2018 People's Ecochallenge

October 3 - October 24, 2018

Brekke Bounds

"I'm here to make some conscious changes to my life that I've been working on for a while but that haven't been sticking. Excited to have something to help keep me accountable as I work on some new habits! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
656 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

14

whole food meals

consumed
UP TO

120

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

510

minutes

spent learning

Brekke'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.

COMPLETED 14
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

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 4 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smart Seafood Choices

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 90 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Join my Neighborhood Association

I will join my neighborhood association or another local group.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and ending unwanted subscriptions.

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
Waste Go Paperless

Reducing your paper mail can be such a freeing action to take -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

Brekke Bounds 10/22/2018 11:08 AM

We have what I like to call a "mail problem" in our house. So much of what comes in the door is completely useless and unimportant to our lives. In that clutter, important stuff sometimes gets lost. I feel relief having moved several important items into my email inbox where it is easier to manage the noise. That is a huge plus on top of the waste reduction aspect for me.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Happiness

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

Brekke Bounds 10/22/2018 11:03 AM

Taking stock of what is going well for me seems to be a great way for me to acknowledge the good things and gather strength to ponder solutions for the less good things in my life and world. Seeing where I am and how far I've come gives me strength and motivation to continue pushing for more.

Read More
Brekke Bounds 10/22/2018 7:56 AM

After a weekend out of town, I'm feeling a little odd settling back in to my routine, but even while gone I was able to keep up several of my chosen challenges. Overall feeling great!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

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

Brekke Bounds 10/22/2018 7:54 AM

In my masters program I studied sustainable food with a "bioregional" focus. It was so interesting how much more connected I felt to my home when I actually dug into the food and farmers that made it so special. I think exploring the natural world around you can do the same thing. Showing you what is special about a place.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Join my Neighborhood Association

How can your community support inclusive decision making?

Brekke Bounds 10/18/2018 10:26 AM

It looks like my community group hosts regular meetings that have information in both english and spanish, which seems like it's already making some attempt at inclusivity. I just joined the group, but I'm hopeful that it looks like also vary the times they have meetings and the locations on our (rather large) community, so that it is more likely that more people can attend. I really love that!

Read More
Brekke Bounds 10/18/2018 7:20 AM

Powering down my computer at night has become a habit, I just do it now without thinking! Also journaling gratitude has become pretty easy to remember, especially on weeknights when my routine is pretty much the same every time. Feeling great about both of those additions to my life :-)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smart Seafood Choices

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?

Brekke Bounds 10/15/2018 7:23 AM

Seafood has been pretty difficult for me. I eat as a pescatarian, but honestly don't like many types of fish. Farm raised tilapia is often considered to be a better choice environmentally, and i like it quite a bit, but I know there are definitely some human considerations as well. I once heard a guy speak who owned a tilapia farming operation in ecuador. He paid people are minimum wage and provided them housing, but the housing sounded pretty subpar, and by providing housing (for workers only) as part of your pay structure you're taking people away from their families and support networks. I dunno, it seems like a lot of the choices out there that are considered more sustainable when it comes to seafood still have several pitfalls!

Read More
Brekke Bounds 10/10/2018 2:57 PM

Feeling great. It's getting easier to remember to shut down everything over night!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Support Native Communities

Indigenous 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?

Brekke Bounds 10/09/2018 10:16 AM

I think when we thing about sustainability as the regular and reproducible functioning of a system it becomes impossible to remove balance from the idea of sustainability. Action have reactions.

Read More
Brekke Bounds 10/08/2018 12:09 PM

First full week getting started! I haven't been able to keep up with all of my daily challenges everyday, but truthfully not all of them really apply every day. So I'm not too worried about it. Overall, feeling good!

Read More