Ellie Griffith
Points Total
- 0 Today
- 0 This Week
- 91 Total
Participant Impact
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Ellie's Actions
Consumption and Economy
Support Local Businesses
I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.
Transportation
Walk Instead
I will walk 3 mile(s) each day this week instead of driving and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
Community
Pick Up Litter
I will pick up litter on my street and ask others to join me in taking care of our neighborhood.
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.
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.
Food
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
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.
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.
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.
A Call to Sustainability
Start a Sustainability Journal
I will start a sustainability journal, capturing my thoughts, concerns and learning about sustainability issues.
A Call to Sustainability
Sign a Petition
I will sign petitions in support of an environmental or social initiative in my state.
Feed
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Ellie Griffith 7/17/2022 8:26 PMFor my eighth eco-challenge, I planned out my garden for my backyard. I did some research about PNW native plants and what vegetables are best to sow in the summer. Next month I'm going to plant a food garden at one end of my backyard with lettuce, carrots, and broccoli. I will also have a flower garden with Globe gilia (gilia capitata), Oceanspray (holodiscus discolor), and Pacific bleeding heart (dicentra formosa ssp. formosa). I'm looking forward to spending time outside working in my garden, making my backyard pretty, and harvesting food! -
Ellie Griffith 7/13/2022 6:43 PMFor eco-challenge seven, I researched and supported a local business. I went to People's Food Co-op to shop for groceries instead of going to Safeway like I usually do. People's Food Co-op is a community-owned, natural grocery store in SE Portland. Their mission statement is "A passionate community working together for sustainability, progressive land and animal stewardship, human rights, social and economic justice." The company a dedicated to safe and sustainable growing and manufacturing practices to minimize its ecological footprint. Their website explained, "As grocery stores get bigger, with larger product selections that include natural and organic, food co-ops like People’s are finding it harder to communicate why shopping here matters. In order to keep up with our expanding competitive landscape, we must prepare for the future - and that means growing." Researching this store inspired me to shop there to do my part in contributing to this sustainable system. The energy in the store was very welcoming and positive. Notably, there were several aisles of zero-waste bulk food options and paper bags for produce instead of plastic. The only downside is that the store is tiny and obviously more expensive than the chain supermarkets. However, I still enjoyed shopping there and would definitely go again. Below is my grocery haul:
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Ellie Griffith 7/07/2022 3:38 PMFor my sixth eco-challenge, I'm cutting back on driving my car. I'm unable to use public transportation for work because of the lack near my house. I'm making it a goal to only drive to work and back. I used to drive to the gym occasionally, even though it's a short walk from my house. Also, I occasionally drive to Starbucks to do school work and to get myself out of the house. This Starbucks is only a 20-minute walk from my house. Today, and going forward, I will walk to the gym and Starbucks instead to reduce my carbon footprint.-
Romi Watson 7/14/2022 9:49 AMHi Ellie!
It's great that you're finding ways to cut back on driving your car and instead making an effort to walk to the gym and Starbucks. I know driving is way more convenient and it's admirable that you're willing to part with that convenience to better the planet. I'm sure walking to the gym will be a nice little warm up before your work out! It's unfortunate that not everyone has access to public transportation especially in places like Portland where the public transportation is worlds better than other places (like where I lived in Southern California). It leaves little options and shows that we still have some work to do in regards to making public transportation accessible for everyone and cutting down on everyone's carbon footprint. -
Misti Randall 7/08/2022 1:10 AMNice job Ellie walking to the gym and Starbucks. That just adds to your cardio workout so a two-in-one. That is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and get some good steps in. Driving to work is sometimes a necessity and it isn't about going all-or-nothing but finding ways to reduce our footprint which I am glad you found a way to do such. I wish that we had better availability to public transport that was well connected and efficient. I know sometimes my car would take 15 min but public transport over an hour so my car is just the better option. But the streetcar when I am just downtown doesn't take much extra time so the cost-benefit is in the favor of public transport.
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Ellie Griffith 7/07/2022 3:11 PMI searched for litter on a trail near my house and was surprised that it actually took some scavenging to collect trash. At first, I found many twist ties in one area that I assume came from planting the greenery lining the path. I collected a few bottles as seen in the picture, which took a while to accumulate, but it was still aggravating that they were left behind. Clearly, my bag of choice was insufficient! From now on, I want to bring a bag with me every time I go on walks to collect trash and make my neighborhood clean for wildlife.
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Ellie Griffith 7/03/2022 3:12 PMFor my fourth eco-challenge, I invested in reusable produce bags that would limit my plastic waste. I tried searching for them at stores like New seasons, Safeway, and Target but I couldn't find any, so my last resort was Amazon. I try to limit my purchases on Amazon as much as possible because of the extra waste from the packaging (not to mention Amazon's massive carbon footprint!). But I'm very happy with my purchase!
Here's the link if anyone is interested: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZCCQR1/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A253QFDA0E35TF&psc=1
This is sort of unrelated to the current eco-challenge topic, but I wanted to share that I started a compost bin! It was super easy. First, I bought a plastic bin and drilled holes in the bottom so worms can get in. I also bought a compost box from World Market for my kitchen scraps. I followed a tutorial and learned that I needed to start the bin with a layer of dried leaves and dirt, then add my kitchen scraps and mix. If anyone wants to try this, I found the tutorial here: https://www.younghouselove.com/younghouselovedotcompost/
I love that compositing limits the amount of food waste I make when I'm cooking. I'm so excited for the mix to be ready to use as soil for my plants!
