Jennifer Watters Olson
7/31/2019 11:11 AM
I've started to change my way of thinking about items in my home that are "getting old". If it still works, I will not dispose of it for a newer version.
July 1 - July 31, 2019
Jennifer Watters Olson
"My mission is to minimize my personal negative footprint on our planet."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 700 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO1.0documentarywatched
-
UP TO4.0hoursvolunteered
-
UP TO115minutesspent learning
-
UP TO24plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
Jennifer's actions
Personal Care
Dam the Flow
I will use a menstrual cup and/or cloth pads
Community
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 4 hour(s) in my community.
Lifestyle
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about waste with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Lifestyle
Travel Smart
If traveling, I will bring my own plastic free items (water bottle, grocery bags, collapsible food containers, utensils, straws, etc.) with me.
Pets
Pet Waste
I will spend 20 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.
Community
Estimate Your Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutral
I will visit rePurpose website, complete the 3-minute plastic consumption calculator, and explore how I can reBalance my annual plastic footprint.
Food
Use Reusable Bags
I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.
Lifestyle
Buy Only What I Need
I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.
Food
Minimize Packaging
I will purchase food items with the least amount of packaging.
Food
Use Reusable Containers
I will only use reusable containers instead of single-use plastic storage items (such as plastic wrap, single-use sandwich bags).
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 QUESTIONLifestyle Buy Only What I NeedAs you have reduced your spending, what have you noticed about your 'health and safety' purchasing habits? How might this change your longer term purchasing decisions?
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Minimize PackagingWith the added mindfulness of reducing your packaging, what have you noticed about the amount and type of single use plastics used for packaging when you shop in the grocery store?
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/31/2019 11:10 AMThe amount of single use plastics is insane at the grocery store. It's very rare to find food that does not have any plastic associated with it. -
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/29/2019 10:51 AMIt's Earth Overshoot Day. The earliest overshoot day ever.
Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/world-marks-earliest-earth-overshoot-day/a-49781325
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Use Reusable ContainersHow can you think outside the box (or bag!) when it comes to disposables?
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/29/2019 10:44 AMI've stopped using plastic sandwich bags completely. I have reusable containers of all shapes and sizes that can be used over and over again!
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONLifestyle Watch a DocumentaryWhich documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/18/2019 10:51 AMI watched A Plastic Ocean with a group of Miller Dunwiddiens. I learned about mircoplastics and how they can make their way up the food chain. I am surprised at how little is being done to prevent plastic from entering the ocean. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Estimate Your Plastic Consumption and Go #PlasticNeutralWhat did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/17/2019 1:20 PMI found out that I use way more plastic than I am comfortable with. I am surprised that so many people are not even aware of the consequences of their plastic habits (myself included). It's hard to feel hopeful about solving this problem because it is so ingrained in everything we do. -
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/12/2019 5:49 AMI miraculously made it out of Target last night with only a few items. I skipped the bag because I could carry the items without one! I also put a reusable bag in my purse in case I can't carry it all next time. -
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/10/2019 9:39 AMDo I get any Daily Challenge points for taking other people's recyclable items out of the trash, rinsing them, and recycling them? Because I could earn a lot of points doing that!-
Cole Strombeck 7/10/2019 1:35 PMThey should add a challenge for that haha
-
-
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Use Reusable BagsHow difficult was this challenge for you? What made it easy or difficult?
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/03/2019 10:17 PMThis challenge was not at all difficult. It was a matter of remembering to bring a reusable bag into the store with me. An easy way to remember a reusable bag is to keep them everywhere- the car, my purse, at home, etc. -
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/01/2019 9:17 PMI try not to order too much food at restaurants, especially on vacation, because I’m not likely to eat the leftovers. Today, I ordered too much food and needed a to go box. Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared with my reusable containers. It was styrofoam. Yikes. I’ll try to do better next time.-
Jennifer Watters Olson 7/09/2019 9:42 AMI don't think you could use your own containers when ordering take out, but I have been able to bring my own to go containers in the past. You might get a few weird looks from others in the restaurant, but you certainly can use your own to go containers. -
Marie Jacobson Noyes 7/02/2019 11:46 AMI've been wondering about takeout containers - can you bring your own?
-