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 21
DAILY ACTIONS
Oceans
Learn about Our Oceans
I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about how our oceans support life on Earth by producing oxygen, regulating climate, and providing habitat, food, and jobs.
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 3
DAILY ACTIONS
Wildlife
Research a Wild Animal
I will spend at least 20 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
Action Track: Building Resilience
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 20 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
Wildlife
Research Benefits of Biodiversity
I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Building Resilience
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
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?
One of my daily action challenges was to get out of the house every day; I'm not sure 30 days was a long enough practice period for that to be a persistent change. Another one was to reach out and connect with people to counteract some effects of social distancing; I found that to be excessive for me and needed to add time where I wasn't connecting by phone or video. Interesting.
It's strange... I don't feel like I'm doing a lot with this challenge, but the fact that I check in every day and am actually doing my 3 daily activities each day seems to be really adding up! That's 35 points a day, every day!
I've always been partial to ring-tailed lemurs, not sure why. Since they are only found in southern and southwestern Madagascar, I've assumed they are threatened. They are actually classified endangered, primarily due to habitat destruction, trapping for the pet trade (they DO NOT make good pets), and being hunted for food. More vanilla (the fruit of orchids) is grown in Madagascar than anywhere else on the planet, but there is growth in sustainably designed and managed vanilla plantations that can actually support lemurs and connect fragmented natural habitats, largely through work with World Wildlife Fund. Photos have always made it clear that they are social and live in groups (tribes), but it was interesting to learn about their female dominant social structure. Another iconic image is of ring-tailed troops traveling with their tails raised in the air, like flags, to keep group members together. And then you see photos of them sitting upright on their haunches, spread-eagle, and resting their forearms on their knees, exposing their undersides to direct sunlight, maximizing the exposure of their less densely covered underside to the sun, warming them up before they forage.
You might enjoy visiting https://lemur.duke.edu the home page of the Duke Lemur Center founded in 1966 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, a world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs – Earth’s most threatened group of mammals.
Food sovereignty is a justice issue and a public health issue. Modern food systems (called by some "the global food industrial complex") are focused on food as business, which makes choosing for for healthful sustenance difficult and - for some - impossible. While this disproportionately - by far - impacts communities of color and First Peoples tribes, it often seems impossible to a middle class family squarely in white privilege. Modern food systems destroy people's opportunity to choose their own diet and shape their own food system. The new modern food system is trending toward back-to-local, allowing people's relationship to food to return to a reflection of values and culture. It isn't a giant leap backward, it is learning from the past to move forward in a much better way. It's all about sustainability over time.
