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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Sam Wardwell's avatar

Sam Wardwell

Multnomah County

"To treat OUR HOME with the respect and love it deserves. "

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 682 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    110
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    170
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    80
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    17
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    17
    more servings
    of fruits and vegetables

Sam's 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

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 5 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 5 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 20 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

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

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 17
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?


  • Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/24/2018 8:34 AM
    THIS IS OUR LAST DAY!! Rock it!! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Go Paperless
    Reducing your paper mail can be such a freeing action to take -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/23/2018 8:22 AM
    It makes me feel immensely less stressed. I no longer avoid the mailbox that's probably overflowing. It means less trips to the recycler, which means saving gas, too. Dual impact!! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/23/2018 8:20 AM
    Everything. The world around us is full of patterns and domino effects, and everything you do impacts the planet, our home. Those impacts could be positive or negative, but it DOES impact Earth. 
    My biggest concern with our impacts are around plastic, and renewable energy resources. We generate SO MUCH plastic, and it's all uneccesary. Using oil and such where we could be using wind, water (rivers especially), the sun, etc, is also a huge concern. Not only is it effecting Earth, but it's wildlife, and the Native American cultures. Many of you may not remember, but a few years ago an oil company was pushing to put oil pipes through sacred Native American territory, and another one through some wetlands. Just think... Can you imagine how much renewable energy resources we could have gained with those funds that were used to make the pipes and all the money that was used for law enforcement for the protesters. Think on that. 

  • Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/18/2018 11:29 AM
    After yesterday's lunch and learn about plastics, I've been consciously thinking about what plastics I use the most, and how I can change them to reusable options. Which also means less trips to the recycler!! Whoot!! 

    Some of the ones I am trying to actively reduce now are my individually packaged greek yogurts, 1/2 gallon almond milk containers, string cheese wrappers, individually wrapped ready to go oatmeal packages, and peanut butter. 

    To start, here are two amazing articles I've found: 
    https://treadingmyownpath.com/2016/12/01/nut-milk-almond-pulp-brownies/
    and
    https://treadingmyownpath.com/2017/07/13/plastic-free-milk-yoghurt-cheese/

    Who knew nut milk is so easy to make!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Skip the Straw
    How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/09/2018 3:29 PM
    • Reduce: I switched from individually packaged oatmeal to bulk oatmeal. 
    • Reuse: I always keep my paper bags so I can later reuse them. 
    • Refuse: I refuse plastic grocery bags and always use my own or paper bags. 
    • Repair: I am assuming this means to repair instead of throwing it away and buying something new. I was raised with this mindset, so it's ingrained in everything I do. 
    • Repurpse: I hardly do this due to my minimalistic view, but when I moved into my first apartment, I remember using palettes as a place to sit. 

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Spend Time Outside
    Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/09/2018 3:24 PM
    I believe in this very much. There have been various studies done regarding how the outside world effects our brain chemistry, it's been shown to reap many health benefits. Nature engages our parasympathetic nervous system which lowers blood pressure, lowers our stress hormone (cortisol), and the fresh air is great for our skin and lungs. The exercise that often accompanies it is also beneficial for obvious reasons. 

    On a personal standpoint, being outside in nature always leaves me feeling more connected to and thankful for this wonderful planet that houses us. We are Earth's residents. As I've been told, treat Earth like you would treat your Elder's home. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Support Native Communities
    Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/09/2018 3:18 PM
    Balance is important in regards to sustainability because in order to engage humans, it needs to be convenient. Earth already has all the tools it needs to maintain its own balance, but our job as sustainability enforcers is to find, and then alter these tools to make them more appealing to the rest of the populace. 

    A good example of this, which I learned due to this challenge, is food packaging. We already know of several ways to make Earth friendly food packaging, but the issue we face is making it convenient and appealing. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Happiness
    How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/08/2018 2:52 PM
    We live in a world where negativity and the bad things in this world are so prominent. Often times it can leave one feeling drowned by how much there is to do to right all the wrongs. 
    Focusing on our successes/milestones, on what we are grateful for, and listening to others express this can alter our brain chemistry over time to focus more on the good and less on the bad. This leads to higher productivity rates, and so much more. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Practice Gratitude for Earth
    Kathleen Dean Moore says that a sense of gratitude leads to a sense of moral obligation. Do you agree? How do we cultivate a sense of gratitude as individuals, and as a society?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/04/2018 9:25 AM
    After thinking on this for a few minutes, I do agree. It allows you to realize your impact on our Home (Earth), and everything it does for us. It gives us the ability to breath, enjoy beautiful sights that were naturally made (it's like Earth is an artist! Whoa!), and so much more. This is our Home. 

    I think we can cultivate a sense of gratitude by leading by example. All it takes is one person to begin to do something differently, to let it be known, and then the domino effect will take place. On a personal level, I always talk to my friends about my hikes, and herbs, and how much I love this planet.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health More Fruits and Veggies
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How can we start shifting from a meat-focused food culture to a more plant-based one?

    Sam Wardwell's avatar
    Sam Wardwell 10/04/2018 9:16 AM
    In my experience, our general culture around meat, especially red meat, and corporations is what contributes the most. The #1 thing that I see is our children grow up thinking cow milk is really healthy for you, it's everywhere they're curious eyes are looking. When in reality, almond milk and other alternative milks are healthier for you. In fact, on a scientific stand point, the enzyme required to process lactose, the ingredient in cow milk, is formed due to evolution. If we go back several hundreds of years, people did not consume milk past childhood. 

    Another interesting fact: People use to only consume red meats on rare occasions. Meats like fish were used much more. Today, people consume red meat daily if not more. 
     
    If we can push the fact that almond milk and other alternatives contain more calcium and vitamins and less fat, I think we could make a huge impact. If we can also gain back the culture people had ages and ages ago around food, we could also gain another step towards our goal. Huge change happens one step at a time.