Stephanie Rooney

"Focusing my Slow Food Terra Madre-inspired energy into action right away! I'm happy to challenge myself this October with Northwest Earth Institute! Happy to be home in the NW, but I'll miss my new friends from Torino, Italy as well as those I met there who are doing amazing work in their communities around the globe!!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
417 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

8.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

215

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

12

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

22

whole food meals

consumed

Stephanie's 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 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 2 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Meet My Local Farmers

I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those who produce my food in other regions of the world to make better choices when I shop.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 45 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 4
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
Food Meet My Local Farmers

When you know who produces your food, you are connecting personally to your complex regional food system. What are the advantages of knowing who produces your food and where it comes from? Do you think this might enable someone to advocate for a better quality of life for those who produce their food, both near and far?

Stephanie Rooney 10/15/2018 1:10 PM

First of all, I just LOVE visiting our rural neighbors especially on a crisp clear fall day! I got to taste ground cherries and tomatillo amarillo (raw!) as well as learning about which of our farmer's crops did well over a dry summer - I will use those varieties for resilience with a changing climate.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Skip the Straw

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

Stephanie Rooney 10/08/2018 12:59 PM

I like the "R" refuse lately because it asks me to be more vocal about my choice NOT to use something that is offered., but it is a kind of confrontational word, so I will be sure to be courteous when I explain why I don't want a straw.

It is actually a very easy challenge since I am rarely in a situation that I get straws but most weekends I make a smoothie for my youngest son and I purchased some glass reusable straws for such times. So far so good. Now I'm thinking I will put a couple in the car for when we are going to a drive through or something.

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- Max Caruso 10/08/2018 1:33 PM
  
  Just bought my first metal straw this weekend. Boba sized :-)
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Try a New Way to Prep

Canning 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?

Stephanie Rooney 10/08/2018 12:50 PM

Is anyone else having an explosion of fruit flies right now?! Sheesh. It may be extreme in my house right now because this Saturday I processed 28 lbs of bartlett pears that were all turning perfectly ripe at the same time. My challenge was to try a new recipe besides just doing hot or cold pack in jars with some cloves, which I also did. The recipe was a spicy pear chutney. It smelled great and it turned out good according to my husband. I'm not a big fan, but I will give some away as a gift I decided. I didn't like how it completely covered the flavor of the pears. The last of the pears are going to be dehydrated snacks. I look forward to using them from the jars on my yogurt and on hot cereal in the winter :P yum

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- Monica Martin 10/08/2018 6:24 PM
  
  Sounds delicious!
  
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- Max Caruso 10/08/2018 1:34 PM
  
  If shipping was free, I’d offer to swap you some Gravenstein Apple sauce for a jar of your preserved pears. Yum!
  
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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?

Stephanie Rooney 10/03/2018 8:56 AM

Do eggs count as meat? What are the impacts of eating organic, happy free range (expensive) eggs every day? I feel like they are good for me, but my family buys three dozen a week! Please comment , it is an honest curious question.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Whole Foods Diet

Michael Pollan states that "it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor." What are your thoughts on this?

Stephanie Rooney 10/03/2018 8:53 AM

I believe using different ground seeds as a gentle hormone support is working for me. My naturopathic doctor had me do a diet journal so I could more clearly see the effect each food was having on my day to day well being. Now it is easy for me to choose healthy food that makes me feel good and energized too, without feeling deprived of the yummy stuff.

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Stephanie Rooney 10/01/2018 8:56 AM

I'm feeling like such a nerd, doing extra credit before the big challenge even starts! But I don't care, I'm proud and excited enough to share that my family went to the OMSI Harvest Fair yesterday and signed up for a weekly box of "imperfect" produce. Check out https://www.imperfectproduce.com/ A great service to reduce waste and get good clean fair food at the same time!

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- Max Caruso 10/04/2018 9:25 AM
  
  Nice Steph! You deserve extra credit for signing up for a weekly box of "imperfect" produce. Bet it tastes much better than anything you could find at a conventional grocery store. Your actions to reduce food waste are inspiring! Thank you!
  
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