Ecochallenge.org

2018 People's Ecochallenge

October 3 - October 24, 2018

Leslie Ovard

EcoINL

"I will reduce my footprint of natural resource consumption!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
770 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

hour

volunteered
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

420

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

4.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

200

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

480

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

4.0

pounds

waste composted

Leslie's actions

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.

COMPLETED 4
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 60 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 20 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale, or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 16
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 1 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Healthy Sleep

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Leslie Ovard 10/25/2018 1:31 PM
I'm surpised at how much I learned and how much more information is available since I looked a few years ago. It is really helpful to have my little impact grouped with others! The website is really fun, too!

Read More
Leslie Ovard 10/22/2018 9:56 AM
I have loved this check in. I am much more aware of plastic waste and humans' ability to engineer solutions. This provides a guide for what those solutions address. I have learned about and started a kitchen composting project, planted native wildflowers that draw in pollinators, and we are considering purchasing renewable energy through Rocky Mountain Power.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:58 AM
We generate a lot of power from hydroelectric dams, and there is ample wind power generated as well. I learned that 75% of Idaho power is generated from these sources. According to the EIA, about one-third of Idaho's power comes from out of state, and this is from coal-fueled generation. A look at Bonneville Power specifically is more diverse. At any rate, asking where the power comes on rather than just seeing the switch is very helpful. Looking for credible resources to tell this story accurately is also critical.

Read More
- Leslie Ovard 10/22/2018 10:13 AM
  https://www.eia.gov/state/
  provides an interactive way to look at 2016 state electricity data. Since my first post, I've learned that it is helpful to look at consumption data, not just generation, and to look for data from the company I buy from, not just my state.
  
  Read More
- Leslie Ovard 10/22/2018 10:06 AM
  I've since learned that our power comes from Rocky Mountain Power, which has company-owned generation assets including
  Coal-fueled facilities - 10 total
  Hydroelectric facilities - 41 total plants
  Natural gas facilities - 7 total
  Wind facilities - 13 total
  Geothermal facilities - 1 total
  
  https://www.rockymountainpower.net/about/cf/qf.html
  
  Read More
- benjamin brown 10/15/2018 2:28 PM
  What website did you go to, to find that information? I would like to read about that also.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

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?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:43 AM
One thing I noticed was that nearly everything I use either goes to recycling or composting. I think the next step is to be aware of waste before I bring something home. Maybe I already am doing my best and maybe I'm not. Awareness of specific areas of focus is key to me making change.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

New 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?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:40 AM
We are already pretty frugal with resources. It is harder when we have the kids and grandkids around. I need to talk to the grandkids about this more. Packaging seems like a good place to start.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:38 AM
Contributing as little as I can towards landfills is one way. What I convey to my children is another.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:37 AM
This is harder to do than I thought.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?
Leslie Ovard 10/15/2018 8:37 AM
Know who is in my community and help them feel safe relying on one another.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

Fresh air and movement are good for our entire being and can help us think more clearly and creatively. How does taking a walk each day affect yourself and/or your work?
Leslie Ovard 10/10/2018 5:59 AM
It helps me put my work into balance with the other parts of my life.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

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?
Leslie Ovard 10/08/2018 9:36 AM
Reproducability is critical to sustainability, which is central to balance. Putting solutions in place that can be reproduced by others allows work to carry on even if one person is unable for a time. This also requires that solutions are communicated and all the power does not reside in the one. We are a social species and solutions needed now are too big for one person. We need to be able to collaborate into one forward motion.

Read More