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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Shawna Troyer's avatar

Shawna Troyer

ENGIE Insight Spokane

"To boldly go where no one has gone before... or save the environment... or something."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,445 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    14
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    726
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    345
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    5.0
    donations
    made
  • UP TO
    1.0
    locally sourced meal
    consumed

Shawna's actions

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

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

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support Northwest Earth Institute or another local nonprofit.

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

Simplicity

De-Clutter My Home

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics - including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl - and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Track my Purchases

I will spend 15 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Choose a Carbon Offset

If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Insulate Water Pipes and Water Heater

I will avoid wasting water while waiting for the shower or sink to heat up.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 14 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 15 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

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
    Food Plant an Herb Garden
    Consider the ways you can garden: a plot of land? a patio container? hanging basket? windowsill gardens? What would work best for your living situation and lifestyle?

    Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/24/2018 9:11 PM
    I'm in a small apartment. A windowsill container garden will work if I can keep my cat away. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/24/2018 8:56 PM
     Having overtime open up this week totally messed with plans. I looked up hiking places and thought to take a 30 minute hike after work, but working late meant the sun was almost down by the time I got near any hiking spots. Ah, well... Out with a whimper, I guess! 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/23/2018 1:37 PM
    Fundraising! I gave people the choice of where they wanted their $ to go - NEI (aka: Eco Challenge) or a few other options. They chose Eco. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Raise Money For a Nonprofit
    How do/can NWEI programs help you develop a stronger sense of community?

    Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/23/2018 11:48 AM
    I'm still rather unfamiliar with how NWEI works. Though I love the EcoChallenge, and that it gets so many people learning and thinking about ways they can improve for self, community, environment.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Support Local Pollinators
    Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

    Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/22/2018 8:50 AM
    If we take care of pollinators, they take care of us. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/22/2018 7:49 AM
    Happy Monday! There are still a few days left of the challenge. So many things I want to get done, but haven't had time yet. Deep breath, "I can do it!" :) Hope everyone is enjoying the journey!

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/20/2018 8:58 AM
     Today is my big volunteer day. WSQ quilt show, I'm the ballot counting chairperson, and have 25 volunteers working with me. The community votes on their favorite quilts, they tally the ballots, i help as needed and keep the official record. At the end of the day: this determines 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in each quilt category, amongst other things. I'll be there from 9:30am - 6pm or later today, plus preparation hours this week. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Volunteer in my Community
    What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?

    Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/20/2018 8:50 AM
    Promote composting and more community gardens. Seeing all the long vacant, weedy lots around town makes me twitch. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/19/2018 11:25 PM
    Just keep on keeping on. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/14/2018 1:33 PM
    Today is another "fail" on the needs vs wants front. I bought onions, squash, gourds, jam, and hard cider up at green bluff. Technically I didn't need any of it, but the farmer let me use the bathroom while I was trying to locate the cider place.  At least hey're all useful items. As for the cider - I don't even like alcohol  but  I tasted Twilight Cider Works hard ciders at a wine tasting/silent auction/area chef charity event i volunteered at a few weeks ago and theirs is just that good (to me, that dislikes alcohol). Their batch no. 8 botanical (Jasmine, hibiscus, rose hip, lavender, cider) is something I don't need, and will probably only buy once in my life. I will, however, re-use the bottle in a craft project at some future date. 

    Now I'm off to enjoy this stunningly gorgeous Sunday! Hiking and back to nature.