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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Heathers Sturgill's avatar

Heathers Sturgill

Washington County

"Do better."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 443 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    16
    minutes
    being mindful
  • UP TO
    240
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    960
    minutes
    spent exercising

Heathers's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY 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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Keep a Nature Journal

I will journal each day about my experiences in nature.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Forage for My Food

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Deserts

I will spend 30 minutes learning about food deserts and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 10 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 4 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 6 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Upgrade My Windows

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed


  • Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 10/15/2018 12:31 PM
    You! Yes, you, the person reading this. You are awesome! Keep up the good work!

  • Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 10/09/2018 1:26 PM
    Spotted three shopping carts on my lunchtime walk. Still an improvement over this summer, but also a sign there is still camping happening in Dairy Creek Park. Not my ideal nature walk.

    • Heathers Sturgill's avatar
      Heathers Sturgill 10/10/2018 2:10 PM
      I should! I always want to and with the privacy hedge gone, it is usually empty.

    • Jennifer Nelson's avatar
      Jennifer Nelson 10/09/2018 2:41 PM
      Do you ever walk over at Fir Lawn Cemetery? I used to walk there when I worked at the NRCS office near you.

  • Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 10/07/2018 8:27 PM
    Preventing food waste is difficult when my children won't eat a variety of foods. We can't live only only potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes! How can I get them to eat more kids of food?

  • Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 10/07/2018 8:26 PM
    Spent the morning talking with my oldest son about rain forest protection and sustainable farming, all because he asked where palm oil comes from. I hadn't even thought about it, now I'm reading labels to see what has palm oil in it.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature
    How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:27 PM
    More aware of the disrepair when I walk. I see litter, graffiti, filth.

    • Jennifer Nelson's avatar
      Jennifer Nelson 9/25/2018 4:02 PM
      I also tend to meet and greet more people when on foot. It makes me feel more part of a community.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature
    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?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:26 PM
    Learning about plants should make nature more tangible, whether I forage or observe,

    • Jennifer Nelson's avatar
      Jennifer Nelson 9/25/2018 4:03 PM
      Mostly I forage to prevent food waste. Some many apple and pear trees in my neighborhood are under-harvested and the windfall rots on the ground.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature
    What natural gifts are you grateful for?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:25 PM
    I love nature and I understand we need to share it, but we need to be thoughtful of all nature users.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health
    How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:24 PM
    Woohoo! I love meeting that can be held while walking. Let's chat!

    • Jennifer Nelson's avatar
      Jennifer Nelson 9/25/2018 4:03 PM
      Maybe we will plan a walking date for the EcoChallenge team members on the downtown campus!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health
    Who is most affected by environmental degration and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:23 PM
    I want to help protect a beautiful natural world for my children, but I don't want to be a wacko.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

    Heathers Sturgill's avatar
    Heathers Sturgill 9/24/2018 5:21 PM
    I find it hard to balance having fresh food available and making sure it doesn't go to waste. I am so busy - how can I easily do better?

    • Diane Overstreet's avatar
      Diane Overstreet 10/09/2018 1:00 PM
      If the veggies have been in the fridge too long, I cut them up and freeze them for soup later.

    • Jennifer Nelson's avatar
      Jennifer Nelson 9/25/2018 4:05 PM
      I face a similar struggle Heather. Signing up for Imperfect Produce increased how much I have on hand, but I find I don't manage it as well as I should. Prepping my food as soon as it comes in (cleaning, paring, chopping etc) helps make meals easier and more likely to happen. Having a plan helps too and with a plan, I can try new recipes so that makes it exciting. I wish I had more freezer space or time to try canning. When veggies are close to the end of their life, I often make soup as well. It's an easy lunch!