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Welcome to October EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an EcoChallenge expert in no time!

Northwest Earth Institute
October EcoChallenge
October 3 - October 24, 2018

Gina Miani

Deloitte Green Dot

"I'm committed to living sustainably, so future generations can enjoy living!"

Points Total

  • 0 Today
  • 0 This Week
  • 1,493 Total

Participant Impact

  • up to
    945
    minutes
    being mindful
  • up to
    523
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • up to
    90
    minutes
    spent learning
  • up to
    1
    community events
    hosted or attended
  • up to
    16
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • up to
    13
    whole food meals
    consumed
  • up to
    5
    conversations
    with people
  • up to
    1
    waste audits
    conducted

Challenges

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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.

Uncompleted
One-Time Challenge

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 Challenge

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 15 OF 22
DAILY CHALLENGE

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 21 OF 22
DAILY CHALLENGE

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with 5 friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on an environmental issue that matters to me.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Transportation

Choose a Carbon Offset

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

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 16 OF 22
DAILY CHALLENGE

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 Challenge

Health

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics - including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl - and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 21 OF 22
DAILY CHALLENGE

Health

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

Food

Organize a Course

I will organize one of NWEI's discussion courses on food sustainability, 'Menu for the Future' or 'Hungry for Change', with my family, friends, coworkers, or classmates.

Uncompleted
One-Time Challenge

Food

Whole Foods Diet

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

COMPLETED 13 OF 22
DAILY CHALLENGE

Food

Meet My Local Farmers

I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those who produce my food in other regions of the world to make better choices when I shop.

Completed
One-Time Challenge

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 Challenge

Feed

  • Gina Miani 10/23/2018 3:25 PM
    Daily EcoTip: Water is a finite resource: Only 2.5% of all the water on Earth is fresh water, and more than two-thirds is frozen or stored below ground as ground water. This means that only 0.3% of all fresh water on the planet is readily available as surface water. You can help conserve this essential, limited resource by first calculating your water footprint, and then reading about 5 simple steps that will contribute to its conservation.

    Source: Gleick, P. H., 1996: Water resources. In Encyclopaedia of Climate and Weather
  • Reflection Question
    Waste Launch a Recycling Program
    How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems differently?
    Gina Miani 10/23/2018 10:42 AM
    Complex problems are multifaceted by nature. Solutions to these problems do not need to follow a routine or purely logical order - creativity leads to innovation.
  • 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?
    Gina Miani 10/22/2018 10:08 AM
    I think it's difficult to understand the impact of our purchases and waste because we don't always see or feel the after effects personally. I will continue to reduce, as my first line of action for consumption, especially when my consumption may result in non-biodegradable waste.
  • Gina Miani 10/16/2018 3:16 PM
    Daily EcoTip: Learn more about the natives who lived on the land where you currently reside, through the Native Land map tool. From a personal perspective, I was reminded of the importance of land stewardship. Many generations who have come before and many who will come after, call this land home. I plan to leave it in better condition than I've found it.
  • 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?
    Gina Miani 10/16/2018 11:03 AM
    Alternative modes of transportation, travel locally, assess the need vs want approach to flying when traveling.
  • Reflection Question
    Waste Advocate For More Food Packaging Options
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
    Gina Miani 10/16/2018 10:53 AM
    I am most concerned that we are damaging the planet at an irreversible rate. From an individual perspective, I will continue to act in a manner that minimizes harm and maximizes stewardship.
    • Andres Alegria 10/16/2018 11:16 AM
      What concerns me the most is how poor humans treat the earth by the depletion of air, water, and soil; the destruction of ecosystems, habitat, the extinction of animals and pollution. 
  • Gina Miani 10/15/2018 2:15 PM
    Daily EcoTip: We must first meet our own basic needs before we can help meet the needs of others. Sufficient sleep is key to maintaining strong immune systems, keeping our brains sharp, stabilizing stress levels, and managing hunger. Learn more about the benefits of sleep, as well as how to get a better night's rest. Then get off your phone and catch some zzzzz's!
  • Reflection Question
    Community Host a House Party
    How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?
    Gina Miani 10/15/2018 10:02 AM
    I typically feel more connected and supported in a community that values and prioritizes environmental sustainability. My sense of community with an area will be reduced if the environmental quality is low.
  • Gina Miani 10/12/2018 11:50 AM
    Daily EcoTip: Make your seafood shopping more sustainable - read the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)'s Smart Seafood Buying Guide. Key pieces of advice include:
    1. Think small (for lower levels of mercury)
    2. Buy American (for a more regulated market)
    3. Diversify (spreads demand)
    4. Eat local (support your local community)

  • Gina Miani 10/09/2018 12:20 PM
    Daily EcoTip: There are increasing amounts of non-recyclables sent to material recovery facilities. Every single non-recyclable item must be removed by hand or mechanically sorted; these end up contaminating high value recyclables. Non-recyclable garbage placed into recycling containers increases the cost of the recycling process. Do your part to avoid recycling contamination by learning more about what can and can't be recycled. A few basic tips include:
    1. Recycle all empty bottles, cans, paper and cardboard
    2. Keep food and liquids out of your recycling (compost when possible)
    3. Keep plastic bags out of your recycling - never bag your recyclables in trash or plastic bags (return to grocery stores)
    Common non-recyclable items, which should instead be disposed of in the trash are coffee cups, plastic bags, used paper towels, foam and plastic cups, wire hangers, and chip bags.
    • Amelia Fujikawa 10/09/2018 12:22 PM
      Hi Gina! This is a great tip! I would just add while it is important to avoid contamination, some cities are able to process difficult recycling items! For example, here in Seattle, we are able to recycle coffee cups. It is important to research your local rules and be aware of different ones when you travel.

      Keep up the great work!!
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