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April 3 - April 24, 2019
BETH KETAH's avatar

BETH KETAH

VM Community

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 725 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    315
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    20
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    5.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    20
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    20
    miles
    traveled by bus
  • UP TO
    0.0
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    12
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    19
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    tree
    planted

BETH's actions

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 5-10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 2 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 9.68 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

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?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Buy Bamboo
    Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

    BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/23/2019 2:17 PM
    Bamboo alternatives are not readily available in the community where I live, however, more take-out locations are converting to compostable plastics and food containers which makes the choice to utilize sustainable resources easier. The two I can think of off hand are Taco Time and Seattle Art Museum!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Composting
    Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?

    BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/19/2019 7:19 AM
    Land and fertilizer waste motivates me to change my behavior regarding food waste. It motivates me because this is something that affects us as human beings and future generations to come. It also affects the animal world, bees, for example.

  • BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/18/2019 12:13 PM
    On my lunch breaks I have started to walk around outside to really look at the houses and yards that are around the Georgetown location. It is an interesting neighborhood with very old and very new houses. I love the personalities expressed by peoples yards. One house even has hubcaps and bowling balls incorporated in their landscaping.

  • BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/17/2019 7:19 AM

    Here is the poster for the Freecycle box I started in our location.


  • BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/17/2019 7:13 AM
    I started a "Freecycle" box in our office using an empty paper ream box after pitching at the morning huddle. I got the green light from our team and put in my first donation this morning! 

    • John Leigh's avatar
      John Leigh 4/18/2019 10:40 AM
      I love your initiative, Beth! Thanks for implementing a simple but good idea.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More about Biomass
    Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!

    BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/16/2019 7:46 AM
    While watching a 2 minute video about methane digesters (Electricity) that Michigan State University is working on, I saw that Bellingham Technical College has one too! I am excited for more Eco energy options like this. Yay for our future Eco Warriors!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Go Paperless
    What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

    BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/16/2019 7:38 AM
    I would like to prioritize more time with my family, rather than looking at junk mail that comes in the mail that I have to shred and/or recycle anyways. Thanks to DMAchoice.org for helping me make my family a priority so that we may go on more outdoor adventures!

  • BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/09/2019 8:48 AM
    I recently made multiple trips to recycle centers to clean up junk left by the previous tenant. It involved going to a Styrofoam recycler in Kent, cardboard recycler on Marginal way, e-recycler on 1st Ave, 3 thrift stores, hazardous chemical drop off in Georgetown and a scrap metal yard on Corson Ave. Probably literally 8 tons of scrap recycled appropriately.

  • BETH KETAH's avatar
    BETH KETAH 4/03/2019 7:17 AM
    I started using my smaller salad plates for dinner and am making smaller meals so there are no leftovers.