Mardy High

UUCUV Eco-Challenge Team

"For the future of our precious children, to make life safe and sustainable."

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
743 Total

Participant Impact

up to

10

minutes

spent learning
up to

5

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Mardy's Actions

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.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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 1
DAILY 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 1
DAILY ACTION

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.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:53 PM

I will keep going with my challenges !

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Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:50 PM

I am using some cloth impregnated with wax, which I got online. It comes in different sizes, is easy to clean and reuse, and can deal with covering food in a dish, or wrapping part of a vegetable like eggplant that didn't get used. I haven't done away completely with plastic, but I am working towards that. Perhaps I just have to go cold turkey and force myself to cope with the result.

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Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:47 PM

I did not spend ten minutes a day learning about this. I had good intentions but couldn't sustain them.

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Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:46 PM

This has been a real good disciplinary tool. I often eat leftovers for lunch, but recently this challenge has helped me cook a better amount, so there aren't leftovers, and we still have a small but satisfying amount on our plates. Cooking for two is easier than cooking for nine (when all the kids come!)

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Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:43 PM

The hard part of this challenge is that we have had many visits from family, so I keep the fridge full of possibilities for everyone. So far, the only overshoot was porridge. Hard to keep up with the leftovers. We are vegetarians, but our) kids and grandchildren are not (YET) so I have to keep things for them. My main answer to that is making sure they take meat home with them.

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Mardy High 4/24/2019 7:40 PM

I found myself so busy I couldn't check in every day, but I was doing all the things I said. One of the most exciting things was to learn that my new local greengrocer is going to partner with an organic farmer in town, doing the weeding, marketing and harvesting and bringing the produce to his shop. I buy as much as I can from him so he will succeed. Now there is even more reason to do this.

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Reflection Question
Food Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Mardy High 4/08/2019 2:52 PM

Creating a community garden, which Colin and I did in 2009, brought together our goals of spreading the organic ideal, giving people a chance to grown their own food, and talking the talk, walking the walk. Ensuring a sustainable environment starts locally.

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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?

Mardy High 4/08/2019 2:48 PM

I am looking forward to actually quantifying our food waste. I cannot imagine that we waste THAT much, but who knows until we measure?

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Reflection Question
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

Mardy High 4/08/2019 2:20 PM

I read GRIST magazine's blog every day, where they have stories all the time of new technologies that help reduce carbon emissions.

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Reflection Question
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Mardy High 4/08/2019 2:06 PM

We will consume fewer calories, and make sure they are beneficial calories. We will also be able to think about how we are aligning our food consumption with people in other parts of the world, most of whom know far more about avoiding food waste.

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