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Rachel Ferm's avatar

Rachel Ferm

Seattle Aquarium

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 680 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    240
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    300
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    12
    pounds
    waste composted

Rachel's actions

Food

Meet My Local Farmers

I will visit my nearest Puget Sound farm to learn about locally produced food and the quality of life of all involved in producing it to make better choices for Puget Sound when I shop.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Leave No Trace

I will practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends to minimize my downstream impact in my watershed.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to landfills per day by composting my food, which reduces my climate footprint ultimately helping salmon and orcas.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases further reducing plastics that may enter Puget Sound and/or the Pacific Ocean.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers to minimize my water footprint, as in many watersheds, a drop for me is one less for salmon, which then warms streams or impairs salmon streamflows.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 30 minutes learning how Washington’s Indigenous Communities are working to support Orca health, and what I can do to support them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Do Nature Activities

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 30 minute(s) each day to connect with the shared ecosystem in which I live and rely on. (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 10
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
    Nature Leave No Trace
    Educator Stephanie Kaza advises her students to focus on what they care about most when addressing the enormity of ecological problems. Is there a specific area you feel particularly called to work on?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/13/2020 5:14 PM
    I care about people accepting nature as it is--rather than feeling the need to improve on it or "conquer" it. 

    • Marta Burnet's avatar
      Marta Burnet 10/14/2020 4:24 PM
      I find participating in clean ups very satisfying. I have figured out a route to walk with neighborhood trash cans and bring my garbage grabber, gloves and repurpose non-recyclable food bags into garbage bags (for those I haven't been able to eliminate) so at least they serve a second purpose.
  • 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? 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?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/13/2020 5:13 PM
    I try to remember to always have a bag in my pocket, car, or purse. And my purse is bigger than necessary so I can use it for smaller items when I purchase them.

  • Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/13/2020 5:11 PM
    It was too stormy to get outside safely today. Trying to compensate by reading a new book about orcas to my toddler.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Support Native Communities
    Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, “most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation.” Why is balance important to sustainability?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/12/2020 3:43 PM
    I have been learning about how the Lummi tribe thinks of the Southern Residents. They have experienced a lot of similar tribulations.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water 5-Minute Showers
    Five minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/12/2020 3:41 PM
    It's really easy to save water with a shorter shower!

  • Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/12/2020 3:40 PM
    During the recent stormy weather, I thought about the orcas and imagined what it must feel like in the Salish Sea in this weather.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Compost Food Waste
    New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/12/2020 3:38 PM
    We generate a lot of compostable food waste during this season with all the pear and apple cores.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Do Nature Activities
    What did you observe while spending time outside -- through sight, sound, smell and touch?

    Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/12/2020 3:37 PM
    I took my toddler to see local seals, and we went on a hike nearby. We gently examined the wet, green moss and listened to the birds.

  • Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/11/2020 3:03 PM
    We carpooled into town and combined errands today to save gas.

  • Rachel Ferm's avatar
    Rachel Ferm 10/11/2020 3:03 PM
    We carpooled into town and combined errands today to save gas.