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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Bretta Kearney's avatar

Bretta Kearney

PNC

"Small actions reap big results."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 272 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    7.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    18
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Bretta's actions

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

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

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 6
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 2 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 5
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?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Skip the Straw
    How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

    Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/11/2018 6:54 AM
    Although small, I'm already seeing this mantra incorporated into my lifestyle. I will choose to reduce my daily waste by reusing or recycling certain plastics and other daily disposables. I am a big proponent of repair instead of replace. I can see myself getting better at re repurposing certain materials by doing more research on how I can be using them in other ways.

  • Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/11/2018 6:47 AM
    Since starting the Eco Challenge I've seen a small shift in my mindset and am really enjoying the daily challenges I've chosen. My two immediate goals are: 1) add another daily challenge and 2) continue to practice these efforts once the Eco Challenge is over.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Needs Vs. Wants
    How is creativity necessary for practicing simplicity?

    Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/11/2018 6:43 AM
    I think in many senses, if you want to live a simplistic life you need to be more creative with what you already have. For instance: using all the food in your refrigerator before going grocery shopping again. You may have to get creative with the food you have remaining and use different pairings of foods than you normally would. Another instance: clothing. If you want to adopt a more simplistic approach you can try different combinations of shoes, pants, shirts, accessories, etc. to create different outfits rather than buying new clothing to accompany a certain wardrobe piece.

  • Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/06/2018 7:09 PM
    The weekend are a bit harder to try to stay focused on my daily goals, but none the less I did it. I’m beginning to understand the impact of small changes, I’m becoming more aware of certain habits (plastic straws) and working to break those!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than in other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?

    Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/05/2018 5:35 AM
    I think meat is so readily available at on-the-go convenient locations that it is harder to avoid meat than it is to seek it out. I also believe that many people assume meat is the center of a meal and without meat you may be hungry shortly after eating. I think a shift in a meat-focused culture will take a while but I believe small repetitive changes are the key to making any lasting impact.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Happiness
    How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

    Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/05/2018 5:30 AM
    It helps to keep you grounded in what really matters. A  better world doesn't mean the ability to have all the newest clothes, purses, etc. but shows you that the things you're grateful for are time with people you love or the opportunity to travel

  • Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/04/2018 11:55 AM
    Even just two days in I feel my mindset shifting a bit. I have turned down plastic straws, am being more aware of the things I am grateful for, and I've even told two of my friends about the EcoChallenge.

  • Bretta Kearney's avatar
    Bretta Kearney 10/03/2018 9:03 AM
    I am joining the EcoChallenge and taking on 5 different daily activities from five different focuses (simplicity, water, food, health, and waste) in order to work on bettering myself and the Environment.