""In nature's economy the currency is not money. Its is life." -Vandana Shiva
"
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
1,115
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
1.0
advocacy action
completed
UP TO
1.0
community event
hosted or attended
UP TO
440
gallons of water
have been saved
UP TO
10
hours
volunteered
UP TO
420
minutes
spent exercising
UP TO
63
minutes
spent learning
UP TO
1,367
minutes
spent outdoors
UP TO
21
minutes
being mindful
UP TO
2.0
trees
planted
UP TO
1.0
waste audit
conducted
Vanessa's actions
High Impact Action Track
Research Impact Investing
Simplicity
Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing and deterimine if it is right for me.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will spend at least 20 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
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food
Meet My Local Farmers
I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those who produce my food in other regions of the world to make better choices when I shop.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Water
5-Minute Showers
I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Community
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 10 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Plant Trees
I will plant 2 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Keep a Nature Journal
I will journal each day about my experiences in nature.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Nature
Join An Outdoor Project
I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Tend a Garden
I will tend to a garden each day, or work on starting one.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Nature
Do Nature Activities
I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 45 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.)
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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?
Fun podcast learned facts about birds: 90% of birds have only one mate that they raise chicks with. They can travel insane distances that very few species can accomplish. They are extremely intelligent. Magpies have the ability to recognize themselves in mirrors. Owls have the ability to turn their heads 180 degrees around and have this ability because their ears are up higher on their heads-which gives them the ability to triangulate the direction of sounds. Birds also have large salt glands right on their skulls giving them the insane capabilities to drink salt water. Crows can recognize faces and if you give them enough treats, they will bring you trinkets in gratitude! Check out podcast "Ologies" to learn more insanely cool and fun science episodes! This challenge made me want to learn more about nature, and now I can't get enough.
Read an article last night about how the top plastic pollutants/debris found on beaches and in ocean are food packaging and fishing nets/lines. After doing my trash audit, I can see how this is the case. When I take my kids to the parks or to play at their school playgrounds, I find myself picking up trash and most of the trash are wrappers-food or snack wrappers or juice box straw wrappers. Plus they pick up in the wind easily, so it's easy to see how they could wind up in rivers, streams or the ocean. We need to do better by making our own snacks and putting them in glass Tupperware or mason jars that can be used over and over. You can purchase them for really cheap at secondhand stores like Goodwill or St. Vincent DePaul, etc.
Just listened to a podcast during my lunch with an interview by an Lepidopterologist (scientist who studies butterflies) and he was talking about how important it is for people to leave their leaves on their lawns because many pollinators depend on the leaves to lay eggs as well as finding food or pockets of water on top of the leaves. It's also really healthy for your soil and the composters in the ground. That soil content and soil ecology has really taken a hit since the manicured lawns became popular. Food for thought!
Started my Christmas shopping which usually requires me to start this month (two big families). And I've decided to do all gifts to be either lightly used books or crafting supplies (lots of kids and grandparents) or things I have made myself or plants. Thanks to sites like Instagram and Pinterest, I have a lot to work with! I managed to get a lot of nice, new supplies at Goodwill and managed to get some people checked off my list for little money and reduce my waste/carbon footprint.
We got our pumpkins yesterday! The kids almost caught a frog and I had fun teaching them about pumpkins. Did you know a pumpkin is technically a berry?
A fuzzy squirrel visited our glass patio door and my kids were so happy to watch him/her until it left our patio. I realized it's the only one I've ever seen at our apartment complex (think over manicured lawns and baby maple trees) which made sense because there are no real food sources for more than one little guy. So today, I'm stopping at the garden store to get some feed for our new little buddy. Hopefully we can get him to come by daily. Feed your wildlife! :)
