Emma Johnson

WSP USA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
673 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

19

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

330

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

89

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

330

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

16

whole food meals

consumed

Emma's actions

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Know My health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Deserts

I will spend 4 minutes learning about food deserts and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Reduce refined sugar

I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 60 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 30-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

High Impact Action Track

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Health

I will spend 15 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Talk To My Friends and Colleagues

I will research the social or environmental issues in my community that matter to me and tell 1 friends and/or colleagues each day about what I learn.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
High Impact Action Track Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Who is most affected by environmental degration and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?

Emma Johnson 10/21/2019 12:55 PM

My community is primarily young families. Children are at a higher risk for environmental injustice issues such as poor air quality. Most of the shoreline areas along the Willamette are part of a superfund as the result of past industrial/port activites. The adjacent residential areas are typically low income and minority.

Read More
Emma Johnson 10/18/2019 1:24 PM

This EcoChallenge has been a great daily reminder to educate! I volunteer with an educational board in Oregon for city planners, and I am spearheading a webinar about pollinators in the PNW. Three pollinator experts will be talking to planners from across the state about what they need from us (policies, best design practices for right of ways, etc.) to help pollinators in our communities.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

To what extent do you believe that environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?

Emma Johnson 10/14/2019 9:45 AM

Because endocrine disruptors (e.g. BPA) are seemingly everywhere (e.g. canned foods, tap water) and have been around for so long, it's easy to disconnect from the health implications. I'm trying to phase them out of my home, and have started by making my own household cleaners.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Reduce refined sugar

Before you started this challenge, did you think you were 'addicted' to sugar? How do you feel now?

Emma Johnson 10/11/2019 8:48 AM

I generally try to avoid what I think of as "sugary" products (e.g. soda, candy), but everytime I go on a sugar detox I'm surprised by how many food items contain refined sugar (e.g. baked beans, pizza, muesli).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Support Local Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Emma Johnson 10/10/2019 4:43 PM

I've found so many non-profits/agencies out there supporting pollinators, including places that provide free native plant landscaping advice. The EMSWCD provides free classes, but also a lot of how-to manuals available for download: https://emswcd.org/

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Learn More about Food Deserts

What are the implications of access to nutritious food for a community?

Emma Johnson 10/07/2019 12:24 PM

Lack of access to groceries means either spending more time, money, and energy to access nutrituous foods, or relying on the fast foods/processed foods that are easily available. This burden is almost exclusively felt by low income communities, who are already at higher risk for health related issues.

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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?

Emma Johnson 10/04/2019 9:54 AM

It's true, and not just because the doctor is more expensive. Paying for high quality fresh food is absolutely worth it for both the health benefits as well as supporting your local economy over grocery store chains.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Go for a Daily Walk

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

Emma Johnson 10/04/2019 9:28 AM

I would say when driving I don't notice anything but the road. When I walk I'm able to take in the details of the various neighborhoods - plus get some great ideas for landscaping while I'm at it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Emma Johnson 10/02/2019 10:30 AM

The amount of land and energy that is needed to raise livestock and distribute the product is much larger than what is needed to grow an equivalent amount of food that is plant-based. Scientific American has some great infographics explaining this, including one showing GHG emissions from meat production/consumption compared to the emissions from vehicles. https://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/the-greenhouse-hamburger/

Read More