

Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg=
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 376 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO45minutesspent outdoors
-
UP TO360gallons of waterhave been saved
-
UP TO60minutesspent learning
-
UP TO75minutesspent exercising
-
UP TO9.0poundswaste composted
Anonymous's actions
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.
Water
5-Minute Showers
I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.
Waste
Compost Food Waste
I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.
Water
Conserve Toilet Water
I will save up to 12 gallons (45 L) of water a day by flushing only when necessary.
Nature
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.
Community
Support Native Communities
I will use the resource links provided and spend 60 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.
Health
Go get a check up
I will make an appointment for my annual physical.
Health
Exercise Daily
Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 15 minute(s) each day.
Participant Feed
-
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/09/2018 11:20 PMSo far my Eco Challenge has been going great, and I think the daily challenges I've selected have actually had a big impact on my mood. For instance, the 5 minutes showers really act like a pick-me-up. Before this challenge I was definitely guilty of soaking in the shower--sometimes letting the water run for 20-30 minutes. I used to think it was relaxing but now I find that it made me feel sleepy. Pretty surprised I might actually prefer the 5 minute showers--which is the daily challenge I was most afraid of!! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCommunityIndigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/04/2018 11:31 PMBalance is important to sustainability because without balance, there is more destructive change than can be weathered by the current lifeforms on earth (which are dependent on creation--the creation of grasses in plains, the creation of fruit from trees, etc.). -
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/03/2018 11:56 PMI have done well on all except one of the challenges I've committed myself to this month. The challenge I'm finding most difficult is avoiding refined sugar--it's in a lot of stuff we don't even realize so I found myself accidentally eating sugar in my veggie patty of all things. That slip up is just a reminder to be more conscious of what is actually in processed foods. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaterFive minute showers are an impressive step toward reducing your water footprint. What is the next step you can take?
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/03/2018 11:45 PMAnother step I can take towards reducing my water footprint is drinking all of the water that I pour from the tap. For instance, I often take a mason jar of water with me to bed in case I get thirsty, but if I end up not touching it I usually pour it out instead of drink it. It's a bad habit and I should really just drink it instead of thinking it's somehow "old"! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWaterWhat would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/03/2018 10:48 PMI think a sustainable water future in my region would look like curbside and backyard/front yard rain gardens in the majority of neighborhood and city lots, drought tolerant native plants in place of big swaths of grass yards, low-flow toilets or composting toilets in every home and business, and incentives to support local and sustainable produce production. Decreases in eating water-intensive agricultural products would also be a good direction (choose hazelnuts instead of almonds, or only less or no servings of meat each week).
While the city is slowly implementing most of these kinds of changes, I think home owners need help implementing these changes at a faster pace (tax incentives for replacing old toilets and water-intensive lawns, for example). -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWasteNew to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? Do you know how your compost will be used and the benefits it has on the environment?
Anonymous User QW5vbl9fNDUwOTg= 10/03/2018 10:38 PMToday I began saving my food scraps for compost, and I was surprised how quickly things add up! For instance, a banana peel, an apple core, an orange rind, and stems from a head of kale take up more space in the trash bin than I was aware of. Because I don't have an actual composting bin for plant-nutrient conversion yet, I'm saving everything in a container in the fridge (so as not to attract little flies) until I have something more permanent figured out. I'm excited to see where this goes!