Michael Hughey
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 769 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO50plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO18poundswaste composted
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UP TO45more servingsof fruits and vegetables
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UP TO2,145minutesspent exercising
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UP TO1,290minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO1,290minutesnot spent in front of a screen
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UP TO735minutesof additional sleep
Michael's actions
Waste
Compost Food Waste
I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.
Health
Exercise Daily
Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 15 minute(s) each day.
Waste
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will keep 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.
Health
Happiness
I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.
Health
Healthy Sleep
Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.
Health
More Fruits and Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 2 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.
Food
Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
I will watch 2 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.
Nature
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 15 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.
Health
Joyful Movement
I will spend 10 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.
Community
Support Native Communities
I will use the resource links provided below and spend 120 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.
Simplicity
Work-Life Balance
I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.
Simplicity
Go For A Daily Walk Outside
I will take a walk outside for 10 minutes each day.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity Work-Life BalanceHow might practicing work-life balance lead to a more sustainable life for yourself? How might it contribute to sustainability more broadly?
Michael Hughey 4/18/2023 1:04 PMPracticing a work-life balance helps me to be able to appreciate the beauty around me and become more grateful of things that can be seemingly mundane. Taking a few hours off today to do something enjoyable improves mental and physical health, and can even allow for time to do something related to the natural world. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunity Support Native CommunitiesIndigenous 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?
Michael Hughey 4/18/2023 1:03 PMBalance is a significant part of sustainability because a healthy ecosystem will generally have ways to balance itself out- if a prey population is high, the predator population may also increase, and they even out again. The prey dies off, there are too many predators, the extra predators die off. The pattern repeats, but the ecosystem works to be balanced. In many ways, while humans are fundamentally a part of Earth, we have disrupted this balance, because we continue to expand and dominate past ecological confines, but there is nothing to keep us in check. Part of this is the idea of human dominance over the natural world. If we honor the role we play in the natural world, we can also understand how rampant expansion and environmental development disrupts the natural balance of the world, and we can think of solutions to maintaining balance, joy, respect, and health in relation to our planet and our creation. -
Michael Hughey 4/18/2023 8:47 AMPracticing gratitude for the Earth and the beauty around me has kept me centered and focused. I am able to understand the good that exists in my environment and be kinder to the Earth. -
Michael Hughey 4/13/2023 3:16 PMHalfway through and I've been getting in more exercise and time outside! It feels great to be able to enjoy the spring while thinking about human connection with the earth -
REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity Go For A Daily Walk OutsideFresh air and movement are good for our entire being and can help us think more clearly and creatively. How does taking a walk each day affect yourself and/or your work?
Michael Hughey 4/11/2023 1:44 PMTaking a walk outside each day allows me to appreciate the beauty of the natural world around me and on my campus. We are in a bird migration zone, and over the last few weeks they have all been coming back through campus and we get to see birds that have been gone for months and hear all of the different birdsongs around campus. -
Michael Hughey 4/11/2023 1:42 PMThe weather is finally getting warmer in Chicago and all the flowers are blooming, it's a great time to be outside and learn about native species while enjoying the sunshine. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Watch a Documentary about Food SovereigntyHow does food sovereignty address the complex transition from localized food systems to modern global food systems?
Michael Hughey 4/06/2023 5:50 PMFood sovereignty allows communities to decide what foods are healthy and culturally appropriate for them. With food systems acting how they currently are, communities are often placed in food apartheids where there is no access to healthy foods, native foods, culturally appropriate foods, or locally grown foods, which means that the only thing available is processed food. When individual communities are able to engage in public office, work with local governments, engage in new governance systems, and determine their own needs for themselves, in turn they are able to grow their own food or decide what foods they want in their communities and increase access to nutritious foods. Food sovereignty for all communities is a key part of environmental Justice. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Joyful MovementWhat's your favorite activity(ies) in which you experience joy while being active and moving?
Michael Hughey 4/06/2023 5:42 PMI love to be outside and walk around. I love to go to the gym and just enjoy getting active and spending time outside of my room and my classes. As the weather is getting warmer it’s so great to hike and walk outdoors. -
Michael Hughey 4/06/2023 5:33 PMIt was so great to spend lots of time outside today getting fresh air and exercise, it’s the first warm sunny day we’ve had in a while in Chicago! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth More Fruits and VeggiesHow does eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat positively affect yourself, other people, and our planet?
Michael Hughey 4/06/2023 5:32 PMEating fruits and vegetables, particularly those grown locally and those native to where you live Can be a great way to support local farmers, encourage native ecology in your area, and contribute to a healthy diet! Eating less meat helps to produce less carbon as well.