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
Food
Support Local Food Systems
I will source 2 meal(s) from local producers each day this week. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.
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
Advocate for Sustainability
I will contact local officials and city leaders this week to challenge them to support sustainability policies.
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
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
A Call to Sustainability
Talk To Others
I will tell 5 people why sustainability is important to me and what my vision for a sustainable world is.
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
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
A Call to Sustainability
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a movie about a sustainability issue I would like to know more about.
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
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
Consumption and Economy
Carry my Trash
I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Consumption and Economy
Support Local Businesses
I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Consumption and Economy
Track my Purchases
I will maintain a record of all my purchases.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Consumption and Economy
Buy Only What I Need
I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Transportation
Advocate for Greener Vehicles
I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
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.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Transportation
Go by Bike
I will commute by bike 2 mile(s) each day this week and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Community
Meet My Neighbors
I will meet 2 new neighbor(s) this week.
Uncompleted 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.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Community
Help Others
I will offer to help 3 person(s) who are in need this week.
Uncompleted 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.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Water
Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Water
Use Reusable Bottles
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.
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
Food
Visit a Local Farm
I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Food
Whole Foods Diet
I will enjoy 3 meal(s) free of processed foods each day this week.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Food
Choose Organic Ingredients
I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.
Uncompleted 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.
Uncompleted One-Time Action
Ecological Principles
Practice Gratitude for Earth
This week, I will spend 5 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.
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.
For this eco challenge, I decided to create a journal of ways to stay sustainable after this class ends. I have taken ideas, tips, and discussion from class and turned it into something I can always looks at when needing inspiration. Some of these ideas are shopping from companies that don't throw away 'weird looking' produce that is perfectly fine. I've also written down some of the Saturday markets classmates have shared like the Portland night market and Portland states market. I was also able to create a journal on plants that are native to Oregon, and plants that are drought tolerant. From our field trips I was able to write down some of the fruit trees were able to grown here in Portland! Overall creating this journal allows me to look back and get creative with local opportunities! Heres a place I visited from my recommended list (thrift store):
Madison {i bet that guy got those boots from there} Did you buy the journal at the thrift store too? Keeping track can make change more real and durable
For eco-challenge 7 I decided to reflect on my consumption habits by looking at what I purchase the most. I found that I purchased coffee, lotion, body wash, and food the most. In order to reduce consumption, I decided to start making my coffee at home, which reduces my overall plastic consumption and gas consumption (driving to get coffee every day). For body lotion I tend to purchase new bottles before I'm out of my original bottle, to prevent this extra consumption I will only be purchasing lotion when I am completely out. For body wash instead of buying new plastic bottles, I will be buying a smaller bottle of concentrate body wash that will last longer than most body washes. For food consumption, I tend to overbuy or let produce go bad. To prevent this I will start meal prepping and writing out a grocery list of only foods that will be incorporated into a meal. I attached my grocery list for this week:
Madison your list looks like mine! I make coffee at home partly because I love the smell....BTW its kind of fun to make your own caesar dressing and lotion.
For eco-challenge 6 I was worried about what I could do in regards to being more sustainable with transportation. Where I live there's not much public transportation, and its too far to walk from home to work. So instead of trying to take public transportation I decided to cut back on places I drive to unless there necessities (like work). By doing this I stopped driving to the gym to do treadmill workouts and instead went on walks and runs. This overall helped me cutback on driving and helped connect with nature and my surroundings! Here is a screenshot of a video from my run the other day:
Hey Madison, I recognize that view! The stairs throughout the neighborhood that lead up to the view are a great workout + rewarding! I can relate to not being able to walk/use public transportation for work. I'm also trying to cut back on driving places when it's not a necessity.
Hey Madison, Seems like we had similar takes on challenge six. I struggled to stick to mine as I too live in a place where it's hard to not drive when you have the option. I felt that just reducing my commute around town was the most effective way to solve the problem like you. I fell like after viewing some of the other responses to week six a lot of people struggled with the fact that driving is such a fundamental part of our lives now and we don't really have the infrastructure to counter it. Pretty view!
With challenge 5 being about the community I decided to meet some new neighbors that have just recently moved into town. Community has always been very important to me, and taking care of my neighborhood by picking up trash on walks is something I've done over the past couple of years. To explore some more ways to get connected with my community I decided to go to our local Saturday market, and meet local vendors and community members.
