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Beth Beek Blackford's avatar

Beth Beek Blackford

Sustainable Floridians

"Fix the problem, not the blame!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 256 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    2.0
    documentaries
    watched
  • UP TO
    210
    minutes
    spent outdoors

Beth's actions

Visions of Sustainability

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Organize a Course

I will organize one of NWEI's discussion courses, such as 'A Different Way', with family, friends, coworkers, or classmates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Start a Sustainability Journal

I will start a sustainability journal, capturing my thoughts, concerns and learning about sustainability issues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Attend a Meeting

This week, I will attend one local event or meeting concerning a current issue in my community such as a planning meeting, a town hall, or a training on taking action.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Learn About Local Issues

I will find out what local sustainability issues are most urgent in my region, including both social and environmental justice concerns.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate for More Food Options

I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work or on campus.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Watch a Documentary

I will watch one of the films suggested in the additional resources and discuss it with friends or family.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Pay Attention to Current Events

I will watch or read the news each day this week with a specific focus on sustainability issues and happenings.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Learn About Alternatives to the GDP

I will research alternatives (like Gross National Happiness) to measuring economic livelihood and the health of a nation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Support Pollution Reduction

I will learn about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Reduce My Footprint

I will calculate my ecological footprint and talk with my family or roommates about way we can reduce our negative enviromental impact.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale, or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a movie about a sustainability issue I would like to know more about.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Practice Gratitude for Earth

This week, I will spend 30 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on an environmental issue that matters to me.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Watch The Story of Bottled Water

I will watch The Story of Bottled Water to learn more about bottled water's impacts on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 5/22/2018 1:14 PM
    JOURNAL ENTRY - It's trash collection day tomorrow in my neighborhood, which causes me conflicting emotions.  First, I'm incredibly grateful for this reliable service every week, and the cheerful guys who work my route.  I can't imagine what it must be like in storm-torn areas where this basic service is disrupted, or places where it doesn't exist at all!

    Second, I'm equally frustrated by the amount of perfectly good "stuff" that gets put out at the curb (usually on the day after collection) instead of being donated, repaired, or refused in the first place (but that steps on the toes of capitalism).  There is mixed guidance coming out of our local Waste Management office, which is being inundated with non-recyclable items.  I realize it's a complex problem, based on changing market pressures, but WM's dumbed-down solution of "When in doubt, throw it out" does very little to make up for its abysmally bad customer education program.

    The up side of the whole situation is that it turns into one big Easter egg hunt for me, as I take my daily bike ride around the neighborhood, unabashedly scavenging a whole variety of things that I'd otherwise spend money for, including a washing machine, a dryer, several barbeques, a cruiser bike, numerous tools and garden utensils, a lawnmower, and my cat.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/29/2018 2:24 PM
    BEGIN SUSTAINABILITY JOURNAL
    May I find serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
    It really starts there!  I'm one of those people you can't go for a walk with, because I feel the need to bring an enormous trash bag with me, and fill it with the litter we pass.  Things like that get tedious for the uninitiated, & I wonder if it's fair to blame them for their ability to "just get on with life" in a less-than-perfect world.
    Then I witness the power of just one person doing the absolute right thing (think Jane Goodall); or the power of many people doing just one small thing that adds up to a huge difference (think Drawdown EcoChallenge); and I just get angry at all the people in the middle who can't even be bothered to THINK.
    And that brings me back to my serenity mantra, and to sweeping my own doorstep first.  At the very least, I will be the change I hope to see in the world.  Namasté. 

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/27/2018 2:54 PM
    I'm going to put some lessons learned to work by getting back to my basics.  I need to do a better job of sustaining myself if I want to be effective at setting an example for others.  Quite simply, that means maximizing my energy every day, and focusing it on the priorities that matter most to me.  My opportunity to do this is not endless; to keep things in perspective, I'm installing a Countdown app on my phone and computer that will show me the number of years and months I estimate are left to me.  Morbid, you think?  We all have some version of this already - mine is just going to be a well-researched guess.  And it's so handy when calculating a retirement budget!

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/25/2018 8:35 PM
    I'm leaving a sigh of relief as I close out my Drawdown EcoChallenge today. Tomorrow I'll start anew on THIS course & challenge, and put some lessons learned to work!

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/24/2018 7:58 PM
    Checking in today.  Drawdown EcoChallenge ends tomorrow and then we can get back on track here!

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/20/2018 8:09 PM
    Heading into the Earth Day weekend, looking forward to working Recycle Brevard's booth . a at Brevard Zoo's Party for the Planet

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 4/13/2018 7:58 AM
    Boy, it's been awhile since I last visited this page.  I've been busy with the Drawdown EcoChallenge as a team captain for Sustainable Floridians-Brevard, but that's coming to an end on April 24.  At the very least, I need to be checking in here on a DAILY basis, because it truly is the small steps that will take us to our goals.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 2/01/2018 6:10 PM
    Finally got my password issues untangled and was able to accept CHRIS KANE'S INVITATION to be a co-team captain!  I also convinced Ms. Terry Mott to join us, because she's already earned more points than all of us combined, but doesn't want to add to her "to do" list.  Ha!

    I want to talk about the movie "Fed Up" (https://www.netflix.com/title/70299287).  Whether or not there's a conspiracy between Big Pharma and the food industry is up to you to decide, but why not play it safe?  I decided that half a cup of sugar per loaf of bread was WAY too much for me, so I picked up a breadmaker at my local thrift shop, bought organic ingredients, and have been making my own multigrain & seed bread for 3 months, using 1/2 tablespoon of raw sugar per batch, just to encourage the yeast along.  Dave's Killer Powerseed loaf was my ideal (but even that brand has too much sweetener), and I'm pleased to say that I've gotten close enough to earn the Fussy Spouse Thumb's Up seal of approval.  Because there are no preservatives, the bread gets stale in about 3 days, so I make breadcrumbs of the remainder and freeze them to turn into bread pudding every other week or so.  All this costs a fraction of one loaf of store-bought bread, to say nothing of the personal satisfaction I feel!  Please contact me if you'd like more info on how I did this; and there are tons of gluten-free recipes.

    • Chris Kane's avatar
      Chris Kane 2/03/2018 6:01 AM
      we could set up a discussion on that if you want, beth; that's one of my favorites; let me know

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 1/21/2018 6:20 PM
    I'm accepting Chris Kane's invitation (of a week ago) to be co-team captain!
    Just curious - what triggers the Checked In point?  Is it signing in?  Making a post? Or have I missed a button somewhere?

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 1/20/2018 6:10 AM