Jennifer Linton
"Let's turn this world upside down!"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 662 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO176gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO60minutesspent learning
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UP TO4.0peoplehelped
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UP TO3.0public officials or leaderscontacted
Jennifer's actions
Women and Girls
Give a Microloan
#62 Women Smallholders
I will give 4 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.
Women and Girls
Support Women-Owned Businesses
#62 Women Smallholders
I will support women-owned businesses when I shop this month.
Materials
Install a Toilet Bank
#46 Water Saving - Home
I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.
Food
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
#3 Reduced Food Waste
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
Materials
Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
#46 Water Saving - Home
I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.
Electricity Generation
Learn More about Micro Wind
#76 Micro Wind
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.
Electricity Generation
Communicate With My Elected Officials
#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)
I will write or call 3 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.
Buildings and Cities
Research Retrofitting Incentives
#80 Retrofitting
I will spend at least 45 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.
Land Use
Buy Bamboo
#35 Bamboo
When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONWomen and Girls Give a MicroloanGlobally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. Why do you think that is?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricity Generation Communicate With My Elected OfficialsWhat inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
Jennifer Linton 4/25/2018 9:21 AMI'll be spending the day in our state's capital pushing for legislation and policies that move our state towards renewable energy. In Illinois, wind is the most economical renewable. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricity Generation Learn More about Micro WindMicro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?
Jennifer Linton 4/25/2018 9:09 AMFrom my quick 30-minute read up on microwind, it seems that the pricing of this technology needs to come down before it is realistic in the US. But for developing nations, this technology seems to be beneficial right now in bringing small amounts of electricity to places off the grids and offering power besides diesel and kerosene. In places like the Midwest, where analysis shows that the best renewable mix for my state, Illinois, is optimal at two-thirds wind, microwind is definitely one to watch. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONMaterials Mulch the Base of Trees and PlantsName some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Jennifer Linton 4/25/2018 8:27 AMTechnically we're still awaiting our mulch which is why I was waiting on reporting this. But the service was scheduled weeks ago and will be placed SOON. There will be a hefty price tag that accompanies this (primarily for the materials, not labor but happy to support that too), but it sure helps to know that this investment helps the planet at large too, not just our property. So good to have learned that here! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWomen and Girls Support Women-Owned BusinessesGlobally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women?
Jennifer Linton 4/25/2018 8:24 AMSupporting women-owned businesses is easy for me — it's two birds with one stone! (GASP! Need a new reference phrase! I love birds :-/ ) Anyway, supporting women has become a huge issue to me along with climate ever since the Women's March reinvigorated me last year. How can people not be feminists?! What's trickier to see is that supporting female efforts benefits us ALL. Better together. Together we rise. Win-win — amazing! -
Jennifer Linton 4/23/2018 11:41 AMThis 5 1/2 minute film (link below), 'Expired? Food Waste in America' by Harvard Food Law and Policy Center shows the huge problem we have in the US and the havoc wrecked by arbitrary dates on food. It's one thing when these dates throw an individual consumer off, but food pantries and whole grocery stores have outdated practices that are causing large quantities of food waste. We must address this!
https://notreallyexpired.com/watch-the-film/ -
Jennifer Linton 4/23/2018 11:25 AMI love this challenge, I'm just sad I haven't had as much time to give it as I'd hoped so far. I'm pushing for a strong finish and excited for what I will yet learn on behalf of our planet! -jL -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Learn the Truth About Expiration DatesNow that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?
Jennifer Linton 4/23/2018 11:24 AMStraight from the USDA: "In an effort to reduce food waste, it is important that consumers understand that the dates applied to food are for QUALITY and not for safety. Food products are safe to consume past the date on the label, and regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food product prior to its consumption."
None of the dates on food packaging is there noting safety:- A "Best if Used By/Before" indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
- A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
- A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.
I've been meaning to research this and have learned so much in a short amount of time! I needed to know these facts to pass on to my family and be sure I'm guiding our household to maintain safe practices. There are clearly a lot of misconceptions and now I can assist in clearing them up to people within my sphere of influence. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLand Use Buy BambooAre bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?
Jennifer Linton 4/09/2018 8:05 AMBamboo isn't readily accessible, but I always seek glass and aluminum which are infinitely recyclable as well as Tetra-Paks for liquids at the grocery store instead of plastic. With consciousness of the issue of sustainability when approaching our daily purchases, we as consumers can make a huge impact. Think of the effect when multiplied out! -
Jennifer Linton 4/05/2018 5:39 PMWe think that the toilets in our house — which was built almost ten years ago — are low flow. But we don’t have the two flush type option. we’ll giving a toilet bank a go in our powder room. Hoping there won’t be any awkward situations, espeically with visiting guests! If this goes well, we can expand these to the rest of the toilets in our home.