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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar

Massoumeh Emami

Woodstock Day School

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 820 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    600
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    540
    minutes
    spent learning

Massoumeh 's actions

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Rooftop Solar Consultation

#10 Rooftop Solar

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 30 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 15
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

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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
    Food Learn More about Silvopasture
    Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/23/2019 7:46 AM
    I hadn't heard the term. My brother in law has a 120 acre forest farm outside of Asheville, so we spent some time there, watching him harvest from the natural forest elements, mushrooms, herbs and tree roots & nuts, permaculture. It was incredible. This idea of livestock grazing in the forest makes so much sense and I really hope it catches on more quickly in this country. From giving the cows and livestock shade to graze and be more comfortable, which seems so much more humane than leaving them out in the blazing sun, to planting trees and harvesting from those trees, it just seems like a no brainer all around to combat climate change from a farming perspective. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Rooftop Solar Consultation
    Identify some ways in which modern human societies have become unsustainable. What kind of roles do individuals have in creating and changing practices in society?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/23/2019 7:07 AM
    Industrial farming, food waste, heavy diets centered around eating meat, plastics everywhere, etc. Individuals can move towards more plant based diets, solar energy & geothermal energy for their homes, electric or hybrid cars, composting at home, reducing plastic use by investing in food storage containers (we have been doing a lot of that, slowly building up our container arsenal), and staying a 1 car family is important to us. We live in Kingston, so we ride our bikes or walk whenever possible, and have been able to manage our lives with 1 car, and it happens to be a Prius! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture
    Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/23/2019 6:19 AM
    We need to farm in a sustainable way. We can have more resilient crops and we don't need pesticides for farming. It is actually more cost effective not to use the pesticides and other elements of industrial farming, but using what we already have in the land. I read about these incredible women farmers in India who use bugs and pests to kill what they need to, and also to pollinate and help what they need. They use 100% of what they have on the land to grow their crops. They have yielded more and saved money in the process. I visited Glenerie Farm yesterday in Saugerties, and was so inspired by their methods and farming techniques, so in line with all the stuff I have been reading about! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Go Paperless
    What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/22/2019 6:43 PM
    Experiences, traveling, exploring & spending time, away from technology, with my family. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More About Geothermal Energy
    Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. In what ways (i.e. with money, time, advocacy) can you invest in geothermal energy?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/22/2019 7:10 AM
    We have actually met with a company called Dandelion that installs geothermal into homes in the Hudson Valley & around the country. They are pretty awesome & they have found a way to make it affordable compared to what the costs used to be. We are figuring out budget wise if we can do it, but it would heat and cool our home entirely from the ground, which would be incredible! 

  • Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/10/2019 10:01 AM
    I found this link to be really insightful! http://stopwastingfoodmovement.org/food-waste/avoid-food-waste-traps/
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
    How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/10/2019 9:35 AM
    Being better informed will help our family reduce our food waste. I also found an awesome Danish organization, Stop Wasting Food, where I found some great ways to organize our fridge to help us reduce food waste and make sure to include leftovers in our meals. Sometimes, leftovers get lost in the back of the fridge, or food gets tuck back there and expires. I want to do a better job keeping those items in the front, to make sure we don't let them expire needlessly! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women? Can you share any past experiences that may help others take action?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/09/2019 9:22 AM
    It has been so informative learning about how I can better support women owned businesses. I have tried whenever possible in the past, to shop and support women owned and run businesses, especially locally. I always feel a special connection to those businesses, whether it's my local coffee shops, restaurants or book stores. I am always inspired by these women, especially as so many of them juggle being mothers and business owners as well. Now, I am trying to see how I can support and empower women around the world and involve my daughters in this learning process as much as possible. 
  • 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?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/03/2019 6:06 PM
    I would rather save this money towards a trip with my family, donating it or spending it at local small businesses or farmer's markets. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Choose Recycled Paper
    Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

    Massoumeh  Emami 's avatar
    Massoumeh Emami 4/03/2019 7:20 AM
    We found toilet paper that is made from recycled materials, which I feel much better about. I will continue to find ways to use recycled paper whenever possible.