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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Marcia Booth's avatar

Marcia Booth

RECYCLE BREVARD 2018

"Tune my actions to focus on what's important in my life, what's important to the life of the ones I love, and to the health of the Earth."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 812 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    150
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    810
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    21
    whole food meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    14
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Marcia's actions

Nature

Do Nature Activities

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 90 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Have a Garage Sale

I will have a group garage sale with friends, family, and/or neighbors.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY 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

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace or school. If a recycling program exists, I will advocate for ways to improve and expand it.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 60 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

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

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Know My health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Create Your Own Action

Look for a more efficient car

Actively look for a car that will accommodate family and non-profit needs at the same time as being more efficient in fuel usage using hybrid engine

COMPLETED 10
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?


  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/24/2018 3:50 AM
    As we get closer to the end of the challenge, I’d like to report on a few items on my list:
    1. In the de-clutter department, I have started the organizing process but I’m not done yet. It’ll take a while longer but I’m ok with that. As long as I carry on with it, that’s all right. It’ll get done. 

    2. I’m also working on the single-use (not really packaging) challenge. There’s progress and after the 1st of the year we will meet again to  get other actions planned to broaden changes in the business model. I’m hopeful we’ll generate a positive impact countywide. 

    3. We have a few new recycling programs in the works as well as the expansion of existing ones. We should be launching at least two new programs before the end of the year. Stay tuned!

    These will not be marked as done, but I’m getting close to completion. 

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Have a Garage Sale
    Building community is good for your soul and fun to do! What were some of the positive outcomes that came out of your group garage sale?

    Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/22/2018 1:00 PM
    Our garage sale is scheduled by the HOA. I was hoping the fall one would happen during the challenge, but so far it has not been announced. It may be in November this year to take advantage of cooler temperatures.
    We've done garage sales before and my daughter is the one that enjoys it the most - selling her unwanted items, walking around to check what others have for sale and looking for some bargains. I enjoy being outside, seeing and saying hi to neighbors, and getting rid of things we no longer have use for. 
    We already have some items set aside for this year's sale. I just hope they don't schedule it for a day when we are out... 

  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/21/2018 12:16 AM
    This Saturday our  hikes were in the morning but still very hot. We saw gopher tortoises, scrub jays, loggerhead shrikes, gopher tortoise and bob cat scat, and ants. The ants got my ankles - they always find me...
    We also saw a lot of native plants and I learned a few new ones like love vine, pennyroyal, st. John’s wort, and yellow milkwort. Fascinating. 

    • Marcia Booth's avatar
      Marcia Booth 10/21/2018 12:19 AM
      Almost forgot about sensitive pea - another new one I learned during our last field trip. 

  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/18/2018 2:56 AM
    I visited the South Brevard Sharing Center yesterday and learned about the things they accept beyond thrift items. I learned they will take TVs and VCRs to donate to families and also that they can salvage textile items that cannot be sold at their shop. We also went over what they can be recycling at their facility and some other outlets for items they cannot keep and the waste they generate.

    • Linda Seals's avatar
      Linda Seals 10/18/2018 1:00 PM
      Good to know, Marcia. I doubt many people know this. I certainly didn't. 


  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/17/2018 11:49 AM
    Days like today give me hope. I posted on Facebook an image of one of the items we can recycle through TerraCycle programs we participate in: toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes . We've had great response to that post and many, many people are sharing, liking and commenting on the it. 
    That shows that people want to do more; sometimes they just need guidance in what is available and how they can help.
    Hopefully we will get a lot more participation in our TerraCycle programs once we run a few of the images for this informal "awareness campaign" that we just started. We will also be looking for partners who want to be drop-off location for us and volunteers who would be willing to help with collections. If you know of any organization or anyone who would be willing to help, send them my way ;-)


    • Marcia Booth's avatar
      Marcia Booth 10/21/2018 3:20 PM
      I’m definitely interested in that, Linda. Let’s talk!

    • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
      Beth Beek Blackford 10/18/2018 7:27 PM
      Fantastic!  I've got these darn toobpastes collecting and leaving goo in the bottom of my "Very Special Problem Children" recycling bag and now I know where to take them.

      Next up:  Mylar wrappers from cookies, "power" food bars, coffee bricks, etc.  Please tell us more about them and any brigade that exists for them.

    • Linda Seals's avatar
      Linda Seals 10/18/2018 1:03 PM
      We should talk about this, Marcia. I don't know if Beth Shephard (our new director) would be open to it, but given the amount of traffic in this facility, and the number of Master Gardeners and others, it might be a good drop off location. I'd be willing to deliver collections to your place--I live that direction. Let me know if you want to pursue this. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Do Nature Activities
    What did you observe while spending time outside -- through sight, sound, smell and touch?

    Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/16/2018 5:47 PM
    I am taking a class and the group meets on Saturdays for field trips that involves hikes and exploring different natural areas. 
    This past Saturday was the first field trip. It was a bit too hot to be walking outside but we went anyway and were able to see a variety of native plants and hear some birds - they were hiding from the heat as much as we were and it was hard to spot them. 
    Regardless, it always feels good to be in the middle of so much green, feeling the breeze that touches our skin every now and then, and listening to leaves moving, branches breaking, birds calling, and whatever else our ears can capture.
    I am looking forward to the our next trip!

  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/16/2018 7:34 AM
    FEEDBACK to NWEI CHALLENGE STAFF: It would be good to be able to create "one-time only" challenges or be able to customize the frequency of the action when we create our own. 
    Also, it would be good to be able to add a few - not only one - of the "create your own" type and customize more of the existing challenges. For example, on exercising, we should be able to determine if it is a daily or weekly activity; the weekly meal planning is set to be a daily activity but it should really be a weekly activity.

  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/16/2018 5:19 AM
    Starting the morning taking care of my health. Teeth cleaning time! :-)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Launch a Recycling Program
    How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems differently?

    Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/14/2018 8:12 PM
    Looking at issues in a different light may bring about ideas on takling them at a more manageable level. Starting small may have positive effect in a small scale but it might be the beginning of changing the landscape of bigger issues. 
    Take plastic pollution for example. Plastic in the environment is currently a big problem.  Straws are one of the items found to be an offender, not the worst one but still an offender. Would banning or saying no to straws be the solution for plastic pollution? No, but it’s a start; it’s something everyone can do and help with; it’s doable and it opens up the topic for conversation and raise awareness on the problem. 

    • Marcia Booth's avatar
      Marcia Booth 10/15/2018 1:05 PM
      Typing on the phone can jeopardize grammar and spelling...  NWEI: I wish we could edit posts after submitting them. Future feature to consider?

      Here's a revised version of the post:
      Looking at issues in a different light may bring about ideas on tackling them at a more manageable level. Starting small may have positive effects in a small scale but it might be the beginning of changing the landscape that will help address bigger issues. 
      Take plastic pollution, for example. Plastic in the environment is currently a big problem.  Straws are one of the items found to be an offender, not the worst one, but still an offender. Would banning or "saying no" to straws be the solution for plastic pollution? No, but it’s a start; it’s something everyone can do and help with; it’s doable and it opens up the topic for conversation and raises awareness on the problem.  

  • Marcia Booth's avatar
    Marcia Booth 10/14/2018 1:54 PM
    Another step in the right direction even though this is not on the challenge list: looking for a replacement car; a hybrid this time. Yay!