I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Support Local Food Systems
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will source 20 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.
COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Composting
#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste
I will start a compost bin where I live.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Materials
Recycle Everything I Can
#55 Household Recycling
I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.
COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Reduce Animal Products
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
COMPLETED 4
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
FoodSupport Local Food Systems
Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?
Knowing that I am eating fresh food is probably the the main advantage of this challenge but I also feel like it helps build a stronger community, which is a nice bonus.
Knowing the difference between these three dates will empower me be less wasteful and stay at ease when I am worried about getting sick by something that is "expired."
Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?
One of the reasons I am most motivated to change my behavior regarding food waste is that composting is a natural fertilizer that will take the place of several chemicals that farmers use on crops.
How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?
I think that the most effective way I can incorporate the "R's" into my daily life is while at school. I think that this will be hard since I do a lot of mindless action but thinking about starting this is exciting!
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?
I think a lot of it has to do with our culture. A lot of people highlight the benefits of eating protein but don't realize that they can find it in so many other foods (quinoa, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc). America as a whole consumes a grotesque amount of meat people aren't aware of the health determents that this can cause. A lot of meat is pumped with antibiotics, growth hormones and contains a lot of cholesterol, all of which lead to inflammation and disease. Reducing the amount of meat that we eat would not only benefit the earth but benefit the American population as a whole. I think if more Americans were aware of this than they might try to take action.
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?
I think this is defiantly doable for me. I usually grab a big plate at my house but using the smaller ones would be just as good. I never thought about how this could be effective. I'm excited to see if I am able to develop this habit well!
It really bums me out that Idaho doesn't recycle glass when it's 100% recyclable AND can save sooooo much energy! Let's figure out a way around this. How can we get this glass to a nearby state?
Liam Neupert 3/28/2019 1:20 PMMe too!