Matthew Harvey
"Contributing to a healthier planet"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 511 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO24plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO48plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO180minutesspent learning
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UP TO20locally sourced mealsconsumed
Matthew's actions
Health
Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home
I will spend 60 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
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.
Food
Locally-Sourced Meals
I will source 2 meal(s) each day from local producers.
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
Water
Say No to Plastic Straws
An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 3 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.
Food
Choose Organic Ingredients
I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.
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?
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Matthew Harvey 10/25/2018 3:23 PMI learned a lot from participating in the Eco-Challenge. I chose to pick 6 goals and I only achieved all six once. On average I reached about half of my daily goals. I learned that it is very hard to achieve all my goals each day. Living a life where I am aware of the damage the decisions I make to the environment is beneficial. To make a change, I must be aware of the repercussions of my choices. The Eco-Challenge provided me with tools to understand what exactly I could do to make a difference. Along with the challenge and the daily reflections I feel like I did a descent job but there is always room for improvement. I wrote a total of 10 blogs during the duration of the challenge. I learned that the way that the average person decides to live there lives has consequences that we don't realize at the time we make the choice but it will affect the environment greatly if we do not change the ways we eat, shop, dispose of garbage, and many other things that contribute to a healthy/unhealthy planet.
Deciding to not use straws was a great idea. The more research that I did, the more I found out exactly how destructive straws are. Sea creatures and their environments are being destroyed due to plastic waste. The number of straws that we use in America daily is disturbing and there is a simple solution: don't use them or buy a reusable straw. The reusable straw can be disposed of and most of it can be recycled if and when it no longer functions. I can say that I am guilty of using utensils that I shouldn't be using and after learning all the different alternative methods to try, I would like to implement even more of them into my daily life.
I wish that environmental classes such as the one we are currently attending were available to myself as well as others when I was a child. The more you know at a younger age, the more you can make a difference. It is never too late though and I am glad that I am taking the Sociology class and participated in the challenge. I would like to participate again in the next challenge and learn how to invite others that are not in our class to be part of the challenge. The challenge is a good tool to help the participant become aware of the dangers of the products, lifestyles, and choices we make that harm Earth. This is the only planet that we have and unless there is a change and policy changes to where people get educated at an earlier age, laws are enforced, and renewable resources are implemented into our day to day lives rather than fossil fuels and products that have a short lifespan, we will have a major problem on our hands. I think that there is still time to somewhat reverse what we have already done but a huge change must happen soon or some of the effects may be irreversible. Overall, the Eco-Challenge was enlightening and I was glad to be a part of it. I hope that everyone that participated learned something and can begin to make a shift in the positive direction.
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Matthew Harvey 10/18/2018 5:30 PMThe eco-challenge is something that I would like to continue to do in the future. Meeting everyone of my daily challenges has been a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. Participating in the challenge has helped me become more aware of the things that I do to help our environment or harm it. I think that the challenge should be something that is implemented in earlier education for our children. The sustainability classes I am attending this term would have been great if offered in middle school and high-school. -
Matthew Harvey 10/13/2018 10:32 AMMy challenges have been going pretty well. I have completed most of my daily challenges but completing all five challenges takes quiet a bit of effort on my part. I have been eating much more healthy foods and feel much better eating healthy. The Eco-Challenge has inspired me to make a change in my eating habits, stop purchasing water bottles out of vending machines, and be aware of the damages and consequences that go with not eating organic foods. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Choose Organic IngredientsCan organic farming feed the world? Which side of the argument do you fall on? Why?
Matthew Harvey 10/10/2018 10:26 PMEating healthy and organic can contribute to healthier life and prolong your life as well. I try to eat organic and I have been doing a pretty good job at doing it but sometimes it can become very expensive to eat all organic. About 75 percent of the food I consume is either local or organic so I think that I am doing well. -
Matthew Harvey 10/10/2018 10:24 PMMy challenges are going well. I have been eating healthier and I am more conscious of the amount of packaging on the foods that I purchase at grocery stores. I have been really busy and forgot to check in for a couple days but I am still doing well on my challenges. Signing up for this even has helped me become more aware of how much I was contributing to landfills. The products are on the shelves and people do not think of how much waste is actually involved in the packaging of materials or foods. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my HomeTo what extent do you believe that environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?
Matthew Harvey 10/06/2018 5:50 PMI went through my household chemicals and disposed of most of them. I did keep bleach and a couple other cleaners that contain harmful chemicals. I have done a little research and purchase some cleaners that are natural or chemical free. I use Bean and Lily natural bathroom cleaner and it works well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWater Say No to Plastic StrawsWhat single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
Matthew Harvey 10/05/2018 3:14 PMI use too many straws but I have started to carry a reusable straw with me to restaurants and school. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Locally-Sourced MealsIf you were to only eat what is in season locally, what would be the hardest for you to give up?
Matthew Harvey 10/04/2018 6:36 PMThe hardest thing for me to give up would be organic fruits. I love when fruit is in season but unfortunately it is not in season year round. I love going to local farmer's markets and purchasing locally grown organic fruits and vegetables. I wish that the local markets were open all year long. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth HappinessHow does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?
Matthew Harvey 10/04/2018 6:31 PMI think it is very important to remind yourself of all the things that you are grateful for. Positive affirmations as well as writing down all the things that influence your life in a positive way. There is a lot to be grateful for in my life and good things in the future are in store. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Try a New Way to PrepCanning 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?
Matthew Harvey 10/04/2018 6:28 PMI would like to preserve green beans, homemade pickles, and pears. I have done it before and they turned out great.