"When I was a kid and I borrowed a toy from a friend, my mom made sure that I gave that toy in back in the condition, if not better, than when I borrowed it. Following that same idea, this planet isn't mine - I am borrowing it from the next generation. I need to leave in better shape than I found it!"
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
911
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
7.0
organic meals
consumed
UP TO
42
more servings
of fruits and vegetables
UP TO
10
minutes
spent learning
UP TO
7.0
locally sourced meals
consumed
UP TO
44
meatless or vegan meals
consumed
Maria's actions
Create Your Own Action
Learning Natural History
My goal is to successfully complete a natural history class about my region (Western PA). I signed up for a three-month course that begins in March and will finish in June.
COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Eat Meatless Meals
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) per day.
COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS
Waste
Needs vs. Wants
I will adopt a 'Needs Vs. Wants' approach and only buy things I need.
COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Cook New Recipes
I will cook a new recipe every day that features organic and/or local ingredients.
COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS
Health
Eliminate Toxic Plastics
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.
COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS
Health
More Fruits and Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 2 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.
COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Waste
Go Paperless
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and subscriptions.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Health
Sign Up for Air Quality Alerts
I will sign up to receive local Air Quality Alerts via EnviroFlash email notification
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Health
Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home
I will spend at least 10 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Simplicity
Donate Unneeded Materials
I will donate unneeded materials to craft shops or places like the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Community
Join my Neighborhood Association
I will join my neighborhood association or another local group.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Nature
Join An Outdoor Project
I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.
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?
This is going to sound like a six year old's accomplishment, but I ate SO many veggies with dinner last night to make sure I met my challenge. And it was really good--I tossed together broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, and zucchini in soy sauce, pepper, a dash of powder, and a bit of butter. Yummy!
So this weekend I made a chili with more veggies than usual (including pumpkin and peppers!), and even though I did use meat for it, I used ground beef from a small-scale family farm that's on the PA-OH border. Trying to challenge my cooking!
As fish fry Fridays are all around, now is a good time to bring up Seafood Watch, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's program for responsible sea food eating. Check it out!
I know for me, the hardest one has been to increase my daily fruits and veggies -- well, mainly the veggies. Lingering habits of a picky-eater-childhood. Working on it though!
My other food-based challenge was to have two meatless meals per day, but since my hubby and I have been trying to reduce our overall meat intake, that one has been going really well. We've been going a few days in a row without meat, then a dinner with meat, than another few days in a row without it.
I've been struggling with my challenges to get outside and walk every day...mainly because it's so cold! Warmer weather will help, but it's also because I'm having a hard time fitting it into my daily routine. I'm not a morning person, so getting up to walk before getting ready for work just doesn't happen. I think I need to start bringing a change of clothes and trying to walk after the workday before I go home, because once I'm home I'm distracted with other things like making dinner. 20 minutes a day is not a lot, though, I just need the determination to make it happen! If anyone has tips to incorporate any activity into your daily routine when your day already feels full, I'd appreciate advice!
When I am feeling too lazy to prepare veggies and fruit I like to make a vegetable smoothie. Just toss some spinach, beets, and other veg in a blender with some fruit for flavor. Yummy!
So you can probably tell at this point that I love to talk about cooking, food prep, baking, and anything in between. My husband is the same way with vegetables - he likes very few and he prefers them a certain way. I've been able to get him past this by making a veggie sauce that he is bonkers for. I steam one yellow onion, a few stalks of celery, some carrots, and sweet potato until they are pretty mushy. I add some uncooked leafy greens (spinach or arugula, usually), and then add black pepper, oregano, salt, and nutritional yeast to taste. I blend this together until it makes a thick sauce and he will put it on anything! He has said to him that it falls somewhere between a "nacho cheese" and "alfredo cheese sauce" taste, but it could be different for you! Lemme know if you try this - I'm curious to hear what you think.
Meghan Scanlon 3/20/2019 6:27 AM
Ashley Dean 3/07/2019 1:51 PMI've been struggling with my challenges to get outside and walk every day...mainly because it's so cold! Warmer weather will help, but it's also because I'm having a hard time fitting it into my daily routine. I'm not a morning person, so getting up to walk before getting ready for work just doesn't happen. I think I need to start bringing a change of clothes and trying to walk after the workday before I go home, because once I'm home I'm distracted with other things like making dinner. 20 minutes a day is not a lot, though, I just need the determination to make it happen! If anyone has tips to incorporate any activity into your daily routine when your day already feels full, I'd appreciate advice!
Gary Worthington 3/07/2019 10:24 AMWhen I am feeling too lazy to prepare veggies and fruit I like to make a vegetable smoothie. Just toss some spinach, beets, and other veg in a blender with some fruit for flavor. Yummy!
Jerry Crockett 3/07/2019 6:47 AMSo you can probably tell at this point that I love to talk about cooking, food prep, baking, and anything in between. My husband is the same way with vegetables - he likes very few and he prefers them a certain way. I've been able to get him past this by making a veggie sauce that he is bonkers for. I steam one yellow onion, a few stalks of celery, some carrots, and sweet potato until they are pretty mushy. I add some uncooked leafy greens (spinach or arugula, usually), and then add black pepper, oregano, salt, and nutritional yeast to taste. I blend this together until it makes a thick sauce and he will put it on anything! He has said to him that it falls somewhere between a "nacho cheese" and "alfredo cheese sauce" taste, but it could be different for you! Lemme know if you try this - I'm curious to hear what you think.
