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April 1 - April 30, 2021
Sam Frigerio's avatar

Sam Frigerio

ECO-NCMNS

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 607 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    16
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    120
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    211
    minutes
    being mindful

Sam's actions

Electricity

Hang Laundry Outside to Dry

I will hand one load of laundry a week outside to dry instead of using the dryer.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 17
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 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Participate in one of the NCMNS Earth Day programs on April 22nd.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has prepared an Earth Week event starting from April 20th to April 25th. To celebrate Earth Day, participate in 1 program on April 22nd and write a short reflection in your feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting with black soldier grubs

Learn about NC's native Diptera that has one of the widest digestive enzyme profiles, allowing for digestion of virtually all human food waste in one to two days: pre-and post-consumer; cooked, raw, or spoiled. Sign up for this workshop and discuss with your team members:

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 30 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Support a Community Garden

Multiple Solutions

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Tend A Garden

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Farm Irrigation Efficiency

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/30/2021 2:33 PM
    Overall, I have changed some of my small habits this month! I'm more mindful about what I eat (and eat more mindfully), and I've done some research and will start volunteering with a nearby community garden this season. Before this challenge, I hadn't thought to even look for community gardens! I also didn't consider some of the impacts of my actions, like how mulching can reduce water runoff and increase soil absorbency. I feel like I'm making a small difference with the things I've learned during this challenge, and hopefully my small difference will stack up with everyone else's small differences! :)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions
    While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/30/2021 2:29 PM
    There are individual health benefits like avoiding overeating. Eating smaller portions gives your body time to tell you that you're full and that you don't need to eat more. Using smaller portions also makes your food purchases last longer, as you'll be able to use them for more meals (and also buy less food in the first place), so you can save money as well.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
    Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/30/2021 2:23 PM
    Sustainability is all about reducing the impact one has on the environment and allowing the environment to stay in balance. Using resources in an unsustainable manner disrupts natural systems and knocks them out of balance. By limiting the resources we use up and consume, we can maintain that balance and maintain sustainability.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Participate in one of the NCMNS Earth Day programs on April 22nd.
    What program did you choose and why?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/30/2021 2:07 PM
    I attended the Solar 101: How It Works and How It Helps program, partially because I was hosting it (that's kind of cheating, I know!) but also I was interested to see how solar panel technology has advanced in the last few years. I didn't have the most positive impression of solar  panels themselves before this program; I thought they were inefficient, bulky, and costly technology, based on the information from a few decades ago. I learned so much about the history of solar panels (I had no idea they've been around since the 1880s!) and how much the tech has improved, as well as the possible future of solar panels (designed based on the photosynthetic properties of plants). I'm very excited to see things like solar sidewalks and solar roads in the future!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Sinks Explore My Area
    How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/30/2021 1:57 PM
    I found it really reflective to walk around a local wetland. I loved being able to see evidence of creatures living there; the vultures that were perched in the snags, three (!) beaver dams (that I could count; there might have been more!), and ducks looking for water weeds in (sadly, very iridescent-sheened) water. It allowed me to slow down and observe the little things (like these new, very pointy slim leaf buds)!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Composting with black soldier grubs
    Would you consider starting a composting bin using black soldier grubs?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/10/2021 8:44 AM
    Yes, I would consider starting a BSF "compost" bin! I don't think I'm ready/in a position to this year, but in future years it's a definite possibility. It's amazing what these little grubs can do!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Composting with black soldier grubs
    Would you consider starting a composting bin using black soldier grubs?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/10/2021 8:44 AM
    Yes, I would consider starting a BSF "compost" bin! I don't think I'm ready/in a position to this year, but in future years it's a definite possibility. It's amazing what these little grubs can do!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Composting with black soldier grubs
    Would you consider starting a composting bin using black soldier grubs?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/10/2021 8:44 AM
    Yes, I would consider starting a BSF "compost" bin! I don't think I'm ready/in a position to this year, but in future years it's a definite possibility. It's amazing what these little grubs can do!
  • 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?

    Sam Frigerio's avatar
    Sam Frigerio 4/03/2021 6:16 PM
    I didn't think it would be so difficult to eat mindfully, but I'm struggling with this! My brain keeps on jumping from thing to thing, making me want to look something up or text a funny anecdote to my friends, and I have to consciously tell it to wait until after food haha

    • Susan Rigby's avatar
      Susan Rigby 4/05/2021 8:30 AM
      Big same! My brain is so used to being constantly stimulated.