Michele Brooks

The Standard - Employees, Family and Friends

"I nurture growth in humans and gardens, leaving the soil better than when I found it."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
630 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

16

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

24

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

3.7

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

7.8

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

187

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

640

minutes

spent outdoors

Michele's actions

Take the Pre-Survey

Take the Pre-Event Survey

I’ll take a short pre-survey to share what motivated me to join — and earn 15 points! (If I already took the survey by email, I’ll just mark this action complete to get my points.)

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

Organic farming practices are healthier and safer for our planet, animals, and people. I will enjoy 2 meals cooked with organic ingredients per day.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Eat Locally-Sourced Meals

I will source 2 meals each day from local producers.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will shop at a farmers market or food co-op to support local farmers and businesses. By doing so, I may be able to learn more about who produces the food I eat and goods I buy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Do a Nature Activity

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 20 minutes each day. (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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plan Meals for the Week

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 2 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Practice Gratitude for the Earth

I will spend 20 minutes per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Share My Why

Take the People's Ecochallenge Feedback Survey

I will take a short survey about my experience to help the Ecochallenge team improve future events, earn a chance to win a prize, and earn 15 points!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Share My Why

I will share my Ecochallenge story and why I'm taking action for the planet — and earn 15 points!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Michele Brooks 10/29/2025 11:01 AM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I'm always looking for ways to lighten my footprint on this planet, so I had hoped to come up with some new ideas. That didn't happen, but I am cheered to learn that I am doing about the best I can at this moment.

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- Mary Hanks 10/29/2025 1:42 PM
  - Pet Parent 🐾
  Kudos to you for already being so conscientious!
  
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Michele Brooks 10/24/2025 10:40 AM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
It's going very well. We've had wonderful weather and it has been great to be able to get out afterwork while it is still light. The quality of light, as the sun sits at much lower angles, is magical. The colors of the changing leaves are highlighted in technicolor, and it is easy to imagine the life of the plants within as they seem to glow in vibrant colors. It's a daily dose of beauty!

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Michele Brooks 10/20/2025 2:12 PM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I love that I know my farmer's names, and they know me. They are doing something very personal for me and it feels right that we should know each other.

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Michele Brooks 10/20/2025 2:11 PM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I"m not entirely certain about how to work this goal, as I am out with my dog between 1/2 hour and an hour every day. But not until after work. So, it feels wrong to say I've spent 20 minutes outside on any work day. However, I'm doing it, so I'm going to say I am!

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Michele Brooks 10/20/2025 2:10 PM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
This past weekend I processed 20lbs of organic chicken necks from Mary's that I bought through the Azure Standard buying club. It took one big Instapot (thanks to my housemate,) a small Instapot, and two crockpots to render them into bone broth. Next I'll skim some of the fat off the tops of the mason jars and freeze them. I'll add bone-broth based protein powder and a bit more gelatin to them and drink them for breakfasts.

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Michele Brooks 10/20/2025 2:07 PM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I can't say enough about shopping at Farmer's Markets, or even going the next step into a Community Sponsored Agriculture (DSA) membership. I've been a member for the last few years and one thing I love is that my prices don't go up over the course of the season. The membership share I pick up every week amounts to about $25 in cost, but I must have brought home 20 lbs of squash last week! Over the course of the season, types and amounts of veggies vary, but we always have all-you-can-eat salad mixes for free. If you are in the Portland area, check out Stoneboat farm. They are in Hillsboro, and you can pick up at the farm, or at the Orenco Station or Hollywood Farmers markets. This week members can get any one of a broad variety of pumpkins at the farm on a donation basis.

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Michele Brooks 10/20/2025 2:03 PM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
It certainly helps to have fruit trees in the backyard! This afternoon I crunched into a juicy delicious and freshly picked apple. It was tart and sweet, and the perfect snack.

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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?
Michele Brooks 10/13/2025 8:39 AM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I think we can cultivate a sense of gratitude by paying attention. The world is miraculous! The universe is mind boggling! To think that we are insignificant drops of water on a tiny drop of water speeding through space puts everything into perspective. We are lucky. It is no wonder mankind makes up superstitions to try to explain it.

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- Jessica Ramos 10/13/2025 9:06 AM
  
  Community Builder 🤝
  Beautiful reflection 🌎✨Gratitude truly begins with awareness — when we pause to appreciate the wonder around us, caring for our planet becomes a natural act. 💚
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four in the US spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where else would you rather invest this money instead of wasting food?
Michele Brooks 10/13/2025 8:36 AM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
To be accurate. I have 3 types of meals planned, a curried squash soup that has at least 12 servings - I'll freeze half of those; and a steak, potato, and salad meal that should give 3 servings. Then there is the goat yogurt and protein powder meal. Everything is organic except the meat and the protein powder. The meat, yogurt, and protein powder are not local.

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- Michele Brooks 10/13/2025 9:03 AM
  
  Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
  I hate that too, Anan. It's almost sinful to waste food in a world where people can't get enough. Being a member of a CSA is a choice I've made several times, but it does tend to end up providing too much food at times. I have recently resolved to take my extras to a Free Fridge nearby. Food banks are another solution for spreading the wealth.
  
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- Anan Srivilai 10/13/2025 8:44 AM
  
  Adventurer 🏔
  This doesn't surprise me as food are wasted daily. I don't have a family but in my eyes, I believe it's also hard to gauge how much food to also make for the day and depends on how hungry your family is. I try really hard to not waste food and portion the food I cook so I don't try to waste any.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

If you were to only eat what is in season locally from now on, what would be the most difficult food item for you to give up? Why?
Michele Brooks 10/13/2025 8:32 AM
- Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
I source all of my veggies locally because I belong to a CSA for a farm in Hillsboro. I go to the farmers market each week to pick up my share. Otherwise, I don't generally shop for veggies during the summer season. Meat is a different story. The only place I know for local meat is far away from my normal paths.

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- Michele Brooks 10/28/2025 2:27 PM
  
  Eco-Conscious Consumer 🛍
  To answer this question more directly, I think that avocados would be the hardest thing to part with.
  
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