Mike Hardesty
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 646 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO28milesnot traveled by car
-
UP TO450minutesnot spent in front of a screen
-
UP TO199pounds of CO2have been saved
-
UP TO3,270minutesspent outdoors
-
UP TO32locally sourced mealsconsumed
-
UP TO450minutesspent exercising
Mike's actions
Food
Locally-Sourced Meals
I will source 2 meal(s) each day from local producers.
Nature
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.
Nature
Do Nature Activities
I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 120 minute(s) 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.)
Nature
Go for a Daily Walk
I will take a 30-minute walk outside each day.
Simplicity
Work-Life Balance
I will not work more than 8 hour days each day to practice work-life balance.
Water
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Water
Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.
Simplicity
Needs Vs. Wants
I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.
Nature
Leave No Trace
I will practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace when doing nature activities alone or with family and friends.
Transportation
Work from Home
I will work from home 5 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.
Transportation
Conduct Virtual Meetings
I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.
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.
Nature
Tend a Garden
I will tend to a garden each day, work on starting one, or find a local community garden to get involved with.
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?
-
Mike Hardesty 4/26/2020 8:30 AMUn monstruo! Our neighbor, jub-jub, the spotted salamander. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Go for a Daily WalkHow do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?
Mike Hardesty 4/26/2020 8:26 AMIt is a huge difference, but I think the mindset is just as important as the mode of transport. Walking with a mind mired in thoughts better suited for a traffic jam doesn't get you anywhere. -
Mike Hardesty 4/26/2020 8:22 AMA walk in the woods in Potomac led us to a showy orchid and ground cones! The orchid is beautiful but the ground cone is pretty cool. It is a plant-with tiny flowers that were actually dispersing pollen at the time we saw them. But unlike other green plants that get carbon through photosynthesis (autotrophic) the ground cone get's its carbon as a parasite of other plants (heterotrophic). -
REFLECTION QUESTIONSimplicity Needs Vs. WantsHow is creativity necessary for practicing simplicity?
Mike Hardesty 4/26/2020 7:54 AMIt is kind of counter intuition, the idea that you simplicity takes creativity. I think that is just a reflection of how entrenched complexity is in our lives. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Do Nature ActivitiesWhat did you observe while spending time outside -- through sight, sound, smell and touch?
Mike Hardesty 4/26/2020 7:51 AMSite is something we rely on often, perhaps too much. Sounds are the most rewarding for me outdoors. There is so much to sound that I take for granted. They can set my mood without even knowing it. The difference between a spring day and a summer day are all about the sounds. -
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?
Mike Hardesty 4/24/2020 6:54 AMI believe the importance of being outdoors extends beyond spiritual and emotional. Richard Louv and others have illustrated the connection to intellectual development as well. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONNature Leave No TraceEducator Stephanie Kaza advises her students to focus on what they care about most when addressing the enormity of ecological problems. Is there a specific area you feel particularly called to work on?
-
Mike Hardesty 4/24/2020 6:31 AM"Give me more s'mores!!!!" Mutiny.
Kids take over the camping trip. -
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?
Mike Hardesty 4/20/2020 5:13 AMIt is a simple equation: the happy you are at home, the harder you work, all around. Satisfaction should be applied across all fronts, not when just considering "work" or "personal life." -
Mike Hardesty 4/20/2020 5:07 AMLook for the bumble bee....working the flowers of our "north country" blue berries planted last year!