Jamie Frees Miller
"My mission is to achieve a sustainable relationship with Mother Nature taking care of her for future generations. "
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,047 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO245minutesspent learning
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UP TO330minutesnot spent in front of a screen
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UP TO720minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO33more servingsof fruits and vegetables
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UP TO590minutesspent exercising
Jamie's actions
Waste
Cloth Diapers
I will cloth diaper at least 2 days a week keeping a minimum of 14 disposable diapers out of the landfills.
Health
More Fruits and Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 3 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.
Nature
Forage for My Food
I will use the resource below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.
Nature
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.
Simplicity
Work-Life Balance
I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.
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.
Energy
Adjust the Thermostat
I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.
Food
Plant an Herb Garden
I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.
Waste
Find Local Recycling Depots
I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.
Simplicity
Track my Purchases
I will spend 15 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.
Nature
Go for a Daily Walk
I will take a 30-minute walk outside each day.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.
Health
Exercise Daily
Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 10 minute(s) each day.
Health
Take Control
Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.
Health
Support Pollution Reduction
I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.
Food
Try a New Way to Prep
I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.
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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Jamie Frees Miller 4/26/2020 7:15 PMWho here started their own sourdough starter and baked bread? -
Jamie Frees Miller 4/26/2020 10:31 AMLast day of the challenge! How did you do? I got poured on by the rain today because I was determined to get a walk in and enjoy nature! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Plant an Herb GardenConsider the ways you can garden: a plot of land? a patio container? hanging basket? windowsill gardens? What would work best for your living situation and lifestyle?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/25/2020 6:36 AMWe do a little bit of everything. Since my parents have an in ground garden down the street from us, this year we are doing an herb garden in a container. I also enjoy windowsill gardens grown from veggie scraps! -
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?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:12 AMLearning how to turn the computer off after a certain time or taking breaks to get up from a computer allows you to move your body more, and provides time for self-care. While a fulfilling career is important for feeling good in your life, you also need to find time to also spend in your relationships, and spirituality and making sure you are physically active. When you let work consume you you are more likely to make poor nutritional choices which will also affect your quality of life negatively. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Forage for My FoodPeople are motivated to forage for many different reasons: as a source for food, a means of income, to connect with nature, to participate in cultural tradition, transmitting specific ecological knowledge, or as a means of stewarding local and native plant populations. What is your chief motivation for foraging?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:10 AMMy chief motivation for foraging is a connection to nature. I think it is most Important to know where our food comes from. When you forage, for your safety you should know how the land has been treated because you don't want to eat things that have been spayed with chemicals. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Spend Time OutsideRachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:08 AMI don't practice a specific religion but when exploring my spirituality I have found that I am most connected to nature. I feel my best outside, I can find power to ground my thoughts and always feel better when I take time to connect with my surroundings. I feel as though the majority of Americans spend too much time indoors and as a result have poor physical and in some cases poor mental health. Obesity and Depression are probably a correlation to our current nutrition and health care systems, not supporting the lifestyle changes necessary to make noticeable difference and instead covering up signals from our bodies with pills. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Go for a Daily WalkHow do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:05 AMI have a much greater appreciation for my surroundings when I walk instead of drive. If I 'm not the one driving I often find myself sitting on my phone. When I walk I purely enjoy nature around me and find myself practicing deep breathing. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth More Fruits and VeggiesHow does eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat positively affect yourself, other people, and our planet?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:03 AMI have found when I am looking for a snack that keeping fruits and veggies on hand and I n some cases washed and prepped they are easier to grab. Replacing other snacks with fruits and veggies naturally decreases my hunger for processed foods. I still eat meat but only when I know I t has been sustainably raised or harvested. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaste Find Local Recycling DepotsOur ability to recycle certain things ebbs and flows based upon many factors. Luckily there are places that accept uncommon things to recycle or dispose of in a less harmful way. What did you find when looking for places to recycle items that can't be recycled in your curbside bin?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/24/2020 7:01 AMI will donate books to local libraries and clothes to second-hand stores. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth Take ControlHow do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?
Jamie Frees Miller 4/20/2020 11:58 AMEnvironmental health is closely related to community and personal health for me. As someone with two autoimmune diseases, the past 9 years of my life have been a true journey of seeking health. I have discovered that for me stress is a huge contributor to when my diseases start to flare. For me, I find a lot of relief from stress by spending time outdoors whether it is just being outside, hiking, or riding my horse. I want the environment to be a healthy place to make my time outside more enjoyable so I choose to make sustainable and environmentally friendly choices to live. Community health is also huge for me. I love talking about healthy choices to anyone who will listen to me because I think spreading the message of health and wellness will help everyone live their best lives, and when those around you are happy and healthy it makes staying on track for your own health easier to do and the world is a better place to live. In fact, I recently have become so interested in helping spread the wellness bug I'm studying in my spare time to become a certified holistic health coach part-time.