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October 3 - October 24, 2018
Sarah Burke's avatar

Sarah Burke

UNO Sustainability

"To make our society more sustainable, one action at a time."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,605 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    416
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    locally sourced meal
    consumed
  • UP TO
    1,980
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    330
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    290
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    waste audit
    conducted

Sarah's actions

Waste

Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace or school. If a recycling program exists, I will advocate for ways to improve and expand it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Toilet Tank Bank

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water each day by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Choose a Carbon Offset

If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Track my Purchases

I will spend 10 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 60 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

I will use the 'Learn More' resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

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?


  • Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/24/2018 8:23 PM
    Way to go team UNO Sustainability!

  • Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/24/2018 9:48 AM
    On this last day of the EcoChallenge, I can't be more proud of our team as they commit to making small changes in their daily lives that will have a last effect on themselves and their community. #GoMAVS

  • Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/22/2018 8:30 AM
    We are in the final stretch of this year's EcoChallenge. I am so proud of our team and the impact their actions have made. I hope you all have found this challenge rewarding and have developed new habits that you will maintain even after this event is over!

  • Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/15/2018 11:43 AM
    We are halfway through the EcoChallenge and I am so happy to see my teammates engaged and making a difference in their lives and their communities.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Launch a Recycling Program
    How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems differently?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/10/2018 9:08 AM
    Some of our big system problems require thinking creatively to be able to change a long standing tradition. For example, how might you address waste issues with adding to over-consumerism? It appears to me that we are now creating a new market for reusables, in place of single-use items, and encouraging people to purchase those items, without thinking about the issue of needing the item in the first place (example plastic straws replaced with metal...but really the question is "Do you need a straw in the first place?".
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Choose a Carbon Offset
    A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2—per person. That’s a lot of carbon! What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/08/2018 8:18 PM
    This is a difficult question, because I love to travel and see new places. However, one way a person could reduce the number of flights that they take each year, in regards to work, is to do more meetings virtually instead of traveling to those locations. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Install a Low-Flow Showerhead
    How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/08/2018 4:32 PM
    Our region should start paying more attention to how to utilize our water and conserve as much as possible, especially since one of the biggest forecasted climat change problems for our area will be drought and high temperatures.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Install a Toilet Tank Bank
    Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/08/2018 4:31 PM
    One of the major contributors inpacting our water systems is over fertilizing  our commerical agricultural system. To help with this, on a personal level, is to purchase organic, local foods as much as possible.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Personal Waste Audit
    Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/06/2018 2:31 PM
    We are selfish creatures so only think about what is easy and quick for ourselves without think of the consequences to others. This challenge is making me focus and become more aware of my behavior and how it can impact others.

    • Monica Martin's avatar
      Monica Martin 10/06/2018 2:52 PM
      It does seem that we live in a society that tends toward quick and easy and inward focused. It saddens me a bit and I often wonder what can be done to shift this in a positive direction. I think this challenge is a good start!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature Explore My Area
    How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place?

    Sarah Burke's avatar
    Sarah Burke 10/06/2018 2:29 PM
    Spending time outdoors ipens your mind that we are part of this world and not separate.