Kim Harris
7/28/2019 5:20 PM
It felt good to work with people I knew and people who were new to me, knowing that we were connected by a love of community and a desire to make it a little nicer.
July 1 - July 31, 2019
Kim Harris
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,226 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO50minutesspent learning
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UP TO1.0community eventhosted or attended
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UP TO28pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO2.0conversationswith people
Kim's actions
Create Your Own Action
Knitted Veggie Bag
I will knit at least one produce bag for use when buying unpackaged produce. This will reduce my "need" to use the plastic produce bags available in the grocery store while still allowing the cashier to see what and how many items I'm buying at checkout.
Community
Keep My Community Clean
I will pick up 1 piece(s) of litter each day.
Community
Join a Cleanup Effort
I will host or participate in a beach, highway, river, or other cleanup effort in my community.
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
Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
I will advocate for alternatives to single use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, or work.
Family
Discover Together
I will spend 30 minutes educating my family on the basics of living a reduced/no-plastic lifestyle.
Personal Care
Pearly Whites
I will purchase toothpaste in an aluminum tube or in a glass jar or make my own!
Community
Share My Actions
I will make my environmental actions visible by posting to my social media networks.
Personal Care
That Was a Close Shave
I will replace my disposable razors with steel razors. Why not try using hair conditioner instead of shaving foam for that baby smooth feel?
Food
Shop the Bulk Bins
I will purchase dry goods from the bulk section of my grocery store, and use my own containers to do so.
Food
Takeout Pro
I will use my own containers when ordering takeout.
Pets
Pet Waste
I will spend 15 minutes learning how to compost pet waste at home or research pet waste composting services available in my area.
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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Kim Harris 7/31/2019 6:00 PMMy final thoughts on the ecochallenge are that, if you want to change a behavior, it's worthwhile to participate in a group like this. A lot of folks didn't get that the point of checking in every day is that it keeps the challenge on your mind; without checking in, over the course of a month i would have still had good intentions of picking up trash every day but would have thought about it less frequently and then not done it at all. Reading and writing in the feed makes you feel closer to your teammates and other participants who participate. Focusing for a month on an action really helps you understand why the action is beneficial or what element of it you haven't understood previously. You have regular "ah-ha" moments and you are more open to learning and making changes on a deeper level.-
Ludovica Weaver 8/01/2019 7:11 AMI agree with you Kim! This challenge has made me realize I need to make conscious choices each day--moving away from plastic as a "convenience" to the days that plastic was not so common. I grew up after WWII and my parents/family did not use plastic items until we moved to the States in the 70s. Now, we want to be good stewards for future generations.
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Kim Harris 7/29/2019 5:54 AMHere's our final social media image; please share if you see it on facebook!
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REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Join a Cleanup EffortHow does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Shop the Bulk BinsHow has buying bulk impacted the quality of the food you receive? Why do you think Western society relies more on prepackaged foods rather than buying in bulk?
Kim Harris 7/28/2019 5:15 PMLike so many single-use plastics, prepackaged items are popular because of convenience. I suspect it may have something to do with western sensibilities about sanitation as well. -
Kim Harris 7/27/2019 8:10 AMI need to rant a little about smoking. If you are reading this and you are a smoker, I will assume you are an adult and understand the damage you are doing to your health, so I'm not going to nag you about that. However, if you smoke and are not disposing of your cigarette butts and packaging responsibily (putting them in a trash bag) when you're done, I beg you to rethink this behavior. I worked on a clean-up this morning and spent about half my time cleaning around one bench. HUNDREDS of cigarette filters in various forms of decay littered the area even though there is a trash can next to the bench. There were more under every tree and in the wooded and landscape areas. It is estimated that 4.5 trillion cigarettes become trash each year internationally, and the worst part is that they can take up to 15 years to decompose. I also picked up a fair number of cigarette packs and the plastic that was originally wrapped around packs. If you care about the planet and its inhabitants, if you care about the people who love you, please stop smoking and, at the very least, stop littering. -
Kim Harris 7/25/2019 10:33 AMWelcome to our two new team members! I'm inspired by people who are still signing up (there were four new teams formed this week!) -- it is never too late to do what you can. This challenge isn't about feeling pressure or being overwhelmed. This is about learning, growing, and finding ways to remove plastic and other toxins from our world.
In line with "it's never too late" and removing bad things, I'm sending one final reminder that we are hosting a cleanup of the Waldo Road Rail Trail THIS Saturday, July 27 at 8:00-10:00am. Park on the west side of Walmart in the parking area closest to Waldo Rd. Bring a reuseable bottle of water and maybe some bug spray as mosquitoes may be an issue. Please wear closed-toe shoes. If you have a pick stick or 5-gal bucket, it'd be great to bring. Please sign up here today: https://form.jotform.com/91906055981161 If Saturday rolls around and you find yourself with nothing to do at 8am, come on out anyway! :-) We will be a small but mighty group! -
Kim Harris 7/24/2019 7:07 AMI stole this image from the Life Unplastic feed, but I think it sums up this challenge perfectly!
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REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care That Was a Close ShaveWhat have you noticed about the economic and social impact of switching to steel razors? Was there ever really a need for disposable razors, or do you think it was just a way to sell more things?
Kim Harris 7/23/2019 5:38 PMAs with many single-use or disposable items, I think people took to plastic, disposable razors for convenience. You don't have to keep them clean or make sure they are dry after use, like the stainless razors. The early throw-away razors did a terrible job, so they developed plastic handles with replaceable blades, that cost way too much. I'm sure the corporations are making a bundle. My new razor will require more care and a shave may take longer, but I'll enjoy closer shaves and fewer ingrown hairs! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFamily Discover TogetherWhat concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Kim Harris 7/22/2019 6:25 PMThe thing that concerns me is that we are doing too little, too late. We've known about climate change (in one way or another) since the 70s and it seems like people are just starting to do something about it now. And many more people are doing nothing. It's hard to stay positive sometimes.-
Kathleen Walston Pagan 7/23/2019 1:21 PMIt is discouraging that the situation has progressed so far, yet we can only make change from this point forward. I just try to find new ways to convince and encourage people to help. If they don't change that is their problem. You're right-- "Think globally, act locally" was first begun in the 1970s, and there are decades of reports and data on the problems. Just don't give up
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Kim Harris 7/18/2019 5:15 AMTEAMS IN GAINESVILLE, FL: There will be a clean-up of the Waldo Road Rail Trail on Saturday, July 27 at 8:00-10:00am. We'd love for you to participate and add another action and more points to your total! Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/y269exhn if you can be there. We'll send out more information via email.