Kristen Ornelas

Washington County

"To be mindful of what I can do to make my life less wasteful and more healthy. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
500 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

780

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

20

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

22

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Kristen's actions

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 60 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Know My health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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
Simplicity De-Clutter My Home

How can you prevent yourself from accumulating more things in the future?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 9:47 AM

I accidentally deleted a previous post. My summation is to keep things I cherish or enjoy. I endeavor to purchase only items I will use or enjoy. I am in the process of removing and donating items that I am no longer interested in or no longer fit into my décor. I have a book called, “Clutter’s Last Stand,” which is a humorous approach to decluttering your mental and physical life and I also subscribe to a Facebook page that has daily 15 min. decluttering tips, a forum, and an annual cleaning calendar. I just need to implement!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Go get a check up

How do you practice self care?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 9:20 AM

I don't as much as I need to. I have been reflecting on what self care means and have learned more about the importance of it through the clients I have at work. Probably my most important self care is being kinder to myself when I don't accomplish all I wanted to in a day. Prior to returning to work after being a SAHM for 15 years, I was able to accomplish the majority of my tasks. Now, I cannot. I struggle to accept this and remind myself that I only have a certain amount of hours in a day, as well as energy level, and now they are allocated in a different direction. I am also trying to get more sleep as a course of self care.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Know My health

How do you deal with the physical and emotional stress of the big problems we face? How can you help others cope?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 9:13 AM

Breaking down the larger tasks or problems into smaller steps always helps me. I try to manage my life in a project manager way - creating tasks and organizing by deadline or urgency. I have a very strong faith which keeps me centered and I am supported by my church family. I help others cope by also suggesting they break things down into smaller tasks to make the whole less daunting. Also, allowing people to talk and being a good listener helps them as sometimes all a person needs is to vocalize their thoughts in order for it to make more sense and to work things out in their own minds.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles serve an important role in places for health and safety, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. Can you identify the barriers in making this a new habit? How can you set yourself up for success in making this a permanent change?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 9:08 AM

Convenience is the main barrier. With increasingly busier lifestyles, it is easier to grab a bottle and go than to spend a minute or two filling a reusable bottle. We are fortunate that many places in Oregon have good, palatable tap water. Most refrigerators have cold filtered water, so that is a good option as well. Having water already available, such as filling a container the night before, would be a good way to make the change a success. I have begun this challenge with a reusable metal spill proof mug I received as a gift that I can refill from the water cooler at work.

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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?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 8:29 AM

Turning off lights when leaving my office for more than a few minutes. I already try to save energy as much as possible. Working on my children more to make sure they turn off energy users would be a good way to teach them to be better stewards.

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- Jennifer Nelson 10/03/2018 9:10 AM
  
  I always try to draw that connection for people too - just as you remind your children to turn off the lights at home, you can remind yourself to do so at work!
  
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Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 8:18 AM

I don't like to be wasteful. I am also trying to improve my lifestyle to be more healthy so that my later years are less painful. The challenges I chose are based on areas in which I feel I need to improve, so making them the focus of this program is forcing me to be more mindful of the changes I need to make in my life. I hear it takes 21 days to create a habit, so I am hoping by the end of this program, I will have developed more healthy habits.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Healthy Sleep

Consider how many hours of sleep you get now. How would you like to shift your sleep patterns? What are you finding works for you to be successful in this action?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 8:14 AM

I get between 5-6 hours of sleep at night and frequently take a nap in the early evening of 30 mins. to 1 hour. It is not enough. There is always so much that needs to be done, it is difficult to get to bed earlier. My goal is to have lights out by 11:00 pm so that I have 7 hours of sleep when I wake up at 6:00 am. To be successful, I need to adhere to a stricter schedule, such as getting into my bedroom by 10 or 10:30 pm so I can have time to relax and have plenty of time to get ready for bed and do last minute organizing for the next day.

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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?

Kristen Ornelas 10/03/2018 8:09 AM

Early settlers did not have time to wait for the food planting crops brings. North America has always been plentiful with game and has good land for cattle. Animal products are readily available and easily renewable. Meat also represents having wealth in that poor people many years ago could not afford it. I don't think it is wrong to eat meat or necessary to shift a meat-focused food culture. Teaching proper dietary habits is best - proper portions in all foods to aid in overall dietary health.

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