Margaret Kallsen
4/23/2019 2:01 PM
Less dependence on oil, cheaper fuel costs to owner, able to store electric power for the grid when EV not in use (see NYT article "The Wheels on These Buses...")
Margaret Kallsen
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 257 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO1.0donationmade
-
UP TO60minutesspent learning
Margaret's actions
Transport
Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle
#26 Electric Vehicles
I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.
Land Use
Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
I will donate to The Nature Conservancy, which works with Indigenous Peoples to secure land tenure and resource rights, support improved governance and local institutions, assist in natural resource mapping, planning and management; and strengthen livelihoods and sustainable economic development.
Food
Keep Track of Wasted Food
#3 Reduced Food Waste
I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.
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?
-
Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 2:06 PM!!! This is so cool about electric school buses (see NYT article under resources for Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle #26 Electric Vehicles):"... Consolidated Edison, the local electric utility, which agreed to chip in another $100,000 per bus.In return, Con Ed gets the right to use the buses to help power the grid in the summer, when school is out and the vehicles sit idle. Their batteries would store electricity when demand is low and discharge it during peak hours."-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:36 PMI've also been reading about the benefits of electric buses. Definitely a plus over time, even if the up-front cost is higher. Hopefully more school districts (and municipal transit systems) will consider them.
-
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric VehicleReducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
-
Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 9:04 AMMy husband was in an accident last week that totaled our vehicle (only injury was a seat belt abrasion and subsequent bruise) so I added researching electric vehicles to my challenge today - but only 60 minutes so I know I can complete it today (also got to finish reading The Overstory and return it to library today - wonderful writing about plants and planet).-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:38 PM
Having your car totaled is not a fun motivation for an EcoChallenge, but kudos to you for turning a negative into a positive.
-
-
Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 8:37 AMDidn't throw out some lemons with brown spots - sliced them up, let them "cook" in hot tea water, drank the tea and ate the lemons up peel and all. (Too bad my husband will have to compost a cantaloupe tomorrow - wish he'd learn how to tell if it's ripe before he cuts it open - I'll have to remind him that I can judge ripeness - that cantaloupe will be the ONLY food waste for this entire challenge!)-
Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 8:42 AMOops - forgot about the squash peelings.
-
-
Margaret Kallsen 4/15/2019 2:33 PMComposted a few lettuce ribs today that had gone mushy but ate up rest of lettuce. I rarely throw out food, just compost tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells. Husband composted some squash peeling yesterday.
What I have realized is that most of my waste associated with food is packaging.-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/16/2019 4:59 PMFor the EcoChallenge last fall, I tracked my waste, and I also found that I was disturbed by the packaging waste for food. I decided to go back to drinking loose tea, to avoid tea bag packaging. You can refuse packaging in some cases. For example, do you need a plastic bag to carry a few apples in, or could you just place the apples directly in your shopping cart? Buying produce at a farmers' market is another way that you can avoid packaging. There are many of them in Houston. I maintain a listing, if that's of interest to you.
-
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONLand Use Support Indigenous Peoples' Land ManagementIndigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
Margaret Kallsen 4/05/2019 1:46 PMAll of creation is in dynamic balance with every part of creation - things grow, die, readjust continually. Reading "The Overstory" by Richard Powers brings the message home (again). -
Margaret Kallsen 4/05/2019 1:27 PMChallenge going well. Haven't thrown out any food today or yesterday -- just coffee grounds, cantalope rinds and egg shells to compost - dog loves to eat tomato and carrot ends (and strawberry hulls in season). Refrige has nothing that is fixin' to go bad on me.-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/16/2019 5:01 PM
My husband and I have also been doing a much better job of keeping track of food in the fridge and eating it before is becomes good only for compost. It takes some organization, but I just hate to see good food go to waste (or even compost). This was inspired by my tracking my waste generation for last fall's EcoChallenge.
-
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Keep Track of Wasted FoodAn average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Margaret Kallsen 4/05/2019 1:21 PMSpend it on paying service people more, bigger tips for haircut, massage, dog care, etc.