Allison Boucher
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 358 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO2.4poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO5.0pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO5.0pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO26plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO119gallons of waterhave been saved
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UP TO3.0advocacy actionscompleted
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UP TO40minutesspent learning
Allison's actions
Climate + Air
Declutter My Home Without the Landfill
Each day, I will learn about responsible ways to dispose of items and de-clutter, clean, donate, repurpose or recycle unneeded items in my home to make sure that what I get rid of doesn't go into the landfill.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Beauty and Personal Products
Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 15 minutes learning about the beauty and body products I use to see if they are refillable or recyclable. If not, I will reach out to the manufacturer to advocate for those options.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Plastic in Clothing and Water
Synthetic clothing can contain plastic and shed harmful microplastics into our water. I will use a microplastics catcher in my laundry, or install a microplastics filter for my washing machine.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Save the Bees
Bees are vital to ecosystems. To help save the bees, I will learn which local flowers provide nectar and plant them in my backyard or in a pot on my balcony.
Land + Forests
Zero Waste Day
The impacts of our waste are far reaching. I will create zero waste for an entire day and share my reflections and learnings on the feed.
Land + Forests
Personal Waste Audit
The waste we create daily can go unnoticed. I will track the waste I create in a day and post a photo log on the feed to see how much I create and where I can make different choices to reduce my waste going forward.
Freshwater + Oceans
Go Plastic-Free
Millions of tons of plastic is produced each year worldwide. Each day, I will conduct a plastics audit of what I buy and use throughout the challenge (kitchen, bathroom, personal care products, etc.), to see how single-use plastic shows up in my life. I will find plastic-free alternatives to these products and advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, product manufacturers, at work, or on campus.
Freshwater + Oceans
Reduce Pollutants in Cleaning
Understanding cleaning product ingredients and their effect on water and biodiversity is helpful to our consumer choices. I will spend 15 minutes learning about how cleaning products affect our water and try making my own cleaning products to reduce pollutants.
Freshwater + Oceans
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
Itr's estimated over a billion water bottles are thrown away each year. Even if they were recycled, that still uses energy and resources from the earth. I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
Freshwater + Oceans
Understand My Water Footprint
Each of us has a water footprint, directly linked to our daily activities as well as the water required in the production of things we use each day. Understanding our water use is important for a healthy planet. I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste, then share what I learned on the feed.
Action Track: Community
Keep My Community Clean
At times it may not feel like it's up to us to keep our community clean and healthy, but we all have a role to play. Each day I am outside, I will pick up any litter I see.
Action Track: Community
Borrow Before I Buy
Why buy something I will only use once or a few times if someone nearby has it for me to borrow, and why not share something I have that someone may only need a few times a year? To reduce my consumption and waste, I will create or support the sharing economy with friends, family, colleagues or neighbors.
Climate + Air
Online Energy Audit
Energy use and waste is often invisible. I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.
Climate + Air
Calculate My Carbon Impact
Carbon emissions can show up in many surprising ways in our life. I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.
Climate + Air
Choose Renewable Energy
Renewable energy options are becoming more widespread and accessible. Not only are they good for the planet, they can help save money as well. I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will contact them to advocate for this option in the future.
Climate + Air
Weekly Meal Planning
One third of all food produced worldwide is wasted, and so is the energy it takes to produce and transport that food. I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need and eating what I planned each day.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Choose Renewable EnergyIf you are already signed up for your utility's renewable option, what other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage? If your company doesn't offer a renewable option, were they open to your request of this in the future?
Allison Boucher 4/08/2024 1:15 PMWhile I signed up for my utility company's renewable option during last year's eco-challenge, I learned about the impact that sealing energy leaks within my home can have (including around windows, doors, attic, etc.) I've also converted to all LED light bulbs, and am frequently washing my clothes on a lower temperature. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Choose Renewable EnergyIf you are already signed up for your utility's renewable option, what other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage? If your company doesn't offer a renewable option, were they open to your request of this in the future?
Allison Boucher 4/08/2024 1:15 PMWhile I signed up for my utility company's renewable option during last year's eco-challenge, I learned about the impact that sealing energy leaks within my home can have (including around windows, doors, attic, etc.) I've also converted to all LED light bulbs, and am frequently washing my clothes on a lower temperature. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Declutter My Home Without the LandfillHow did it feel to intentionally declutter with putting things into the landfill? What did you learn along the way about yourself and our consumer and waste systems?
Allison Boucher 4/04/2024 6:50 AMWith two young kids, I've become a bit overwhelmed by "stuff" in my household! It's become imperative that I declutter, but I am continuing to learn ways to remove things from my household while keeping them away from the landfill. To-date, I've tried my hand at consigning children's toys, clothes and equipment, as well as my own clothes. Looking forward to learning more ways to contribute to a circular economy! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONBiodiversity + Wildlife Plastic in Clothing and WaterHow did you try to catch the release of microplastics in your laundry? What did you learn in the process?
Allison Boucher 4/04/2024 6:45 AMI knew microplastics were released through the laundry process, but i didn't realize much could be done about it beyond reducing frequency of doing laundry. I will definitely be looking into getting a filter in the near-term! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Weekly Meal PlanningHow did it feel to plan out your meals and stick to them in an effort to reduce food waste?
Allison Boucher 4/04/2024 6:35 AMBeing more deliberate to plan out my meals and stick to them is a win-win. Not only am I able to be more environmentally conscious by reducing food waste, but I'm also saving actual dollars during a time where food has gotten increasingly expensive.