Heather Ward
"Think globally, act locally."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,141 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0energy auditconducted
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UP TO306gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO70minutesspent learning
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UP TO450minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO40minutesbeing mindful
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UP TO6.1poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO13pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
Heather's actions
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
Waste
Personal Waste Audit
I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 2 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.
Health
Reduce refined sugar
I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.
Simplicity
Meditate
I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 5 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.
Nature
Do Nature Activities
I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 30 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)
Nature
Forage for My Food
I will use the 'Learn More' resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.
Simplicity
Research Impact Investing
Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing and determine if it is right for me.
Food
Plant an Herb Garden
I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.
Energy
Online Energy Audit
I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.
Simplicity
De-Clutter My Home
I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.
Health
Support Pollution Reduction
I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.
Waste
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
I will spend 10 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Find Local Recycling DepotsOur ability to recycle certain things ebbs and flows based upon many factors. Luckily there are places that accept uncommon things to recycle or dispose of in a less harmful way. What did you find when looking for places to recycle items that can't be recycled in your curbside bin?
Heather Ward 10/23/2019 12:25 PMI thought that water filters could be recycled somehow, it's nice to see that TerraCycle takes them. And guitar strings! And plastic baking soda bags. And disposable gloves. And chewed gum. I'm going to rethink my home recycling system. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Do Nature ActivitiesWhat did you observe while spending time outside -- through sight, sound, smell and touch?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Forage for My FoodPeople are motivated to forage for many different reasons: as a source for food, a means of income, to connect with nature, to participate in cultural tradition, transmitting specific ecological knowledge, or as a means of stewarding local and native plant populations. What is your chief motivation for foraging?
Heather Ward 10/23/2019 12:12 PMI would like to learn how to forage because there is a pessimist in me that believes world agriculture is going to collapse and I will need other means to feed myself and my family. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Reduce refined sugarBefore you started this challenge, did you think you were 'addicted' to sugar? How do you feel now?
Heather Ward 10/23/2019 12:09 PMI know I eat too much sugar, so I chose this action to help me cut back. I started off okay, but there was a birthday and a couple other things that took me off course. I do feel better when I don't have added sugar. I'm definitely going to try to keep this going after the Challenge is over. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Personal Waste AuditWhy is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?
Heather Ward 10/18/2019 9:22 AMAfter collecting my trash for a day, I noticed almost all of it was packaging. I have been getting better about buying in bulk with my own containers, minimizing single-serving packages, and buying meat from the butcher counter instead of in the pre-wrapped foam trays, but there is still more I can do. For the first part of the questions, I think it is so difficult to understand the impacts of our purchases and waste because we simply do not see it. Things show up at the store, we take them home or have them delivered, and the trash gets taken away at the curb. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity De-Clutter My HomeHow can you prevent yourself from accumulating more things in the future?
Heather Ward 10/12/2019 8:10 PMI've been decluttering for a long time. Part of my problem is getting the stuff physically out of the house. I refuse to throw anything in the trash unless it is beyond repair, so I end up with a huge pile of stuff waiting to be rehomed (donated, sold, or whatever). Just having gone through this process is enough to make me think twice about bringing more things into the house. -
Heather Ward 10/12/2019 8:03 PMI finally tried an Impossible burger tonight. I had all but given up on meat substitutes, but needed to give this one a try. The verdict: I am impressed, and my carnivore daughter tried a bite (without knowing what it was) and couldn't tell it wasn't meat. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity Research Impact InvestingHow might impact investing help you better live your values?
Heather Ward 10/11/2019 10:07 AMWhen setting up retirement funds or other investments, one tends to look at the historical and potential rate of return for specific sectors or types of accounts. I typically choose generic index funds, which invest in any number of areas and businesses. However, because they are non-specific, there is a good possibility that they include sectors or businesses I disagree with. Is Exxon in my portfolio? I can't be sure unless I go digging for that information. With impact investing, I would be sure that any money I earn is from sources I deem ethical. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Support Local PollinatorsWhy is it important to take care of pollinators?
Heather Ward 10/09/2019 9:06 AMPollinators are key species in biodiversity. By pollinating, plants are able to grow fruits or spread seeds, which feeds a diverse group of insects, birds, and mammals. They help hold the food web together. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Support Pollution ReductionWhat environmental factors affect human health in your region, and how do they affect it?
Heather Ward 10/08/2019 10:10 AMAir quality in my area is very good, unless there is a wildfire nearby. I was surprised to see that formaldehyde is by far our worst toxic air pollutant, and many of our streams and rivers are rated "impaired." I picked one stream at random, and discovered it is contaminated with radioactive constituents, arsenic, and PCBs, among other things.