Sarah Berkemeier

"To become healthier, both internally and externally. To take better care of me and around me. To make sure my children can enjoy this beautiful planet just as much as I have been able to."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
816 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

19

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

210

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

210

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

21

pounds

waste composted

Sarah's actions

Health

Take Control

Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace or school. If a recycling program exists, I will advocate for ways to improve and expand it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 15 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

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

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 15 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Create Your Own Action

Composting Work

Taking home anything compostable that is created at work, because there is not composting available at work right now. I want to REDUCE WAste at work and return what came from the earth back to it!

COMPLETED -1
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Health Take Control

How do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?

Sarah Berkemeier 10/23/2019 3:09 PM

If you live in an unhealthy environment (polluted, violent, etc.) you are less likely interact with your community and support community health, because you are avoiding the environment outside of yourself and your home. Your personal health then is impacted because we need people (community)! It's a lot of cause and effect. You also can't have strong environmental health if you're only focused on your personal health. It's all collective!

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/23/2019 2:56 PM

Wow! I can't believe it's over. I have absolutely been more conscious about my contributions to compost, my use of a reusable mug and my pulse on my happiness (often found through being outside!). I will try my hardest to continue the challenges once the official challenge is done, but it might be tricky, as I work well with visual reminders! I can commit to continuing to manage compost at work, for as long as I'm here or until we figure out how to get the City to bring back composting to it's facilities!

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/21/2019 5:22 PM

Have to admit my "spend time outside" activity on 10/20 was really just sitting at a very cold kid's soccer game. I was not super comfortable and not really enjoying being outside. It was grey skies and about 48 degrees and windy. Just bleh. I guess not all our challenges are happy experiences, that's why they're called challenges. I am looking forward to 69 degree weather on 10/24!

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- Teri Poppino 10/21/2019 6:15 PM
  
  Yes, but you were out there! Take it from a Mom who's done every season with two kids, I SALUTE you!
  
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Sarah Berkemeier 10/21/2019 5:18 PM

I REALLY, like REALLY did not want to go on my lunch time run on 10/18. I was tired, it was cold outside and I just wasn't feeling it. But I did it, I got outside and did it! And it was beautiful. The leaves were amazing! The hardest part is sometimes just getting out the door. Thank you to my Civic Life co-worker, Jenni, for encouraging me!

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/16/2019 9:10 AM

On 10/15 my time in nature consisted of 15 minutes of basketball outside with my daughter. Although she's battling a cold, she was adamant that I play with her. We have a hoop on our culdesac street and it's an ideal street, and she's the ideal age. Though the basket is SUPER high. It was fun and these autumn evenings (when it's not raining) are great to be outside in for as long as we can!

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/15/2019 11:52 AM

Took our first bag of work compost home last Friday. I forgot to weigh it, but it was nice and full, thanks to an emptying out of the old frozen bread in refrigerators at work. And, it is SO easy to just collect throughout the week and take home to add to my home roll cart, which is rarely full.

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- Teri Poppino 10/16/2019 10:09 AM
  
  I'm so glad you're doing this for us (and Mama Earth)! Thanks!
  
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Sarah Berkemeier 10/15/2019 11:49 AM

I had 10/14 off and was running into a time crunch to get exercise in, to get nature in and to get my daughter picked up at school. So, I decided to just literally run to get her at school, instead of driving the six blocks to pick her up. I got 40 minutes of exercise, time outside and my girl picked up and walking through the neighborhood of glorious fall leaves all in one. Challenge accomplished!

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/11/2019 1:36 PM

I went to lunch with an old friend today. We walked from her house to where we got food and then walked back to her house. Much more than 15 minutes in nature. And I got movement in today. And this sunshine is PERFECT.

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/11/2019 10:10 AM

Yesterday, I had to throw away several plastic containers that took up significant space in my trashcan. It made me cringe! They were left over from the Trader Joe's (they have TOO much plastic packaging!) cake folks brought to dinner at our house last weekend, a strawberry clamshell and a Burgerville (pumpkin) shake cup, lid and straw. Definitely made me think about how we can do alternatives...bake our own cakes or reuse the cake container, get strawberries straight from the farm or from a grocery store that sells in cardboard boxes and...not sure about the Burgerville shake. Burgerville, get it together-you'd think they might have figured out a better way.

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Sarah Berkemeier 10/10/2019 2:37 PM

I am realizing I need to get a bigger paper option for my daily writing of three things I'm grateful for, a post it is not gonna cut it for three weeks of writing. I guess I'm saving paper?!? Today I am grateful for health insurance that covers emergencies, for food, and for easy access to medical supplies-all things that my family in Venezuela does not have and needs more now than ever. I also have been thinking very intentionally about my energy usage, not just because of this eco challenge, because that is another thing that we are privileged to have here (electricity, gas and water most every day, all day) and that they go for days without in VZ.

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