Stephen Hutchinson

Mass Audubon

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
675 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

20

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

171

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Stephen's actions

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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 22
DAILY 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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 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?

Stephen Hutchinson 4/11/2019 7:11 AM

This was interesting to read about. My misinformation and fear of getting sick has caused me to throw away food that did not need to be in the past. This lack of understanding caused wasted food, resources, and money. I'm glad this challenged pushed me to do a little more research.

Use-By: This label is aimed at consumers as a directive of the date by which the product should be eaten; mostly because of quality, not because the item will necessarily make you sick if eaten after the use-by date. However after the use-by date, product quality is likely to go down much faster and safety could be lessened.

Sell-By: This label is aimed retailers, and it informs them of the date by which the product should be sold or removed from shelf life. This does not mean that the product is unsafe to consume after the date. Typically one-third of a product's shelf-life remains after the sell-by date for the consumer to use at home.

Best-By: This is a suggestion to the consumer on which date the product should be consumed to assure for ideal quality.

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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?

Stephen Hutchinson 4/09/2019 6:57 AM

I tend to eat everything on my plate and will eat more than needed. Smaller portions = healthier me. :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Conduct Virtual Meetings

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

Stephen Hutchinson 4/02/2019 11:23 AM

I believe not having virtual meetings when possible goes against my company's values and culture. To achieve this goal we must make sure all employees understand how this shift in thinking is necessary in order for us to continue on this path.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

In 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?

Stephen Hutchinson 4/02/2019 11:18 AM

Like many groups, Americans are influenced by their past, their traditions, and their shared values. This includes what and how Americans eat. American have been taught that a balanced meal includes meat. To reduce meat consumption in America we will need to educate Americans what a balance diet truly is and what negative impacts on the environment the current American diet is having today and how it will affect our children’s lives in the future.

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