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Sara Boys's avatar

Sara Boys

EcoSEEDS

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 599 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    21
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    42
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    160
    miles
    traveled by carpool
  • UP TO
    10
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    26
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    42
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Sara's actions

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.61 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 1 meal(s) from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will buy from organic and local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED 21
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
    Food Support Local Food Systems
    Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these advantages inspire you the most?

    Sara Boys's avatar
    Sara Boys 4/24/2018 6:47 PM
    I am so inspired by the farmers who own the CSA where we get our organic vegetables weekly for 9 months of the year.  They work very hard and each year teach their workers about the details of growing organic and about the importance of community.  I feel privileged to help fill the boxes one day a week and be part of that loving community.  It is such a blessing that I try never to miss.  We feel honored by their great vegetables and look forward to nourishing food each week.  We owe our good health to Jon and Jenny at Meadowlark.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than other countries, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?

    Sara Boys's avatar
    Sara Boys 4/23/2018 6:37 PM
    I believe that after the Second World War as prosperity came along we were raised to believe that eating meat was the reward and it showed how far we had come to have meat at every meal.  That is the culture that I was raised with and thus believed.  Some how now we believe that eating beans means you are poor.  
    I feel we can begin to shift our meat-focused food culture when we begin to understand that we are not the travelers on this planet but we are the crew.  When we use a resource, we will not have it again.  When we create waste, we must figure out what to do with it so it doesn't harm us or the planet.  It is all we have and we must find ways to be sustainable.  Eating meat uses many more pounds of grain than eating the grain ourselves.  A giant education process is needed.

    • Elizabeth Dunham's avatar
      Elizabeth Dunham 4/24/2018 10:46 AM
      It is definitely a cultural mindset and you see it growing around the world as more populations around the world can afford meat more often. In America especially many think a meal is incomplete without meat.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail
    What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety.

    Sara Boys's avatar
    Sara Boys 4/17/2018 5:33 PM
    Availability is my main concern in selecting transportation.   I could ride my bike but not during this wintery weather.  Now convenience is important so I select my hybrid car but I try to limit my trips by planning my errands.  And I try to carpool whenever I can, sometimes with my husband and often with others going the same place that I am.  Of course in this weather my car is safer than my bike.