Skip to main content
October 5 - October 26, 2022
Gillian Schneider's avatar

Gillian Schneider

NVeco

"We will combine efforts to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations through activities and events that promote recycling; reduce carbon emissions; and encourage others to reuse, reduce, recycle."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,015 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    51
    donations
    made
  • UP TO
    3.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    420
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    320
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    320
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    0.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted
  • UP TO
    1.0
    water footprint
    calculated

Gillian's actions

Cultivating Communities

Pull Together Items to Donate

Each day, I will find one or more items I can donate to a local thrift or resale shop.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Cultivating Communities

Donate Blood

I will donate blood in my community to make sure there are adequate supplies for routine medical services and emergencies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cultivating Communities

Advocate for Greener Vehicles

I will assess the vehicles used by my company, college, or city and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Research Indigenous & First Nations Communities

I will spend 60 learning about the past and present indigenous or first nation communities in my regions impacted by colonization, and what I can do to be supportive.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Shop at BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, & Women-Led Businesses!

I will shop at a small business owned or staffed by underrepresented members of my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

What is Sustainable Fashion?

I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and adopt at least one sustainable fashion practice.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

Needs Vs. Wants

Each day, I will practice a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Balancing Consumption

Track My Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases and identify my spending habits.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Balancing Consumption

Calculate My 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

Nourishing Food

What is My Food Supply Chain?

I will spend 40 minutes learning about my food supply chains, and complete a food waste audit.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nourishing Food

Donate Food

I will find out what food programs are in my area and donate food and/or other items that they request.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 30 minute(s) per day typically spent inside and often with electronics with quality time outside walking, exercising, enjoying the sunrise/sunset, gardening, journaling, observing nature, or practicing gratitude for nature.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Regenerating Nature

Use Resources for Climate Anxiety

I will spend 20 minutes each day trying out climate anxiety resources that support mental and psychological well being.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Regenerating Nature

Calculate My Water Footprint

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Volunteer in My Community

I will volunteer 2 hour(s) for a nature-based event or another opportunity to support my community.

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?


  • Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/27/2022 5:37 PM
    Great job, team!  I am so proud of us.  And I am reminded of NVeco's mission: "We will combine efforts to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations through activities and events that promote recycling; reduce carbon emissions; and encourage others to reuse, reduce, recycle."  Take care. Gillian
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Enacting Equity Shop at BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, & Women-Led Businesses!
    In your community, how can you work to address systemic racism, sexism, ableism and additional forms of exclusion in the businesses?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/24/2022 3:45 PM
    I try to support my students across the board; however, I am quite focused on boosting the confidence of minorities, females, and less-abled students.  This is separate from supporting local businesses, which I am always proud to do, and I appreciate when businesses are labeled "black-owned" or have another designation to show community support.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nourishing Food What is My Food Supply Chain?
    What was the most surprising part of your food supply chain? Are there any problem areas that you are able to fix?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/24/2022 3:18 PM
    There are so many factors determining the future course of my food supply, and I have switched to vegetarian several days a week.  I have cut back so much on red meat, which was probably the main area for me to fix that helps the environment the most.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Regenerating Nature Calculate My Water Footprint
    What is one way you will reduce your water use? What is a practice you already have that helps you reduce your water use?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/24/2022 1:29 PM
    I have started to eat less meat and buy less meat for the family, and I have cut back (thanks, pandemic) on water use for showers by cutting to every other day.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Enacting Equity Research Indigenous & First Nations 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? If you identify with or are a member of an indigenous community, how does your community practice sustainability?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/19/2022 6:08 AM
    I think that when we don't have balance in our lives, then we go for fast and convenient.  When we have time and money and mental health, then it is easier to recognize the balance of nature and humans.  And right now is a stressful time for so many.  But it's important to keep striving for balance.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Balancing Consumption What is Sustainable Fashion?
    How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/19/2022 6:05 AM
    I am a Goodwill shopper.  I love used clothes and have never been a fashion plate.  I do buy socks and underwear new, so I liked reading about the sustainable socks in one of the linked articles: “It costs that much cause it takes me f*cking hours.”  The article mentions that the socks are individually tie-dyed, so if we preach about buying local and want to encourage living wages, we have to be willing to pay more, even as inflation goes up and up.  It's challenging.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Cultivating Communities Advocate for Greener Vehicles
    Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/19/2022 5:50 AM
    I know that technology has really improved the gas mileage of cars, which saves fossil fuels and money.  I am concerned about the batteries in these cars but am also concerned about running out of electricity with electric.  This adds to the anxiety of these choices.  There is not really someone at my school to contact about this, but NVeco might reach out to the district to invest in electric buses in the future.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Regenerating Nature Use Resources for Climate Anxiety
    Is climate anxiety a new concept for you or something you have been following for sometime?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/16/2022 5:37 PM
    I understood climate anxiety--in myself, in my family and friends, and in my students/colleagues.  I had not really thought about climate grief before.  I like the way of reframing the anxiety and recognizing where we are now as a society.  So much harder for deniers to deny.  We can take our anger and anxiety and turn those into action.  That may be the best way to combat my own anxiety.

  • Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/14/2022 11:24 AM
    I noticed that freezing temperatures are coming, so I went outside Wednesday and Thursday to cut catnip, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley to dry and use during the winter.  I also brought my organic catnip to my colleagues to take home to their pets.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Balancing Consumption Track My Purchases
    What have you noticed about your purchases? Where are you inclined to make shifts, if any?

    Gillian Schneider's avatar
    Gillian Schneider 10/14/2022 11:22 AM
    I try to buy locally when possible, so when I needed something from the big A-----, I found 4 books from various sellers and bought them used online.  I still check Half Price Books, Goodwill, and the Naperville Public Library first.  But when I can't find what I want there, I buy used from online sources.