Jenna Garmon

Metro

"To help create a world in which all beings can thrive."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
908 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

210

minutes

spent learning

Jenna's actions

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

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

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 120 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 60 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

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?

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?

Jenna Garmon 10/24/2018 7:48 AM

Why is balance important to sustainability?

Balance is about allowing the earth’s life support systems to continue. It’s about restoring our relationships to the earth and to each other. It’s about balancing our desires for “more” with the needs that all beings have to thrive.

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Jenna Garmon 10/24/2018 7:33 AM

Last day of the EcoChallenge! I’m feeling confident that I’ll stick with meal planning and will be more thoughtful about what I buy. I’ve also appreciated the prompt to learn more about environmental justice and indigenous peoples in our region. Thanks, NWEI!

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Jenna Garmon 10/23/2018 7:45 AM

Learning more about environmental justice issues in my community has been impactful. I thought I knew quite a bit, but with the deep history of racism in Oregon, there's a lot to learn. For instance, there are over 500 hazardous waste sites and several Superfund sites in the Albina neighborhood that discharge toxic air, water and land pollution, according to OPAL Environmental Justice.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Who is most affected by environmental degration and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?

Jenna Garmon 10/20/2018 7:58 AM

According to OPAL Environmental Justice,

"Low-income and communities of color in the metro area continue to feel the prevalence of polluted waterways (water contamination issues in Clark County), toxic hazards (4 Superfund sites, including the Portland Harbor) and other environmental issues (pesticide exposure in rural communities of Clackamas and Washington County, North and Northeast Portland gentrification and subsequent displacement of families to Clark County (WA) and East Multnomah County)."

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Jenna Garmon 10/19/2018 11:40 AM

I'm gaining some interesting insights during my quest to take a "needs vs. wants" approach to buying stuff. One insight is that it's much easier for me to justify buying something if it's a "good deal", even if it's not something that I need in that particular moment. That particular ploy in our consumer culture seems to work on me! So that is an area of growth for me - to stay mindful and not get hooked by those ploys.

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Jenna Garmon 10/17/2018 10:16 AM

I'm finding that I'm getting into the rhythm of meal planning, and pausing before buying something to as, "do I really need this?". Thanks, EcoChallenge!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Needs Vs. Wants

How is creativity necessary for practicing simplicity?

Jenna Garmon 10/10/2018 9:24 PM

How is creativity necessary for practicing simplicity?
Creativity allows us to do more with what we already have, rather than buying things to fit every possible want/need.

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Jenna Garmon 10/08/2018 5:54 PM

Last night I made more egg bites for the week for breakfast, and lunches for 3-4 days. I'm getting into Sunday meal planning again - thanks, EcoChallenge!

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- Miriam Reeber 10/11/2018 1:12 PM
  
  Menu planning is one of the best things I do for myself. The time spent planning pays great dividends in reduced anxiety, greater meal variety and better use of edible resources everyday. Congratulations!
  
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Jenna Garmon 10/05/2018 4:18 PM

I'm finding that participating in the EcoChallenge is causing me to pause more and reflect before taking action, an all-around good thing to do.

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Jenna Garmon 10/04/2018 7:57 PM

There’s freedom in resisting the cultural pressure to consume, consume, consume!

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