Barbara Peterson
4/23/2019 2:11 AM
Will get information to condo association on using organic fertilizer , herbicides and pesticides in minimal amounts to improve soil health.
Barbara Peterson
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 345 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO0.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
-
UP TO12plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
Barbara's actions
Materials
Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
#46 Water Saving - Home
I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.
Materials
Eliminate Toxic Plastics
#47 Bioplastic
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will enjoy 0 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
Food
Support Nutrient Management
#65 Nutrient Management
I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
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?
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONMaterials Mulch the Base of Trees and PlantsName some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
-
Barbara Peterson 4/22/2019 12:36 PMI like these Challenges as I can refine and work on correcting specific issues. Our household lifestyle has changed since our first Sustainable class (Thanks Linda Seals). This spills over to the households of our 5 children and 7 grandchildren. They often are more successful than we are in making changes. -
Barbara Peterson 4/22/2019 12:32 PMAvoiding plastics is very difficult! I did purchase mesh produce bags for both car. I make 2 shopping lists. One for Publix and one for the SunSeed Co-Op where I can buy in bulk. Noticed today that Publix offers paper straw in boxes. -
Barbara Peterson 4/22/2019 12:26 PMTo do a better job of limiting food waste, our veggie garden group is building a compost bin this weekend! -
Barbara Peterson 4/22/2019 12:24 PMEating out and staying 100% Plant Based is most difficult. Even the Deli at Earth Fare was extremely limited except for a build it yourself salad bar. -
Barbara Peterson 4/14/2019 11:25 AMWe tried out a new lunch item today. It is a tasty, no oil, plant based, sandwich spread. It’s really not a complete tuna salad substitute, but we didn’t kill any animals. Wayne spread his on home baked bread and I filled celery stalks for my lunch. https://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/vegan-tuna-salad -
Barbara Peterson 4/14/2019 11:18 AMToday while shopping at Publix, I put aside items on my list wrapped in plastic or that I can buy in bulk at Sun Seed on my way home next Wednesday. My biggest challenge has been setting aside immediate convenience for making a better choice. Too many years of rushing about! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONMaterials Eliminate Toxic PlasticsWhat single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
Barbara Peterson 4/06/2019 7:14 PMPlastic Straws are no longer a problem in our household. They have been replaced with reusable straws at home and I don’t use them when eating out. We supported the kickstarter project, for the Last Straw and have given them as gifts.
Bought a second set of fabric bags (for the other car) to use when buying in bulk. I need to work on choosing foods amenable to buy in bulk.
The Wild Life Refuge where I volunteer promotes bringing your own cup. They also have spare water bottles by the door in the event that you forgot yours. We no longer keep bottled water in the volunteer kitchen. :-)
This is also a discussion topic at our NWEI discussion course, Menu for the Future. We are evaluating the costs, Environmental, Human Health, and Financial when grabbing water to take with you to the gym or working outside vs. filtered water in a reusable non-plastic bottle. Last meeting it was reported that the plastic bottles were more costly in all cases. Sometimes we need to run the numbers ourselves. -
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?
Barbara Peterson 4/06/2019 5:58 PMThis money can be used to educate others to make better choices about food portions. Teaching families to cook fresh fruits and vegetables rather than highly processed foods saves industrial waste that one doesn’t see. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Reduce Animal ProductsIn 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?
Barbara Peterson 4/06/2019 5:34 PMOne of the biggest contributions to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries is the promotion of meat and dairy by USDA fo financially support this portion of the animal product industries. This also includes their inflation of the required daily amount of protein needed by humans. The fact that one can easily get protein from plant sources is diminished.