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October 11 - October 25, 2017
Beth Beek Blackford's avatar

Beth Beek Blackford

For The Better

"Clean my own doorstep first!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 776 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    300
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    14
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    20
    more servings
    of fruits and vegetables

Beth's actions

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 8 hour(s) in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Sign a Petition

I will sign a petition in support of an environmental or social initiative in my state.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day for two weeks that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Express My Support

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share My Actions

I will make my environmental actions visible with a lawn sign or bumper sticker, or by posting to my social media networks.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Take Control

I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Insulate Water Pipes and Water Heater

I will avoid wasting water while waiting for the shower or sink to heat up.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

I will exercise daily for 30 minute(s) per day for two weeks.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 2 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Eat Meatless Meals

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) per day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Tend a Garden

I will tend to a garden each day, or work on starting one.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk each day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Replace Manual Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with programmable ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Reduce Unwanted Mail

I will reduce the amount of unwanted mail I receive (catalogs, phone books, etc.).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Lobby for Reusables

I will lobby my workplace to have reusable dishes and silverware in order to minimize disposables.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Disable Screen Savers

I will disable screen savers and will put the computer to sleep instead, saving up to 28% more energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Avoid Disposables

I will not use any disposable plates, cups, or utensils.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and subscriptions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed


  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/25/2017 7:27 PM
    I want to explore the "Other" category of challenges for next year, and be prepared with my own unique challenges that push me in the direction I want to go.
    I'm also in search of an app or program to transition to tomorrow, so I can keep going.  Super Better comes to mind.  Any suggestions out there??

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/24/2017 6:04 PM
    Meatless meals went out the window with the first whiff of Singh's Roti Shop's boneless chicken roti, with tamarind sauce.  So worth it!  But tomorrow's breakfast will be a meatless channa double with slight peppa' and an egg over easy.  And I'll be dreaming of Trinidad again.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/23/2017 5:22 PM
    There is no way I'm going to start or sign 14 petitions in support of environmental or social initiatives in my state.  First of all, imagine the onslaught of e-mail junk that's going to generate! Second, I don't know if there ARE 14 petitions I'd be willing to sign.  I think this challenge needs to be rethunk.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/22/2017 3:45 PM
    Teammates, while I haven't exercised every day either, I HAVE built a new pattern that even my cat picked up on, and I DID exercise at the same time each morning on most days.  I call that a success!

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/14/2017 7:52 PM
    Saturday, Day 4: It was challenging to fit in my personal food & health goals today, but I did it unexpectedly by exploring 6 backyards and a park during the annual Florida Native Plant Society-Conradina Chapter's native landscape tour! I love seeing how other people use native plants to eliminate watering, fertilizing, & mowing their yards, while providing food sources & nurseries to bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. My goal is to be on the tour one year and present a manicured, well-kept landscape that looks traditional... until guests look closer!

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/13/2017 2:23 PM
    DAY 3: Today I spent some time researching this Challenge more fully & now realize what a powerful tool it can be! I'll be better prepared to tackle something really tough for next year's Challenge.
    For today, I'm very satisfied to have eaten 2 meatless meals, worked out for 40+ minutes, saved water, invited a couple more teammates to join us, and taken advantage of the great tool the VA has online (My HealtheVet) to follow up on my annual physical and outline a plan to achieve my best health with my primary care manager & nurse.  It's amazing what expressing a little gratitude will do for one's sense of perspective, too.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/12/2017 5:26 PM
    My new cruiser bicycle arrives this weekend, and I can hardly wait to take my morning coffee for a ride.
    Kellet the Cat might have to come too.

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/12/2017 5:00 PM
    I need some suggestions for what else I can do with the cold water I saved from my 3-5 minute shower and dishwashing.
    So far, I've saved it in a bucket for flushing the toilet (when it isn't "mellowing").  Anybody?

    • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
      Beth Beek Blackford 10/12/2017 5:25 PM
      Good suggestion, Dr. R.  I should have clarified:  highest use for clean, potable, COLD water.  Other gray water I feed to the (native) plants around tree bases, where it's a bit drier.

    • Dr. Rutherford's avatar
      Dr. Rutherford 10/12/2017 5:03 PM
      Could you use the shower water to wash your car? Too gross? I mean, it could be cool if your car smelled like shampoo...

  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/12/2017 4:56 PM
    Do I get extra points for exercising OVER 30 minutes?!

    • Chris Kane's avatar
      Chris Kane 10/13/2017 3:32 PM
      nope - you get my undying gratitude :-)
      and a healthier body as an added bonus


  • Beth Beek Blackford's avatar
    Beth Beek Blackford 10/12/2017 4:55 PM
    This is great - having 2 meatless meals today makes the scale change, too!