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Shannon Poole

Capstone Winter 21

"Pay Attention!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 478 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    7.0
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    42
    organic meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    4.0
    miles
    traveled by foot
  • UP TO
    6.8
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    3.0
    documentaries
    watched

Shannon's actions

Visions of Sustainability

Install Alternative Energy

I will install alternative energy systems, such as solar electric systems or solar water heaters.

COMPLETED
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

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

Consumption and Economy

Support Local Businesses

I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.

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

Community

Pick Up Litter

I will pick up litter on my street and ask others to join me in taking care of our neighborhood.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 4 mile(s) each day this week instead of driving and avoid sending up to 6.75 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Locally-Sourced Meals

I will source 1 meal(s) from local producers each day 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 6 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.

COMPLETED
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.

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

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

A Call to Sustainability

Talk To Others

I will tell 3 people why sustainability is important to me and what my vision for a sustainable world is.

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?


  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 3/04/2021 9:04 AM
    I love telling all of my friends and family about this class and all of the things I learn! I am going to do some research on what I can do in the back yard in place of grass. I really do have a pretty big back yard and it is all grass. Pulling it out would be a really big project and I really like having a place to play with the dog (and badminton, and corn hole and other back yard fun stuff) so I would need something that we could all run on!

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 2/25/2021 8:09 AM
    The reading this week was really eye-opening; particularly the section "What Isn't For Sale?" The list of things that are actually for sale is unbelievable. $250,000 to shoot an ENDANGERED black rhino! The things that humans think they should be allowed to do boggles the mind! Buying and selling the right to pollute! Anyway, I know that I have a lot to work on in my consumerism. Especially in this age of Covid shutdowns, I have become one of the many who just orders things as I need them off of Amazon for the convenience but also for the avoidance of having to go shop. I've never been a huge fan of shopping, but it was never something I dreaded quite as much as I do now. I hope to make it to the farmers market this weekend and I promise not to buy anything off of Amazon without stopping and figuring out if I can get what I need from a local business instead!

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 2/17/2021 7:07 PM
    I, like Scott, am over 3 days in without electricity now. Besides going to school at home, I also have a remote job so I've had to find ways to charge my electronics. I have been walking to a friends with a backpack full of plug ins to charge! She also shared home made cookies (peace out Whole 30-- I did make it more than 30 days though!).

    As for transportation, I don't drive a whole lot anyway- I have a Chevy Volt that is a plug in hybrid that runs solely on electric until it runs out. Yesterday I put gas in it for the first time in over a year. Since I don't have electricity right now, I can't charge it. I also have an electric garage door. After figuring out how to use it without electric, I then discovered (at 5 in the morning as I was trying to leave to go to the gym) that it wouldn't stay open. So since my son deserted me to stay at his dad's where there is electric, and I was home alone, I couldn't leave in my car!  I have since had help getting my car out of the garage and today I drove to the hospital to work and charge all of my stuff!

    • Shannon Poole's avatar
      Shannon Poole 2/23/2021 9:06 AM
      My volt is a 2011- which is the first year that they made them (they stopped making them last year). I think because of it being the first one it had some additional issues- however, I had a pretty amazing warranty. So, I have to get oil changes like a regular car but not nearly as often. Not lots of extra maintenance! 

      My son has a Tesla though and most of his maintenance is done via uploads!

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 2/11/2021 9:38 AM
    I love my neighborhood and am so glad to know all my neighbors. I love that we keep an eye out for each other and everyone is friendly. My next door neighbor, Shelley, even gave me a little glass unicorn one day randomly because she said it made her think of me. I take my dog for a walk at least twice most days so I see a lot of the people that live in my neighborhood a lot. I even know other people's dog walking schedules! Since I live in Milwaukie and it isn't crowded while out walking, most of us walk without masks. It is easy to cross the street occasionally if necessary. I find that being able to smile and say hi to people feels great these days! Especially since so often it is hard to tell if people are smiling or not. I've always been pretty friendly and I really enjoy connecting with my community! Maybe we'll get some concerts in the park this year! I miss that!

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 2/04/2021 8:43 AM
    I am currently in the process of calling to get quotes to replace my old galvanized pipes in my house. I waste so much water every day because the pipes are corroded inside. Besides being totally gross, it makes the pipes thinner so it takes longer for the water to get where it is going. This means it takes at least 5 minutes for the hot water to make it to the kitchen or bathroom even though my water heater isn't very old! I hope that it isn't too terribly expensive to do but I do think it will dramatically decrease the amount of water we use. 

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 1/28/2021 7:23 AM
    This week I shopped at the PSU farmers market on Saturday. It was a nice day and it was fun to be outside and support the local farmers. I bought a bunch of winter veggies. So far, I've eaten all of the fresh veggies that I got including the swiss chard which I was not fond of. I've been doing Whole30 this month and one of the things I can't eat is dairy. I do believe that some cheese would have really improved my feeling about the swiss chard! I did get some amazing pears from a local orchard and they were so, so good! I also got some freshly made sauerkraut which was probably my favorite thing. I think sauerkraut is good with pretty much everything, including breakfast! I also got some sunflower butter which I didn't like at all. Since the PSU farmers market is open every Saturday, I plan on going again this weekend to see what else I can get!

    • Kalee Nesbitt's avatar
      Kalee Nesbitt 1/28/2021 8:46 AM
      Shannon that is so amazing you are doing whole 30! That's a serious commitment, but I bet you are feeling amazing. I have also tried sunflower butter thinking it would be delicious because I love sunflower seeds. But I agree with you that it is not that good at all. I added honey to mine and that helped a bit. I wonder if you could use it to cook with. I am so jealous that you are close to the farmer's market! 

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 1/20/2021 6:52 PM
    What a week this has been! Reading this session on Ecological Principles has been a bit on the terrifying side because the reality of what is happening to our one and only planet is scary. But then watching the videos during class, Liter of Light and then Women Power the Worlds made me hopeful again. And then today, on this Inauguration Day, I am again filled with hope. Today President Biden signed a letter to rejoin the Paris climate accord in 30 days and reinstated ties with the World Health Organization. The permit for the Keystone XL pipeline has been revoked. It is a good day for the environment in the US. 
    After doing my environmental ecological footprint analysis I realized that I have a lot more work to do myself. As, Richard Heinberg says in his interview in the book, “You can’t just do one thing.” So in addition to some of the bigger things I do already, this week I started to look for smaller things that I can do. Like unplugging unused electric items. By being a “localvore” and trying to eat more locally. By trying to understand “systems thinking” and attempting to see the connections between things. This week I also heard about https://www.ridwell.com They will come pick up recyclables monthly (for a fee) that you can’t put out in your bin. I am undecided on signing up but I do think it is a great service.

  • Shannon Poole's avatar
    Shannon Poole 1/12/2021 7:37 PM
    My Why is that I want my son to be able to live a long life on the only planet that we have without fear of breathing toxic air, or not having clean water to drink. That is why this week I decided that I would tell others about sustainability and how I'm trying to change some of my habits so that I can do my part. While taking my dog for a walk today, I spent some time explaining to my good friend who lives in Kentucky about this class and what I was doing. I explained to her what sustainability means to me and the changes that I am trying to make in my life, like using less single use plastics (not a ziploc bag to be found in this house!), or like composting. 
    In my personal life I have been trying to stay away from social media; limiting my exposure to platforms that don't seem to bring me very many positive feelings. However, I popped onto Facebook and I posted about this course and I asked that my friends join me in changing a habit to be more sustainable. I hope to get some takers and I will certainly post about it when I do!