Sadie Carnes

PCC SOC 228 - Environmental Sociology

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
601 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

120

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

4.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Sadie's actions

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will replace or remove from my current diet the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 60 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics, Distributed Solar Photovoltaics

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in creating or purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Earth Month Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 7
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Sadie Carnes 4/30/2021 8:15 PM

I have found that depending on where you shop or where you eat there are bamboo alternatives, specifically natural food stores or restaurants that cater to compostable products. Alternatives that I have researched range from products made out of mushrooms, hemp, banana leaves, agave, seaweed, and pressed hay. It was really cool researching compostable alternatives because I had no idea that you could make packaging out of these products! Except for agave; I am a bartender and at my work our straws are made out of agave and I immediately thought that it was so cool!

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Sadie Carnes 4/29/2021 7:15 PM

Since I have started keeping track of my food waste, I have found new ways to create meals as well as new additions to meals that I have been eating for years. For example, I am always hesitant when I need to buy lemons or limes, as I usually just use half of them and then throw the other half out. So instead of wasting the remaining halves, I have been making my own salad dressing using seasonings, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon or lime. I had never done this in the past because it always seemed boring or unsatisfying, but now after making myself try it again I realize that it is absolutely delicious on a fresh salad! It has also been a good reminder that taste buds change! And what I thought I used to not like, I may not like :) just another positive realization from starting a food waste journal!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Zero-waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Sadie Carnes 4/28/2021 6:42 PM

I looked up some ideas for utilizing food scraps and I realized that I can take the peels and ends of onions, the tops of celery, the carrot skins, and the potato skins, and use them to all together to make a vegetable broth. I never thought to do this before. I use vegetable broth pretty often to cook my quinoa in. Therefore, not only am I using all parts of the vegetables, but I am also saving the plastic/cardboard that I would normally purchase store bought vegetable broth in. Can't wait to try this out!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. What have you done in the past to support women-owned businesses? How can you better support communities by supporting women?

Sadie Carnes 4/27/2021 9:49 PM

I have supported women owned restaurants, distilleries, boutiques, crystal shops, herbal shops; I find myself more inclined to purchase a product or visit a store if I know that it is women led. If I support women owned businesses I can then hope that these women are putting that money back into their neighborhoods and communities.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Sadie Carnes 4/26/2021 11:30 AM

The changes that I have made to my diet have been positive and more healthy ones because the only time that I have had to decide against based on its use of palm oil has been on something that is unhealthy to begin with. For instance, I have noticed that palm oil is typically in all the prepackaged, processed foods that I have chosen to eat in the past, such as frozen pizza and cookies. Not using palm oil is just another incentive to not buy unhealthy foods.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. How would you rather use this money?

Sadie Carnes 4/25/2021 5:14 PM

My mind immediately goes two different places when thinking about have an extra $1500 a year in my pocket. First, I would put it into my savings, as that money can be used for emergencies or a big future purchase. Secondly, I think travel!! There are so many places to see in this grand world of ours, and any extra money I have I want to use to explore. I also think of investing in green energy and plant based products, as well as alternatives to plastic!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?

Sadie Carnes 4/24/2021 8:26 PM

I find that when I eat mindfully, I eat less. I can definitely tell that I eat absent-mindfully when I am watching something or scrolling on my phone. When I eat mindfully I find that I am really enjoying the food I am eating, and that I am savoring the flavors. In the past, I have been so unaware of the tastes of my foods because I am just zoning out in front of a screen. All in all, it feels a lot healthier and fulfilling to eat a meal sans screens!

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Sadie Carnes 4/23/2021 8:05 PM

I have decided that I am only going to buy produce local for the next month starting today. I was encouraged after reading about locavores in session 3 last week, but I was really tempted to buy tomatoes today at New Seasons, and then I remembered the article we read. So no tomatoes this month, or any other produce that wasn't grown locally!

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Sadie Carnes 4/21/2021 3:58 PM

I got really excited when reading session 3 this week in our Choices for Sustainable Living coursebook because there is an article, "We Can Feed the World with the Food We Waste" by Joanne Will, featured, and it spoke about using your food scraps in recipes. I posted last week how I had been struggling with making waste-free meals, and this article inspired me to look up some creative ways to use my food scraps. I found an article today that gave me some tips and I am so excited to make some waste-free meals with them! One suggestion was using the tops of carrots for pesto! Can't wait :)
https://zerowastechef.com/2018/05/02/15-creative-uses-food-scraps/

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Sadie Carnes 4/18/2021 11:45 AM

Just purchased a bottle of gin from the Portland distillery Freeland Spirits. They are an amazing business, and one of the few women owned distilleries in the country! There product is well made, and is presently beautifully, with a little description about the history behind their brand. They do have cocktail suggestions dedicated to women's empowerment, and a whole cocktail set dedicated to Ruth Bader Ginsburg!! I recommend anyone who likes gin or bourbon to support them!

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