Earth Month Ecochallenge 2023: Sustainable Development Goals

April 1 - April 30, 2023

Mary Hanks

Sustainable Houston

"Sustainability begins with me,,,and I will keep it going. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,615 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

2.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

10

documentaries

watched
UP TO

12

hours

volunteered
UP TO

3.0

items

repaired
UP TO

49

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1,563

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

75

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

10

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated

Mary's actions

Education & Livelihood

Host or Join a Cleanup Event

SDG 11, 17

Within my community at home or work, I will organize or attend a local cleanup event.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Advocate For Your Watershed

SDG 6

I will call my elected officials to ask about what they are doing regarding water issues in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Volunteer in My Community

SDG 1

I will volunteer 10 hours in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Support Indigenous & First Nations Communities

SDG 10

I will spend 60 learning about the past and present indigenous communities in my regions and what I can do to be supportive.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Mend Clothing

SDG 9

I will mend clothing for myself, family or friends.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Research Impact Investing

SDG 8

Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing or my current investment portfolio to determine if they align with my values.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Plan A Staycation in Your Community

SDG 11

For an upcoming vacation, I will spend 60 minutes planning out a staycation in my region. For reference, one several hour flight releases the equivalent of nearly 14% of the annual emissions from a car.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Calculate Your Water Footprint

SDG 6

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Make Cleaning Products

SDG 3

I will make a few homemade cleaning products.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Practice A Sharing Economy

SDG 1

Each day, I will engage in a sharing economy among my family, friends, and neighbors. A sharing economy is when goods and services are shared between individuals though peer and community networks.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Economy & Communities

Watch a Documentary About Economy, Energy, or Industry

SDG 7, 9, 12

I will watch 2 documentaries about economy, energy, or industry.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

SDG 13

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

Climate & Ecosystems

Watch a Documentary About Climate Change or Nature

SDG 13, 14, 15

I will watch 2 documentaries about climate change.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Get Involved in the Water Justice Movement

SDG 6

I will spend 60 minutes learning about water justice in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Know Your Produce

SDG 2

I will become a savvy produce shopper when buying organic and non-organic items.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Reduce Animal Product Consumption

SDG 2

One kilogram of beef and cheese emits 71kg and 24kg of greenhouse gasses, while 1kg of rice, grains, and legumes emits between 2-4kg. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts emit less than 1kg per 1kg. I will reduce my climate impact by enjoying 1 meatless meals and/or 1 vegan meals each day this week.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Basic Needs & Security

Watch a Documentary About Food, Water, or Basic Needs

SDG 6

I will watch 2 documentaries about food, water, or basic needs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Try a New Vegan or Vegetarian Recipe

I will try a new vegan or vegetarian recipe and share how it turns out on the Ecochallenge feed, or with family and friends.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Share Your Eco Habits

SDG 11

Through my Earth Month Ecochallenge feed, I will share with others an environmentally friendly habit I have cultivated.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Education & Livelihood

Watch a Documentary About Education or Work

SDG 4

I will watch 2 documentaries about education or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Advocate for Equitable Food Access

SDG 10

Access to affordable, nutritious food is a food justice issue. I will advocate for equitable food options at work, campus, or in the spaces I frequent by contacting community leaders and/or doing other advocacy actions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Watch a Documentary About Equity, Gender, Health, or Peace

SDG 3, 5, 10, 16

I will watch 2 documentaries about equity, gender, health, or peace.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Track My Purchases

SDG 10

Each day, I will track my purchases to identify my spending habits. This will allow me to see what purchases can be reduced.

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Economy & Communities

Create A Readiness Plan

SDG 9

Each day, I will spend time developing a readiness plan for my household in the event of an emergency.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Economy & Communities

Chat With A Nonprofit

SDG 12

I will have a conversation with one or more nonprofit organizations I want to be involved with.

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?

Mary Hanks 5/01/2023 12:11 PM

I learned about my watershed and what I can do to keep it healthy. I learned that there are complex reasons why well-intentioned projects fail. I learned more details about the SDGs. I gained greater insight into my consumption patterns, my emergency readiness, and the experience of indigenous Americans. I learned more about sustainable shopping and cooking. I learned what brownfields are and how they can be mitigated. I learned more about climate change and its effects across the globe. I learned that it's really hard to pick up trash using a huge, flimsy garbage bag in high winds!

Mostly I learned that if we work together, there's hope for continued quality of life for humans on Earth. I will be part of that effort.

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/30/2023 6:42 PM

We need to keep in mind that public transportation must be accessible to all. Please check with your friends with disabilities about how easy or hard it is for them to use public transportation.

