Pouring cooking oil down the drain can cause damage to waterways and ecosystems. I will learn how to properly dispose of cooking oil to help support healthy ecosystems.
COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS
Land + Forests
Reduce Household Waste
By taking stock of all daily household waste (not just single use plastic), find and implement at least 7 ways to reduce waste. (E.g., eat out less so fewer wrappers, buy reusable napkins)
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Community
Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and Oceans
I will spend 120 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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Learn about Native Species
The world is full of unique species. I will spend 10 minutes each day learning what the native plants and wildlife are in my region.
COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Land + Forests
30 for 30 in Nature
Studies have shown that when we spend consistent time in nature, our health improves, our creativity increases, and our connection to the planet gets stronger. Each day of the Ecochallenge, I will spend 30 minutes outside (in a large or small patch of nature), then share my observations, reflections, and learnings on the feed.
COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS
Land + Forests
Explore My Area
When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 180 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS
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 120 minutes learning about how cleaning products affect our water and try making my own cleaning products to reduce pollutants.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife
TRY A NEW VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN RECIPE
I will try a new vegetarian or vegan recipe and share how it turns out on the Ecochallenge feed, or with family and friends.
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?
REFLECTION
QUESTION
Land + ForestsExplore My Area
Where did you go for your walk or hike in nature? What were the benefits of doing so?
My dog Lily and I usually walk around the same parts of the neighborhood and I am pretty sure she has mapped out our immediate area to the point she would know how to come back home if she ever got loose. But with this challenge we widened our area and found a new route to our closest park. We also went to a new park where I saw beautiful old trees that I can tell are respected and well kept by the city because of how old they are. How often do you see old trees with mulch around them and the grass well tended when it is right next to woods? And we finally went to the biggest park near us and have been exploring its trails. Lily loves that one that most now and I admit I love it too for all the great views! I love that adventures we have together and how it helps us bond. I plan to keep it up by taking her to a huge preserve in another city that is maintained by a university. They have a section dedicated to pine trees and those are Lily’s favorite. So that is where we will go for our first trip there.
The native plants I wanted from my local nursery won’t be ready for pick up until later in the summer, but I wanted to share the start I made on the moon garden using other low-water plants with placeholders for the native ones I’ll add later. I can’t wait until they are all established and grow!
I was finally able to do a zero waste day! I learned that it takes a lot of effort (in both thought and remembering), especially when you are first getting started. Our society isn’t geared for reusing and recycling, though we do talk about it a lot. There are still lots of things that are single use and not easily recycled everywhere. And so on a personal level, you have to be really conscious of everything you do. For me, I’m glad I took this on because it made me open my eyes to all the waste I make and that we all make. I am happy to say that I had an almost waste free day with zero thought put into it. I found at the end of the day I had just one piece of waste: a plastic wrapper from a cookie I ate and that was it. So I’m happy that some of the changes I’ve made are sticking and coming more easily! One thing I wish is that at self checkouts the default would be paper bags, and that instead the plastic bags would be hidden under the counters.
Thank you for sharing Kimberly! I found this action to be challenging for me. I had to plan for the day. I hope as I move forward with my actions, I will be able to accomplish zero waste days more efficiently.
I have met my personal goal of taking stock of all waste I make, not just single use plastic, and findingat least 7 replacements so that I make less waste overall. To replace swiffer handheld dusters, I bought reusable fleece ones. I go through a lot of paper towels, so I bought swedish dishcloths; one of those cloths equals 17 paper towel rolls. Related to that, I often cover my leftovers with paper towel when I reheat them, so I got a microwave cover instead. To replace my sponges, I got a Euroscrubby which has been perfect for getting those stubborn stuck on foods off plates, but I know once its rough surface wears away I can continue using it as a rag. I was using plastic flosspicks, but have now replaced them with ones made of cornstarch so are biodegradable. I use a lot of plastic baggies, so bought reusable silicone gallon and sandwich size ones, and for messes that I need to throw away, I've replaced the typical gallon bags with biodegradable ones. I would use pre-packaged makeup remover wipes, but have replaced that with micellar water and washable/reusable bamboo makeup remover pads (I had made some out of old pajamas, but I found it was too rough on my skin). While I've met my goal, I have a plan in the works to get a set of indoor composting bins. I'm not ready for a giant one that needs tending outside, but I think something small indoors is more my speed right now. I've been noticing every food scrap I put in the trash, so that purchase will be coming soon!
I learned that I am doing better on my water footprint than average, but there are a few things I intend on doing to make it even less. I plan to get a rain barrel and replace my faucets as well as changing up how I wash my dishes so that I don't waste as much water.
I was shocked that we would need 4.7 Earths if everyone lived like me. And I thought I was doing pretty good by eating meat maybe twice a week and driving short distances and making an effort to recycle (though this month I have been learning that there is progress to be made there). I make the most carbon with my home. My appliances are all fairly old. While I know several have energy efficiency, I'm sure newer models are even more efficient. I had already been looking into a new dishwasher, but will have to think about other new appliances as my budget allows. As far as my daily life, I think I could make more of an effort to waste less food and for the food that I do buy to not be processed or come with packaging.
Good on you! There is much to be said of using what we have, whether appliance, cars, clothes etc. vs. buying "better new ones" - hang in there. Thanks for being here and doing this challenge with us!
It is so amazing to start doing things that make you more conscious of yourself and your actions. It always surprises me when I start thinking about the things I do and recognize which are good and which are bad fir the environment
I managed to have a plastic free day yesterday, which I am proud of, but not a completely waste free day (for zero waste day. The waste I did create was my tea in a biodegradable tea bag and a biodegradable floss pick (made of cornstarch, but it isn’t breaking down right away like I learned about cornstarch styrofoam). That is probably okay in the long run, but for this challenge I really want to accomplish the zero waste since I am so close. These are easy fixes, so you’ll soon be hearing from me that I managed to do it!
I’ve been missing posting my plastic waste pics for the day, but I wanted to share them. I’ve been doing fairly well per day.
Today is the day I’m going to try for zero waste! It takes a surprising amount of planning and not ordering anything since there might be plastic packaging outside of my control that would make waste for the day.
My goal for the garden last year was a "sun" garden with lots of yellows, purples, oranges, pinks. Basically colors of the sunset using all drought tolerant plants. So this year's goal was a moon garden using drought tolerant plants, but now also modified to include natives and make sure everything is bee friendly. The natives I ordered from the local nursery won't be ready for pickup until June, but my favorite for the moon garden is Lobelia spicata. It just looks magical nestled in between other flowers and is perfect for a moon garden and bees like it! Cream Gentian is a close second. The flowers don't seem to open very wide based on pictures, but something about them remind me of paper lanterns, so will be interesting to see in the moonlight.
