April 1 - April 30, 2020

Alice Hardesty

"My mission is to use my skills to further the cause of environmental justice, to educate myself and others about beneficial things we all can do, and implement as many of them as possible."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,126 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

32

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

26

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

125

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,023

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1,023

minutes

not spent in front of a screen

Alice's actions

Action Track: Earth Day Together!

Earth Day Action: Research and Support Local Organizations

I will spend 20 minutes researching local organizations and businesses in my community, then support one of them by writing a testimonial or positive review, ordering curbside, making a donation to my favorite nonprofit, or supporting them in another way.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Complete the Master Climate Protector Course

10 week course in the many aspects of climate change to learn about the related scientific, practical, and political issues. The mission is to increase my knowledge and awareness of climate issues, help raise awareness in the community and the world, and decrease my own carbon footprint.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 1 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 15 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside that follows CDC guidelines for preventing disease spread.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Public education through media

Publish letter to the editor about climate change in Ashland Daily Tidings.

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?

Alice Hardesty 4/30/2020 5:16 PM

Bad news, good news, and great news! Bad - The hybrid battery on my 2006 Prius died a few weeks ago and there are several other repairs it needs, so I just need to get a new car. Good - I've bought a "granny cart" so I can walk to get my groceries. Great - I'm getting a Nissan Leaf EV tomorrow!!!

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- Erin M 4/30/2020 10:34 PM
  
  That's fantastic! Congratulations!
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/29/2020 8:09 PM

Well, my car just died! Actually, the hybrid battery went kaput, and the expense of a new one, plus other needed parts and four new tires made me decide to get a new car, which I hope will be an EV. Or maybe even no car! In the mean time, I bought a "granny cart" online and now I trundle down to Market of Choice during senior hours to do my grocery shopping, and just pull the bags back home. Who needs a car, anyway?

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- Tia McLean 4/29/2020 9:43 PM
  
  Alice, We're happy to grab groceries for you. I'll have Erin share our contact info.
  
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- Kathy Conway 4/29/2020 9:06 PM
  
  Way to go Alice. Louise managed for many months after she sold her hybrid. She used her bike and did very well. She finally bought a used electric vehicle. It was cheaper than the others because it didn't have the high acceleration of newer electric vehicles, but I believe that she is very happy with it, especially since she usually uses her bike and it is just a back-up for longer trips.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Earth Day Together! Earth Day Action: Research and Support Local Organizations

Why is it important to support local organizations and businesses? How does it help to build a more resilient community?

Alice Hardesty 4/29/2020 8:02 PM

Local organizations build community and commitment to protect the environment. I just became a monthly donor to KS Wild. I really like the way they have partnered with many different environmental groups in Southern Oregon and Northern California to work cooperatively to protect public lands and many other worthy efforts. They are working with Lomakatsi to do some very important clearing of low growth and other fuels in the Ashland watershed to lessen the chance of wildfire.

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- Kathy Conway 4/29/2020 9:18 PM
  
  They are also part of the group with SOCAN, US Forest Service, Rogue Basin Partnership, and Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative (SOFRC) exploring Climate Smart management techniques for our forests.
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/21/2020 8:24 PM

Not long ago I finished listening to Rachel Maddow's audiobook, "Blowout," about the greed and incompetence of the oil and gas industires, the biggest threats to our environment and the survival of our planet. The book is carefully researched and doesn't hold back. Rachel reads it herself, and her intelligence and humor is always present. If anyone would like it now, I'd be glad to pass it on. Just let me know.

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- Ana B 4/22/2020 10:01 AM
  
  Thank you both for the book shares! I need to read them both.
  
