Garrett Stout
4/13/2019 6:14 PM
I would rather use this money to buy more quality dry bulk goods such as bulgar or switching to store-ground almond butter rather than something prepackaged.
Garrett Stout
"Here to incentivize myself and others into making for sustainable lifestyle choices, and hopefully feel good doing so!"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 211 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO5.6locally sourced mealsconsumed
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UP TO4.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
Garrett's actions
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).
Electricity Generation
Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits
#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms
I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.
Food
Smaller Portions
#3 Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
Food
Support Local Food Systems
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will source 60 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.
Buildings and Cities
Plan to Insulate
#31 Insulation
I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.
Transport
Use Muscle Power
#49 Cars
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.
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.
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?
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Garrett Stout 4/18/2019 2:03 PMI've been really trying to reduce the number of big meals I do a day in order to reduce waste. It's a lot easier to eat some carrots and celery with homemade hummus intermittently through the day (and have no plastic and minimal food waste from this snack) and a big dinner than trying to be conscious of 2 or 3 meals a day. I've read that this is probably the most environmentally friendly eating plan (snacks and one big meal) but it's definitely not been easy! Still rocking the biking to school and not driving, so far so good. -
Garrett Stout 4/17/2019 9:52 AMMy parents are selling their house in Seattle and moving to eastern Washington, I am in the process of doing as much research on sustainable design to help push them in the direction o building a more eco-friendly house. I am losing the battle with my father on him buying a truck for the backwoods, though I may be able to get him to think about doing passive solar heating and cooling in an effort to reduce total carbon offset. They're pretty green, and with the sale of our house, they have the money to make a lot of these steps, but it's hard to change such underlying structures of thinking like needing to be on the grid! -
Garrett Stout 4/14/2019 9:15 PMStuck to the vegan thing for all my meals, I used an electric bike here in seattle for the first time! I know it’s not technically a muscle powered form of transportation but after a night out with friends I felt better about that than an Uber. -
Garrett Stout 4/13/2019 6:18 PMAlso decided to commit to going full vegan for the next two weeks, was bummed to find out there was honey and milk products in one of my favorite protein bars after my workout today :( maybe I’ll make my own bars with local produce tomorrow though instead! -
Garrett Stout 4/13/2019 6:15 PMI did some research on insulation today and looked at our energy bills from this winter, an improvement on our insulation in our living room would definitely be a money saver! Though now I have to either figure out if our landlord would be willing to cover some of the cost or if this is something that is going to come out of our roommate fund. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Keep Track of Wasted FoodAn 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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONBuildings and Cities Plan to InsulateWhat are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?
Garrett Stout 4/13/2019 6:12 PMI guess I’d never really thought about air quality being affected, but this would definitely be an improvement on our old apartment! We’ve got storm doors and insulation in our rooms, but we definitely spent too much money on heating this winter and had a weird smell in one of our rooms from the heater. -
Garrett Stout 4/12/2019 8:52 PMSo I’m a little late to the game here, but my big action for the day was to take the bolt bus back to see friends in seattle rather than drive this afternoon! It was super spur of the moment, but it’s something I feel guilty about doing 8-9 times a year (the drive solo), so I figured a form of public transit would be better than going alone. I did try and find a ride share going up, but the trip was last minute enough that this is at least a step in the right direction. -
Garrett Stout 4/12/2019 8:46 PMSo I totally missed this part of the class but am hoping that jumping in now is better late than never! I care a lot about the consequences of my actions on the world, and this seems like a great way to go outside my comfort zone and do better in so many different ways! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Smaller PortionsFun 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?
Garrett Stout 4/12/2019 8:43 PMWe can create a healthier relationship with food, both physically and psychologically. Not only is eating less good for the environment, it’s generally good for us as well! By limiting what we eat so it doesn’t seem binge-worthy, we can feel satiated and good about our selves all in one fell swoop.