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October 14 - October 28, 2016
Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar

Mary Ruth Kamp

Team REDBUDSUDS

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 285 TOTAL

Mary Ruth's actions

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day for two weeks that I am grateful for or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED 15
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?


  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/28/2016 5:54 PM
    Final day...what a wonderful 2 weeks of learning. I haven't finished the book Garbology - so my challenge continues. I also have some ideas for the upcoming months/years that I want to work on related to my Personal Trash Audit - Thank you NWEI for putting together such a great opportunity like this. See you all next year! PS. My personal trash ended up fitting in a gallon sized ziplock bag (minus the raw chicken plastic bags) and the total weight ended up being 6oz.  I will miss my trash backpack. :) 

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/27/2016 5:04 PM
    Grateful for my friends
    Grateful for dark evenings and slowing down
    Grateful for birthday celebrations and potlucks at work

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/26/2016 4:59 PM
    reH

    • Aubrey Miller's avatar
      Aubrey Miller 10/27/2016 5:27 AM
      Terracycle rings a faint bell. I'll have to check into it too. Thanks for the tip, MR!

    • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
      Mary Ruth Kamp 10/26/2016 5:02 PM
      I found a website that I want to look into more - TerraCycle. A possible solution to recycling some of these things that most municipal recycling centers won't or can't. www.terracycle.com  I need to do more reading on this, but it looks like an exciting potential! It looks like a way to involve community as well.


  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/25/2016 3:53 PM
    PTA is going well. Cut my finger at work, so I now have band aids in my trash bag. Little things do add up, but it all still fits in my backpack. Lets keep plugging away! 

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/24/2016 7:01 PM
    Grateful for the beauty of fall colors and the beauty of architecture
    Grateful for unexpected visits 
    Grateful for cat friends

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/23/2016 5:54 PM
    We make raw cat food for our cats and today I helped Mark. We def. make some trash, but a lot less then if we purchased cat food from the store. We buy the chicken in 20lb bags. The containers we get the liver in can be used to store the food in over and over. The vitamin bottles can be recycled and we do add eggs, and a few other goodies. The cats do really well on this food and it feels great to feed them well, save money, and make less trash. I did choose not to put the plastic bags in my trash bag b/c of the raw chicken residue. :) Thanks for understanding!  

    • Aubrey Miller's avatar
      Aubrey Miller 10/24/2016 7:05 AM
      Happy kitties. :) I didn't know you made cat food! Awesome it's a win-win-win. I love that!

    • Krista Shue Mast's avatar
      Krista Shue Mast 10/23/2016 6:46 PM
      What lucky cats!! I'm also glad to hear that you skipped putting raw chicken plastic wrap in your trash stash...feeling validated! ;)

    • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
      Mary Ruth Kamp 10/23/2016 5:55 PM
      First Kitty is Meowy San or Mr. Meowy. I forgot a caption. 

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/18/2016 6:46 PM
    My PTA (personal trash audit) is still going well. We buy bulk food at the local store, and it comes in plastic bags - I made a few things tonight to last me a couple weeks -protein/energy bites to be exact, so a few small plastic bags went in my trash bag today. I decided to weigh my bag of trash - which now is 5 days worth and it weighs 2.5oz. 

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/17/2016 5:51 PM
    Today I want to share my gratitude list: 
    I am grateful for glimpses of kindness shared among strangers
    I am grateful for the smell of the earth in the fall
    I am grateful for simple, delicious meals


  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/16/2016 5:19 PM
    Day 3 of the personal waste audit. Today my bag got fuller. Trash for today: a Styrofoam take-out container, cupcake paper, little plastic bag, and 2 Starbucks rewards stickers. 
    I did learn that foil can be recycled in Wayne County, Ohio...which is fabulous! This will keep more waste out of my trash can and the landfills from now on! 
    I actually spent time today reading through the county recycling brochure which was helpful. Something I bookmarked to keep handy. They offer some educational experiences - like visiting a recycling center or landfill - for schools or community groups. I think I'm going to have to find myself a group to go on a field trip! :) 
    I told Mark that I need to start carrying a reusable container when we go out to eat (for the left overs) and he came back with the suggestion of ordering less. Sometimes this is possible if we share and is actually a healthier option as well, but its not always an option. Another option would be to ask for foil instead of Styrofoam or take foil along. I just need to plan ahead and remember these options when eating out.
    Have a wonderful new week everyone! 

    • Krista Shue Mast's avatar
      Krista Shue Mast 10/23/2016 6:48 PM
      Can you share the link on what can be recycled? I think k this would be helpful and interesting to read. Thanks!!

  • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
    Mary Ruth Kamp 10/15/2016 6:40 PM
    Day 2 of the personal waste audit. No picture today but my trash today included: 1 q-tip, 1 cliff bar wrapper, and a foil candy wrapper. I've never recycled foil b/c I don't know if it is recyclable in my area, but I'm going to find out. I'd like to recycle it if I can.  
    There was a little more engagement today. I had a few more conversations with co-workers about aspects of our culture and how we throw so much away. One of my co-workers who finds this whole thing humorous...said her mom asked what I'm doing with feminine hygiene items... and I was soooo happy to answer her question by telling her that I don't make waste b/c I use a DIVA cup. This of course just added to her level of entertainment. But this also made me realize that some people have no idea what is even out there in regards to the alternatives to the disposable life.  So glad I get to share little glimpses with some of my co-workers. A huge win and gift today: Another of my co-workers who knows I recycle and try hard to not make extra waste said that she has started to recycle at home b/c of my example and she is amazed at how much less goes into her trash bin. VERY EXCITING!!!!! 
    Lastly, I read the intro to the book Garbology and the statistics are staggering. I'm not going to post any right now...but will soon. Its a little overwhelming. 

    • Aubrey Miller's avatar
      Aubrey Miller 10/19/2016 7:50 PM
      Thanks MR!! I'm totally trying it.

    • Mary Ruth Kamp's avatar
      Mary Ruth Kamp 10/18/2016 7:00 PM
      The recipe is really simple. No-bake Oatmeal Protein Energy Balls/Bites. 1 recipe makes 20 1oz bites each worth a whopping 115 calories: 10.4 g carbs, 7.5g fat, 4.9g protein

      3 Tbs Honey
      1/2 cup peanut butter
      1/4 cup chocolate chips (minis would work best)
      2 scoops whey protein (I used Isopure, low carb chocolate)
      1/4 cup craisins
      1/4 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
      1 1/2 cup rolled oats
      1/4 cup liquid of your choice ( I had half and half on hand and used it)
      2 Tbs chia seeds
      Cocoa powder (to taste - I used 1 Tbs I think)
      1 tsp vanilla
      1/2 tsp hot pepper (powdered) - optional

      mix it all together in a bowl and then make 1oz balls or whatever size you want. I adjusted the original recipe to fit my taste preferences - you could substitute: different nut butter, different dried fruits, no chocolate- vanilla whey protein instead....etc
      Enjoy! 

    • Aubrey Miller's avatar
      Aubrey Miller 10/17/2016 7:54 PM
      I'm celebrating with you! You ARE an inspiration! 

      (p.s. You are welcome to keep inspiring us by sharing your homemade cliff bar recipe. Only if you want to.) ;)