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April 3 - April 24, 2019

Oregon Food Bank Feed

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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 Eliminate Toxic Plastics
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

    kelly finneran's avatar
    kelly finneran 4/24/2019 9:22 AM
    One thing I have been considering switching to, is a shampoo bar. I've heard there are some that work well, and eliminating the plastic waste would be great too!

  • Gerald Martin's avatar
    Gerald Martin 4/22/2019 3:57 PM
    I happen to not mind leftovers. I hate to see good food go to waste.
    With my meal program, it really is not that bad because you know what you are going to east and because it is measured, you don't overeat.
    I actually have a little trouble when I take a week off, of what to eat.  I also get a whole new plan each week. 

  • Shawna Cain's avatar
    Shawna Cain 4/22/2019 11:38 AM
    Biking to work requires organization that is sometimes tricky. For me, finding a versatile pannier cargo bag that could be re-purposed for a work tote made a big difference in my comfort with bike commuting. I highly recommend Queen Bee panniers, made locally in Portland (on Williams Ave).

  • kelly finneran's avatar
    kelly finneran 4/18/2019 4:14 PM
    They have been going great! We don't eat a lot of meat in general, but it has been interesting to think about the habits we've created around food. We tend to eat a lot more meat alternatives out at restaurants (Tofu, soyrizo veggie burgers, etc.) because we're picky about additives, and sourcing, but also because they usually taste better than we can make! So, we have been trying out some recipes. Haven't found one that the whole family can get behind yet, but we're still looking : )

  • Gerald Martin's avatar
    Gerald Martin 4/18/2019 7:48 AM
    Using measured portions, I have not had any waste.. Along with that I am using reusable containers to pack my meals.

    • Shawna Cain's avatar
      Shawna Cain 4/22/2019 11:36 AM
      This can be so tricky with leftover fatigue. How do you keep your leftovers interesting?
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Use Muscle Power
    How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

    Lisa Bersani's avatar
    Lisa Bersani 4/10/2019 1:30 PM
    So nice to see all the blossoms this time of year!
  • 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?

    Gerald Martin's avatar
    Gerald Martin 4/09/2019 1:16 PM
    It is healthier to right size portions. I am participating in the Zults competition with Courthouse Fitness and Silverton Fitness. Part of the program is cooking your meals for the entire next week. The food is healthy and smaller portions than I was accustomed to eating. I lost 12 pounds and reduced my body fat % after 4 weeks.

    • Shawna Cain's avatar
      Shawna Cain 4/15/2019 9:01 AM
      That's awesome, Gerald! You are on a roll! Thanks for sharing your journey with us, you've inspired me to be more conscious of my portion sizes today :)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Recycle Everything I Can
    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?

    Gerald Martin's avatar
    Gerald Martin 4/08/2019 10:42 AM
    Remove non-recyclable products from my daily purchases and use.
  • 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?

    kelly finneran's avatar
    kelly finneran 4/08/2019 9:37 AM
    Cultural norms, and our distance from food processing industry. Many Americans wouldn't eat a cheeseburger if it required them to be a part of killing a cow. As with many things, eating meat has been normalized in our culture and not enough people stop to think about the full impact of their actions. Hopefully, this EcoChallenge will bring those thoughts to the forefront. 

    • Shawna Cain's avatar
      Shawna Cain 4/15/2019 9:04 AM
      Great point, Kelly. When I was living overseas I had to butcher my own chicken for a family meal, and it literally took all day to prepare our "KFC" style fried chicken. While I appreciate dit so much more, I'd rarely eat chicken if I had to go to that effort each time. Thanks for bringing this great point up - how have your meatless meals been going?
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters
    What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

    Shawna Cain's avatar
    Shawna Cain 4/07/2019 10:19 PM
    A sustainable community has closed-loop systems in which all waste is repurposed, which is why I wanted to research bio digesters as an eco challenge. I watched a documentary on the process, and more applicable, I attended Biocycle Conference last week where our own Donovan spoke about a micro digester analysis OFB researched to assess the feasibility of bio digester on site at the food bank. The biggest obstacle for this is finding a place for the digestate (fertilizer) to be used. If you have any ideas or thoughts about this, let's talk!