October 6 - October 27, 2021

Jojo Nguyen

"Starting a better life at home will lead me to help making the community more informed about sustainability and our climate crisis."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
723 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

270

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

738

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

738

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

124

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

82

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

45

whole food meals

consumed

Jojo's actions

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

Do at Home

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Happiness

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Create your Community Champion Portal profile

Create your profile with four simple steps 1. Download the "Benevity" app from the app store 2. Open the app 3. Add Starbucks as the group so it reads "starbucks.benevity.org" 4. Finish log-in with your Starbucks single sign on

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

Do at Home

I will watch 3 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

Food

Whole Foods Diet

Do at Home

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Spend Time Outside

Do at Home

I will replace 10 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 7 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 22
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
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

Jojo Nguyen 10/24/2021 6:04 PM

Sometimes the barriers would be how I forget my reusable bottle/cup in a rush or if I run out of water but there's nowhere I can safely refill it. My attempt to make carrying reusable containers a habit is currently to prep it as early as possible to grab & go. I also try to learn more about water filtration, safety, and quality.

Read More
Jojo Nguyen 10/23/2021 12:16 PM

This challenge is very nice and I hope to incorporate these new habits/tasks into my daily life even after it's over. Kind of sad that some eateries/bakeries/restaurants are unable accept my own cup/containers due to COVID restrictions and food safety so I had to use some boxes and disposable cups. Thank goodness for recycling. I hope one day our country USA will be more conscious and strict with separating/sorting types of trash and recyclables like in South Korea and Japan. I am more than willing to spend some time to sort the trash if it means we will have less waste in landfills.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Try a New Way to Prep

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. Just make sure to follow the canning and pickling guidelines from the USDA or another trusted source. What are some foods that you would like to preserve and enjoy later in the year?

Jojo Nguyen 10/23/2021 12:06 PM

I didn't realize that chili peppers can grow in massive amounts. There are at least 5 varieties that we grew this year. Some will be pickled, frozen, and made into spicy sauce/paste known popularly as Sambal Oelek. There is also lemongrass and we have some chopped and some minced for seasoning food over the winter until next summer. I'm quite pleased with learning how to garden and saving these seasonal foods.

Read More
Jojo Nguyen 10/17/2021 5:56 PM

Almost forgot to eat today, so I ended up only having one meal but it was vegan and made from scratch. I'm struggling with cutting out sugar and salt but I did minimize the amount.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Whole Foods Diet

Michael Pollan states that “it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor.” What are your thoughts on this assertion?

Jojo Nguyen 10/17/2021 5:41 PM

As much as I appreciate my doctors, they really are expensive and insurance really take a good chunk out of the paycheck. I have been developing more food allergies and reactions over the years. Strangely, there are some items that don't trigger me if I make it from scratch, grow it naturally in the garden, or even buy from the farmers market/organic section of the grocery market. So yeah, I will have to shell out extra money but it is still cheaper than an EpiPen and/or visit to the hospital.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Create your Community Champion Portal profile

Have you requested a Starbucks match of your donations to non-profits? Share what groups you're passionate about.

Jojo Nguyen 10/16/2021 10:12 AM

Ocean Conservancy is one of my top choices because I really hope people will save our planet in general with oceans being the largest mass and most endangered portion of this world. The other group I am passionate about is the Starbucks Pan-Asian Partner Network with Tzu Chi Foundation's food pantry. I grew up in the Chinatown neighborhood and it's important to give back to the community.

Read More
Jojo Nguyen 10/16/2021 10:03 AM

I am now taking much longer time to decide at the restaurants and grocery stores now that I'm consciously aware of how much sugar content there are and how processed food can be. There are somethings I can't give up just yet, especially certain snacks and desserts. My meals are definitely low in sugar and more whole food/plant-based now. It's a struggle but I feel better physically and mentally with making educated choices. With the holidays season approaching, I am adding to my wish list reusables and cooking classes instead of other items.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste 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 or aren't allowed to use the one you brought? 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?

Jojo Nguyen 10/14/2021 5:35 PM

Lately, I carry a bigger purse or a backpack around with me. I usually try to bring one or two reusable shopping bags inside it too. The cars are also packed with reusable bags and collapsible crates. If I did not buy too many items, then I will carry out with my hands until can place them into my purse/backpack; or leave them in the shopping cart until I reach the car.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste 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 or aren't allowed to use the one you brought? 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?

Jojo Nguyen 10/14/2021 5:35 PM

Lately, I carry a bigger purse or a backpack around with me. I usually try to bring one or two reusable shopping bags inside it too. The cars are also packed with reusable bags and collapsible crates. If I did not buy too many items, then I will carry out with my hands until can place them into my purse/backpack; or leave them in the shopping cart until I reach the car.

Read More