Earth Month Ecochallenge 2023: Sustainable Development Goals

April 1 - April 30, 2023

Robin Pendleton

Office Depot Women of Color ARG

"Save Earth to continue living here."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,627 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

107

conversations

with people
UP TO

18

documentaries

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

586

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

8.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

2.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

700

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

3,175

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

964

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

12

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

1,152

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

7.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

25

sustainable seafood meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated
UP TO

69

zero-waste meals

consumed

Robin's actions

Education & Livelihood

Stay on the Ground

SDG 11

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally). As an example, a plane from New York to Los Angeles (~2,450 miles) generates about 65 tons of carbon dioxide.

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

Climate & Ecosystems

Explore My Area

SDG 14, 15

Each day, I will spend 30 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Climate & Ecosystems

Choose Sustainable Seafood Options

SDG 14

Using Seafood Watch's list, I will enjoy 1 sustainable seafood meals each day.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Basic Needs & Security

Make Zero-Waste Meals

SDG 2

I will cook 1 meals with zero waste each day.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Economy & Communities

Choose LED Bulbs

SDG 7

I will replace 6 incandescent light bulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Drive Less

SDG 13

To reduce CO2 emissions each day, I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate & Ecosystems

Learn and Discuss The Climate & Ecosystems SDGs

SDG 13, 14, 15

Each day, I will spend 15 minutes learning about these SDGs and talk with 2 people about what I learned.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate & Ecosystems

Advocate for Water Habitat!

SDG 14

I will make 1 phone calls and/or send 2 emails to public officials to advocate for water habitat protection and clean up in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Watch a Documentary About Food, Water, or Basic Needs

SDG 6

I will watch 3 documentaries about food, water, or basic needs.

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

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

Get Involved in the Water Justice Movement

SDG 6

I will spend 30 minutes learning about water justice in my region.

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

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

Basic Needs & Security

Volunteer in My Community

SDG 1

I will volunteer 2 hours in my community.

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

Health & Equity

Advocate for Equitable Participation and Representation

SDG 5

I will call my elected officials to ask what they are doing regarding equitable gender participation and representation in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Make Cleaning Products

SDG 3

I will make a few homemade cleaning products.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Donate Food

SDG 3, 10

I will find out what food programs are in my area and donate food and/or other items that they request.

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 3 documentaries about climate change.

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?

Robin Pendleton 4/30/2023 10:26 AM

Inclement weather is the reason I drove less today. We're under a tornado watch until 2 p.m., therefore, I'm staying at home where I control where my safe space is if that becomes necessary. Of course, I'm praying that won't be the case, but I won't be deceived by the sun peeking through the clouds because it recedes just as quickly before the thunderous rain resumes. I actually feel sorry for the people who have no choice. Hopefully, people who utilize food delivery services will be extra generous to the drivers today. It may be the last day for Ecochallenge 2023, but there's never an expiration date on kindness.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Robin Pendleton 4/28/2023 1:39 PM

I'm fortunate to live in a tropical climate so choosing to stay on the ground instead of taking a flight for one of my vacations was actually a good idea that I might not have considered at this time if I wasn't participating in the Ecochallenge. When I calculated the amount of carbon dioxide a roundtrip airfare would contribute to contaminating our environment I was dumbfounded.

Read More
Robin Pendleton 4/28/2023 1:19 PM

Did you know that most incandescent and halogen products will be phased out by August 1, 2023? The Department of Energy issued a ruling in May 2022 that requires lighting products to meet new standards. Officials say the move will help Americans save money and benefit the environment. The DOE claims that discontinuing inefficient incandescent lights will save Americans nearly $3 billion yearly and substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years.

Read More
- Sherry Thompson 4/29/2023 7:00 AM
  
  Are used to do probably development and source lightbulbs when this mandate initially came through. I changed all of my lightbulbs in my home in 2006 to CFL’s when those are popular and now all of my lights are LEDs. It definitely helps reduce your consumption of electricity and the bulbs are better on the environment because they’re basically plastic with a microchip and they can be recycled.
  
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Robin Pendleton 4/27/2023 2:15 PM

When I dine out I typically pay close attention to the cleanliness, ambience, courtesy of staff, and of course, the value and taste of the food. Until I recently saw a news segment about how food is prepared and the setup of most commercial kitchens, I wasn't aware that most are natural gas consumers. Besides the carbon footprint, extended exposure reportedly presents a health risk.

