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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Brandee Ortery's avatar

Brandee Ortery

Green Cavs

"To model environmental stewardship through a focus on service to PEOPLE, valuing this PLANET, and believing in the POSSIBILITY that I can make a difference."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 397 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    16
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    480
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    7.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill

Brandee's actions

Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Less Screen Time

I will replace 60 minute(s) of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Create Your Own Action

Green Coffee Drinking

In an effort to reduce waste, I will no longer use K-cups and I will use a stainless steel coffee cup when drinking my coffee. Although I plan not to purchase coffee without using my reusable cup, if I do purchase coffee I will not purchase it in a plastic cup or with a plastic lid.

COMPLETED 3
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?

    Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/24/2018 8:50 AM
    I have held on to more business professional type clothes thinking that I will wear them but I don't. I tend to have a core business professional wardrobe that I wear and the rest are not used. I discovered this by turning all my hangers backwards a year ago and then if I wear something, I turn the hanger forward. I plan to donate whatever is still on a backwards hanger when our Suits for Success event happens this year.

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/20/2018 8:23 AM
    It’s windy and cold but an extra sweater, a blanket, and a warm cup of coffee keeps me warm in lieu of turning up the heat. :) 

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/18/2018 6:04 PM
    The sunshine today meant an opportunity to enjoy a walk outside (back and forth to meetings) and reduced energy usage at home. Fall is truly my favorite time of year... we live in one of the most beautiful places to enjoy it too! 

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/16/2018 2:31 PM
    Less screen time!  :)  Today I spent 2 hours in my car as I drove to our Black River Falls campus and back. This time spent NOT in front of my computer was a wonderful way to really sort through my thoughts regarding projects and other tasks I need to complete this week.

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/13/2018 11:09 AM
    A couple of weeks ago our furnace stopped working. On the bright side, we purchased a more energy efficient furnace and we have more options to encourage energy savings as well, including the ability to adjust the heating/cooling remotely with an app.

    • Roxanne Smothers's avatar
      Roxanne Smothers 10/14/2018 5:43 AM
      Way to go Brandee!  We did something similar last year.  The furnace was pretty old. During his yearly cleaning my hubby was cleaning up rust in addition to dust and such.  We decided it was time to give it a rest.  WOW...what a difference it's not only made with our fuel usage, but how comfortable our house feels.  Having a smart thermostat makes helps keep your fingers off the up or down arrow!
      Rox 

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/11/2018 2:59 PM
    In the absence of sun, I listened to some more upbeat music today and I noticed that it positively affected by mood. :)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Less Screen Time
    What did you notice in implementing this challenge? Was it hard to choose other activities over screen time? How did you decide to spend your time?

    Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/11/2018 2:54 PM
    It wasn't hard to choose other activities over screen time, quite the opposite... it was refreshing and calming.

  • Brandee Ortery's avatar
    Brandee Ortery 10/08/2018 7:50 AM
    In the category of Simplicity - Less Screen Time, I enjoyed purposely leaving my phone behind while attending a wedding and reception on Saturday. I truly felt a difference in my "presence" at the event. 

    • Travis Horton's avatar
      Travis Horton 10/17/2018 7:25 AM
      It's scary to believe that phones are a part of us now. It's like losing a baby or something when we don't have them.