Andrew Keough
"Thinking and acting beyond ourselves will bring about change for the whole. (Spok-ish paraphrase from "The Wrath of Khan")"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 840 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.7pounds of paperhave been saved
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UP TO330minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO18milestraveled by bike
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UP TO14conversationswith people
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UP TO37pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO8.0peoplehelped
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UP TO2.0lightbulbsreplaced
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UP TO450minutesnot spent in front of a screen
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UP TO12zero-waste mealsconsumed
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UP TO10poundswaste composted
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UP TO495minutesspent exercising
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UP TO6.0locally sourced mealsconsumed
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UP TO400gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO18milestraveled by bus
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UP TO9.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO390minutesof additional sleep
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UP TO56plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
Andrew's actions
Food
Eat Meatless Meals
I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) per day.
Community
Help Others
I will offer to help 2 person(s) who are in need each day.
Health
Avoid Refined Sugar
I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.
Nature
Leave No Trace
I will practice the seven principles of leave no trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends.
Health
Know My Health
I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).
Waste
Choose Two-Sided Printing
I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided at work.
Food
Smart Seafood Choices
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
Simplicity
Work-Life Balance
I will not work more than 8 hour days each day.
Simplicity
Track my Purchases
I will maintain a record of all my purchases.
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.
Energy
Choose LED Bulbs
I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.
Food
Locally-Sourced Meals
I will source 1 meal(s) per day from local producers.
Energy
Power Down the Computer
I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 per day that I do this.
Transportation
Go by Bike
I will commute by bike 6 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 5.37 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
Waste
Avoid Disposables
I will not use any disposable plates, cups, or cutlery.
Health
More Fruits And Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 6 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.
Energy
Disable Screen Savers
I will disable screen savers and will put the computer to sleep instead, saving up to 28% % more energy.
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.
Food
Zero-Waste Cooking
I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero waste each day.
Simplicity
Less Screen Time
I will replace 30 minute(s) of screen time per day with other activities.
Transportation
Use Public Transit
I will use public transit 6 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.83 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
Community
Connect with a Nonprofit
I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.
Waste
Recycle all Recyclable Materials
I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.
Water
5-Minute Showers
I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day.
Health
Exercise Daily
I will exercise daily for 55 minute(s) per day for two weeks.
Food
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Transportation
Choose a Carbon Offset
If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.
Energy
Turn it off
I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.
Nature
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 15 minute(s) per day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.
Waste
Buy in Bulk
I will only purchase bulk food items and avoid all single-package items.
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.
Transportation
Just Drive Less
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.
Waste
Use Reusable Bags
I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.
Health
Eliminate Toxic Plastics
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.
Simplicity
Buy Only What I Need
I will not buy anything except items required for health and safety.
Waste
Needs vs. Wants
I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.
Health
Healthy Sleep
I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.
Water
Use Reusable Bottles
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 0 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Energy
Adjust the Thermostat
I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.
Energy
Choose Clean/Renewable Energy
I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.
Waste
Lobby for Reusables
I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.
Waste
Buy Food and Water Only
I will not purchase anything but food and water.
Energy
Consider Switching to an Electric Vehicle
Research or test drive an electric car or bike.
Waste
Use Reusable Containers
I will only use reusable containers for my lunches at work or school.
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 4 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream.
Nature
Go for a Daily Walk
I will take a 10-minute walk outside each day.
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.
Waste
Compost Food Waste
I will avoid sending .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day.
Food
Buy from a Farmers Market
I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.
Community
Express my Support
I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.
Food
Say No to Seafood
I will not eat seafood.
Create Your Own Action
Cloth napkins
Adopt the usage of cloth versus paper napkins on a daily/consistent basis. Easy at home, but less so at food and retail establishments.
Transportation
Use Muscle Power
I will only use muscle-powered transportation.
Community
Talk to my Friends
I will decide which social or environmental issue in my community is most important to me and tell 1 friends per day about the issue.
Energy
Heat and Cool Naturally
I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.
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.
Food
Whole Food Diet
I will enjoy 2 meal(s) per day free of processed foods.
Simplicity
Limit Social Media
I will limit my social media use to once per day.
Simplicity
Go for a Daily Walk
I will take a walk each day.
Waste
Visit a Waste Management Facility
I will visit a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about the waste stream.
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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Andrew Keough 10/28/2016 2:45 PM
It may be the last day of "this challenge" per se, but I saw it as a helpful reminder each day to stay mindful of all of my actions, and how they affect the world that we share... and hopefully I was not the only one to gain some new (green) habits. Cheers! -
Andrew Keough 10/27/2016 1:28 PM
Checked out the Tesla website (again)...so cool, IMHO. -
Andrew Keough 10/26/2016 1:42 AMWhat ever happened to that super hero from the 80's? You know, The Toxic Avenger... -
Andrew Keough 10/24/2016 1:46 PMThe movie "Forks Over Knives" is very compelling, and the studies/results they shared reminded me of the comments people made after switching their pets over to a raw diet. My 13 year old cat seems to act like he's a teenager(after eating only raw for 12 of those years), so it must be working for him. -
Andrew Keough 10/24/2016 2:02 AMIt's easy to see how doing some of the challenges for just two weeks, how they become a standard practice in our lives. -
Andrew Keough 10/23/2016 1:09 AMAsking each food establishment I visit if they compost, and learning about their internal processes is eye opening. Some have nothing and scoff at the idea, while others are just plain excited to tout how they do their part in the renewable process. -
Andrew Keough 10/21/2016 1:11 PMCloth napkin ONLY adoption: easy at home, a little trickier when eating out. I found that by asking for flatware separately, versus the ubiquitous "roll-up", it saves on paper and their prep time. -
Andrew Keough 10/20/2016 5:55 PMI went into my local bike repair shop today on my ride home and swapped a part I needed (for my front fender) for some loose parts I had spares of(and had collected over the years). Bartering seems like it saves the unneeded creation of new products by matching up people with something they both truly want or need. -
Andrew Keough 10/19/2016 3:06 PM58 degrees, partly cloudy, heavy dew still on the grass... perfect time for an hour of sand volleyball. Who's got next ? -
Andrew Keough 10/18/2016 2:32 PMAm I the only one wondering how someone could use eight gallons of water brushing their teeth everyday? Maybe it is something learned as a child, to where they run the faucet to fool their parents after getting the edict, "brush your teeth before X". If a person continues to follow that same pattern of ignorant water usage, it may not don on them the monetary cost until they receive their first bill from a Water Bureau. That (unfortunately) might be the first time they realize that water is finite, and unless you have a rain barrel system, learning the delivery of water to us is a large commercial enterprise. If they do not buy their own house(or have property that has separate utility bills), they may potentially go until someone lets them know they are wasting a precious resource. The more you know...