Skip to main content
October 3 - October 24, 2018

Team Ramblers 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
    Community Support Native Communities
    Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 10:50 PM
    Balance is important to sustainability because we are part of nature and society's exploitation of nature is disrupting the balance, which negatively affects everyone in it. Sustainability is about living in balance with nature, which is the only path if we want to go forward.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Meditate
    What would you like to invest more time in reflecting on?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:37 PM
    I would like to invest more time in reflecting on compassion for other people, especially those I disagree with, and compassion for the world around me. I think it is important to not get stuck in a loop of negative emotional reactivity in situations we dislike, and to instead channel our energy into creating a more positive world from within. In order to change the world, we must first change ourselves, and ultimately that's the only thing we truly have control over. 
  • 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?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:33 PM
    A few times I deleted Instagram and Snapchat on my phone. I feel less distracted and more focused on the things that matter to me. Spending less time on social media helps me to stop comparing myself to others and to be more intentional and purposeful when I am on online. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Spend Time Outside
    Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:30 PM
    We come from nature, we are nature, and we are drawn to nature. I haven't met anyone who didn't find a natural landscape beautiful. Spending time in nature helps us to realize, and perhaps rediscover, our interconnected place in this world. A culture that spends most of its time indoors develops a mindset of separation from nature and from each other, which leads to greater interpersonal conflict and harm to the environment, and subsequently ourselves. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
    How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:24 PM
    I watched "In Defense of Food" which is based on a book of the same name by Michael Pollan. The main takeaway was: "Eat Foods. Mostly Plants. Not too much." What he meant by that phrase was that it's better for our health to eat less processed and more whole foods, eat mostly plants (less meat), and do not overeat. The most important thing is to be intentional about what we eat and how we eat. 

    One example that stuck with me was the transition from locally made whole wheat sourdough bread, as has been the case for all of human history up until 100 years ago, to refined white breads with the germ and bran, and thus most of the essential nutrients, removed. Once scientists discovered that the germ and the bran contained the essential micronutrients that people who were getting sick lacked, they added them in to make "enriched" flour, furthering the commercialization of a basic food that did not need any major modification to begin with. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy Power Down the Computer
    What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 9:10 PM
    Other easy things to save energy include washing your clothes in cold water, air drying your clothes, unplugging unused electronics, and turning down the heat and putting on warmer clothes when it gets cold. 

  • Marely  Guzman 's avatar
    Marely Guzman 10/24/2018 4:03 PM
    Weekly meal planning has definitely helped me with conserving food as well as saving money.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water 5-Minute Showers
    Five minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?

    Eric Luu's avatar
    Eric Luu 10/24/2018 2:27 PM
    During my shower I wet my body, turn off the water, lather up with soap, and then rinse. Using a timer helps the whole process consistently take less than 5 minutes. My next step will be to reduce the flow of the water.

  • Kiera  Grady's avatar
    Kiera Grady 10/24/2018 11:22 AM
    Just wanted to note that while this is a challenge has caused me to think a little bit in greater depth about my actions and the reactions they have. While I greatly want to live in a sustainable fashion, I often get very overwhelmed by the all the tasks and changes I should be doing. I found this challenge really helpful in providing me a value on my impactful actions. While they are estimates, I find it to be more encouraging then just clicking a box and just receiving a "congrats you completed your goal for today". Personally, knowing the impact makes it so much more impactful to me. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Improve a Bus Stop
    How can you advocate for transportation systems which minimize environmental impact while also meeting human needs?

    Jennifer O'Brien's avatar
    Jennifer O'Brien 10/24/2018 10:23 AM
    Advocating for sufficient access to public transportation that is also using an environmentally friendly means of energy is probably the most impactful.  Access to direct public transit can be life altering for individuals without the means to own a vehicle.  In many Chicago neighborhoods on the far south side, the proposed extension of the red line train south of 95th will have tremendous benefit to residents who have to take multiple buses to get to their jobs (often creating 2-3 hour commutes). 

    We live off of a commuter bus line that runs M-F 5:30AM-8PM.  My husband uses this bus to get to the metra to get to work downtown.  In addition to lower emissions, he also has a much less stressful commute to work than I do driving.