Michelle Butterchew

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
49 TOTAL

Michelle's actions

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
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).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

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DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
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?
Michelle Butterchew 4/05/2019 10:58 AM
When I had a meal plan last year at Queen's, it made me crazy how much food waste I saw. We pay a set amount of money at the start of the semester, and then we have all-you-can-eat access to the dining hall every single meal. My friend from Western told me about how their meal plan runs on a pre-paid amount of money, and then you have that money to "buy" differently priced items at the cafeteria. The money transfers over into the next semester if you don't finish it all. I think a system like this is much more sustainable, as it forces students to be selective with what they buy because they understand that it is costing them money. An all-you-can-eat plan encourages students to take way more than they need, 'just in case,' and then throw out what they didn't finish. I'd love to see more schools switch to the plan Western has.

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- Louise Zimanyi 4/18/2019 7:06 PM
  I met the dad of terracyle company owner on a plane and he told me the whole story - fasciinating and still in touch /looking to see how we might integrate terra cycle into some of the work we are doing in bbelize
  
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- nelson chew 4/18/2019 6:26 PM
  Hey Michelle, I was reading about some schools that have set up composting programs. Turns out TerraCycle.com, which is the company that recycles cigarettet butts, among other things, started out this way by composting Princeton University's food waste and turning into fertilizer that they sold for profit. Cool, eh?
  
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- nelson chew 4/05/2019 1:17 PM
  Great post Michelle. Humber has the same program as Western and I remember thinking the exact thing you just posted when I learned of the Queen's system. And as you know, I am fanatical about food waste...don't tell everyone just how fanatical please!
  
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