Martha Norbeck

Drawdown Iowa City

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
361 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

11

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Martha's actions

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Martha Norbeck 4/08/2018 1:43 PM

Transportation: it is all too common at meetings about alternate transportation for people to list of their excuses as to why they can't bike/walk/take the bus. A common comment is, I live to far away. That's one of my favorites - often the speaker has been working the same job for years - they could have chosen to buy closer to their job - could have found a home where their kids could walk or bike - but instead I hear a list of excuses. How about a list of advantages instead? If my kids lived closer, they'd gain a sense of independence and burn off energy before being stuck in a classroom for hours. Maybe it's time to flip the story - what would you gain by changing?

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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?

Martha Norbeck 4/04/2018 11:32 AM

We have an excellent local food network. Even though it is still below freezing, we've started seeds for growing in our own yard. What we don't grow, I try to buy locally. It is very satisfying to buy produce from the person who picked it that very morning. Our winter market is the bigger challenge - it is located several miles from me and only occurs 2xs a month.

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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?

Martha Norbeck 3/29/2018 2:02 PM

Historically, meat has been a sign of status. The more you can eat, the more wealth you have. It's a sign of masculinity. In the US, this is no longer necessarily a valid interpretation of access to large quantities of meat. Recent media coverage of Vegan athletes seems a good counter to such conventions. Giving plants higher billing/prominence in restaurants, food shows may help.

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