SPONSORED BY NATRACARE
PGC Notes: As a reminder, you must follow all submission instructions in order to be considered for a daily prize. This means including your name, username, email address, and school in every submission. Please be sure to fully read the instructions for each challenge! Thanks.
“When we walk like we’re rushing, we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth. Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master
It’s 2 a.m. and you’re cramming for an exam. You’ve been up for 24- hours and you’re running on nothing but caffeine and potato chips. You’re dying for sleep but your final waits for no one. And so you stay up and study, sacrificing health and well-being to pass the test. Does any of this sound familiar?
Now, consider this radical alternative: you put yourself first. What would that look like?
During PGC, we’ve asked you to think about the big picture: your ecological footprint, the waste you generate, the food you eat, the energy you consume, and more. Given all of this information, it can be easy to forget to care for yourself. But, YOU are a key piece of that big picture.
To care for the planet, you must care for yourself first.
Prioritizing wellness as part of your daily lifestyle helps ensure that you have the energy to be an effective and enduring changemaker which our planet needs more than ever right now. In moments of high stress, wellness may feel like a low priority. But with a toolbox of techniques and a commitment to your health, you’ll find that you can accomplish more in all parts of your life.
Today, we invite you to sustain yourself. Take some time to celebrate what you have accomplished over the past couple weeks. It’s quite extraordinary. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and, as Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, “feel your feet on the earth”. With that, let’s get started with a daily dose of wellness.
First, check out 8 easy ways you can start improving your health and well-being:
A big part of daily wellness, as you have learned over the past couple of weeks is understanding the choices that you make and their impact on each aspect of life. Today’s partners Natracare (organic & natural personal care), Women’s Voices for the Earth (works to eliminate toxins that harm women’s health) and Made Safe (first non-toxic seal for products we use daily), are on the front lines of looking after people and planet through their business practices and missions. One area of focus that we don’t always think about is feminine hygiene. Check out today’s extra credit challenge to learn more and dive deeper!
Throughout PGC you’ve learned a lot about what we can do for the planet, but our planet also does so much for us. By taking some time to get outside and experience all that mother nature has to offer, we can better appreciate the interconnectedness between us and our incredible planet. Not only that, but being in nature has been proven to improve concentration, increase happiness and even boost your ability to heal!
Ironically, we’re spending more time inside using our electronic devices than experiencing the goodness of being outdoors. Each of us is averaging two hours+ a day on social media, and though social media has its pluses, studies have shown excessive use is detrimental to our self-esteem, mental health and sleep schedule. Let’s try to be more woke about the world around us, instead of having our heads buried in tiny blue screens!
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. Please include your name (or team name), username, email, and school.
Showing appreciation for life and those around us is something that could take five minutes a day. And it is perhaps one of the simplest ways to improve our well-being. Yet, so few of us make gratitude a daily practice. But, it’s never too late to start being thankful, so today’s challenge will help you kickstart a practice of gratitude.
Upload a PDF Document with a summary of your conversation. Did you learn any new wellness tips you want to try? Include their name and any information you learned. Please include your name (or team name), username, email, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Mindfulness is a very trendy, and for good reason. Its beneficial effects have been promoted by people of all sorts – celebrities, self-help gurus, even marines and inmates. Yet, the popularity surrounding mindfulness can make it seem inaccessible, when in reality, it is very straightforward. Mindfulness is simply practicing the art of creating space for ourselves –space to think, to breathe, between ourselves and our reactions. In turn, we hope that this heightening of self-awareness will help you think about and develop a clearer vision of how you want to make change in the world.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. Please include your name (or team name), username, email, and school.
Extra Credit due on October 18 @ 6am PT.
Up to 100 bonus points awarded for outstanding work.
Part of daily wellness, as you have learned over the past couple of weeks is understanding the choices that you make and their impact on health and wellness in each aspect of life. Today’s partners Natracare (organic & natural personal care), Women’s Voices for the Earth (works to eliminate toxins that harm women’s health) and Made Safe (first non-toxic seal for products we use daily), are on the front lines of looking after people and planet through their business practices and missions. One aspect of life that we don’t know to think about is feminine hygiene. Even if you think this doesn’t applies to you directly, think about the women in your life who might also want to be informed.
This challenge gives you the chance to become informed and then creatively pass the information forward. Take a look Here, here and here at three resources from our partners to get you started.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. Please include your name (or team name), username, email, and school.
Everyone:
Little Brown The Secret Life of the Mind
Everyone Hand Sanitizing Spray
Wish Garden Herbs The Weekender Remedy Trio
Host Defense Organic Cordychi Extract
Harmless Harvest Free Coconut Water Coupon
Girls:
Natracare Organic Cotton Tampons (applicator)
Natracare Organic Cotton Tampons (no applicator)
Natracare Organic Cotton Panty Liners
Natracare Organic Cotton Tote Bag
Boys:
Guayaki Yerba Mate Organic Cotton T-Shirt & Drinks (2)
Everyone:
Natracare Green Enough by Leah Segedie
Navitas Organics Daily Wellness Boost
Numi Organic Tea Gratitude Tea
Nutiva Organic Hempseeds
Everyone Balance Essential Oil
Host Defense Organic MycoShield Immune
Just Jump It Jump Rope