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April 1 - April 21, 2021
Vie Meyers (Slaysman Environmental)'s avatar

Vie Meyers (Slaysman Environmental)

Spartans for Sustainability 2021

"As an Environmental Horticulture major, I would like to "practice what I preach" while spreading eco-consciousness during the challenge :)"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 777 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    29
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    495
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2,185
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    425
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    0.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    18
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    18
    whole food meals
    consumed

Vie's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Whole Food Lifestyle

I will enjoy 2 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 30 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Do Nature Activities

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 20 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Leave No Trace

I will practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Tend a Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 16
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

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 20 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

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?


  • Today I helped my dad begin to build a new standing garden; I'm super excited to see how it turns out!

  • The other day I explored a great area with my boyfriend called Baldpate Mountain in New Jersey. It has great walking trails if anyone wants a day trip :) 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Leave No Trace
    Educator Stephanie Kaza advises her students to focus on what they care about most when addressing the enormity of ecological problems. Is there a specific area you feel particularly called to work on?

    One of the reasons I chose the major I did was because I want people to appreciate the diversity, beauty, and usefulness of plants. Maintaining diversity and encouraging pollinator-friendly, native species is something I feel called to educate people on. 

    • Kenneth Slaysman's avatar
      Kenneth Slaysman 4/18/2021 2:08 PM
      There is a nurdery near where I live that sells pollinator, native species. I've visited the last 2 years and added swamp milkweed and other native species to my garden.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Support Local Pollinators
    Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

    Considering a lot of our food (as well as the food of livestock!) comes from flowering foods, like apples, almonds, etc, pollinators are vital to our food chain. They also help continue the life cycles of native plants, therefore encouraging endemic diversity. 

  • Yesterday my standing garden fell over completely, so I got to take some time with my dad to rebuild another one. I'm currently in the process of moving all of my plants :)

  • I woke up and checked on some perennial poppies I bought from my work the other day; they've begun to bloom, and look absolutely amazing!  I love the process of blooming and it reaffirms my major even more. 

  • Today I thought about the challenge a lot while I planted onions outside; it was a great day and I'm super excited to continue. 

    • Kenneth Slaysman's avatar
      Kenneth Slaysman 4/09/2021 2:20 PM
      • Vie,

      I've got garlic that I planted in the fall starting to show up. I love watching stuff grow!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Spend Time Outside
    Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

    It absolutely rings true for me, and I notice significant changes in my mood when I get to go outside for long periods of time. If a culture spends more time indoors, like ours is headed towards, that culture becomes desensitized to the needs of the natural world and what it can offer us spiritually. 

    • Kenneth Slaysman's avatar
      Kenneth Slaysman 4/09/2021 2:26 PM
      Vie,

      Just took my grandchildren out for an adventure into the wildness behind my house.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Tend a Garden
    Have you ever had a significant experience in nature that altered your perspective or focus? If so, please describe it.

    My parents always took me camping and orienteering as a kid, and I always was surrounded by rock climbers, mountain bikers, and hikers. Being raised in that environment made me appreciate nature so much because nature is what made those experiences possible. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Explore My Area
    How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?

    The outdoors are so diverse and bountiful that it almost forces people to question their surroundings; from wondering about a type of tree to watching species interact, watching the world unfold around you in and of itself is like a scientific practice.