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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Ryan Shawler's avatar

Ryan Shawler

EcoINL

"Together, through mostly small changes, we can make a serious impact on our personal health and the health of our planet."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 602 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    2.2
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    270
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    110
    minutes
    spent learning

Ryan's actions

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 90 minute(s)

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 3
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 3
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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 60 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

I will use the 'Learn More' resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:19 AM
    My chief concern is that American's current level of energy consumption and waste production is not sustainable for the planet. If we continue on this path, we will the environment to a point of no return.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Personal Waste Audit
    Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:16 AM
    As the user, we only interact with the waste for a very short amount of time and simply place it in the trash to be shipped away. It is hard to see the long lasting impact of trash when it is not directly apparent in our daily lives. Once I became conscious of all of the waste I was creating and it's impact, I have really tried to cut down on my waste.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Support Local Pollinators
    Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:14 AM
    Pollinators help sustain growth of our plants, fruits, and vegetables.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Forage for My Food
    Amongst the motivations for foraging are: a source of food; means of income; connecting with nature; cultural tradition; or transmitting "local ecological knowledge, and a means for stewarding local and native plant populations" (McLain et al. 2012, 13). Which of these would be your chief motivation and why?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:13 AM
    Foraging my own food would save me a lot of money during the growing seasons. Like I said I before, this morning I found several tater tots from the on my counter from the night before and I ate those instead of eggs for my breakfast, saving me around 50 cents.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home
    To what extent do you believe that environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:11 AM
    A healthy environment leaves clean air for us to breath and allows us to maintain our agriculture capabilities in par with demand.
  • 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?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/24/2018 6:10 AM
    I dropped several tater tots on the counter last night and just ate this morning. On serious note, I would like to preserve peaches and apples to enjoy during the winter.
  • 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?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/03/2018 10:26 AM
    I always complained about not having enough time in the day, but by cutting out social media I feel significantly less stressed and busy.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Choose Organic Ingredients
    Can organic farming feed the world? Which side of the argument do you fall on? Why?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/03/2018 10:23 AM
    I believe the biggest issue we have with farming needs in the United States are due to food waste and over eating. If everyone was more modest with there food choices and focused on only purchasing what they needed with food planning, organic farming could be effective.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy Power Down the Computer
    What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/03/2018 10:09 AM
    Turning off lights, unplugging electronics, and spending time outdoors are all good ways to limit your environmental footprint.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Happiness
    How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

    Ryan Shawler's avatar
    Ryan Shawler 10/03/2018 10:08 AM
    Gratitude just reminds you of the positive side in life and keeps you away from a victim's mindset. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself you begin to feel lucky. If everyone practiced gratitude we would have a more understanding culture.