Earth Month Ecochallenge 2023: Sustainable Development Goals

April 1 - April 30, 2023

Kieran Wade

"I aim to increase my awareness of my impact, not just by its numbers but by the details too, so I can start making better choices to increase the self-sufficiency of our household and through that the sustainability of the planet. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,143 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

898

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

6.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

48

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

320

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,180

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1,075

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1,180

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

6.0

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

13

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

802

square feet

community beautification
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated
UP TO

35

zero-waste meals

consumed

Kieran's actions

Economy & Communities

Watch a Documentary About Economy, Energy, or Industry

SDG 7, 9, 12

I will watch 3 documentaries about economy, energy, or industry.

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

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

Economy & Communities

Online Energy Audit

SDG 7

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

Economy & Communities

Analyze Your Utility Bills

SDG 7

I spend 15 minutes analyzing my recent utility bills, which might include electricity, gas, or water to see what my current usage is and determine if I can reduce my energy and water use.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Choose LED Bulbs

SDG 7

I will replace 4 incandescent light bulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Ecological & Xeriscape Gardening

SDG 14, 15

Studies show a grass lawn is water intensive and on average it require about 30 percent of a household’s water consumption. I will do one or more of the following actions in my yard or community to conserve water and improve habitat: plant indigenous plants, landscape with water-efficient plants, add mulching, replace a lawn, and/or use eco-friendly fertilizers.

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

Basic Needs & Security

Make Zero-Waste Meals

SDG 2

I will cook 1 meals with zero waste each day.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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

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

Health & Equity

Practice Mindfulness

SDG 3

I will spend 15 minutes each day practicing mindfulness.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate & Ecosystems

Support Local Pollinators

SDG 15

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will plant pollinator-friendly plants in my area to support local pollinators.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Spend Time Outside

SDG 3

I will replace 15 minute(s) per day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside exercising, enjoying the sunrise/sunset, gardening, journaling, or practicing gratitude for nature.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Basic Needs & Security

Take 5-Minute Or Less Showers

SDG 6

I will save up to 6 gallons (23 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers. Tip: Use a timer to practice or count to 60 a few times.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Economy & Communities Watch a Documentary About Economy, Energy, or Industry

What did you watch, and what was the most important thing you learned in the documentaries you watched? How does what you learned connect to your understanding of climate change and Earth Month?

Kieran Wade 4/24/2023 3:19 PM

Ok, so they're technically not documentaries, but I watched a series of extremely educational videos on nuclear energy (hours and hours of content). I learned about how clean nuclear energy is, how safe reactors are, and also watched videos on various nuclear plant disasters and why they happened. I now feel zero remnant trepidation at living super close to a nuclear plant and wish more of our energy came from that source. (Every disaster occurred because of a SERIES of super preventable human errors and terrible decisions. They saw the signs, had crazy advanced warning, and let it happen anyway.) There was one video regarding the Three Mile Island accident, how blown out of proportion the accident was due to deplorable communication between authorities and the general populace, and how that bad press led for it to be shut down and the needs it filled to be replaced by coal fire power plants, "which would soon contribute to more preventable deaths by pollution than all nuclear accidents ever combined."

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security Know Your Produce

What surprised you about the two produce lists? How will you use these lists for your grocery shopping? Have you used these lists before?

Kieran Wade 4/19/2023 7:12 AM

I was not really surprised by the produce in the Clean15 list. Root crops and fruits with a harder or leathery skin... I was also honestly not surprised by the ones in the Dirty Dozen (except maybe the hot peppers!), though I might have been more surprised before I tried my own hand in backyard gardening. I'm still slowly making my switch over to organic produce, as I'd rather also make a switch to smaller or more local farms while I'm at it. I figured, if I switch from Big Company regular produce to Big Company organic, Big Whoop I'm just giving them more money, so... Investigating local farmers!

Read More
Kieran Wade 4/19/2023 6:49 AM

My tomato plants have given me so many tomatoes this season, and so many all at once towards the end. Unfortunately, the plants are dying back now and have been targeted by some pests that are getting into my tomatoes before I can. Time to chop them down, compost them, and start anew. I foresee an increase in my time spent outdoors :) I hope the slightly cooler weather holds up!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Equity Practice Mindfulness

What was it like to practice mindfulness? If this is a practice for you already, what was something new you understood in practicing during Earth Month?

Kieran Wade 4/13/2023 12:50 PM

Practicing mindfulness is something I do from time to time but am doing a lot more frequently for this ecochallenge. We all need time to center ourselves sometimes, or in my case, to allow time for the settling of the emotional vibrations of all the overwhelming sensory input of each day. Taking some time to be mindful typically gives me extra emotional stability to handle everything that the day has in store for me. I really should keep it up even past this challenge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security Try a New Vegan or Vegetarian Recipe

What was the dish you made, and how did it turn out? What did it feel like to try a new recipe? If you can share a picture, please do!

Kieran Wade 4/13/2023 12:47 PM

I made vegetarian lasagna for the first time in my life, and it was okay! I'm not a fan of jarred marinara sauce so I might make my own sauce next time, or try a white sauce maybe? But it was good. My two close friends loved it. Though it didn't taste like "my own cooking" to me, I loved the process and the promise of the meal, so I'm definitely going to be tweaking it and trying it again.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Economy & Communities Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

Kieran Wade 4/12/2023 10:43 AM

I actually want to swap out a few more bulbs around the house! Next shopping trip I'll pick up some more.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Equity Donate Food

Why do you donate food? How does it connect to your values?

Kieran Wade 4/12/2023 10:32 AM

I believe in caring about (and for) other people. I don't always remember to donate food, so I'm grateful to this ecochallenge for putting it in my head to track down my local food bank and make a donation, but I do try and help out wherever I can as I go through life.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Equity Make Cleaning Products

What was surprising about the ingredients in your cleaning supplies, personal care, and pet products?

Kieran Wade 4/12/2023 10:26 AM

I actually made this earlier this week, but wanted to wait until I tested the product before I marked it as complete. Well...great news! Super cheap laundry detergent has been made, and I'm never buying any again! Clothes came out clean :) I thought about playing around with different scents, but we don't actually want our clothes to smell like laundry detergent. We just want them to smell clean, which they do. A+ will experiment with replacing other cleaning products in the house with homemade versions as well.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Economy & Communities Analyze Your Utility Bills

What was the most interesting thing you learned from analyzing your utility bill? What are some ways you can save energy and water?

Kieran Wade 4/07/2023 8:48 AM

This just increased my levels of saltiness at the fact that I still pay FPL $30/month for getting zero power from them. We switched to solar and now pay more than we used to thanks to their brand-new minimum charges... When we move, I'm going to make sure to invest in our own solar battery, ugh. But anyways! I looked at our last half dozen water bills and would like to try and get them down some. Now that I've learned how much less water a loaded dishwasher uses versus washing things manually, I'm going to use it exclusively for a month or so as an experiment to see if it brings our water bill down.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood Research Impact Investing

After learning more about investing, how can you increase positive impacts and decrease negative impacts?

Kieran Wade 4/07/2023 8:44 AM

I don't currently make much of an impact (lol) but this was a great read. Just knowing the number of positive options that exist and how easy it is to find them makes this a lot less intimidating for beginners.

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