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Daniel Sherman's avatar

Daniel Sherman

The Sustainable Loggers

"To find ways to live and learn on a more sustainable and resilient trajectory--while still having fun and enjoying the good things life on this planet has to offer!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 529 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    126
    organic meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    294
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    105
    whole food meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    42
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    3.0
    documentaries
    watched
  • UP TO
    1.0
    petition
    signed
  • UP TO
    210
    minutes
    spent outdoors

Daniel's actions

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Toilet Tank Bank

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

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.

COMPLETED
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.

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

Support Local Businesses

I will buy from local businesses instead of shopping online.

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

Water

Learn About My Watershed

I will find local resources for learning about my watershed and the particular water issues my region faces.

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

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 6 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

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

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

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 15 meal(s) free of processed foods each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 18 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 21 meatless meal(s) and/or 21 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Research Renewable Energy Options

I will find out if my local utilities offer an option for supporting renewable energy investment.

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

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

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

Ecological Principles

Keep An Ecological Principles Journal

I will keep a journal this week as I observe ecological principles in action in my backyard, neighborhood or community.

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

A Call to Sustainability

Sign a Petition

I will sign petitions in support of an environmental or social initiative in my state.

COMPLETED
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

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?


  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/19/2021 12:33 PM
    I was curious as to what a "toilet tank bank" was, so I bought one.  It turns out that it is just a slightly higher tech version of what we used to do to displace water in the tank--place a brick in the tank.  This new device is less likely to cause plumbing problems.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/20/2020 1:52 PM
    I get the spirit of this challenge.  But it makes me wonder why we favor brick and mortar retailers (even if they're local).  What if a local business operates online?  It is possible to have a local business conduct all exchanges online and make deliveries.  This might help to have a smaller footprint.  In many cases it is more efficient in terms of fuel to have a delivery truck full of product go house to house with mapping software helping it choose the best route, than it is to have a 2 ton vehicle drive one person to the store to pick up a few pounds of product from a retail outlet that has to be lit and heated etc.  Of course, there is the whole community aspect to consider as well and the value of face-to-face exchanges and interactions (that we all miss now).

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/20/2020 1:48 PM
    I think it's best to embrace lots of measurements of well being (including surveys of subjective sense of well being).  But, here's one that remains in economic terms--Green GDP or GGDP.  It's a measure of a country's economic growth with the environmental costs of that growth (like health impacts of pollution or loss of biodiversity or costs of climate change) factored in to the formula.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/13/2020 2:49 PM
    We've been cooking the first week of each month vegan in 2020.  It's ends up stretching into about 10 dinners with leftovers.  The highlight of vegan week is the nachos.

    Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce (courtesy America’s Test Kitchen)

    Bring 2 quarts of water to boil--add 120z russet potatoes (peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces) and 1 small carrot (peeled & cut into ½ inch pieces), simmer for 12 minutes, and drain.

    Add cooked potatoes and carrots to blender along with ⅓ cup of water, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 ½ tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Process on high speed for 2 minutes.

    Saute ⅓ cup chopped onion and ⅓ cup chopped poblano pepper in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes.  Add 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce, ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin, and ⅛  teaspoon ground mustard and saute 30 seconds longer.  Off heat--stir in potato mixture and stir to combine.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/08/2020 10:19 AM
    Decided to check out drinking water quality here in Fircrest (since I'm stuck here 24/7) and this little city of 6,000 people has its own source of drinking water distinct from Tacoma.  Fircrest is entirely dependent on groundwater beneath an urban setting....so what happens above it is very important.  The annual water quality report shows nitrites, lead and copper present but all below the maximum contaminant levels and all (except copper) below the levels in Tacoma's drinking water.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/08/2020 10:11 AM
    The principle of "you can't do just one thing" is very revealing during this crisis.  Every change and adaptation we make to flatten the curve has other adverse social impacts.  The decision to close schools for the rest of the school year is going to be an immense hardship for many kids and families in this region.  If only we had a more equitable public education system and were more prepared to deliver distance learning and nutrition programs.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/08/2020 10:08 AM
    Puget Sound Energy offers the Carbon Balance program for natural gas customers (my house is still heated with a natural gas boiler for radiant heat).  Residential natural gas customers can purchase offset blocks for $3 each. With each block equivalent to removing 400 pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment, the average customer can be carbon neutral for as little as $6 per month.  PSE does not profit from the program and this is a third party verified offset program....still I've always had a hard time trusting offsets.  It's also funny that while on the one hand PSE is the company building the LNG facility in the Port of Tacoma, it is also the owner of wind and solar farms east of the mountains.  It's a mixed bag!

    • Lindsay Walker's avatar
      Lindsay Walker 4/08/2020 2:23 PM
      I also wanted to look into PSE's Carbon Balance options since my heat and hot water heater are both powered by LNG. I have purchased offsets with utilities in the past but have also questioned them. It definitely helps that they aren't profiting from the program and I will look into this for sure. It is also more incentive to see where my house can reduce our footprint. We have a basement and an upstairs that vary greatly in temperature and I have been looking into the possibility of a thermostat that can analyze both and adjust where rooms are heated. 

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 4/08/2020 10:03 AM
    Unfortunately recycling isn't as satisfying as it once was because my local haulers take less and less types of materials these days.

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 3/30/2020 2:01 PM
    Found a short hike less than 1/2 mile from my house at Thelma Gilmur Park.  It was an honor to have known Thelma and her good friend Helen Engle.  You can read more about these amazing women here:  https://www.tahomaaudubon.org/people-of-tas

  • Daniel Sherman's avatar
    Daniel Sherman 3/30/2020 1:59 PM
    For the first time ever I signed a petition that is not directed towards a government official.  This petition is directed at the CEOs of Microsoft, Google and Amazon regarding disentangling their businesses from fossil fuels.  https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/demand-microsoft-google-and-amazon-protect-us-not-big-oil