There are many waste recovery sites and industrial sites located near the local Air Force Base which was interesting to me.
Amber McGarvey
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 699 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0advocacy actioncompleted
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UP TO21conversationswith people
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UP TO160gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO18locally sourced mealsconsumed
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UP TO32meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO370minutesspent exercising
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UP TO171minutesspent learning
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UP TO85minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO23organic mealsconsumed
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UP TO232pounds of CO2have been saved
Amber's actions
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Go For A Daily Walk Outside
I will take a walk outside for 10 minutes each day.
Transportation
Choose a Carbon Offset
If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
Nature
Support Local Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 15 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.
Water
5-Minute Showers
I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.
Water
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Community
Talk To My Friends and Classmates
I will decide which social or environmental issue in my community is most important to me and tell 10 friends and/or classmates each day about the issue.
Community
Support Native Communities
I will use the resource links provided below and spend 15 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.
Community
Support A Sharing Economy
I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, neighbors, or classmates.
Health
Learn More about Food Apartheid
What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?
Health
Happiness
I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
Food
Smart Seafood Choices
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
Food
Locally-Sourced Meals
I will source 2 meal(s) each day from local producers.
Food
Choose Organic Ingredients
I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.
Waste
Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus to reduce pollution in the environment and in local communities.
Waste
RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITES
I will spend 15 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Practice Gratitude for Earth
I will spend 5 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Engage In Active Listening
I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 3 conversations.
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Research Restorative Justice
I will spend 30 minutes learning about restorative justice and conflict resolution opportunities in my own community or state.
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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REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste RESEARCH LOCAL WASTE SITESIn what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?
Amber McGarvey 4/21/2021 1:11 PMI found the EPA website to be very surprising since huge swaths of my city had good environmental indicators. I had more luck comparing those results to the state version of an environmental indicators mapping tool and that was more helpful since it broke it down at a more detailed level. https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/report/draft-calenviroscreen-40
There are many waste recovery sites and industrial sites located near the local Air Force Base which was interesting to me. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Support A Sharing EconomyWhat benefits does a sharing economy offer to your own life? What benefits does it offer to your neighbors' and community members' lives?
Amber McGarvey 4/21/2021 12:55 PMI am very into sharing economies and mutual aid. I love the idea that everything someone could need already exists in the world, and alternative distribution systems such as sharing economies can get that resource to that individual in a way that is free and impactful on the earth since it reduces the amount of virgin resources used. I enjoy the idea of "we help us" and communities supporting and strengthening eachother. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Locally-Sourced MealsIf you were to only eat what is in season locally from now on, what would be the most difficult food item for you to give up? Why?
Amber McGarvey 4/21/2021 12:34 PMIf I was only to eat what is season locally from now on, the hardest to give up would be coffee. I did some research and coffee is only harvested once a year depending on what side of the equator the producer is on. This leads me to believe that some of my coffee is from different parts of the country depending on year. I am fortunate to have a farmer owned coffee cooperative nearby that I can visit to find exactly which country the current coffee is coming from. Otherwise, I feel fortunate that almost all of my fruit and veggie diet is impacted by seasonality. I only eat summer squash in the summer, only eat spaghetti squash in the winter, only pomegranates in the winter; peaches in the summer. Okay, I thought of one other thing that would be hard to give up: LEMONS. As a kid I thought they were summer fruit but a few years ago I learned citrus season is in the winter! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransportation Choose a Carbon OffsetA round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2—per person. That’s a lot of carbon! What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?
Amber McGarvey 4/21/2021 11:15 AMCOVID-19 helped reduce the number of flights I took. While it's a bummer to not see my family for the holidays, it gave me the opportunity to spend more time in my local area and have very relaxing, non-rushed holidays. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWater Eco-friendly GardeningWhat are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.
Amber McGarvey 4/20/2021 2:46 PMDrought is a huge issue in the Central Valley of CA. We also find ourselves in a drought-flood cycle. Wildfires destroy brush and other small plants, drought prevents them from regrowing, but then some winters have very heavy rains, which cause flooding especially in wildfire-scarred land where there is erosion and burn scars that exacerbate flooding and run-off. I've been learning about native plants, beyond just drought tolerant plants for the past few years. Yarrow is one I tried to plant in my garden which unfortunately died. In my community garden we have a lot of success with California Poppy and Lupine. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Support Local PollinatorsWhy is it important to take care of pollinators?
Amber McGarvey 4/13/2021 8:22 PMI purchased calendula and allysum from local farm stands to plant in my garden and attract pollinators. I also released native lady bugs this past week as a natural form of pest control as lady bugs eat aphids that terrorize many of my plants like lettuce and kale. Some of the plants that natural attract lady bugs also attract bees so it's beneficial in multiple ways. I already had parsley in my garden which showed up on many lists of plants that ladybugs love so that was convenient. After observing the lady bugs for a week I can say from experience they seemed to really love celery as well! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Talk To My Friends and ClassmatesWhat makes you feel connected to your campus, your neighbors, or another kind of community in your life?
Amber McGarvey 4/06/2021 11:11 AMWhen my neighbors share food with each other or leave notes and signs on their sidewalk for other neighbors to appreciate!-
Neil Leary 4/06/2021 1:42 PMHey Amber, that's wonderful that you are connected with your neighbors like this!
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