October 6 - October 27, 2021

Isha Larson

"My mission is to be a better healthier me, while also learning about what is being done and can be done to create a sustainable society. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,077 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

4.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

763

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

705

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

214

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1,753

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Isha's actions

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

Do at Home

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Do at Home

I will spend 31 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Choose a Carbon Offset

If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Online Energy Audit

Do at Home

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Power Saving Settings

Do at Home

I will learn about and update the power saving settings on my computer to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household

Do at Home

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Engage In Active Listening

Do at Home

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 3 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

Do at Home

I will spend 120 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

Do at Home

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about systemic racism.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Research Restorative Justice

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minutes learning about restorative justice and conflict resolution opportunities in my own community or state.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Express My Support

Do at Home

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

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Do Nature Activities

Do at Home

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 15 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Get Involved in the Water Justice Movement

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minutes using the resources provided to learn about water justice and find out how I can get involved in local initiatives.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Calculate My Water Footprint

Do at Home

I will calculate my Water Footprint to learn about my tap water use and "virtual water" use.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Practice Mindfulness

Do at Home

I will spend 10 minute(s) per day practicing Mindfulness.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Research My Investment Portfolio

Do at Home

I will find out what stocks and bonds are in my investment account portfolio to determine if they align with my values (e.g. environmental, social responsibility, community).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Research Impact Investing

Do at Home

Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing and determine if it is right for me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Core Values

Do at Home

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

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?

Isha Larson 10/27/2021 9:31 PM

This has been a great experience! It has pushed me to learn more about the issues in my community and what I can do to make a difference. It also has made me more aware of the changes that I can take in my life to improve.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Practice Mindfulness

What best helped you with your Mindfulness Practice? How does Mindfulness keep you grounded and sustain your work with compassion?

Isha Larson 10/27/2021 9:25 PM

I decided to practice mindfulness with mindful eating and body scans. Taking this time allowed me to be more aware of myself and take time to appreciate the moment. The body scans do wonders when I am having trouble sleeping.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Engage In Active Listening

What was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation(s) benefit from active listening?

Isha Larson 10/27/2021 9:22 PM

Active listening is something that I need to continue to work on. The conversations in which I was more mindful about this were greatly beneficial to both myself and the person. The other person expressed that they appreciated the conversation and felt better afterwards. It also helped me to put things into perspective for myself.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Core Values

What are your top 3-5 core values? How did you narrow it down to those as being your core values?

Isha Larson 10/25/2021 9:51 PM

My top values are: (1) Balance, (2) Respect, (3) Communication/Connection, (4) Kindness & Generosity, and (5) Learning.

It was hard to narrow it down, I changed my last 3 and there order a couple times. There are things that can wrap up into my values. For example, I value my health but see that as fitting under balance.

I enjoyed this exercise 🙂

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Personal Waste Audit

Why is it often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places?

Isha Larson 10/24/2021 9:42 PM

We rarely see what happens to what we purchase beyond buying it off the shelves and then disposing of it when it is no longer of use to us. Therefore, it is hard to comprehend the resources and labour that goes into producing goods and then tossing them out as waste and the impact that this then have on our environment.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

What did you learn about racial injustice in the documentary(ies) you watched? How does what you learned connect to your understanding of sustainability?

Isha Larson 10/23/2021 9:33 PM

I learnt that we have to acknowledge the wrong doings of the past and how they have shaped the present day. The documentaries that I watched were based in the USA, but they are relevant issues that all people should be aware of. They also elicit thoughts of the racial injustices that exist in Canada.

It is important to keep in mind that documentaries do not have all the facts. They are surface level media that people should view to get a general sense of an issue. It is important to look to books, the news, peer reviewed studies, testimonials and conversation with others to truly learn the issues.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Research Restorative Justice

How can Restorative Justice help foster the well-being of both people and planet?

Isha Larson 10/22/2021 12:40 PM

Restorative Justice opens the door for dialogue, understanding, apologies, and forgiveness. It helps to bring people and communities together to work through a process of healing so people can go forward with their lives without the past weighing down on them down. Restorative Justice is proven to decrease the number of people who re offend, which helps to alleviate the the justice and social systems.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Learn About Constructive Communication

How can you, your loved ones, the community, and environment all benefit from constructive communication?

Isha Larson 10/19/2021 12:03 PM

I wish that I have known more and better understood constructive/compassionate communication before now. It would have greatly helped me in past situations. I am not always the best listener, but it is something that I am working on. The video from Thich Nhat Hanh, though short, was impactful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUxYflkhzo (there we longer videos available on YouTube on this topic that were also really good)

Constructive communication allows for people to meaningfully portray their thoughts and feelings in a non-combative environment. We are often too quick to give our opinions and turn a conversation into a debate. Rather, we should listen, reflect, and then return to the conversation with our thoughts. This would result in more productive conversation and implement movement towards resolutions and impactful change.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?

Isha Larson 10/17/2021 9:50 PM

Walks in and around nature helps to calm my mind and remove me from the hustle and bustle of my life for a while. Afterward I feel recharged and refreshed.

It gives me appreciation of the landscape that surrounds me and make me grateful for where I live.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?

Isha Larson 10/16/2021 8:02 PM

After calculating the carbon calculator of our household there are obvious measures that we can take:
1. Consume less meat.
2. Use public transit, walk, or bike.
3. Pay carbon offsets for flights and monthly carbon use at home.

Read More