Erin Wotton
10/23/2019 11:30 AM
In Japan, eating less meat has the stigma associated with it of being poor. In America, it seems the opposite is true... Only the wealthy can afford a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables.
Erin Wotton
"Keep plastics out of our oceans"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 888 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO119gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO3.0lightbulbsreplaced
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UP TO1.0locally sourced mealconsumed
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UP TO42meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO10minutesspent learning
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UP TO56plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO14plastic strawsnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO2.4poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO5.0pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO14zero-waste mealsconsumed
Erin's actions
Waste
Reduce Single-Use Disposables
Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.
Waste
Use Reusable Bags
I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.
Waste
Go Paperless
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 3.4lbs (1.5kg) a month or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.
Waste
Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.
Waste
Skip the Straw
Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.
Food
Plant an Herb Garden
I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.
Energy
Choose LED Bulbs
I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Energy
Choose Clean/Renewable Energy
I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.
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.
Water
Collect Rain Water
I will create a rain garden or bioswale or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.
Water
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Energy
Replace Manual Thermostats
I will replace manual thermostats with programmable ones.
Food
Buy From a Farmers Market
I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.
High Impact Action Track
Zero-Waste Cooking
Food
I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day
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 QUESTIONFood Reduce Animal ProductsWhy do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONEnergy Choose LED BulbsChanging lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?
Erin Wotton 10/21/2019 10:59 AMSmart thermostats and smart sprinkler controllers can both help you save energy and water. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Buy From a Farmers MarketWhat is one food choice that you make, or could make, that would do more good and less harm?
Erin Wotton 10/17/2019 7:27 AMChoose to eat less avocados and almonds - both are very water-intensive crops. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHigh Impact Action Track Zero-Waste CookingIn 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?
Erin Wotton 10/16/2019 9:07 AMA lot of vegetables can be re-grown! A quick google of these plants will show which ones you can turn into more of themselves.
For vegetables that go bad, I first try to plant them and allow them to grow into more (like potatoes) and other I put in my compost bin to turn into soil. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Skip the StrawHow could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
Erin Wotton 10/16/2019 9:05 AMI've be trying to re purpose the plastic containers that nursery plants are grown in, by keeping plants in them and placing the plastic container itself into the decorative pots. This works very well, and allows me to switch plants between the containers! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Go PaperlessReducing your paper mail can be such a freeing action to take -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?
Erin Wotton 10/16/2019 9:03 AMI love reducing the amount of junk mail I get, since junk mail can be so annoying. I really need to push my roommates to reduce the amount of junk mail they are receiving, because their junk mail also ends up in the household trash. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Reduce Single-Use DisposablesBringing 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?
Erin Wotton 10/16/2019 9:02 AMI use take-out containers a lot. Replacing those can be troublesome, since it requires you to not only think ahead when going out be also to carry a large enough bag to have reusable take-out containers. I should try to keep a large bag in my car at all times with all the reusable items I might need for a "day out". -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Advocate For More Food Packaging OptionsWhat concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Erin Wotton 10/16/2019 9:01 AMAll plastics that end up in the ocean worry me, especially the smaller particles. Micro plastics and small plastic shards are eaten by sea life, and can cause them to starve. This is particularly worrying because while we are usually pretty good about cleaning up the behaviors that we notice have an effect on the world (i.e. smog) we are way worse at recognizing there is a problem when we cannot see it ourselves. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Use Reusable BagsWhat do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?
Erin Wotton 10/14/2019 9:22 AMIf I don't have a reusable bag, I will either carry things out in my hands (if there is less than a couple handfulls) or I will accept a paper bag. I keep reusable bags in my car always, but it would also be good to have reusable bags in my purse with me. -
Erin Wotton 10/11/2019 1:31 PMI go through spurts of zero-waste living sometimes... And even though I eventually burn out, I always leave each session with a new habit that works just as well (or better) than what I used to do! Some examples of this are using unpackaged shampoo, conditioner and body wash (Lush is expensive, but it all smells amazing) and refilling all of the liquid soaps around my house with soap from New Seasons bulk soap containers.