Earth Month Ecochallenge 2026

Ecochallenge.org

April 1 - April 30, 2026

Gabriela's points

0 TODAY
105 THIS WEEK
446 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

18

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

200

gallons of water

saved
UP TO

430

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

195

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

325

minutes

spent learning

Gabriela's actions

What is resilience?

Explore Resilience in Nature

Resilience is all around us in the natural world. I will spend 20 minutes outdoors looking for examples of resilience—such as plants regrowing, animals adapting, or seasonal cycles—and reflect on what they teach about thriving through change.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Soil and Food

Enjoy a Meatless Meal

Producing 1 kg of beef emits as much greenhouse gas as driving 150 miles, meanwhile, 1 kg of veggies or grains leaves a much lighter footprint! This week, I’ll shrink my climate impact by having 2 meatless meals meals each day.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Take Shorter Showers

Conserving water helps protect this precious resource. I will shorten my showers to 5 minutes to save water and reduce energy use - each time saving up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water!

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Biodiversity and Wildlife

Learn to Be a Responsible Pet Owner

Being a responsible pet owner means minimizing the impact pets have on wildlife by keeping them indoors, never setting them 'free' into nature, and supervising pets when they are outside to prevent them from hunting or disturbing wild animals. This also keeps our pets safe from harm. I will spend 30 minutes learning about ways to ensure my pet’s behavior and care practices protect local wildlife and their ecosystems.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Personal

Exercise Daily

Daily movement supports our physical and mental health. I will spend 45 minutes each day exercising in a way that feels good to me, such as walking, running, stretching, or dancing.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
What is resilience?

What examples of resilience did you notice outdoors? How did spending time in nature shape your understanding of resilience?
Gabriela Reyes 4/01/2026 7:23 PM

Due to the windy and rainy weather, I didn't get to spend as much time outside as I would have wanted to. But when I was walking both of my dogs to my neighborhood pond, I saw a goose with one leg. Which was really odd, it made me think how a goose with one leg can swim? But once my dogs saw the goose, they tried to walk towards it, and it flew away. After arriving home, it made me think how resilient that goose was, being able to thrive with only one leg. This made me understand that despite the challenges we have, physical or psychological, we can still grow and thrive as well.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Soil and Food

What meal did you enjoy the most, and what alternatives did you try? Did anything surprise you about how satisfying plant-based options can be?
Gabriela Reyes 4/01/2026 6:43 PM

Today's dinner, I made eggplant parmesan in place of chicken parmesan. I have never had an eggplant before, so I was a little nervous about it. The dish took about 1 hour to make with the help of my sister, but it was definitely worth the wait! It tasted so good, and it was super healthy. I honestly never thought that replacing chicken with eggplant would be this tasty and healthy. I will definitely be making this again.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water

How did shortening your showers affect your awareness of water conservation? What other water-saving practices can you adopt in your daily routine?
Gabriela Reyes 4/01/2026 6:22 PM

After my workout, I set a timer on my phone for 5 minutes while in the shower. When my time was up, I rushed to get out. This made me realize that normally, I would take 15 or more minutes to take a shower, which made me think about how much water I wasted. Another water-saving practice I included was turning off the faucet while I washed the dishes to reduce unnecessary water waste.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Personal

How did exercising each day impact your physical and mental resilience? What activities helped you feel stronger, more flexible, or more capable of adapting?
Gabriela Reyes 4/01/2026 6:10 PM

Today I went to the gym and worked out for 30 minutes. I'm new to working out, so I was very exhausted but also energized. An activity that really made me feel different was jogging. I started off feeling super tired, but after a couple of minutes in, I felt light and energetic. After returning from the gym I decided that I should incorporate jogging more into my daily routine, both at the gym and jogging around my neighborhood.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Biodiversity and Wildlife

What actions can you take to ensure your pets do not harm local wildlife? How does being a responsible pet owner contribute to the well-being of both your pets and the environment?
Gabriela Reyes 4/01/2026 11:43 AM

An action I took to ensure my pet doesn't harm local wildlife is going out and purchasing biodegradable waste bags and blocking small holes in our fence. These actions can help both my pet and environment by ensuring my pet waste is picked up to reduce exposer bacteria to wildlife and is in a biodegradable bag safe for the environment. By blocking the holes in my fence, it's meant to keep out rabbits and squirrels from entering my yard. my dogs love chasing small animals so doing this protects both animals from harming one another.

Read More
- Christine Rucker 4/01/2026 12:13 PM
  
  Pet Parent 🐾
  My 2 dogs love to chase rabbits and squirrels as well. We have recently put up a new fence to try and stop them from getting into the yard with the dogs. I need to work on picking up my pet's yard waste, I haven't been consistent lately. Thanks for post as it reminded that I need to be more aware of getting this done.
  
  Read More