Nikole Clow

200 West Adams

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
790 Total

Participant Impact

up to

5.0

lightbulbs

replaced
up to

30

minutes

being mindful
up to

475

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
up to

180

minutes

spent learning

Nikole's Actions

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

I will replace 25 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 5 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

Completed
One-Time Action

Energy

Upgrade Heating & Cooling Units

I will replace inefficient heating and cooling units.

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Meditate

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 15 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 2
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

Simplicity

Track my Purchases

I will spend 30 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

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

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Food Try a New Way to Prep

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. Just make sure to follow the canning and pickling guidelines from the USDA. What are some foods that you would like to preserve and enjoy later in the year?

Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 5:24 PM

I wasn't able to complete this challenge, but what I find interesting (and what I just learned a couple weeks ago) is that one of my family members actually does canning and pickling!

The foods I'd love to preserve are cucumbers, peppers, carrots, and a ton of other veggies and fruits. I love the idea of canning veggies and fruits, so I hope I remember this for next year!

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Reflection Question
Simplicity Track my Purchases

What have you noticed about your purchases? Where are you inclined to make shifts, if any?

Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 5:12 PM

I actually kept track of most of my purchases in my head after the first week of this challenge. I noticed that I tend to do more impulse shopping than planned/need shopping. I love to read, so it came as no surprise to me when I bought seven books in the last three weeks. Most of that was impulse.

I do feel I need to work on my impulse buying. I have a budget, so maybe what I need to do is create a budget category specifically for book shopping each month. I think that will help my buying habits. We shall see. :)

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Reflection Question
Health Happiness

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 5:09 PM

Practicing gratitude, I have discovered, is a wonderful way to reflect on your day and to also see how many things happened to you that day that you are grateful for. I found that my mood would always become more positive when I'd work on my gratitude.

This practice helps make for a better world because it gives people the opportunity to reflect on their day and be grateful for the things they value. I definitely plan on continuing this exercise.

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Reflection Question
Energy Upgrade Heating & Cooling Units

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 4:28 PM

I stay inspired to act on sustainable energy because of what it does for the environment. Sustainable energy is also meant to last for a longer period of time, so that is always an added bonus. I am very thankful the units were updated in time for the Chicago winter!

Side note: these units were actually upgraded over the weekend and I completely spaced on updating this :/

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Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 11:40 AM

Today, I am grateful for...

1. Accomplishing some of my goals this month
2. Discovering a new hobby
3. My new laptop :)

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Nikole Clow 10/24/2018 7:13 AM

Today is the last day for this amazing Eco Challenge! I can't believe it's already October 24! Thanks to this challenge, I've learned a little bit more about myself and I have discovered some new activities to do outside!

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Nikole Clow 10/23/2018 4:35 PM

Today, I am grateful for...

1. My wonderful dog
2. Heat
3. Warm jackets

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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?

Nikole Clow 10/22/2018 12:44 PM

This, surprisingly, was not as hard as I thought it would be. I love to read, so swapping out some screen time for reading time was definitely a nice adjustment. I also spent some of that time outside, especially on the days the weather was nice. What I noticed is that I'm a bit more relaxed when I'm away from my phone or the TV or my computer.

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Nikole Clow 10/19/2018 10:59 AM

Today, I am grateful for:

1. My parents
2. The weekend!
3. Winter hats

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Nikole Clow 10/18/2018 3:39 PM

One thing I love about where I live: the nature. I live near a forest preserve, so I see deer walking in my backyard or in the front of my house. It's so surreal to see them up close. They're a constant reminder to me that we need to keep the environment safe and healthy. :)

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