Laura Gilliom

Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,093 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

32

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

25

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

164

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

36

zero-waste meals

consumed

Laura 's actions

Action Track: Social Justice

Support Microgeneration in Low Income Countries

#48 In-Stream Hydro, #76 Micro Wind, #78 Microgrids

I will make a donation to a nonprofit that installs microgeneration in low income countries.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 10 friends, family and/or colleagues.

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?

Laura Gilliom 4/23/2019 3:43 PM

Please ignore my email from yesterday saying it was the last day! Tomorrow is the real last day. :-)

Read More
Laura Gilliom 4/22/2019 11:45 AM

Researching bioplastics today. Bioplastics are plastics made from organic materials (corn starch, cane sugar, etc.) vs. conventional plastic made from petroleum. Some are compostable, which means they biodegrade in 3 months or less with no toxic residue. But many take a year or two, so they are not considered compostable. This is a growing industry, and as with many products it looks like scrutinizing the labels will be important. Look for "certified compostable" when buying these products. Even then it may be unclear whether they need to go into a commercial composter or can go in your backyard composter. Bioplastics may someday replace regular plastic for a lot of packaging. Seems to me it would be better to move away from plastics altogether. Long post!

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- Susan Blanchard 4/22/2019 2:18 PM
  
  We had difficulty finding the right compostable cups to use at last year's Fall Auction but Debra Ross was successful
  
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Laura Gilliom 4/19/2019 9:42 AM

It's fun to read all the posts and see people making an impact through daily actions! Let's keep it up for 5 more days! (I thought it ended on the 21st but actually it's the 22nd.)

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- Susan Blanchard 4/22/2019 2:19 PM
  
  Yay! Last day!
  
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Laura Gilliom 4/11/2019 6:41 PM

Eating leftovers is an easy way to have a zero waste meal!

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- Susan Blanchard 4/22/2019 2:19 PM
  
  Who has leftovers???
  
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- Peter Bird 4/17/2019 4:06 PM
  
  This was a helpful post, Laura. When you posted it -- ALMOST A WEEK AGO! :-) Kidding, but I always love what you have to say. Eager for more. Thanks for leading us!!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

Laura Gilliom 4/08/2019 12:25 PM

Just purchased my first carbon offset for a round trip flight to Providence - only $3.13 to offset the 627 lbs of CO2. I kinda feel guilty that it was so cheap! I will continue to think hard about each flight I take, and alternatives to flying - drive, take a train or bus, etc.

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- Susan Blanchard 4/22/2019 2:20 PM
  
  Wow, I had no idea it was so cheap.
  
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- Bonnie Gilliom 4/19/2019 12:49 PM
  
  How did you do it?
  
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- Peter Bird 4/10/2019 5:23 AM
  
  Thanks for sharing, Laura. I had no idea carbon offsets were so cheap. I actually think it would be pretty cool if the airlines just bundled the offset into the price of the ticket.
  
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Laura Gilliom 4/05/2019 7:47 AM

ECO hopes to move the church further toward Zero Waste, like Binkley and a few other triangle churches are doing. I hope many of you will come see our display table in the courtyard this Sunday! There will also be a presentation on Zero Waste at St. Thomas Moore on Tuesday, May 28 at 7pm.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

In your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?

Laura Gilliom 3/28/2019 10:53 AM

My understanding is that most humans prefer to eat meat when they can afford it (barring ethical or religious objections), and because we are one of the richest parts of the world we can afford to eat more meat. We also tend to be individualistic, so we often prioritize individual gratification over the collective good.

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- Peter Bird 3/30/2019 3:37 AM
  
  Thanks for sharing. Would love to hear more from you. I always like what you have to say!
  
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- Peter Bird 3/29/2019 4:03 PM
  
  Thanks for this FOOD for thought Laura!
  
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