Mary Peterson Bennett

MetroVan Unitarians

"I want to create community connections while building environmental awareness."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
395 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

3.1

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

150

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

18

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

443

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

14

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

153

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

6.4

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

27

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Mary's actions

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

Do at Home

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Advocate for More Food Options

Do at Home

Access to affordable, nutritious food is a food justice issue. I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work, on campus and/or in the spaces I frequent.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Organize a Course

Do at Home

I will organize one of Ecochallenge.org's discussion courses, such as 'Reconnecting with Earth', with my family, friends, coworkers, or classmates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

Do at Home

I will watch 1 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

Reduce Animal Products

Do at Home

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

Do at Home

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 120 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

Do at Home

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Organize a Course

Do at Home

I will organize one of Ecochallenge.org's discussion courses on food sustainability, Menu for the Future or Hungry for Change, with my family, friends, coworkers, or classmates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Mary Peterson Bennett 10/21/2021 8:55 AM
I joined ecochallenge because of Teresa, and because I like teamwork. I mainly chose food and being outdoors as they're things I'm working on anyways and seem to enhance my life especially during covid. I make most food from scratch (not much in the way of prepackaged, processed food) but even so it's made me aware of how hard it is to cook a zero-waste meal. I've started "interpreting" that to mean if I didn't buy NEW bread in a plastic bag, using the bread that came in a bag was OK. I literally got a free 20 lb turkey from my Buy Nothing Group (in plastic) and 4 ciabatta buns (in plastic). I decided to give myself "zero waste" points for those, as both might have wound up in the landfill otherwise.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

Kathleen Dean Moore says that a sense of gratitude leads to a sense of moral obligation. Do you agree? How can we cultivate a sense of gratitude as individuals, and as a society?
Mary Peterson Bennett 10/21/2021 8:51 AM
Having this goal has made me more mindful when I'm out. Even when I'm just walking to the grocery store or library, I can feel gratitude--if I remember to!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for using every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable (including the skins, tops, stalks, etc.) during your next meal prep?
Mary Peterson Bennett 10/13/2021 9:08 AM
This zero-waste cooking goal is a challenge for me. I don't want to cheat, but... well I got a 20-lb turkey wrapped in plastic (I'll recycle) do the subsequent leftover meals count as zero-waste or once any ingredient came wrapped in plastic whether recycled or not elimiate the whole meal. Anyhow I'm doing a ton of gifting of turkey leftovers including bone broth so I'm a good person.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How can you use Ecochallenge.org's programs to help mobilize your community to take action toward a sustainable future?
Mary Peterson Bennett 10/11/2021 9:25 AM
I'd love to get interest in my housing co-op but some people are HIGHLY resistant to any efforts I make. I'll try to work one-on-one with the new families to see what can happen there. e.g. offering to take recyclables to London Drugs.

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Mary Peterson Bennett 10/09/2021 1:56 PM
I'm learning it's harder to do a zero waste meal than I imagined.

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