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?

Robin Pendleton 4/27/2023 2:03 PM

Ensuring that all students have the resources, including teachers, equipment, study materials and technology needed to achieve or exceed standards is very important to me. I also believe that participation in arts and other extracurricular activities helps develop character. I adopted a local teacher and obtained her wish list for her classroom. It was fun shopping to fulfill her list and tossing in a few extras.
I would like to work on a Habitat for Humanity home. It's amazing that people are so willing to volunteer their skills and labor to build a home for strangers. The fact that the future homeowners must provide sweat equity too further instills pride in such a blessing.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Equity Support Indigenous & First Nations Communities

Why is it important to honor native and indigenous peoples and cultures? What have you learned that is important to you? If you identify with or are a member of an indigenous group, how does your community practice sustainability?

Robin Pendleton 4/25/2023 12:54 PM

I learned that there are commonalities between the history and call-to-action of indigenous people and people of color in America. There is definitely a difference between appropriating a culture and appreciating it. People who identify as allies should be personally offended by behavior and laws that dehumanize indigenous people vs merely asking if the targets/victims are offended. Do you really get it if you don't understand why people are offended?

Read More
Robin Pendleton 4/24/2023 1:21 PM

I listened to a "Brain Chat with the Nerdy Neurologist," Dr. Mitzi Wiliams. The focus was healthy equity in the treatment of MS. According to one guest who grew up in Argentina socialized medicine was the norm, so basic access to medical care wasn't an issue. He was surprised when he moved to the US to practice medicine and discovered inequities based on socioeconomic status, race and where you live. The other guest completed her residency in Paris, but became interested in MS when she observed a young male patient lose muscular control.

Conversations about underserved populations for health care usually evolve around race, however, this panel discussed other groups specifically as it relates to MS. Underserved include men, women of childbearing age, patients with stable MRIs, and those over 55 years old since patients with MS are living longer thanks to better medicines. A serious issue is when people are not believed because medical providers have inherent biases about who represents those experiencing MS. Health equity is a basic human right. Equity is not the same as equality. Equity means allocating resources based on individual and social needs. Health equity means to help all people achieve their highest health potential.

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Robin Pendleton 4/23/2023 5:46 PM
Simple Cleaner Ingredients:
- Empty dish soap bottle.
- Small funnel.
- 1 1/2 cups baking soda.
- 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap.
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar.
- 2 tablespoons water.
- Tea tree essential oil.
Read More
Robin Pendleton 4/22/2023 4:25 PM

Today is "Earth Day" and it's been endearing and hopeful to see so many stories about young children being taught how to plant vegetables in urban spaces that typically aren't associated with gardens. In the process, they're learning how they are contributing to "making the Earth happy." With a sense of pride and ownership, they look for sustainable vegetables and fruit on their plates at home, thereby transforming their entire family into Earth keepers. Besides gardens, children learn the need to protect certain species of insects that are pollinators. Pollinators such as bees carry pollen from one flower to another and can also do the same for seeds. So, that means pollinators also help make vegetables, such as cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes.

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- Sherry Thompson 4/23/2023 10:33 AM
  
  When I garden I feel so connected to earth . When I grow plants and flowers from seeds I feel so happy, proud that I helped give them life!
  
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Robin Pendleton 4/21/2023 11:44 AM

My mother had no idea how true her statement was when she tried to guilt me into eating my vegetables and other foods I detested when I was little. There was to be no food waste in our household and I'm from the generation that typically wasn't asked, "what do you want to eat?" My mother would declare, "Children in Africa are starving." This week I watched ABC World Evening News with David Muir as he visited South Sudan. The Sudanese children are innocent victims of climate change. Mother ventured into dangerous flood waters to retrieve water lilies to food their children. My heart ached to watch a 40-day-old infant who weighed only 4 pounds. The ray of hope was that with only 3 days of nourishment there was obvious improvement in his health. The World Food Programme reported that they received $2.2M in donations after this aired.

Read More
- Sherry Thompson 4/22/2023 5:38 AM
  
  We take so much for granted, my mom used to go to guilt us into eating by also saying that there are children in Africa starving. I think of that every time I’m about to not finish what’s on my plate. I don’t take more than I can eat and I try not to throw food in the trash.
  
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