joe gerard

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
201 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

12

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

15

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted

joe's actions

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 2 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 1
DAILY 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 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 1 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 6 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 2
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 Contact your Elected Officials

In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

joe gerard 4/25/2018 6:59 PM

speak before city council on related issues.. encourage bike sharing, solar panel powered charging stations, rooftop gardens etc and thank the Mayor of Asheville for proclaiming a Vegan Awareness week each year as she's done for the past two :)

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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?

joe gerard 4/25/2018 6:57 PM

roll it back into enviro friendly products-- put it toward solar panels.

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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?

joe gerard 4/24/2018 1:53 PM

all of the above esp supporting local fruit and vegetable growers :)

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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?

joe gerard 4/24/2018 1:52 PM

Marketing efforts by the meat and dairy industry as well as lobbying efforts (which result in the USDA promoting some unhealthy animal products). Misinformation has resulted in a false belief that eating animal products is needed for good health. Luckily the % of younger people going plant base as quadrupled in the past 5 years and even the USDA now concedes that a plant based diet is healthy for all life stages (though they still push dairy). A culture of consumption has also contributed to this push for excessive animal protein consumption. Go vegan and no body gets hurt :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food composting

Producing uneaten food squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these motivates you the most to change your behavior regarding food waste?

joe gerard 4/24/2018 1:47 PM

fertilizer, land

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