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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Sarah Maas's avatar

Sarah Maas

UNMC/Nebraska Medicine LiveGreen

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 524 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    11
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    285
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent learning

Sarah's actions

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

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
    Materials Install a Toilet Bank
    How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/24/2019 6:45 AM
    Regionally I think that our water sources have been challenged recently due to flooding.  I think our government will work to protect wells from flood water so that communities are not without water in emergency situations.  In my household, we practice "yellow let it mellow" to save water.  We recently rented a house with an actual green lawn, so we water it only in the morning, when it is cool.  Eventually I'd like to move to a house where we can have a natural, prairie-type lawn area, in a neighborhood that doesn't look down on a non-traditional lawn.
  • 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?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/23/2019 10:52 AM

    I think that the food from these types of farms just tastes better!  Meat from grassfed cows definitely tastes better and it has a better omega 3 profile than cows raised on a feedlot.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
    Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/23/2019 10:49 AM
    Reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, especially where run off will go directly into watershed areas.
  • 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?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/10/2019 6:57 AM
    Silvopasture looks like a much better way to farm than keeping the cattle in small feedlots.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/10/2019 6:44 AM
    I'm going to change all of the spotlight bulbs in my house: the LED are 11 watts compared to 100 watts for the standard bulbs.  I also have bathroom light bulbs to change.  It seems like all of the bulbs in my house are high energy and waste too much heat.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More about Biomass
    Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/08/2019 8:01 AM
    I have heard of biomass, but didn't know they were so many types or that it could also be utilized for biogas electricity generation.  Unfortunately, burning biomass creates more carbon dioxide release, so ways that capture gas release are a better option.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk
    What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

    Sarah Maas's avatar
    Sarah Maas 4/08/2019 7:38 AM
    My neighborhood is very nice for walking as long as I stay off major streets.  There is a park with access to a primary Omaha trail, which provides an unobstructed extended trail for walking, running, or biking.

    • Marquita Govan 's avatar
      Marquita Govan 4/08/2019 4:12 PM
      That is awesome! There is a trail within walking distance of where I live as well. The only thing is that it is high up next to water with no rail and I hate heights!🙁