Rob Sieczkiewicz

"I will take small steps every day to transform environmental and social systems, and heal our connection to each other and Earth."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
856 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

400

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

10

hours

volunteered
UP TO

8.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

330

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

40

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

360

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

15

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

22

more servings

of fruits and vegetables

Rob's actions

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 10 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

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

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Heat and Cool Naturally

I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Express My Support

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Support Native Communities

I will use the resource links provided and spend 30 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Volunteer in my Community

What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/24/2018 10:53 AM

I can help my community become more sustainable by helping to elect leaders who will support sustainable policies. Last weekend I volunteered to 10 hours to support pro-environment candidates in my area.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Support Pollution Reduction

What environmental factors affect human health in your region, and how do they affect it?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/24/2018 10:43 AM

I followed the link from EcoChallenge to the EPA's My Environment site. From there, I went to the My Water page and looked up the drinking water providers in Snyder County, using EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System. The largest drinking water provider in Snyder County is the Selinsgrove Municipal Waterworks which serves over 5500 customers and has no reported water violations. There's also an interesting table of common contaminants with the damage they can do to human health and the reasons why they get into drinking water. "Discharge from factories" and "runoff from agriculture" are among the most common culprits.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

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

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/24/2018 6:32 AM

When I was in Harrisburg last week, I enjoyed walking along the Susquehanna River. You feel the awesome power of the river to sustain and also to destroy.

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Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/24/2018 6:31 AM

It's been fun doing this challenge with you, teammates!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health More Fruits and Veggies

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

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/22/2018 9:15 AM

I think the biggest obstacles to shifting our North American eating habits from a meat-focused food culture to a more plant-based one are (1) culture and (2) government subsidies to the meat and dairy industries. It takes a long time to change culture, so we'd have more success changing government policies, identifying those that encourage meat-eating and urging our elected officials to change them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Water 5-Minute Showers

Five minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/19/2018 10:41 AM

The next step for me now that I'm making 5-minute showers a habit is to lower the temperature on my home water heater to save energy. This page at energy.gov explains how: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/services/do-it-yourself-energy-savings-projects/savings-project-lower-water-heating

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles serve an important role in places for health and safety, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. Can you identify the barriers in making this a new habit? How can you set yourself up for success in making this a permanent change?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/18/2018 5:52 AM

After spending a few days at an out-of-town conference, I realized how easy it is to default to reaching for disposable plastic bottles, but also how just a little forethought (bringing your reusable bottle/thermos) can make it possible to avoid using disposables entirely.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Go for a Daily Walk

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/10/2018 2:03 PM

I walk my dog twice a day so I have regular opportunities to slow down and observe my neighborhood. I usually leave my phone behind so that I'm not distracted and can focus on the moment.

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Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/10/2018 5:35 AM

Now that we're a week into the challenge, I admit that it's become kind of routine to just check in everyday. Are other folks still exloring the site? What are you doing to keep learning?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Express My Support

What sustainability issues are most pressing or prominent where you live?

Rob Sieczkiewicz 10/09/2018 10:18 AM

As part of the "Express My Support" challenge, I emailed our representative in Congress, Tom Marino, to ask about his response to the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

Read More