Ecochallenge.org

2018 People's Ecochallenge

October 3 - October 24, 2018

Clarke Ohlendorf

Houston Mennonite Church

"Create greater sense of community within HMC and my local community by choosing to act intentionally."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
805 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

3.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

3,820

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

855

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

22

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Clarke's actions

Waste

Visit a Waste Management Facility

I will spend at least 60 minutes visiting a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about the waste stream.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 3 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Carry my Trash

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED 6
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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Recycle Everything I Can

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 180 minutes researching and recycling all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/23/2018 9:00 PM

The EcoChallenge is almost over! Looks like our team is doing pretty well, though we're missing a lot of check-ins. Don't forget to make your last check-ins before the competition is over! Go team!

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Clarke Ohlendorf 10/09/2018 7:20 PM

Revelation in reviewing my score today: The system only awards points for A daily check-in and at least one additional check-in. Maxing out to the 5 daily challenges doesn't provide points for all of those challenges. Additionally, the level of difficulty doesn't make a difference on the points awarded. SERIOUSLY?!? Time to stop doing so much... :-P No, but really, I'm stopping carrying my trash with me--it's a pain to do (even the little amount I have) and I already have a really good idea how much trash we produce as a household. Done with that! The other daily things aren't too cumbersome, I can handle them. UGH! Lesson learned, one week in... Oh well!

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- Marty Troyer 10/15/2018 12:00 PM
  
  Don't give up! Because if you do I'll pass your point total and best you. But also because it's good to learn as we go. I'm not sure I totally got what you were saying, so Imma just keep doing what I've been doing. But I have all the respect for trash-carrying friends! I want to hear more sometime what you learned about yourself and your feelings about trash! Maybe in sharing time Sunday?
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How do your eating experiences differ when practicing mindfulness?

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/08/2018 10:15 AM

Honestly, I'm not experiencing any huge impact with this challenge so far. I think that not using my cellphone or other distractions while in the bathroom is more noticeably impactful than not using these things during meal time. When we (my partner and I) are eating, it can facilitate discussion and planning by being able to use my cellphone while we're together. Generally, I already try to limit my personal use of my cellphone during our meals to topics/actions relevant to our discussions. Maybe that means that I am already practicing this and should move on to another challenge? I do think that if/when either/both of us are using our phones during meals for individual activities that it can be isolating for the other person and inhibits interactions that we could be having.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

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

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/08/2018 10:10 AM

I need time outdoors and opportunities to recharge. Gardening on my property helps fill this need, but I also need some isolated space in nature away from man-made architecture and devices. It is freeing for me to simply be in nature without the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life in sight or earshot. When I can ground myself through connecting with nature, I find myself more centered and connected with my Maker and His creations--for which I am grateful.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Turn it off

How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/08/2018 10:08 AM

Our energy sources are varied in Texas. We have a couple of nuclear plants, but they seem to be a minor contributor toward our consumption (not sure if they're at capacity or if we limit their production because of preferring other energy sources). Coal is common, but secondary to natural gas. Due to all of the refining here in the Houston area, we seem to rely most heavily on oil products for our energy needs. However, in west Texas we do also have many solar turbines.

I like that our energy sources are diversified, so that we are not completely crippled if something negatively impacts a particular fuel source in the market. However, it also means that we have little concerted effort to improve/streamline our energy to improve efficiency. Additionally, given how much of our fuel does come from oil/natural gas, we may actually be negatively impacted by downturns in that particular source. Beyond economics, oil/natural gas seem to be a shortsighted plan to address energy needs, as is coal, so I think that we need to find more sustainable production methods. We also are at risk in many ways because of the refineries on the coast when major weather events occur (e.g. when Hurricane Harvey came through), so reliance on them seems folly.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Volunteer in my Community

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

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/08/2018 9:48 AM

Advocate for more virtual volunteering options could reduce unnecessary CO2 emissions from driving to brick-and-mortar community resources. Some such options are currently available, but I think that more of the volunteering opportunities that are currently available could be turned virtual. HOWEVER, in so doing, there is potential for value in volunteering to diminish--specifically the face-to-face time that is gained and feeling of being valued that is gained from volunteering. So, it could be a catch 22. Without the face-to-face time, folks may be less likely to volunteer because they don't see value/impact in what they're doing virtually. Therefore, maybe offering opportunities and facilitating virtual opportunities once the volunteer relationship is already establish would bridge the gap, reducing wasted driving while also adding value for the volunteer and organization.

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- Clarke Ohlendorf 10/08/2018 10:29 AM
  
  Thanks, Monica. I'm trying. :-) There are many opportunities and I think they largely vary depending on the types of organizations with which we volunteer, but I definitely see these types of modifications as possibilities with the local orgs I help.
  
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- Monica Martin 10/08/2018 9:57 AM
  
  Very interesting and well thought out.
  
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Clarke Ohlendorf 10/06/2018 9:13 PM

My trash bag was a bit of a hassle to carry today--I was working on our lawn and the added layer of heat and lack of breathability for my back weren't fun. Hopefully the bag doesn't start stinking now... 🤔

We took our own cups for eating out and brought the waste home to recycle. Not hard, but took being intentional.

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Clarke Ohlendorf 10/05/2018 8:42 PM

Nothing major to report today. My kangaroo pouch is slowly growing. Not looking forward to cooking meat this weekend and potentially needing to carry that passing around with me. I'll probably insist on buying a recyclable meat container, instead of a styrofoam container--just to avoid carrying it! 😜

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Power Down the Computer

What are other easy things you could do to save energy and reduce your environmental footprint?

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/04/2018 8:57 PM

As I go throughout the day, I am turning off lights and electronics when I leave the room or anticipate that I won't be using them in the near future. I have gone through the house and unplugged electronics in rooms that we don't often use, as even with their being off, they drain some amount of energy unnecessarily. Does unplugged a turned off TV or Roku make much of a difference? Probably not. However, is there are reason to keep them plugged in when used infrequently? Convenience of not having to remember to plug them back in, that's it. I'm choosing to have faith that we keep the kinds of guests that can simply check the plugs when an electronic device isn't working or that I can remember to plug the devices in before they arrive.

I also try to consolidate my trips, so that if I need to drive somewhere, I do all of my various shopping at the same time, rather than making multiple trips. Hopefully burning less fuel by planning ahead will help. Next step--an electric car! (but probably not for a while...)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Online Energy Audit

What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint?

Clarke Ohlendorf 10/04/2018 8:48 PM

We are continuing to find ways to improve the energy efficiency of our home. There are things we can still work on, but I think we're doing alright overall. Based on the audit link provided (https://oregon.energysavvy.com/), I think that we did fairly well. We've only recently moved into this house (>1 year) and have already replaced aluminum windows with high-efficiency double-pane vinyl, added radiant barrier and insulation to the attic, and added solar screens to the largest windows that receive evening sun. We also replaced the window treatments with energy saving drapes. Overall, I think that we're doing well and making improvements, but we can only go so far. Unfortunately, because it's an older house, I think that the wall insulation is iffy, but we're not going to replace that due to the high costs associated with that, unless we need to. The suggested changes from the audit also included changing our thermostat, which is doable, but I don't think it's necessary (we keep it set at 78 degrees right now and I fear turning it higher because we need it to run often enough to reduce humidity). Our water heater seems to be working well and is already turned down to near the lowest heat setting, so I'm not sure we'd gain much by changing it. We also turn off the gas heater (turning the gas and pilot off) during the warmer season, so as to not waste fuel there.

Maybe I'm over confident, but I feel like we do pretty well overall on this and the review here seems to back that up pretty well.

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