2018 People's Ecochallenge

October 3 - October 24, 2018

3Degrees Feed

BACK TO TEAM PAGE

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
Simplicity Meditate

What would you like to invest more time in reflecting on?

Knisha Wolfgang 10/25/2018 4:17 PM

I'd like to reflect more on myself and what truly makes me happy. It's easy to forget what you want, what goals you want to achieve, and what you want to accomplish by always making sure everyone else is satisfied. Sometimes, we have to stop pouring to others and fill our own cup!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health More Fruits and Veggies

What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How can we start shifting from a meat-focused food culture to a more plant-based one?

Leslie Louie 10/25/2018 5:57 AM

Meat is so readily available and not as expensive as produce compared to other countries. Government subsidies to the meat industry may be partly responsible for this. In Tanzania, fruits and vegetables are often home grown. Otherwise they are very inexpensive compared to meat and so fresh and readily available that we find ourselves eating more fruits and veggies than we do at home. I don't really miss the meat very much. Recently, I've bought chicken from a local farm where I know how the chickens have been raised and I also know the farmer.

Read More
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?

Leslie Louie 10/25/2018 5:52 AM

During our hikes into the mountains, we have visited the local farmers who produce the fruits and vegetables that we buy at the roadside stands, local small shops and the markets. One farmer has a family cooperative and they deliver farm fresh veggies on motorcycles to our house and various other homes and restaurants in town. I've learned that the region works to incorporate organic farming practices and participate in interviews and educational sessions to learn more about best practices. It's reassuring that they are committed to organic farming, especially since we see a lot of grasshoppers that invade and decimate some crops before they can be harvested.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Work-Life Balance

Is practicing work-life balance difficult to do? How does it feel when you first begin? How does this feel for you after 21 days?

Knisha Wolfgang 10/24/2018 9:36 PM

For me, it definitely is. I work for the company, but I also work toward my bachelors degree. IT may not seem like much, but I feel like everyday is filled with some sort of work! I've only been here a day, but I definitely needed the break.

Read More
Knisha Wolfgang 10/24/2018 9:30 PM

Just joined today. Meant to earlier, but late is better than never!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bringing your own bags and containers to the grocery store, and even to restaurants for leftovers, are a couple of ways to reduce your waste. What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Knisha Wolfgang 10/24/2018 9:29 PM

Honestly, my worst one is singe use eating wrapping! When my husband and I are feeling too lazy to cook, we'll buy processed foods which come with all the plastic in the world... I can start making my own foods from scratch, since it'll taste better and also be better for mother Earth!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Exercise Daily

How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?

Knisha Wolfgang 10/24/2018 9:27 PM

Doing outdoor exercise is a way to change up the boring gym routine and to reconnect. Having friends and family do fun engaging activities or having small competitions is a great way to add them to your health regimen. For myself, my religion is based in nature. I like to hike and to do yoga with windows open, go for walks, and make sure once a week I feel reconnected!

Read More
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?

Knisha Wolfgang 10/24/2018 9:24 PM

In other places, the veggies, fruits, and other meatless options are the bulk of the meal whereas here, it is the meat. It is all about having protein, and we have been tricked into believing that meat is our only option for this or that we need more than normal. Give people the opportunities to have less meat and more nutrition training will allow people to chose meatless options that fit their dietary needs!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Use an Energy Meter

How can you make your home more energy efficient?

Leslie Louie 10/18/2018 5:56 AM

We don't have air conditioning but almost every room has a fan. We use the fans judiciously to keep ourselves cool. So far it only been in the high 80s. But that was "winter" and the hot season with short rains is coming. I anticipate we will be using the fans more. Each shower has a water heater that needs to be turned on for a few minutes before using. We discovered that if we heat the water for 15 minutes, it's good for about half a day - towards the end we just don't mix with cold water. It's so warm here that sometimes a cold shower feels great! It's not even that cold because the water is stored in large black tanks outside that soak up the heat from the sun. So the "cold" water is really more like a swimming pool - quite refreshing! Otherwise, our small refrigerator is very efficient and well insulated. The lights are almost all CF bulbs. No LED bulbs here. Now if we were going to stay longer, we might invest in solar panels! We have a few portable ones that we use to recharge a battery pack and then charge our phones and some emergency lights for when the power goes out. It's not good for much else.

Read More
Leslie Louie 10/18/2018 5:49 AM

I joined Eco Challenge because my daughter invited me to join her work team. She knows that I care about the environment and I think she is secretly using it s a way to make me do more and learn more about environmental issues and actions that I can take to make a difference. I found that several of the things I am already doing and I chose actions to do that I thought I could do and some that were maybe a stretch. Honestly, I wanted to sign up for more daily actions than the website would allow. I have time this year to do more and to post about it because we moved to Tanzania for 10 months. The actions I do here feel like they make an even bigger impact because so much of what we take for granted at home (city-wide waste and recycling, clean and potable water) are not available here. So it's interesting to reflect on how I am doing things here and what i might have done at home.

Here is a picture of the water filter we use daily to make sure we consume clean potable water. We fill all our water bottles, use it to rinse veggies that we don't plan to cook, and fill our ice trays with it. The filter requires back flushing frequently but so far it's been a workhorse and we would have had to buy bottled water if we didn't have it! Boiling makes it potable, but something is in the water that is clogging the filter - it looks much cleaner after filtering compared to boiled water and tastes better too!

Read More