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Welcome to 2018 People's Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an 2018 People's Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
2018 People's Ecochallenge
October 3 - October 24, 2018
Amber Nobe's avatar

Amber Nobe

Hennebery Eddy Architects

"Spreading our healthy, efficient, and adaptive philosophy; creating strong habits for a sustainable future; and learning more about how I can advocate for change in my community"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,089 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    30
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    180
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.0
    energy audit
    conducted
  • UP TO
    600
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    2.0
    locally sourced meals
    consumed

Amber's actions

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with 30 friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on an environmental issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Upgrade My Windows

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 ACTION

Health

Avoid refined sugar

I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 20
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

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy
    How does improving your home's energy efficiency help you better live out your values?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/24/2018 6:28 PM
    We put storm windows on our draftiest old windows and new weather stripping on our drafty back door. Still need to do something about the rest of our multi-pane, 1915 windows—suggestions welcome! Hoping to find a cost-effective, non-ugly way to keep the heat in and cold out
    Read More
  • Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/23/2018 7:24 PM
    Not feeling good today so it’s the first time all month I haven’t gotten in my 30 minutes of exercise ☹️ But we had a great team “snackluck” with healthy recipes to keep me on track with the sugar challenge!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health
    To what extent do you believe that environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/23/2018 7:23 PM
    Buying (or making my own!) natural cleaning products not only improves the indoor air quality at home, but also means I’m not contributing to the manufacture of toxic chemicals than can negatively affect the environment throughout the product cycle (not just at home). I also feel better about the safety of having natural cleaning products in my home. 
    Read More
  • Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/20/2018 9:10 PM
    I went to a first birthday party today and had a cupcake, and I don’t even feel bad about it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ sometimes a little sugar is OK
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health
    How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/18/2018 7:37 PM
    With this great weather, I’ve been trying to take my exercise outside as much as possible — walking, running, hiking, biking, or doing yard work — as a way to also enjoy nature, spend time with my husband, and get to know my neighborhood
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy
    What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/17/2018 8:28 PM
    We used the ETO audit because we haven't lived in our home long enough to gather the required energy usage information for Energy Star (we'll put it on the list for next year's challenge!). Overall the recommendations are things we'd already identified, though I'm surprised it didn't say anything about our windows — single panes original to our 1915 home. We ordered the free ETO Energy Saver Kit and will look into the various residential programs ETO offers for improvements and incentives.
    https://www.energytrust.org/residential/incentives/

    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health
    Before you started this challenge, did you think you were 'addicted' to sugar? How do you feel now?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/15/2018 9:05 PM
    No, I don’t typically eat a lot of sugar, so I don’t think I was addicted. However, I am a visual eater — if I see a tasty-looking treat, I need to have it. Saying no to all refined sugaris  hard because it crops up when you least expect it. But I find that if I plan to have healthy snacks on hand and avoid getting hangry, I’m less likely to be tempted by sweets. And I feel better about it all the way around. That being said, I do believe in “everything in moderation.” But this challenge is a good reminder that there’s a good way to consume the occasional sweet, and a way that’s bad for the environment, your body, and healthy communities 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    When you know who produces your food, you are connecting personally to your complex regional food system. What are the advantages of knowing who produces your food and where it comes from? Do you think this might enable someone to advocate for a better quality of life for those who produce their food, both near and far?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/12/2018 5:24 PM
    Farmer Mike from Red Truck Homestead and Kelly Merrick with the Portland Farmers Market talked about how not every farm is certified "organic," but that doesn't mean they don't use healthy, sustainable farming practices (it just means they don't pay for a certification). They also noted that some of the practices allowed under the "organic" or similar labels can still be ... unsavory. One of the benefits of shopping at a farmers market or stand is that you can ask your farmer about their practices and learn for yourself the details of how your food is produced — certified label or not.
    Read More
  • Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/11/2018 7:52 PM
    Took a lovely afternoon walk in the sunshine with Stacy today, thumbed through all our awesome N+ Award entries (so many great projects, you guys!), and prepped for our Meet A Farmer event tomorrow. Hope everyone can make it!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    What is one food choice that you make, or could make, that would do more good and less harm?
    Amber Nobe's avatar
    Amber Nobe 10/07/2018 3:21 PM
    We typically try to buy local, organic, and fresh, but shopping at the farmers market was not a regular part of our routine because of our location and weekend activities. Our new neighborhood has a market on Sundays we can walk to, and we got to shop it for the first time. Hoping to make it a habit!
    Read More