Lauren Paris

Green Demons

"I want to try my best to do my part in making the planet a healthier and safer place for all that inhabit it!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
233 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

17

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

80

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

170

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

90

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

2.0

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

0.3

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

0.7

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

6.0

whole food meals

consumed
UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Lauren's actions

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 3 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 0
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?

Lauren Paris 10/22/2019 9:31 AM

I found it was easy to get at least one organic meal in for the day, especially for breakfast. I'm not a huge breakfast person, so an organic apple with organic peanut butter was affordable and filling for breakfast!

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Lauren Paris 10/17/2019 9:17 AM

I've started to realize how challenging this is to keep up with recently. Last week was crazy for me. I traveled out of town and I ended up choosing convenience over the environment quite a few times. I feel bad, so I'm trying my best to make up for it this week.

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Lauren Paris 10/17/2019 9:08 AM

I went shopping yesterday and found that Trader Joe's has decent prices on organic produce (at least some of it). However, why is half of it wrapped in plastic? Seems to defeat the purpose of being more sustainable.

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Lauren Paris 10/17/2019 9:06 AM

I have been loving challenging myself to spend more time outside! Sometimes it is difficult to do this with the harsh weather of Chicago, but this beautiful Fall weather has been lifting my spirits.

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Lauren Paris 10/08/2019 8:48 AM

The whole foods diet has also been difficult! I feel like I eat pretty healthy, but to truly eat whole plant foods is challenging when you have a packed schedule. I have been trying to meal prep, but my protein bars throughout the day have been missed!

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- Barbara Willard 10/09/2019 1:09 PM
  
  One thing I've learned is that if you really stick to the zero waste and unprocessed, you automatically move to whole foods and you eat so much healthier. If ate this way all the time, I'd never be able to keep any weight on. I'm starving eating like this!
  
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Lauren Paris 10/08/2019 8:46 AM

My Zero Waste in cooking challenge has by-far been the most challenging for me. I feel like there are so many things we don't think about on a daily basis when we cook. Organic vegetables are often wrapped in plastic. Plant-based meat alternatives are also wrapped in plastic most of the time as well. Aside from plastic, trying to use up all of the ingredients has also been challenging but I have been successful at using most of my fresh ingredients and saving leftovers for the next day!

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- Barbara Willard 10/09/2019 1:08 PM
  
  I hear you! I've been sort of cheating on this one by eating apples every morning for breakfast. I can eat almost all of it and then throw the core and the stem/seeds on the ground. This then counts as both a zero waste and an unprocessed meal. Both of those are challenges that I am working on. It seems the easiest way to do zero waste is to buy whole produce, unpackaged at the store and then eat all of it. Or, if there is a bit left, throw it in a garden or compost somewhere. Also, I'm wondering if I have food waste and I pulverize it in the garbage disposal, does that count as waste?
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Go for a Daily Walk

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

Lauren Paris 10/03/2019 8:42 AM

I pay much more attention to the sounds and the people around me when I'm walking vs. driving. I feel like I'm more in touch with my surroundings and feel more connected to my community. When I'm driving, I'm usually in a rush and don't pay attention to the little things that can make the day more enjoyable.

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- Annamarie Pas 10/07/2019 12:15 PM
  
  I love just getting to slow down the pace of my day by going for a walk!! Let's soak up these beautiful fall days!!!
  
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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?

Lauren Paris 10/03/2019 8:32 AM

That does ring true for me. I do believe that in today's society, we spend a lot of time indoors and work long hours mostly indoors (in the United States at least). I think this has really disconnected us from nature and has given us less appreciation for nature near and far. I know that when I push myself to go outside, I feel better and generally have a more uplifted mood.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Whole Foods Diet

Michael Pollan states that “it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor.” What are your thoughts on this idea?

Lauren Paris 10/03/2019 8:16 AM

I absolutely agree. Investing in healthy food is a long-term investment that may cost a little extra in the short-term, but will likely reduce ones risk for cancer, disease, and obesity (which are all costly diseases). This can be easier said than done depending on your financial situation, but most people in the U.S. can make small changes in their diet that can make a big difference and won't completely break the bank. With proper budgeting, most can make healthier choices.

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- Jeannette McMillan 10/03/2019 8:23 AM
  
  This is a really interesting prompt. It reminds me of the quote "let food be thy medicine". Preventative medicine is based in nutrition. Things like avoiding red meat and high sugar foods can have lifelong health benefits and learning good eating habits is a huge part of learning what foods make your body feel the best.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Zero-Waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Lauren Paris 10/03/2019 8:12 AM

This is a great question! One way in which I've done this in the past and want to try to do moving forward, is putting the entire fruit and vegetable (as long as they don't contain a pit) into a blender to make a smoothie. For example, If making a smoothie that contains strawberries, using the entire strawberry including the stem. The leaves or stems of many fruits and vegetables actually contain extra nutrients, and it will be difficult to notice they're even in your smoothie as long as everything is blended well. This is one great way to achieve less waste, and I plan to discover more ways along my journey.

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