Ecochallenge.org

2018 People's Ecochallenge

October 3 - October 24, 2018

Kate Jones

Interface Engineering Inc.

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." - John Muir"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
833 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

48

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

48

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

315

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

300

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

30

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

16

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Kate's actions

Community

Join my Neighborhood Association

I will join my neighborhood association or another local group.

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 60 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

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

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 20
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

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 15 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 3 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to 0.97 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than in other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?

Kate Jones 10/24/2018 7:50 AM

I think small steps are a good way to start, like cutting out meat products one or two days a week. Education about alternatives to meat would also help, since the argument I hear a lot against cutting out meat has to do with nutrition.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Try a New Way to Prep

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. Just make sure to follow the canning and pickling guidelines from the USDA. What are some foods that you would like to preserve and enjoy later in the year?

Kate Jones 10/23/2018 11:09 AM

I made applesauce from apples that were going bad in my fridge. It was a new way to save food for me and kept me from wasting the apples too.

Read More
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?

Kate Jones 10/12/2018 11:31 AM

I collected trash from my car for this challenge as well and it made me realize how much trash is in a single fast food meal. I think this will make me be more aware of the amount of unrecyclable trash I generate on road trips and be more mindful of choosing items with less packaging while traveling.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Use Public Transit

The US spends roughly 20% of its federal budget on defense. In contrast, 2% goes to education, 20% goes to social security and 3% goes to transportation infrastructure. Do these numbers surprise you at all? Why or why not?

Kate Jones 10/10/2018 8:49 AM

It's not surprising to me, the part that frustrates/surprises me is how hard it is to make even small changes in these numbers.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Join my Neighborhood Association

How can your community support inclusive decision making?

Kate Jones 10/09/2018 8:37 AM

The neighborhood association where I live makes it a point to invite home owners, renters, business owners, landlords, and anyone who owns property in or works in the neighborhood to the monthly meetings. I think this helps people to feel that their voice is heard when big decisions are being made.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place?

Kate Jones 10/09/2018 8:33 AM

Spending time outdoors hiking or exploring connects me more deeply to the place I'm living in.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Happiness

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

Kate Jones 10/08/2018 6:51 AM

Taking a moment every day for gratitude pulls me out of my daily stresses and makes me focus on what makes my life better. This helps me not get burnt out so I can keep motivated to do the things that matter.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Go for a Daily Walk

Fresh 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?

Kate Jones 10/04/2018 11:14 AM

Walking gives me a chance to let my mind take a break and briefly recharge which improves my focus and ability to work productively.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Healthy Sleep

Consider how many hours of sleep you get now. How would you like to shift your sleep patterns? What are you finding works for you to be successful in this action?

Kate Jones 10/04/2018 10:10 AM

I am trying to cut down on screen time before going to sleep by charging my phone away from my bed so I won't be looking at it. Hopefully this will help me to get more sleep since I won't be on my phone and also fall asleep more quickly because I will be staying away from screen blue light that can mess with sleep patterns.

Read More
Kate Jones 10/04/2018 10:04 AM

If anyone is looking to add fruits / veggies to their diet or cut down on food waste, Imperfect Produce is a great option. Here's a link to get $10 off the first box if you're interested: http://imprfct.us/kbw-I They deliver customizable boxes with all of the produce included being considered ‘ugly’ (ie not up to grocery store standards). It is usually cheaper than the store and you get to help fight food waste by buying produce that wouldn't otherwise make it to market.

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