How nice that you were able to meet with some neighbors, I ended up doing the same thing. It is always nice to form good relationships with those around us even if it isn't intimate or super personable. The local Saturday market is also a good way to feel a sense of belonging because even though we aren't interacting directly, the similar purpose and intention of the market creates such a nice vibe and environment for belonging.
For eco-challenge 4 I decided to say no to plastic, mulch the base of trees and plants, and continue to use reusable bottles. Other actions I’ve done to be more sustainable in regard to water use is to collect excess water from plants when watering and use the leftover water to water other plants. This way the extra water isn’t being wasted, and I can continue to water my garden in a more sustainable way. During early spring I would collect rainwater from buckets to water plants, but now as it warms up I decided to find a different method to be more sustainable with my water use. As one of my eco challenges I decided to say no to plastic, I’ve been bringing my own cups to Starbucks for them to fill up instead of a plastic cup. Some locations allow this and others don’t, any suggestions for being able to get coffee and not use plastic cups? Here is some of the mulch I picked up to put around my plants:
With this week's eco-challenge being about food and sustainable food practices I decided to go berry picking that way I have fresh and locally produced fruit. I also decided to plan and write out all my meals that way when I'm purchasing food I'm not wasting any food because I have the meals planned out. My garden has also started to produce foods that I can use in my meals.
Good job doing two challenges! Thats a really well done list, I like how much thought you put into it and that the meal ideas work in tandem with each other.
Hi Madison, I had a similar challenge this week, I also decided to plan my meals for the week. It has been so helpful! Wow, I wish I had a garden, that is so great that you have one. I went berry picking last week, where did you go?
For my second eco-challenge post, I chose two challenges! The first one I chose was practicing gratitude for the earth by spending at least 5 minutes a day outside practicing gratitude for the earth and nature. This is actually something I used to do quite often but have stopped as life has gotten busy. This will be a nice reminder for me because I work outside and I'm often around nature and plants. I think that looking at nature and earth from a perspective of gratitude will help you take more steps to want to help the earth!
The second challenge I picked was recycling everything I can. At my house, we are big on recycling, so it's easy to recycle and hold each other accountable or collect something from the trash that belongs in recycling. Since recycling at home is already taken care of I wanted to make sure I was recycling and my coworkers are recycling. We have a large recycling box at work that is in a back room that doesn't usually get used, today I brought it into the lunch/break room to encourage myself and others to start recycling more.
Here is a picture I took after going on a gratitude walk outside.
Thank you for sharing a picture of the beautiful flower from your gratitude walk. I go on walks often but I have not engaged in a gratitude walk. Do you listen to music or podcast when you go on a gratitude walk?
I'm glad you are taking initiative at work by moving the recycling bin to an easily accessible space. Sometimes all it takes is a little reorganization to rejuvenate a space and encourage good habits.
The eco-challenge I chose for session one was creating a sustainability journal. This way I can write information on what I've learned about sustainability throughout this term, I can also write my concerns on certain issues and ways to be more sustainable. One of the ways I've decided to be more sustainable is to start my own garden with vegetables, berries, and herbs. I know a large concern with gardening can be water usage, any tips would be great!
Madison I think it is an awesome idea to start a journal! you could take photos of pages and submit them here. I like the idea of a gardening journal. Finding a way to water only the plants you have planted is helpful, instead of spraying water over a large area
Investing in terracotta pots if your doing a potted garden is a good way to manage plants that have high water needs without overusing water because the clay is porous so if you dunk the whole pot in water the pot itself will keep the water from the soil from drying out. They are also helpful if you have a plant with low water needs as they will leech water out of the soil if they are not wet.
I liked how you chose the eco-challenge of a sustainability journal, I feel like, alongside this course, it will be extremely useful to be able to incorporate your own thoughts as well as the new information being presented in regard to sustainability. I have also always loved journaling since I was younger. I only recently got back into journaling and find it extremely beneficial to be able to write down and reflect on your thoughts through pen and paper. It is also kind of neat reading back what you felt, thought, saw, experienced, etc.
Gabe Dicenzo 7/07/2022 9:05 AMHey Madison,
amy minato 6/28/2022 3:08 PMinspiring! i cant wait to go out and pick some strawberries...(I still have frozen ones in my freezer from last summer!)
Kevanna Doolittle 6/23/2022 9:20 AMGood morning Madison,
