Puget Sound Conservation Districts

Orca Recovery Day

October 5 - November 5, 2020

Colin Long

Whatcom Conservation District

"To educate the youth of Whatcom County on the importance of salmon and orca alike, for a better future. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
918 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

84

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

28

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

710

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

2.0

community events

hosted or attended
UP TO

81

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

28

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill

Colin's actions

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate, so long term, it stays out of the Puget Sound and/or the Pacific Ocean.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream, and downstream in Puget Sound and/or the Pacific Ocean, by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 28
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 28
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Skip the Straw

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our Puget Sound and/or Pacific Ocean waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill per day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to landfills by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY 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

Education

Share my connection with Orcas through art

I will make a piece of art that connects my life to the life of Orcas and Salmon, and share it on social media.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Participate in Orca Trivia Night

Get your trivia on! In partnership with Northwest Straits Foundation, Whidbey Island Conservation District is holding a trivia night themed all things Orca, Salmon, and Marine Habitat. Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7pm.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Educate my family or friends

Spend 60 minutes educating my family/friends about Southern Resident Orca Whales and their endangered food supply.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Donate to Environmental Education organizations

I will research and donate to an organization providing environmental education to underserved audiences in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Learn about my watershed

I will spend 500 minutesIdentifying what sub-basin I live in and learning about my watershed's water quality, fish habitat problems, and options for volunteering.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Join the Orca Forum to learn from local researchers

Learn about orca research taking place in the Puget Sound in this workshop put on by Whidbey Island CD in partnership with Northwest Straits Foundation and County Marine Resource Committees. Wednesday, Oct. 14 5:30-7pm

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Help educate young people

Identify, lead and host simple environmental education activities, that help the Puget Sound and/or Pacific Ocean, for 3 young people I know.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education

Support local schools with Orca resources

Share with my child(s) teacher or my neighborhood school pre-prepared curriculum resources about the plight of our Orcas and the healthy watersheds they depend on, for remote learning

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?

Colin Long 11/05/2020 4:33 PM

Today is my birthday and I'm asking everyone involved in this awesome challenge to go a step further and encourage your friends and family to take on the pledge to reduce single use plastics and clean up our water ways! Plant a tree, compost your non-meat and non-dairy foods, and eat local! Visit n-sea.org for information on how you can sign up for local micro work parties to get more engaged with stewardship and restoration efforts!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

Colin Long 10/09/2020 4:51 PM

I appreciate the acknowledgment that in certain parts of the world where access to clean water is not available, water bottles are necessary. We are lucky to have some of the cleanest water in the world where we live on the west coast. I see things like plastic as a double edged sword, it's a problem and a solution. For instance, while using single use water bottles regularly is obviously not acceptable, using a reusable Nalgene water bottle is something I've been doing since I was 14. I have only gone through about 10 of them in the 10 years since then, and on top of reducing waste, having a nalgene at my side helps me remember to stay hydrated.

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Colin Long 10/08/2020 1:35 PM

Currently working on a quick promotional video for this project and the WCD team!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Mug

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reusable one, but it's just hard to make the switch. What stands in your way of making this a habit? By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:18 AM

I actually successfully made this switch last year, but it was mostly a result of moving away from a place where there were coffee shops near me and needing to save money. I use a chrome plated french press and mason jars for my coffee. If everyone did this, we would save so much waste.

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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?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:16 AM

I have a jansport backpack from the 70's, why would I use anything else? Sure, people look at me funny at the grocery store, but why would I care about that? I've noticed recently that grocery store clerks have been giving people plastic bags as well as putting less items into more bags.... WHY?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Skip the Straw

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:14 AM

I like to make sure that myself and my room mates are not consuming too many recyclable items or single use items by using mason jars and not taking straws when I don't need them. My mouth is perfectly adapted to not need a straw.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

In what ways does your community practice food sovereignty and what would happen if you could not access those foods?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:13 AM

I watched the documentary Artifishal which has a lot to do with salmon hatcheries. It's a great movie. It emphasizes the fact that fish hatcheries in the PNW are not the end all solution that we thought they might be in the early 1900's, and to me, reinforces the notion that we must remove the dams with exception of dams that actually viably produce hydropower.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bringing your own bags and containers to the grocery store, and even to restaurants for leftovers, are a couple of ways to reduce your waste. What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:11 AM

I despise single use plastics. I use a metal safety razor and several other items that are long lasting if you take care of them. I love the idea that you can buy something for life.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Meet My Local Farmers

When you know who produces your food, you are connecting personally to your complex regional food system. What are the advantages of knowing who produces your food and where it comes from? Do you think this might enable someone to advocate for a better quality of life for those who produce their food, both near and far?

Colin Long 9/25/2020 10:09 AM

I love to eat the beans, carrots, apples, and plums that grow on my own property as well as the arugula and raspberries that I have been cultivating. This gives me a real sense of pride and a good sense of stewardship. I think that this has definitely taught me that people who produce food for others work very hard and deserve to be compensated as such.

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