Gretchen Mauerman

Mayo Clinic

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
419 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

26

minutes

spent learning

Gretchen's actions

Industry

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling; Recycled Metals; Recycled Plastics

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, including electronics and metals.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Plastics Audit

Reduced Plastics

I will complete a plastics audit to see where plastics show up in my life and determine how I can reduce the use of single-use plastics.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Practice the 5 Rs

Recycling

I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Gretchen Mauerman 10/05/2023 9:56 AM
I would really like to add more Repair to my daily practice...so much of what we purchase is designed to break down and not be replaced. And on top of that, it's rarely recyclable!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How could you incorporate other "Rs" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "Rs" make you feel?
Gretchen Mauerman 10/03/2023 6:48 AM
I try to reuse glass containers as much as I can. I try to reduce the amount of plastic I purchase, but that's difficult since so much is packaged in plastic. I love to repair and repurpose items if I can, but so much is made to be thrown away. I feel happy when I can implement any one of the Rs into my daily life.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What was the hardest item to reduce using or cut out that is plastic? Did you find a way to do it?
Gretchen Mauerman 10/02/2023 8:58 AM
Almost any liquid/semi-liquid that enters the home is contained in plastic. This includes milk, vegetable oil, laundry detergent, vinegar, shampoo/conditioner, cleaning supplies, etc. For many of these products, there is no non-plastic alternative in my town, nor is there a way to buy in bulk to reduce plastic consumption. Could I order online? Probably? But then this would increase carbon footprint. There is no win.

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