Ecochallenge.org

Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course

Heather Nortz

Actioneers of EVPP 480

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
626 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

21

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

14

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

2.0

neighbors

met
UP TO

140

minutes

spent outdoors

Heather's actions

Ecological Principles

Practice Gratitude for Earth

This week, I will spend 20 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Recycle Everything I Can

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Track my Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Say No to Plastic

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. This week, I'll say "no" to plastic bags at the store and plastic straws in all of my drinks.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Meet My Neighbors

I will meet 2 new neighbor(s) this week.

COMPLETED
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

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

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

COMPLETED
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

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
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.

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.

COMPLETED
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

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?

Heather Nortz 11/14/2018 8:04 AM

This week I was invited to attend the SGP (Sustainable Green Printing Partnership Program) annual Community Day as part of my new job as a Government and Business Assistant at SGIA (Specialty Graphic Imaging Association). Yesterday we went to Cincinnati State University to speak to a printing class about sustainability in the industry and how to include the entire supply chain in making sustainable decisions. We got a tour of all of their printing rooms and got to see a lot of the technology which was especially interesting because this industry is so new to me! Im still trying to figure out what the difference is between digital and screen printing!
Today we are at Community Day and have heard one panel so far. The first panel was on SGP's Impact Tracker. This is a new program that helps printing facilities, auditors, and SGP employees locate and monitor information about sustainability progress over time in a much easier system then there was before! Up next is a panel on the state of sustainability in textiles. . Stay tuned!

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Heather Nortz 9/05/2018 4:48 PM
Heather Nortz
CSL 1 reflection:
1. Did your conception or definition of sustainability change after reading the articles in Session 1? If so, how is it different?
- I wouldn't say my conception of sustainability changed after reading this section, however it was expanded a bit. Here are some new perspectives I found interesting or hadn't really considered before.
  - Sustainability: systems in which carrying capacities are preserved over time
  - “ sustainability has relied primarily on technological and economic fixes that treat the symptoms rather than the underlying causes of the pressures we face: the values, beliefs, and mental models that we hold about each other and the planet we inhabit” ‘“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.”’
  - The new triple bottom line system “changes within one system can impact the health of the systems that are nested within it as well as the larger systems in which it lives. This model recognizes that economies are subsets of human cultures — they only exist within the context of our societies — and similarly, that human societies and economic activities are completely constrained by the ecosystems of the planet” It suggests that we are intrinsically connected to our environment (contrary to Western belief).
  - “environmental quality is inevitably linked to that of human equity, and thus they need to be thought about together”
  - To fairly integrate these two, we must be conscious of “positionality”/ how people perceive things from lived experience (increased floods due to CC in America vs. countries more at risk
2. Paul Hawken uses many business metaphors in “You Are Brilliant and the Earth Is Hiring.” What nonbusiness metaphors might be used to describe the idea that the Earth needs you?
- Family oriented metaphors addressing Earth as “Mother Nature”. Any living creatures are brothers and sisters. You should always take care of your family.
- Metaphors for Earth being “home”- clean up your room or Mother will get mad/ your home will fall apart if you don't take care of it
3. LaDuke believes that “ indigenous ways of living are the only sustainable ways of living. Most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation.” What do you agree or disagree with in this statement? Why is balance important to sustainability?
- I agree that balance is very important to sustainable living, however I do not think that indigenous living is the only way to achieve balance or sustainability. People living in modest homes (not taking up excessive land or resources) who buy modestly from sustainably sourced companies and responsibly dispose of waste are able to protect the environment while supporting the economy and their surrounding society (buying locally sourced items). If a community as a whole commits to modest living, they can live sustainably without having to individually live off the land (each making their own cotton clothes or harvesting food).
4. Identify one value, belief, or assumption from your culture that you believe contributes to the development of a more sustainable world. What is it about this particular value, belief, or assumption that aligns it with sustainability?
- The psychological theory that people perform better, are more calm, less stressed, and more inclined to take care of their health when in the presence of nature. Hospital patients with windows open to nature or even pictures/ paintings of nature on the walls have healed faster. Cities with more greenery and park spaces are less likely to have gangs and are more likely to have a higher percentage of people exercising. I think this is the case because plants and nature in general can make people (even subconsciously) feel like they are a part of something bigger. It also improves air quality and the water cycle which improves health and mental state.
  - Therefore, people who are privy to this connection will do what is in their power to preserve nature/ natural systems in order to improve their own lives and the lives of their family/ friends.
5. Name and discuss one or more aspects of your culture that you think hinder sustainable practices.
- Mass production/ over consumption. Materialism. The “go go go” state of mind/ American Dream. The belief that humans are not connected to nature/ a larger ecosystem/ not animals.
  - These somewhat greedy/ selfish aspects of our society do not breed or encourage thoughts of saving things for others, let alone future generations.
6. How does systems thinking shift your perception of the world? Please provide one concrete example.
- Systems thinking: “the capacity to collectively examine complex systems across different domains (society, environment, and economy) and across different scales (local to global)”
- Systems thinking shifts my perception of daily activities to collective global impacts. For example, using mascara every day. Non-systems thinking perspective is that I want to make myself look less zombie-like with this makeup. Systems thinking perspective is more encompassing to the products life cycle: who made this product, were they paid well, where did the resources come from, how much transportation was involved, why did I choose this brand, how many other people use mascara, how much is wasted, where do the tubes end up, can they be recycled?...
7. What surprised you the most about the effects of the wolves being reintroduced into Yellowstone? After watching the video about the wolves’ effects on the Yellowstone ecosystem, what suggestions do you have to improve your local ecosystem?
- The amount of species that came back due to the way the wolves balanced out the deer population/ dominance over the land. (badgers, otters, mice, eagles, bears, etc.)
- I would suggest making green bridges over highways and major roads. This may help species survival rates due to less roadkill as well as access to more land/ more food.
8. How sustainable was your life 5 years ago? How sustainable would you say your life is today?
- 5 years ago: My family recycles a lot, I walked to school.
- Today: I use a lot less paper- notes on laptop. It’s harder to recycle on campus- there are usually only with paper or plastic bins, rarely the two together. I drive more now with a fuel inefficient car.
- What I want to reach toward: city living with public transportation/ biking/ electric car. Solar panels on house
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