Melanie Lulue

WSP USA Ecochallengers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,121 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

31

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

751

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

751

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

36

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

30

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill

Melanie's actions

People

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 10 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 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Water-Friendly Beauty Products

Avoid beauty products with micro beads or harsh chemicals that will feed into the ground and your water supply.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Oceans

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When marine wildlife ingest plastic, they have a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Research a Wild Animal

What interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 2:13 PM

The Florida Black Bear - people fear them and think they are out to eat them. However, the truth is they are just trying to survive. We have destroyed so much of their habitat that we now find them in our backyards. If you let them be they move along. There are ways to prevent them from visiting you. The biggest one is don't be a food source - don't leave the garbage out, put the grill away, and no bird feeders. They are opportunistic eaters and can smell food a mile away. Males will venture in search of females who will venture looking for food to either reproduce or feed her babies. A female bear must eat a huge amount of calories (20k+) in order for her eggs to become fertilized and grow. This process is called embryonic diapause and is a natural form of birth control for bears. Not enough food supply, no babies. Lots of food, more babies. We as humans need to respect the bear and not entice them into our neighborhoods by leaving out a food source for them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
People Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 2:05 PM

I personally view spending time outside as therapy even if it's yard work. We have many beautiful nature parks here in Florida and when I visit them I feel my soul is renewed. I think those that spend most of their time indoors are more susceptible to depression. The sun is a natural source of vitamin D and it is needed for our cells to flourish. Mental health is a serious issue and if people would get out more, even if it is 10 minutes a day, I would bet they would start to heal and come out of the darkness (depression).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Oceans Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 2:01 PM

I try to limit using disposable items at home and at work by bringing my own items from home so that they can be reused. When eating out, I rarely use straws unless that is the only item available to stir my beverage like iced tea. I try to use reusable bags when shopping, but some stores aren't completely using them, so I collect and return plastic bags when possible for recycling.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Using the links provided, investigate the bottling practices of water corporations. There have been many cases where the water rights of the local people have been violated or even completely disregarded when a corporation decides to bottle water from a particular water source. How can you advocate for those who have been harmed - both humans and wildlife - by this bottling process?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 1:57 PM

We recently experienced this issue here in Florida with Nestle taking water from our natural springs in Ginnie Springs. People sent comments and did protests/petitions and the permit was denied and is currently in appeal. I continue to follow the issue and will sign any petitions that are set up or write letters. Florida is a beautiful state with many natural resources and these large corporations shouldn't be able to benefit from it. Especially in this case where they are getting a product for pennies and then selling it back to us in plastic bottles.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Water-Friendly Beauty Products

Beyond what does or doesn't come out of the tap at home, how do your choices affect freshwater locally and globally?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 1:46 PM

Using clean products that are water soluble allows less processing as it goes back into the water table. Less chemicals in equals less chemicals to extract before running out of the tap again.

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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?

Melanie Lulue 4/30/2020 1:43 PM

Meat is an expensive product and we have poor countries that cannot afford to eat meat or are very limited in the amount they can consume. Eating animal products, especially meats, leaves a higher carbon footprint. Beef is among the highest producers of methane gas.

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Melanie Lulue 4/29/2020 8:57 AM

Mental check-in: How's everyone doing? I live alone and don't have pets so its been different not going to the office every day since that is the bulk of my socializing. We've been fortunate to have days here (still) to where I can have the house open and that helps. I also go to my back patio (screened) for a quick mental moment when needed and watch my birds and squirrels. I never thought the location of my home would be such a paradise when I bought it almost 20 years ago. I am so thankful for this! Tomorrow the challenge ends, but let's keep it going beyond tomorrow without the daily check-ins! Keep well and keep safe!

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- Meghan Jones 4/29/2020 5:51 PM
  
  Melanie, thank you for sharing! I am always inspired by your posts about finding paradise in natural spaces! I agree that taking some time to stand out in my yard help me relax and release some of the tension that we are all carrying these days.
  
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Melanie Lulue 4/20/2020 7:35 AM

Good morning everyone and Happy New Week! I hope everyone had a good weekend and are still keeping safe and well. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I went for a walk at Gemini Springs Park which is very close to the house. It was much needed therapy and social distancing was used. We were greeted by Mr. Woody Woodpecker (pileated) and the foliage and flowers were so beautiful. What have you seen on any nature adventures you may have taken recently? We are allowed to go to parks that are open for exercise and I hadn't been to one since my birthday more than a month ago. I usually just walk around my yard or sit on my screened patio watching the birds and squirrels. Yesterday was a nice change. Keep well and keep safe!

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- Meghan Jones 4/20/2020 12:24 PM
  
  This is amazing! I hear woodpeckers every day but can never actually find them! On our walks, we've been noticing all the flowers that are blooming. Seems like something new every couple of days!
  
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Melanie Lulue 4/14/2020 5:49 AM

How's everyone holding up with the pandemic? My days have completely run together and I'm not sure what planet I'm on anymore. LOL However, we are all in this together. So reach out to someone here, phone, email, text, smoke signals, whatever means you need. Remember to go outside and breath in (with mask on) and look to the sky and embrace that you are alive and matter! Have an awesome day and let's do this!

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- Meghan Jones 4/14/2020 7:33 AM
  
  Thanks for the hopeful message! Glad I'm not the only one who's been confused about what day it is!
  
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Melanie Lulue 4/03/2020 7:58 AM

Good morning All and Happy Friday! We are on day 3 of the challenge and how are you doing so far? Part of my "outdoor" activity is enjoying my screened backyard patio watching the many birds and squirrels eat the food (sunflowers/unsalted peanuts) I put out for them. I call it inexpensive therapy and I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it. How are you getting your nature therapy? It's important to go outside and enjoy nature. It also helps you get your vitamin D by being in the sun. I recently celebrated another year older and took a few days off to rejuvenate. On my birthday, with all the COVID-19 issue happening, we decided to make the best of it, and make it a day of nature. We started with breakfast on the beach and watched the sunrise (picture). Then we went to another beach down the road and just talked and listened to the sound of the waves. Making a day of it, we hit a local park and I was just amazed by it's beauty since it was a natural spring. I had been there before, but only to park my truck and catch the trail with my bicycle. This was the first time exploring the park. Central Florida has many natural springs and I have 4 of them a short distance from my home. If you need virtual nature therapy, check out where we went: https://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/green-spring-park.stml. For my birthday dinner we went to a restaurant (SwampHouse Grill) on the river and afterwards watched the sunset. They have a special visitor (hoot owl - picture of her on their Facebook page) and we were hoping to see her. She didn't come to the restaurant, but she did announce for us the day was done. Such an awesome way to end a special day! Take care and keep well!

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- Meghan Jones 4/03/2020 9:00 AM
  
  What a beautiful sunset! Thank you for sharing your "inexpensive therapy." :) And happy belated birthday!
  
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