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- Erin M 4/21/2020 8:51 PM
  
  I'd love to read it Alice! I'm currently curled up with This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein. SO INTENSE! Have you read it? It's hard to stomach at times - whole islands destroyed for natural resources, The Nature Conservancy in bed with oil and gas. Ugh! She's not holding back either. Anyhow, after I'm done with this one, would love to read yours! : ) And we missed you last night - class isn't the same without you!
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/10/2020 9:30 PM

I just finished reading a book called, "Harvest the Vote," by Jane Kleeb, (Harper Collins, 2020.) The author played a pivotal role in uniting farmers, ranchers, and Native Americans living in rural Nebraska against the Keystone Pipeline. They built barns and planted crops of sacred corn over lands that TransCanada wanted to take by eminent domaine. Not one landowner gave in despite the cajoles and threats by TransCanada. They organized the "Cowboys and Indians" march where a parade on horseback rode down Pennsylvania Avenue to demonstrate against the pipeline. They used a tractor to carve a huge image over eighty acres of land depicting a rancher and an indigenous leader with the words, "Heartland #NoKXL." In the end, they have prevailed because TransCanada has pretty much thrown up its collective hands saying that building the pipeline would be too much trouble.

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- Erin M 4/13/2020 7:45 AM
  
  That sounds wonderful! I've added it to my list - thank you for the recommendation!
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/09/2020 6:53 PM

Walked over to a friend's house this afternoon and spent a lovely 2 hours on her deck (at least 6 feet apart), enjoying sunshine and budding trees.

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- Erin M 4/09/2020 9:05 PM
  
  Oh that's the best! What an afternoon!
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/07/2020 10:17 PM

Ta Da! I've added the challenge of having at least one meatless meal per day. I would have thought this would be easy until I learned that eggs and cheese (sigh) count as meat. Pork and beef are the worst, but evidently cheese comes right after. Chicken is my usual meat choice, but that's meat too.... We'll see how it goes.

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- Erin M 4/08/2020 5:03 PM
  
  That's great Alice! I'm vegetarian but rely on eggs and cheese a lot, so I feel you - it's hard to cut out! But one per day seems like a good goal - especially for the challenge! You're inspiring me to try it too!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Alice Hardesty 4/07/2020 10:12 PM

People in richer countries eat more meat than people in poorer countries because we can afford it. Meat eating is a practice we've developed, partly because we like the taste, and also it's kind of a status symbol. Pork and beef are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases of all animal products. Cheese, unfortunately, is close behind. These animals are also producers of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

I have resisted the concept of going even one meal without meat (or eggs or cheese), although I usually eat chicken or fish and rarely eat pork or beef. I think the reason is because I have always had the idea that we need plenty of protein. But this is unreasonable if I have protein in the other two meals.

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- Alice Hardesty 4/08/2020 8:19 PM
  
  Um, not quite sure I want to look like that, but some of the diets look really good!
  
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- Erin M 4/08/2020 5:04 PM
  
  And now I'm googling Vegan Bodybuilders - thank you Carmen! :D
  
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- Carmen Proffitt 4/07/2020 10:47 PM
  
  I love this research you've done. There is a lot of misconception about this, but there's plenty of protein in plants. If you ever get bored, or just plain curious, Google "vegan bodybuilder"....lol. An extreme example, but an example nonetheless.
  
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Alice Hardesty 4/06/2020 5:25 PM

It's remarkable. Friends from way back in my past are starting to contact me, and in that way we're supporting each other through the ether, either by phone or Zoom. No need for fossil fuel through air travel or car. Most of these friends are colleagues from my days at EPA in DC many years ago. Funny that the one thing we don't talk about is EPA. It kind of reminds me of the type of things people do when they realize they have only a few months to live, although I'm confident that those of us who are self isolating or social distancing will survive just fine.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Alice Hardesty 4/06/2020 5:07 PM

Knowing that "use by" and "best by" dates are merely for flavor and not for safety means that I can use up most foods rather than throwing them out. This saves on everything (water, fuel, electricity, everything that goes into the process). The same is true for"Sell by," which is only advice to the retailer. For us consumers, it's a matter of the sniff test and being mindful of any weird things growing in it....

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- Robert Wildman 4/07/2020 8:05 PM
  
  I'm working my way through a bottle of shriracha that was best by March 2017. It's still good - just not quite as hot!
  
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