2019 People's Ecochallenge

October 2 - October 23, 2019

Maureen OLeary

"There is so much more we all could be doing everyday, I am dedicated to limiting my burden on the planet, and hopefully my actions will inspire others."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
916 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

360

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

16

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

36

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

600

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

270

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

555

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

270

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

64

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

36

whole food meals

consumed

Maureen's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Forage for My Food

I will use the 'Learn More' resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

High Impact Action Track

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Health

I will spend 60 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

High Impact Action Track

Stay on the Ground

Transportation

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 2 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 45 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Research Impact Investing

Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing and determine if it is right for me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 16 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 75 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Learn More about Food Deserts

I will spend 60 minutes learning about food deserts and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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
Simplicity Research Impact Investing

How might impact investing help you better live your values?

Maureen OLeary 10/22/2019 8:23 AM

Impact investing allows one to feel that their money is part of something greater - socially responsible investing (SRI) and a detailed conversation with my financial adviser can lead to specificity in what kinds of investment screening I want to be included in. How i invest has the opportunity to support causes and subsequent businesses that that uphold the environmental values I consider to be important.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Learn More about Food Deserts

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

Maureen OLeary 10/21/2019 2:50 PM

I am conflicted about this question. I know how it wants me to answer, but it's a multi-pronged issue. I can afford my higher grocery bill for healthy food, but not everyone can. I have transportation to anywhere I want to get my food, but some people can only walk because other modes are too expensive. There are programs available, or food stamps, but only if you meet certain criteria. For a lot of people in my own neighborhood, food is less about a choice between healthy options or quick options, and more about what can I afford now that rent has been paid?

In a region of increasing deficit for affordable housing, I kinds feel that asking people to pay more for a healthy option in the wake of so many other costs that are also increasing, is arrogant and dismissive of their existence. My gut reaction to this question is to shout back, if you have options for nutritious food in your community than you are luckier and more economically stable, because let's be real here, healthy food is a luxury item.

Read More
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?

Maureen OLeary 10/21/2019 2:17 PM

Well, I think everyone is affected, in small ways that seem innocuous, but over time have a large statistical impact on our daily lives. Maybe we have all been enduring the affects for so long that it's harder to recognize how it has changed over time, but when I think of environmental degradation in the Puget Sound the first thing I think of it the decrease in native wildlife.

I grew up here, in Fletcher Bay, Bainbridge Island and I used to see all kinds of diverse wildlife, pretty much all the time. My parent's favorite past-time is bird watching and when I was growing up we had bird logs catching sights of over 100 different varieties in our neighborhood or on the beach less than 150 feet away. Now, as retirees, they work hard to maintain the right habitats for over 100 different kinds of birds year round, on their property, but in 2019 they have only logged about 20-30 different varieties throughout the year. That difference alone should be getting more attention than it does. When the resources cannot maintain a balance, then biodiversity becomes unstable until there is just less for everyone. This applies to wildlife, agriculture, water resources. Eventually everyone feels the sting.

Read More
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?

Maureen OLeary 10/21/2019 1:49 PM

I'm conflicted about this statement,personally, because of my household medical situation. I support myself and my partner with my income, and we both have compromised immune systems. Our grocery bill is higher than average, but that is because we do not have the luxury of endless cheaper choices in food. We are dedicated to skimping on a lot of other luxuries of the modern world (cable, vacations, concerts, movies, regular spending money) because it is so important for us to eat well in order to be even nominally healthy.

We already spend most of our domestic budget on groceries because we have to eat organic, whole foods, to avoid allergies, sensitivities, and auto-immune deficiency issues. My partner cannot eat soy, peanuts, chickpeas, pine nuts, cashews, or large quantities of almonds, dairy, wheat, or citrus. I can eat all but the soy from that list, but have to stay away from corn products, most nightshades including potatoes, eggplant, and peppers, and most if not all processed sugar and sugar substitute products (excluding maple sugar and honey). Grocery shopping and meal preparation is a strategic activity for my household, and while sometimes we struggle with the financial burden we can agree that eating less, more healthy foods, and at a higher price is better than being stuck in endless medical debt from conditions that could have been preventable with a good food diet.

Read More
Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 2:20 PM

I've always wanted to get into apiary, my father keeps 4 north american honey bee hives, and we keep a couple habitats on our family land for old growth trees and other types of regional pollinators including mason bees, black tail and fuzzy horned bumble bees, and on a rare occasion we've had carpenter bees (they're a little green), bats, dragonflies, an array of small birds. We have been thinking, as a family, what we want to do with that acreage when my parents are gone, I wonder if we could leave it to the city as a protected greenbelt to keep those native pollinators protected?

Read More
- Addy Davidson 10/18/2019 3:21 PM
  
  Can I give this generous impulse TWO high-fives?
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose LED Bulbs

Changing 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?

Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 2:01 PM

We make sure to check the efficiency ratings of every appliance and kitchen gadget we purchase, which is not very many. We also have what we consider a hybridized modern household, where we limit the amount of electric heat we use by combining it with other methods of insulation, like insulated window curtains, to block drafts and limit the outward radiation. We close the doors to rooms we are not using in addition to turning out lights. We unplug lamps we do not use often, and try to maximize the use of natural light during the day.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Forage for My Food

People 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?

Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 1:44 PM

Knowledge and a deep desire to know the limits of my ability to be self-sufficient.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 1:42 PM

Have more conversations. Let people see who you are by actions, opinion, kindness. Too much importance is placed on what we look like, already, I would welcome a shift in culture to the importance of how we think, what we say, and how we treat people.

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?

Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 1:38 PM

100% My partner has sever asthma, and I have witnessed first hand how a change in weather, temperature, or particulate matter rates can have a direct effect on his quality of life. A lot of people seem to have a general doubt in things they cannot see, or more specifically things that they cannot feel the effects of personally, I think that lack of empathy is the main obstacle when trying to communicate the priority that environmental stability should be be given.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Healthy Sleep

Consider how many hours of sleep you get now. How would you like to shift your sleep patterns? What are you finding works for you to be successful in this action?

Maureen OLeary 10/18/2019 1:34 PM

In my household we have found that limiting screen time after work helps us to wind down from our hectic weekdays so that we can go to sleep earlier and wake up feeling rested the next day. We also take a 30-45 minute walk each evening which helps relieve lingering tensions from the work day.

Read More