Betsy Brooks

TriLakes Loons

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
402 Total

Participant Impact

up to

160

minutes

spent learning

Betsy's Actions

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

Completed
One-Time Action

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 20 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

Completed
One-Time Action

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

Completed
One-Time Action

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.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Feed

Betsy Brooks 4/23/2019 5:03 PM

I didn't see this among the challenges, but a side effect of doing the ecochallenge for me was that I got my act together about bringing my reusable shopping bags to the store. Thanks to everybody on this team for doing the ecochallenge with me. I kind of wish it wasn't about to be over.

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Reflection Question
Land Use Local Perennial Biomass

Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe states that "The reason we care about climate change is because it affects the people and places that we care about." What is happening (or will happen) in your area that will affect the people and places you care about?

Betsy Brooks 4/21/2019 3:09 AM

One of the things we are seeing is an increase in ticks and other insects that are moving north as climate changes. I think another troubling thing that's happening here and in many other places is negativity, worrying, divisiveness and fear.

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Reflection Question
Land Use Learn about Temperate Forests

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?

Betsy Brooks 4/19/2019 5:10 AM

I've been reading about the "insect apocalypse" - the recent finding that 1/3 of all insect species are threatened with extinction because of habitat loss, pesticides and climate changes. This feels overwhelming because the first two parts are largely due to modern agricultural practices, and it's hard to see how that could be reversed in favor of more earth friendly agriculture. However, reading Drawdown I see many examples of determined people and groups who are able to change things, so that is hopeful for me.

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Betsy Brooks 4/13/2019 7:54 AM

I am going to purchase some reusable k-cup pods. I also learned that "bird friendly coffee" is a more exacting certification to look for. It appears that buying this kind of coffee may be about 3 times as expensive as what I have been buying.

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- Ellen Beberman 4/17/2019 6:37 AM
  
  Have you tried an aero-press? A coffee fanatic friend suggested it to me, and I use it anytime I'm away from home - it makes great coffee!
  
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Betsy Brooks 4/11/2019 4:21 AM

I'm a coffee lover, and I learned that I should look for the Rainforest Alliance frog symbol to support shade grown coffee and slow down deforestation in coffee growing regions. This is going to be tough since I use a lot of Sam's Club K-cups at work which are purchased with low cost as the most important factor! I know - I should stop using K-cups.

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Betsy Brooks 4/08/2019 5:33 PM

I am definitely ready to form some new habits that will make a small positive impact. The book Drawdown is more about the bigger actions, which in a way is encouraging, because we won't reverse global warming with just the small personal actions. Ideally, I can make personal positive changes and support the larger efforts too. I think this ecochallenge is really well designed, and I chose only a few of the actions that I would like to take eventually. I chose what seemed doable and most interesting to start with.

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- Ellen Beberman 4/09/2019 6:45 AM
  
  > we won't reverse global warming with just the small personal actions.
  I agree. As we increase our understanding of what changes are most effective we can push for policy to make those changes. That's what I'm finding most useful about this exercise.
  
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Betsy Brooks 4/08/2019 4:15 PM

Today I threw away some homemade tomato sauce (ouch) and some purchased fresh oregano that went bad.

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Betsy Brooks 4/07/2019 5:33 AM

No food thrown away on Friday or Saturday. Some ripe bananas are now in the freezer awaiting use in milkshakes.

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Reflection Question
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An 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?

Betsy Brooks 4/06/2019 5:52 AM

I think I'd spend it on higher cost better quality food, such as chickens raised at a local farm.

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Betsy Brooks 4/06/2019 5:47 AM

Being aware and wasting less food - it really does take logging for me. I notice more, like the number of bananas on the counter that are getting ripe. No food thrown away today.

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