My council do not have a scheme for recycling plastic other than bottle shaped plastic and we have no food waste scheme. If I lived near my parents, our waste would have been one plastic lid from a coffee jar (and I wonder if that could have been recycled too) plus 2 cocktail sticks!
Maria Couvoussis
"To make a difference for the future of my children"
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,630 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0energy auditconducted
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UP TO1.0Carbon FootprintCalculated
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UP TO144pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO86plastic bottlesnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
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UP TO1.0water footprintcalculated
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UP TO31advocacy actionscompleted
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UP TO1.0community eventhosted or attended
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UP TO2.0hoursvolunteered
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UP TO5.0treesplanted
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UP TO657minutesspent learning
Maria's actions
Action Track: Community
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 2 hours in my community.
Action Track: Community
ATTEND THE ECOCHALLENGE CONSERVATION WEBINAR
On Wed 24th April, I will attend the Earth Month Ecochallenge Webinar on Conservation to learn about what individuals, companies and other organizations can do to promote biodiversity and nature protection.
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
Endangered Species
Wildlife and biodiversity play an important role on our planet and are being threatened each year. I will spend 60 minutes each day learning about the current status of local or global wildlife and how I can align my actions to support their livelihood.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Beauty and Personal Products
Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 60 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.
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.
Land + Forests
Regenerative Agriculture and Me
Regenerative agriculture focuses on farming and ranching in a way that supports life and restores the soil. I will spend 30 minutes learning about regenerative agriculture and find out if any nearby farms practice regenerative agriculture.
Land + Forests
Choose Eco-Friendly Wood and Paper
Trees provide food and habitat for local wildlife species, shade our streets and homes, and help keep our air and water clean by capturing pollutants. Buying products that help protect forests makes a difference. I will only purchase wood, furniture, and paper products from ecologically certified sources such as Forest Stewardship Council.
Freshwater + Oceans
Low Water Gardening
Grass lawns are water-intensive and on average require about 30 percent of a household’s water consumption. Native plants are water-efficient and help maintain the balance and diversity of local ecosystems. I will plant native species with water-efficient plants to conserve water and improve the habitat, then post a photo on the feed to share.
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 60 minutes learning about how cleaning products affect our water and try making my own cleaning products to reduce pollutants.
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.
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Install Bird Feeders
I am going to add a number of new bird feeders to my garden to encourage the bird wildlife. I know we have a number of regular bird and animal visitors but do not feed them regularly.
Freshwater + Oceans
Smart Seafood Choices
We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable seafood choices, commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean, and share what I learned on the feed.
Action Track: Community
Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and Oceans
I will spend 30 minutes learning more about the importance of freshwater + ocean conservation, and how I can reduce my water use. I will share what I learn with people in person, on social media, and on the feed.
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.
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
Dishwasher Efficiency
Hand washing dishes can use more energy and hot water than a dishwasher. To save water, I will use a dishwasher and scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
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.
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.
Land + Forests
Plant Trees
Trees capture carbon and produce oxygen that is essential to life on earth. I will support this important piece of nature by organizing or joining a community group to plant 3 native trees in my community, public parks, office location, campus or backyard.
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 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
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
Join a Cleanup Effort
I will organize or participate in a trash pickup at a local river, beach, or natural body of water.
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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Maria Couvoussis 4/30/2024 8:54 AMHere is a picture of the seeds I planted in the first week of eco-challenge - need to plant them out soon!
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Rupali Chikte 4/30/2024 8:56 AMGreatt
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REFLECTION QUESTIONLand + Forests Personal Waste AuditWhat are the results of your waste audit and what did you learn? How can you reduce your waste going forward?
Maria Couvoussis 4/30/2024 6:56 AMWe don't generate a lot of waste. I already recycle much more than I throw away. This is the waste that I cannot recycle or compost from a family of 4 for one day:
My council do not have a scheme for recycling plastic other than bottle shaped plastic and we have no food waste scheme. If I lived near my parents, our waste would have been one plastic lid from a coffee jar (and I wonder if that could have been recycled too) plus 2 cocktail sticks! -
Maria Couvoussis 4/29/2024 8:45 AMI actually saw an advert on tv over the weekend (in the UK) talking about microplastics and their effect on the environment and us. It then went on to suggest ways to reduce them in our lives and basically asked people to change their habits! Not sure how many people will watch and react? -
Maria Couvoussis 4/28/2024 4:18 AMI have repurposed an old vinyl table-cloth that was languishing in a drawer into a waterproof cover for my clothes dryer. The old one had ripped into too many holes.
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Liesl Warbel 4/28/2024 4:37 AMVery resourceful! -
Suraj Gaurkar 4/28/2024 4:23 AMGreat...
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Maria Couvoussis 4/27/2024 7:02 AMFound this cute chalkboard yesterday that will help with our meal planning.
Next year's eco-challenge target will be to reduce meat and fish but my teens are not keen! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Community Volunteer in my CommunityHow does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?
Maria Couvoussis 4/27/2024 5:45 AMMakes you feel part of the wider community, that you are giving something back. Good feeling. -
Maria Couvoussis 4/26/2024 6:56 AM3 wins today, all with a slightly different positive impact on the environment :)- Rather than default to our normal chocolate spread that I know has palm oil, I went out of my way to go to another store. Their own brand has no palm oil, it is of course more expensive than my normal brand. Will have to ask the kids to do a taste test
- Sourced some chilli paste in a jar rather than a plastic tube
- Sold some trousers on Vinted
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Maria Couvoussis 4/25/2024 7:13 AMI am lucky to have this lovely tree in my back garden
and it gives me these lovely pine-cones that look like roses:
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Rob Harrison 4/25/2024 10:09 AMThey are so cool, can you grow a new one from it? -
Jaz Marullo 4/25/2024 7:19 AMWow!
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Maria Couvoussis 4/24/2024 8:22 AMIn honour of avoiding creating waste and trying to follow the repair, reuse, recycle ethos - I sewed up 2 holes in my slippers yesterday! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate + Air Calculate My Carbon ImpactWhere in your life do you emit the most carbon? What change are you willing to make in your daily life to reduce this output?
Maria Couvoussis 4/23/2024 8:58 AMMost carbon in the house seems to come from our gas heating. Not sure we are ready to change that right now although we do have solar panels on 3 sides of the roof! The next highest was "shop less. I am not a big shopper but could make better choices when I do shop which I am actively trying to do. Food would be another area - although I am not a vegetarian, I would happily eat less meat, my kids less so and I am not ready to be making 2 meals each mealtime. We already have an electric car, solar panels to power that car, recycle everything possible and car share on the school run. In a few weeks when the school runs stop (forever) we will hardly do any weekly miles.