"My mission this month is to learn how to be a better partner to the Earth and what I can do on a daily basis to make it a better place for future generations."
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
575
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
21
meatless or vegan meals
consumed
UP TO
1.0
energy audit
conducted
UP TO
557
pounds of CO2
have been saved
UP TO
1.0
carbon footprint
calculated
UP TO
3.3
pounds of paper
have been saved
UP TO
115
minutes
spent exercising
UP TO
3.0
educational videos
watched
UP TO
85
minutes
spent learning
Allison's actions
Electricity
NW Natural Energy Team and Strategic Energy Management
Did you know that NW Natural has our own Energy Team? Check out the Strategic Energy Management (SEM) page on the Hub and provide one energy saving suggestion in the reflection question section of this action. Sustainability and Equity Engagement Committee (SEEC) (nwnatural.com)
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Health and Education
Annual Preventive Care
Did you know your insurance covers preventive care 100%? The My Care Checklist tool in Virgin Pulse provides a personalized breakdown of recommended preventive care. It also allows you to keep track of your health care history to stay up to date with your preventive care.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
NW Natural Be the Change Challenge
Check out the Indigenous People Be The Change Challenge on Virgin Pulse. Using the link below, find out what tribal land your home is located on.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
Learn about your Electricity System
Do you know where your electricity comes from? Electricity comes from a variety of sources: coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, solar, etc. Look at your state’s department of energy website to see where your energy comes from.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
Clean Hydrogen
Hydrogen is getting a lot of attention lately at the state and federal level as a decarbonization tool. Learn how clean hydrogen plays a role in NW Natural’s long-term plans for decarbonization.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)
RNG projects capture methane from existing food waste, animal manure, wastewater sludge and garbage, and redirect it away from the environment, repurposing it as a clean, green energy source. Learn about RNG and how it can contribute to a low-carbon energy future.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
Energy Efficiency Tips for Home
Simple energy efficiency upgrades and actions can reduce energy consumption, reduce emissions, and save on your utility bills. Explore easy ways to save energy around your home and receive incentives for energy efficiency upgrades to your residential equipment.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
NW Natural’s Energy System
Learn about the importance of our system, how we balance the electric system, and how we are evolving to serve our customers an increasingly decarbonized product. Review the “Facts and Analysis About Our Energy System” pamphlet to learn about what we provide customers and debunk some of the misconceptions about our energy system in Oregon and Washington.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Smart Seafood Choices
Ocean Farming
I will visit seafoodwatch.org and download the app to commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
COMPLETED
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Industry
Go Paperless
Recycled Paper
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions, and opting out of junk mail.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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 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 14
DAILY ACTIONS
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS
Buildings
Online Energy Audit
Multiple Solutions
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
Land Sinks
Forest-Friendly Foods 1
Tropical Forest Restoration
I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Transportation
Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle
Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars
I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Health and Education
Watch Drawdown's Climate Solutions 101 Series
Family Planning and Education
I will watch Drawdown’s Climate Solutions 101 and share what I learned with others.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Land Sinks
Research Peatlands
Peatland Protection and Rewetting
I will spend 5 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Industry
Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion
Multiple Industry Solutions
I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin practicing it in my own life.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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 6
DAILY ACTIONS
Transportation
Purchase a Carbon Offset
Efficient Aviation
If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Participant Feed
REFLECTION
QUESTION
Transportation
A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2—per person. That’s a lot of carbon! What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?
Thrift shops, consignment stores, garage sales these are all great places to buy used clothing and then upcycle them to make them yours. I love to sew costumes and a lot of times I will go to thrift shops and buy used sheets, curtains or comforters to use for the fabric for my costumes.
Storing food properly. I don't know how often I go to the grocery store and buy food only to have it go bad before I use it. Not only is it a waste of food but it's a waste of money.
Project Drawdown recently released a new analysis ranking the top 20 high-impact climate actions households can take to cut their carbon footprint by up to 25 percent. Do you know what the number one action is? Reducing food waste! Every year, a full third of the food produced on this planet is wasted. That amounts to some 1 billion tons. And when it decays, all the food that doesn’t make it to our tables – or does, then gets thrown out – generates about 8 percent of the world’s heat-trapping gases. That’s more than double the impact of all the flights in the world; and it’s lost calories and wasted money, too.
I tend to take a walk in the neighborhood I live in. It has given me the chance to meet some of my neighbors that I have not met or that are new to the area and to see some really amazing yards!
Much of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?
Easier said than done in my experience. It is in almost every baked ingredient, then there is personal care items. Well worth the effort to look at tiny print and forego. Rainforest Action Network is GREAT in this work!
That everything is connected to climate change. Not just what you think like air and water but our security and economy are all impacted by climate change.
I spent a lot of time looking at the companies that are rain forest friendly and I am going to try to purchase more of those especially when it comes to buying coffee.
Family! Spending time with them is always more important than the stuff in my life. I will take a camping trip at the beach with my kids over a new outfit or a pair of shoes anyday.