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Giovanni Simmons 7/04/2022 9:31 PMHi Ellie,
I love the new composting setup you have! I'm in the same spot as Gabe, living in a small apartment so I haven't been able to create my own composting system yet although I have been thinking about it a lot. I love that you DIY'd the bin too! -
Gabe Dicenzo 7/03/2022 11:42 PMEllie, it's so cool that you started composting. I'd like to start but I live in a small apartment and I'm hesitant to start b/c of the smell and bugs. I always see products on Amazon for the kitchen and stuff but I feel like your method is way to go. I started implementing reusable water-bottles into my routine on a more regular basis for my challenge and I feel like your approach this week has a similar reduction of environmental impact. Go us!
Take care and happy 4th!
Gabe -
amy minato 7/03/2022 6:54 PMEllie composting has major payoffs in many ways. good luck with your new system and thanks for the links!
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Ellie Griffith 6/27/2022 10:13 PMFor my eco-challenge this week, I watched the documentary Kiss the Ground with my family to educate myself and the people around me. The documentary explores the idea of regenerative agriculture to save the planet’s topsoil and combat climate change. It touches on the harmful systems in place and what needs to change in order to heal the earth. I would highly recommend everyone to watch it. I went into it knowing my stepdad was a bit pessimistic about the issue. His stance after watching the documentary is the problem all comes down to money and politics. Money influences politicians, and the systems in place that make the big bucks aren’t regenerative. I agree with him that climate change is very difficult to overcome without a change in the political state. I shifted the conversation to talk more about how we can do our part in being sustainable as a family. I suggested we should start composting, growing food in our yard, and shopping at the farmers' market when we can. They agreed, and I'm looking forward to implementing sustainable food practices as a family.
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amy minato 6/28/2022 3:14 PMellie remember to submit that you completed this in canvas -
amy minato 6/28/2022 3:13 PMEllie good for you having this conversation with your family. Regenerative agriculture is certainly a hopeful alternative that is becoming more popular among farmers -
Bill C 6/28/2022 8:41 AMIt's great that you were able to share this experience with your family. I too think composting and growing your own food are actions people could adopt more! -
Jillian McDaniel 6/27/2022 11:27 PMHi Ellie,
It is so cool that you were able to watch this documentary and talk about it with your family. It's always great when the whole family can agree and implement changes together! I was also recommended to watch this documentary the other day so I will definitely have to watch it. Thanks for sharing!
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Ellie Griffith 6/22/2022 8:34 PMFor this eco-challenge, I practiced gratitude for the Earth by going on a nature walk. I have been incorporating walking into my daily routine for a while now. I usually wear headphones and listen to podcasts to entertain my thoughts. However, this challenge inspired me to fully immerse myself in the experience with no distractions. I ditched the headphones and walked around my neighborhood, listening to the birds and the trees in the wind. I'm very grateful that I live near wetlands and lots of pretty nature scenery. I always see this family of bunnies on my walk and my photo album on my phone is filled with unnecessary pictures of them.
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amy minato 6/23/2022 12:00 PMEllie haha the photos are necessary if they make you feel happy! yesterday i was at a marsh and heard what is called "marsh music"...all the bird sounds. so melodious -
Kassy Vazquez 6/23/2022 1:10 AMHi Ellie,
I am feeling so inspired now, I am also going to try and do a nature walk. I have found myself feeling "stuck" at home these days. I really want to incorporate this into my weekly routine. The bunny is so cute, there are quite a few around where I live. Thanks for your post. -
Giovanni Simmons 6/22/2022 9:55 PMHi Ellie!
That's such a great idea to completely ditch the headphones to fully immerse yourself into your nature walk. I tend to go back and forth on wearing headphones or not, and have realized now that it is much more peaceful for me when I'm just able to enjoy the natural sounds. I've found it more difficult to get complete silence lately especially living downtown, but when that does happen it's truly a great experience.
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Ellie Griffith 6/20/2022 7:54 PMFor my session one eco-challenge, I signed a petition, start a sustainability journal, and pay attention to current events. I had planned to find an online petition to sign, but funny enough, I found a petition to sign while going about my day. I’m a caregiver, and I took my client to church yesterday where the organizers shared with us a petition supporting a gun-safety ballot measure. I signed the petition because I feel strongly about gun control. It made me feel great to contribute to this cause, and I will definitely look for more petitions to sign in the future.
I also started a sustainability journal to write about what I learned in this class and what actions I’ll take outside of engaging in the course. My goals for this journal are to document ideas about what I can do in my daily life to live more sustainably, what my community is doing to promote sustainability, and to gather information to share with people in my life to inspire them to live more sustainably.
Lastly, I educated myself about sustainability news in my community by reading articles from this site: https://www.multco.us/sustainability/news.-
amy minato 6/21/2022 9:32 PMEllie I think a sustainability journal is a great idea. was there any particular article you most appreciated from this site? thanks for the link -
Giovanni Simmons 6/20/2022 8:36 PMHi Ellie,
I'm glad you were able to connect with others with this petition you signed as well, because I feel like that could make a bigger impact when you can make in-person connections with others. I also signed a petition this week, and talking with people over the phone or through text can still be very impactful (which is what I did), but having in-person conversations is just different and I'm glad you were able to do that.
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