Vindya Alahapperuma

National Co+op Grocers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
316 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

40

minutes

spent learning

Vindya's actions

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the 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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Vindya Alahapperuma 4/25/2018 8:11 AM

I probably will start looking at ingredient lists for palm oil. I certainly dont need to buy products that use palm oil, when there are other alternatives. I believe that I can be more conscious about eating chocolate or drinking coffee. I can buy products that are certified rainforest friendly or just reduce consumption of these products.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Vindya Alahapperuma 4/25/2018 8:03 AM

Never heard of silvo pasture before now. It seems like it's about diversifying the landscape so it's not just pasture for grazing. I feel like one of the biggest benefits might be that the shade would be cooling to both the cows and the grass. It could prevent the grass from drying out in hot seasons, leaving more food for the cows.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?

Vindya Alahapperuma 4/25/2018 7:48 AM

I personally don't look at the dates. I smell food to tell if it's gone sour or use my eyes or taste to know if something is still okay. My husband on the other hand looks at dates and will not eat anything even a day past expiration date and he doesnt allow me to feed any "expired" food to our daughter. So basically, I'm the only one in the house eating foods past due date. I guess my view on expiration dates has not really changed, but maybe I'll have more information to explain to my husband that products are still okay past certain dates.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food 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. Where would you rather use this money?

Vindya Alahapperuma 4/11/2018 12:03 PM

So many ways to use the money, but a vacation would be nice.

In looking at our food waste, I find that I really dont waste as much food as my husband and daughter. I cant really blame a 2yr old since they dont quite understand that they shouldnt waste food. But husbands should know better, I think. I grew up in an Asian immigrant family, so I guess I generally dont really waste much food. If we made too much food and there's a concern that it will go bad, I immediately freeze it to make it last longer. I pull it out a week later and figure out a way to use it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. 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 out of this?

Vindya Alahapperuma 4/11/2018 11:56 AM

Well, obviously there is a health benefit to eating less (since many americans are overweight). Smaller plates and eating slower can help us to stop eating when we are actually full. Also eating the right kinds of food helps keep us full longer so we are not constantly looking for our next snack.

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