Tina Summers

KEEN

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,155 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

13

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

120

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

120

miles

traveled by foot
UP TO

126

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

30

single-use bags

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

663

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

90

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning

Tina's actions

Action Track: Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 3 hours in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Consume only Needs vs Wants

The more stuff we consume, the more greenhouse gasses we put into the atmosphere. I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach this month and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Land + Forests

Forest-Friendly Foods

I will look for sustainable palm oil products with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSP) label. I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation and opt for ones that help sustain healthy communities and forests.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Community

Join a Cleanup Effort

I will organize or participate in a trash pickup at a local river, beach, or natural body of water.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

Zero Waste Day

The impacts of our waste are far reaching. I will create zero waste for an entire day and share my reflections and learnings on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land + Forests

Explore My Area

When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 60 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Use Muscle Power

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 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Beauty and Personal Products

Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 30 minutes learning about the beauty and body products I use to see if they are refillable or recyclable. If not, I will reach out to the manufacturer to advocate for those options.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Use Reusable Bags

Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals and can end up in habitats that harm wildlife. I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate + Air

Weekly Meal Planning

One third of all food produced worldwide is wasted, and so is the energy it takes to produce and transport that food. I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need and eating what I planned each day.

COMPLETED 30
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
Land + Forests Zero Waste Day

What was hard about having a Zero Waste Day? What did you learn about yourself and your habits?

Tina Summers 4/30/2024 8:34 AM

I knew this one was really going to be a challenge (which is why I did it on almost the last day!) The only waste I had during the day was a poo bag from when I took my dog on a walk - but I'm not sure how I could have avoided that.
When I was doing this, I did really take stock of all the single-use plastics I have in my household...esp fruits, nuts, veggies, etc. So, I'm going to seek out a good place to start buying those in bulk and will take my own containers when I do so.

Read More
- Lizzie Cox 4/30/2024 9:43 AM
  
  impressive! when I did my zero waste day single use plastics in my food was the biggest area I had as well. Bulk buying seems like a great idea!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate + Air Consume only Needs vs Wants

Consuming only what we need vs. what we want can be really hard to do. What has been challenging about committing to this action for a month? What have you learned about yourself? Will you change any habits going forward?

Tina Summers 4/29/2024 3:05 PM

I had actually tried to do this back in February and was incredibly unsuccessful (like, purchased a rice maker on day 2 of the month level of unsuccessful-ness! :) ) I think having the accountability of coming here and checking off that I didn't buy anything I didn't need made a difference. Continuing to do this all the time feels like it may be a little difficult. I often feel the need to buy things to support local businesses, but I think if I strategically plan out weeks or months out of the year that I want to adhere to this philosophy, I should be able to do it but also find a way to support small businesses near me.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate + Air Weekly Meal Planning

How did it feel to plan out your meals and stick to them in an effort to reduce food waste?

Tina Summers 4/29/2024 2:57 PM

I really enjoyed this challenge and it benefited both myself and my husband to get more variety in our weekly meals. I had pre-ordered a cookbook that showed up at the beginning of the month, called "Plant You: Scrappy Cooking". It focuses on minimizing food waste & using your 'scraps' to make some really great meals / sauces / snacks. Highly recommend this (or her other cookbook, "Plant You")!

Read More
Tina Summers 4/26/2024 8:50 PM

I didn't sign up for the 'picking up trash' action this time, but it did inspire me to sign up with Adopt One Block & I should be getting my supplies soon...now we can both start picking up trash on our nightly dog walks :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Community Volunteer in my Community

How does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?

Tina Summers 4/26/2024 8:31 PM

For me, I love volunteering to do things in local areas that I visit or see regularly. It feels good to go past a park where I've volunteered doing plantings and see how things grow - it creates a connection for me that really makes the experience even more rewarding.

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Tina Summers 4/26/2024 8:27 PM

I normally wfh, but went into the office a few days this week & rode my bike in each of those days. It was nice to get back in the habit of bike commuting & I forgot how it's really not all that bad to ride in the rain when I have rain gear on (and it always feels great when I ride past all the cars stuck in traffic :) )

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Tina Summers 4/26/2024 8:15 PM

Almost through the month and I've used less than 1/4 of a tank of gas! I don't feel like I typically drive too much, but I've been good about walking or riding my bike to run quick errands this month and I think that's really made a difference.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife Beauty and Personal Products

What new insights did you gain about the skincare products you use? Did you reach out to advocate for refillable or recyclable packaging?

Tina Summers 4/26/2024 8:06 PM

I've known that Kiehl's accepts their containers back at the store for recycling & I've been taking those in for years (they give you rewards for bringing in a certain number of containers.) I did not know, (or had not noticed), that they also sell their products in bags that can be used to refill their your containers - I asked about the products I use & some of them come in the refillable pouches & contain 3x's the quantity of one container that I would normally buy & use 61% less plastic than the individual containers. I'll definitely be going with the larger pouches the next time I need to buy more products.

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- Jem Lagao 4/26/2024 8:14 PM
  
  This is great. Thanks for sharing!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land + Forests Explore My Area

Where did you go for your walk or hike in nature? What were the benefits of doing so?

Tina Summers 4/20/2024 4:03 PM

I finally visited the Japanese Gardens in Washington Park. We purchased a membership to support the park, but we get the bonus of being able to visit before the park is open for regular hours. It was incredibly peaceful and just a really beautiful place to start the morning. I'm really looking forward to go back during the different seasons to see how the park changes.

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- Kristina Franklin 4/22/2024 6:46 AM
  
  Beautiful! I didn't know about the advantage of membership to be able to go early. It's such a beautiful place and there are new discoveries every time.
  
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- Katie Chinn 4/20/2024 4:10 PM
  
  Looks like a beautiful place! Kudos on your membership!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate + Air Use Muscle Power

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

Tina Summers 4/17/2024 3:25 PM

I tend to notice a lot more when I take a walk to run an errand since I'm able to look around so much more. I notice new shops or places to eat that have popped up & I'm able to stop and have a conversation with a neighbor if I see them instead of just giving a quick wave. It's similar when I ride my bike around, but I do have to be more focused to avoid obstacles (glass, cars, potholes, etc), but I am still able to notice more when I'm cycling compared to when I drive...just not as much when I'm walking.

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