Alissa Aparicio

SEEDS Ecology & Education Centers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
617 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

51

conversations

with people
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

30

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

30

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

23

pounds

waste composted

Alissa's actions

Forests

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area while following CDC guidelines for social distancing.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

People

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 10 piece(s) of litter each day while following the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Support Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 60 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Use Reusable Bags

Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals. If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 0
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

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 Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?

Alissa Aparicio 4/30/2020 7:20 PM

In previous challenges, I found myself forgetting all about reusable bags. I made it a habit of folding them and returning them directly to my car. That way when I got to the grocery store they were right there when I needed them!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place?

Alissa Aparicio 4/30/2020 7:18 PM

It is very grounding to connect with nature. There is a sense of belonging when you explore the area around you.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Connect While Social Distancing

How does connecting with others help your own mental and emotional health? How can it help support others?

Alissa Aparicio 4/30/2020 7:16 PM

I have found myself connecting more with those people that are most important to me. I feel more energized after a great video chat. It helps greatly to check on those who are social distancing alone. It is not so much fun to talk to yourself all the time! =)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
People Keep My Community Clean

How does the act of picking up litter connect you more to your community?

Alissa Aparicio 4/20/2020 10:10 AM

I am saving another human being the disgust of finding trash on a lovely forest trail. I want to enjoy my walks just as much as the next person, so my little part brings joy for others. =)

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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?

Alissa Aparicio 4/20/2020 10:08 AM

Where I live the water table is closer to the surface and I have an older shallow well. Everything I use on my garden & lawn could have a harmful affect on my water and others living near. We also live in the Manistee River Watershed. Springs come out of the ground behind our home, travel and connect with other springs and empty into the Manistee River.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Support Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Alissa Aparicio 4/08/2020 9:07 AM

Pollinators help keep our ecosystem stable. They help our food supply by pollinating plants for our survival. The best example is the Bee Movie. All the bees went on strike and plants died. It gives us a glimpse of what could happen should we continue on our path of using chemicals on our crops.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Compost Food Waste

New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?

Alissa Aparicio 4/07/2020 12:15 PM

I do not currently have a compost pile due to living in the woods. What I do is take all food scraps down the hill from my home and deposit in the swamp there. This keeps it out of the land fill and feeds some critters AWAY from home.

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Alissa Aparicio 4/07/2020 12:13 PM

So far so good! With the melting of the snow unearthing things, I have made it a priority to take a bag with me whenever I am in nature. There is so much trash by the roadsides, driveways and other areas that got blown around with the snows. Today's goal is to go along the road, my property and driveway picking up stuff. I might make some money in empties when we can return them! lol

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Alissa Aparicio 4/06/2020 2:51 PM

I finally got on and logged my activities! Yesterday I spent 4 hours hiking the land by my family farm. Along the way we picked up trash. We filled a reusable Meijer shopping bag full of trash along with and old snowboard, some returnables, glass jars, metal, etc. There is more to gather yet! =)

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