/can NWEI programs help you develop a stronger sense of community?

    Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/22/2018 5:43 PM
    They help you develop a stronger sense of community because everyone is working towards a common goal - saving the world. We are united in our goals, which makes it easier to come together as a community.

  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/22/2018 5:40 PM
    Access to nutritious food would lead to less health problems and a healthier community, which is a good thing for everyone in the community. Good health is very important in everyday life, so everyone in a town having access to healthy food would be beneficial for everyone.

  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/22/2018 5:32 PM
    Creativity is necessary for practicing simplicity because you need to find other ways to do what you need. For example, if you are trying to buy only things that you need, so you can't purchase a 'want,' you have to be more creative about how you go about fulfilling your want.

  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/21/2018 1:43 PM
    I think that time usage/management is one of the best things to reflect on. We all waste so much time doing useless and unimportant things that we don't really care about, and I think reflecting on that and thinking about all the things we could have been doing instead is really helpful to break that habit.


  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/21/2018 1:17 PM
    I went to Trader Joe's today, and noticed that they had replaced conventional plastic bags with compostable ones.

    • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
      Toaster Vernooy 10/22/2018 5:14 PM
      But, in the chance it's not, if every store was doing this, so much waste would be eliminated. These plastic bags are really awful for the environment - they last for years without breaking down, and end up in oceans, harming wildlife. So much of this could be avoided with compostable bags.

    • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
      Toaster Vernooy 10/22/2018 5:12 PM
      Is this a rhetorical question? I can't really tell...

    • Xuning Ying's avatar
      Xuning Ying 10/22/2018 3:58 PM
      What if all stores did that? 

  • Toaster Vernooy's avatar
    Toaster Vernooy 10/19/2018 1:59 PM
    We recieved the 'Menu for the Future' book today, and will be starting a discussion at school!