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/30/2023 3:55 PM
Okay, how have I lived the sustainable goals today? Let me list the ways.
- It's in the 80's here, but we haven't turned on the air conditioning yet.
- I had meatless leftovers for breakfast. Yay for zero waste and reducing animal protein!
- I'm wearing cotton shorts that are over 10 years old, tennis shoes that are probably that old and have been glued back together twice, and a cotton tee shirt from a community event that I volunteered at 9 years ago (and I walked to and from that event.)
- I spent quiet time outdoors in the lovely and peaceful yard that my housemate has created with all native, pollinator-friendly plants--well, it's peaceful until the feral cats get to frolicking in it! We've managed to catch 8 of them and get them neutered and vaccinated before we released them back here where we found them.
- I worked on my emergency readiness plan (some of which involves just standing in the garage trying to figure out where I'm going to put stuff when bad weather comes, heh), shared some eco habits here on my feed, updated the spreadsheet where I'm tracking my purchases, and shared a book with the Little Free Library next door.
- I filled a reusable water bottle to take to the (volunteer) cleanup event.
- Walking to that event, I picked up trash and enjoyed seeing the plants and wild animals on the way; then I spread mulch and picked up more trash before walking home.
- The patio door is open so I can enjoy the fine weather and the cats can go in and out--yes, the ferals got very comfortable here while recovering from their surgeries and they frequently come in for snacks and litter box visits--but this also lets in less desirable visitors, including flies...so I filled a saucer with vinegar and added some dishwashing liquid to eliminate the flies without resorting to harsh chemicals.
It's not quite 6 pm, so I hope I'll find more ways today to live the sustainable values this Ecochallenge is helping me develop.
Read More
Mary Hanks 4/30/2023 3:27 PM

I had good experiences both walking to and returning from my cleanup event today. Walking over the bayou that's the feeder from where I live to the main watershed body Brays Bayou, I saw turtles sunning themselves on the banks of the water below. One turtle plopped into the water and got his turtle associate quite damp.

Walking back, I was passing by the patio of a neighborhood business when someone called out, "You had a nice walk!" He'd been visiting the greenway I'd been cleaning up, and he'd seen me leaving. I was kind of recognizable because I'm wearing a BRIGHT green tee shirt. I told him about the event I'd attended and the Ecochallenge behind my participation. Maybe he'll join us for the next one!

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/30/2023 2:48 PM

The final eco habit I'd like to share: if it's not against your religious/spiritual/person values, please VOTE and take time to contact your officials, both elected and appointed, about sustainable development issues. Our leaders and public servants need to hear from us.

Also, please go look in your refrigerator right now and use your leftovers to make dinner. If you have a lot of leftovers, use them to make lunches for the coming week. Still have leftovers? Label them and freeze them. Just don't forget about them. :)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood Host or Join a Cleanup Event

How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel?

Mary Hanks 4/30/2023 2:40 PM

I enjoyed working with so many young people to clean and maintain a nature greenway, And I had the honor of meeting a leader in the interfaith environmental movement. Working together, we can accomplish so much!

No carbon footprint for me for this event--just my two human footprints, since I walked to and from the event (about 1.4 miles each way and nice weather, so it would have been silly as well as unsustainable to drive). I picked up litter on the way, so I had a whole bagful before I even got to the event. I spread mulch, then picked up more trash. So many cigarette butts and pieces of broken glass!

The greenway is refreshed, and so am I.

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/29/2023 12:03 PM

I felt very old style southern United States/south Texas this morning as I enjoyed my breakfast of biscuits (American, not British) and coffee. And I cooked sustainably, because since I was going to have the oven on anyhow I cooked lunch in it at the same time. That way I didn't have to heat up the oven twice. These EcoChallenges really do have me automatically trying to figure out how to apply principles of sustainable living in all my actions.

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/29/2023 11:56 AM

Think it's too hard to eat locally-grown foods? NASA astronauts starting growing and eating some of their own produce on the International Space Station in 2014. If they can eat locally-grown in outer space, surely we can do that here! :)

You can read about the farmer astronauts here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/meals_ready_to_eat

Read More
Mary Hanks 4/28/2023 9:41 AM

I use glue to repair my shoes, especially when my athletic footwear starts to separate. This really extends the life of my shoes, meaning I don't have to replace them as often. Athletic footwear has a big carbon footprint (there's probably a joke to be made here), so I'm glad I can reduce my demand for them.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security Volunteer in My Community

What was one of your most memorable volunteer experiences, and why? What would you like to volunteer for next, and why?

Mary Hanks 4/27/2023 9:17 PM

I volunteered my services as an audio describer to describe live opera performances to patrons who are blind or have low vision. One performance was especially memorable because I discovered that customer service had failed to provide a Hard of Hearing patron with the listening device she needed, and I was able to obtain that for her. If I hadn't stopped to speak with patrons other than the ones I was serving, she wouldn't have been able to hear the performance very well.

I'm considering volunteering with organized trap/neuter/release programs. My housemate and I managed to catch 8 of the local feral cats in our neighborhood and get them neutered and vaccinated, and they seem so much healthier and happier. Also, feral cats bring benefits to a community. Since the ferals settled around the house, we haven't heard raccoons damaging the premises.

Read More
- Mary Hanks 4/28/2023 7:22 PM
  
  I forgot to mention that I've volunteered 41 hours in my community this month, though the system limited me to claiming 12. I also volunteered another 8 hours outside of my community, serving on an international panel devoted to accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision.
  
  Read More