Eric Luu

Team Ramblers

"I am here in service to something larger than ourselves -- the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
472 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

400

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

150

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

510

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

380

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1,770

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

22

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Eric's actions

Health

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 30 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 30 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

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 60 minute(s)

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

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Meditate

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 20 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 19
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
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?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 10:50 PM

Balance is important to sustainability because we are part of nature and society's exploitation of nature is disrupting the balance, which negatively affects everyone in it. Sustainability is about living in balance with nature, which is the only path if we want to go forward.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Meditate

What would you like to invest more time in reflecting on?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:37 PM

I would like to invest more time in reflecting on compassion for other people, especially those I disagree with, and compassion for the world around me. I think it is important to not get stuck in a loop of negative emotional reactivity in situations we dislike, and to instead channel our energy into creating a more positive world from within. In order to change the world, we must first change ourselves, and ultimately that's the only thing we truly have control over.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Limit Social Media

Social media is a great way to keep us connected with loved ones, makes us laugh, and helps us to learn new things. It can also take more time than we realize or intend to give. After doing this action for a few days now, how do you feel? What do you notice?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:33 PM

A few times I deleted Instagram and Snapchat on my phone. I feel less distracted and more focused on the things that matter to me. Spending less time on social media helps me to stop comparing myself to others and to be more intentional and purposeful when I am on online.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:30 PM

We come from nature, we are nature, and we are drawn to nature. I haven't met anyone who didn't find a natural landscape beautiful. Spending time in nature helps us to realize, and perhaps rediscover, our interconnected place in this world. A culture that spends most of its time indoors develops a mindset of separation from nature and from each other, which leads to greater interpersonal conflict and harm to the environment, and subsequently ourselves.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:24 PM

I watched "In Defense of Food" which is based on a book of the same name by Michael Pollan. The main takeaway was: "Eat Foods. Mostly Plants. Not too much." What he meant by that phrase was that it's better for our health to eat less processed and more whole foods, eat mostly plants (less meat), and do not overeat. The most important thing is to be intentional about what we eat and how we eat.

One example that stuck with me was the transition from locally made whole wheat sourdough bread, as has been the case for all of human history up until 100 years ago, to refined white breads with the germ and bran, and thus most of the essential nutrients, removed. Once scientists discovered that the germ and the bran contained the essential micronutrients that people who were getting sick lacked, they added them in to make "enriched" flour, furthering the commercialization of a basic food that did not need any major modification to begin with.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Power Down the Computer

What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:10 PM

Other easy things to save energy include washing your clothes in cold water, air drying your clothes, unplugging unused electronics, and turning down the heat and putting on warmer clothes when it gets cold.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water 5-Minute Showers

Five minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?

Eric Luu 10/24/2018 2:27 PM

During my shower I wet my body, turn off the water, lather up with soap, and then rinse. Using a timer helps the whole process consistently take less than 5 minutes. My next step will be to reduce the flow of the water.

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