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October 14 - October 28, 2016
Slade Adams's avatar

Slade Adams

Interface Engineering

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 531 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    10
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    168
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    8.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    3.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    80
    miles
    traveled by bus
  • UP TO
    21
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    -14.2
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Slade's actions

Simplicity

Disconnect from Email

I will disconnect from my email when not at work.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once per day.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Buy Only What I Need

I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Work-Life Balance

I will not work more than 8 hour days each day.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to -1.78 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Avoid Refined Sugar

I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Just Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Disable Screen Savers

I will disable screen savers and will put the computer to sleep instead, saving up to 28% % more energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Avoid Disposables

I will not use any disposable plates, cups, or cutlery.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Needs vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Whole Food Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) per day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and/or unsubscribing from catalogs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Eat Meatless Meals

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) per day.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 8 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of C02 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Containers

I will only use reusable containers for my lunches at work or school.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Products In My Home

I will research toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

De-Clutter my Home

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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?


  • Slade Adams's avatar
    Slade Adams 10/20/2016 2:02 PM
    Here is the link to The Minimalists website.
    http://www.theminimalists.com/

    They offer blog posts, podcasts, as well as a full documentary just released earlier this year.

       I highly recommend reading what they have to say, Listening, watching, anything that could help simplify your life as well. Typically when people hear Minimalism, it means buy less and have less. It doesn't always need to mean that. Think of it more like, own possessions with purpose and meaning. Everything you have should be something you love and find great meaning or use out of.
       They don't have perfect solutions that work for everyone, but they can greatly help you find your way into what you meaning of simplicity is.
    A saying they use often is "Love people, use things. The opposite never works."



    a small excerpt from their front page:

    When people look toward minimalism as a lifestyle, they often see only the act of decluttering. But ultimately, minimalism involves the benefits we experience once we’re on the other side of decluttering. By letting go of everything in the way, I’ve been able to immerse myself in what’s important to me, and the benefits are remarkable.

    Health. I used to weigh 80 pounds more than I weigh today. Not only was I fat, but I felt tired, stressed, gross. Minimalism helped me untether from that life—a life focused on material “success.” Once I regained control, I made time to concentrate on my health. This increased focus allowed me to improve my diet, exercise, and sleep, which minimized my stress and increased my happiness. By spending more time on my health, I created more time for everything else. What a beautiful paradox.

    Relationships. Once I stopped trying to impress others with my consumerist trophies, I was able to reprioritize my relationships by putting primary relationships first, secondary relationships second, and peripheral relationships last. This sounds tautological, but for more than a decade I apportioned too much time to coworkers and networking buddies, and I forsook the people I cared about most.

    Finances. This was the initial benefit that led me to minimalism: financial freedom. Sure, I made great money in the corporate world—but I spent evenbetter money. By age 28 I was earning six figures, but I had more than six figures in debt because our culture places an extraordinary emphasis on material wealth as a sign of true wealth. Minimalism taught me that one’s true worth is not determined by his or her net worth.

    Creativity. For years I put off my passion: writing. I “aspired” to be a writersomeday, but I didn’t actually put in the work. Purging the ephemera consuming my time helped me realize “aspire” is merely a synonym for “procrastinate.” With the stuff out of the way, I was able to start crafting my personal masterpiece.

    Contribution. No longer am I obsessed with only myself. By jettisoning my old identity, I formed a new identity, a large part of which revolves around contribution to others. Contributing beyond ourselves brings with it a sense of fulfillment that we can’t get from buying things. Giving is living: if we want to feel truly alive, we must give.

    You see, removing the clutter is not the end result of minimalism—it is merely the first step. Understanding why you’re taking that first step gives you the leverage you need to keep going. When in doubt, ask yourself: How might my life be better with less? Those answers are far more powerful than decluttering alone.