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?
On this final day of the Earth Month Ecochallenge 2025, I have very mixed feelings about the event.
First: Thank you to all the enthusiastic Ecochallengers who performed tasks, learned about issues, and shared their knowledge and experience! I benefited from reading your feed posts.
BUT: It appears that many so-called participants are not actually doing all or possibly any of the tasks they claim. I observed things in the feed for this event that I've never experienced in the other Ecochallenges I've done over the years.
And no, I don't mean that the mission statement of the team currently with the most points is:
"Satan, Embrace Sustainability and lead Earth towards a green future"
I am not kidding; check it out for yourself!
I mean things like this:
Is Jeremy Gu even a human? Twice in his feed he makes references to being an AI. Check out this feed post of his:
As an AI, I don't directly participate in the Earth Month Ecochallenge 2025. But I'm ready to share tips on conservation, like reducing waste and saving energy, to help others make a difference!"
As of this writing, Jeremy Gu has accrued 1,351 points...even though he states he is not directly participating. But his posts are oddly non-specific, and they repeat the same information with very little variance in wording. It does sound AI-generated. I've reported this phenomenon to Tech Support.
Some people use the same exact paragraph for all feed posts and reflection question responses. They don't actually answer the reflection questions, and may either be AI-generated or simply copied and pasted from an uncredited source.
Similarly, members of the same team will post the same exact paragraph across many areas. I commented that they appeared to be copying and pasting from each other, but no one responded with clarification. I did go back to check.
Most of the aforementioned behaviors were from teams associated with a major sponsor. Are employees getting some kind of work reward for a high point score such that their motivation is NOT to learn and practice sustainable living techniques but just to look like they've been participating? This defeats the purpose of the event.
The tasks in many cases seemed miscategorized. Things that should have been one-time tasks were listed as daily, and vice versa. Trying to "Produce No Waste for a Day" every day of the month sounds pretty hard to me!
The feed was incredibly boring and content-light, with fewer than usual people sharing details. Many responses appeared to just have been copied and pasted from the resource materials provided for the task. I usually have lots of interactions with new people as we share tips and experiences about our similar interests. But with this Ecochallenge, not that many people posted enough information to motivate any kind of response.
And some responses made me want to respond, "SERIOUSLY? You're claiming THAT?" like the woman who stated that the skills she shared for a one-time task and reflection question were " providing tips on the feed." Yes, what many of us are doing on this feed every single day. Wow. Compare that response to what other people were doing, like event organizing.
A surprising number of participants posted high point totals that could not have been achieved without a significant number of recruiting points. Do the math! Add up the maximum points available for:
Sign-up including referral/early bird/any other bonus if any, selection of first task, posting profile picture/banner/mission statement
Performing 20 advanced one-time actions and their associated reflection questions
Checking in daily for more than one daily task, posting to feed, and responding to a feed post--be sure to multiply this 30 for each day of April
Claiming "I already do" ALL the tasks not selected for Daily or One-Time
Purchasing 175 points
All this adds up to 2024 points or thereabouts. But--what are the chances that a participant would choose only advanced one-time tasks AND claim to already be doing every other task on the list? I'm one heck of a sustainer, but even I can't manage all those tasks all the time. (Especially since I'm not rich and can't afford all the suggested donations, given what I'm already doing and donating.)
You earn recruiting points when people you contact sign up to participate or join a team. It does make sense that captains of teams from large companies will earn these points.
However, I can't help thinking that some individuals are using AI to game the system, and that some teams may as a group be doing this.
I sadly conclude that in many cases, this Ecochallenge is basically a greenwashing, self-aggrandizing pat-on-the-back for one or more companies.
I wish I didn't feel this way. I think that the Ecochallenge approach is a fun and effective way for people to develop a sustainable lifestyle. I just think that the organization's leaders need to take action against abuses like inappropriate use of artificial intelligence. I urge you to reach out to the organizers to protest this.
It's disheartening for me to pore over the internet looking for useful resources and information I can share about, say, being a responsible pet owner--I can't even count the places where I shared information about free chipping, low-cost or free neutering, little-known veterinary treatments; I really did do this every single day, and I'm happy to say that people have reported getting their animals neutered as a result of what I shared!--only to read a feed post from someone claiming to be an AI not directly participating but who's accrued more than a thousand points. I just try to brush it off and concentrate on what I as an individual can do--but I thought I should make some mention of my observations.
I really do appreciate those of you who used this Ecochallenge to explore, experiment, reach out, contemplate, act, practice, and share. YOU are making the world a better place, even if the fakers are just greenwashing.
I forgot about the 25 points you can earn for answering reflection questions on daily tasks. So approximately 2050 is the new base maximum score before recruitment points.
For my last daily goal of learning about a native species, I again turned to iNaturalist for a species reported by a neighbor.
My native species is the Tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor). It is a small heron, breeding on the Gulf states of the USA (and stretching through Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean to Brazil and Peru). It is a solitary bird and has a diet consisting mostly of small fish.
A water retention series of lakes has been established approximately 3 blocks from me, with the area being further developed with walking trails, a fishing pier, and future plans for a dog park, performance space, etc. Because of the constant presence of water in the ponds, we enjoy a wide variety of water birds, including the tricolored heron.
Random thoughts about things I've been doing in connection with my chose activities for this Ecochallenge:
We know that salads (at least if we don't put too much fatty dressing on them!) are good for us, and most of us enjoy eating them...but sometimes when you come home tired, it seems like too much work to tear the lettuce, slice the tomatoes, chop the onion, etc. That's why I keep a mini-salad bar in my fridge. When I have some extra time, I prep the ingredients--not too much of any of them--and put them in separate containers. I'm a lot more likely to eat a salad that when I just have to pull off a few lids as opposed to exercising my knife skills. :)
Being a responsible pet owner means helping your friends out by picking up their dog from the kennel early on the day of their return so they don't get charged for an extra day...even if this means you have to dance around for awhile with an overexcited pup.
Similarly, we relocated a bird feeder because its customers would knock seed to the dirt below, enticing birds to pick at it and making them sitting doves (we don't have ducks in the back yard that I know of) for the feral cat colonists. Even though we feed those guys a lot, they still have that urge to hunt. Moving the feeder to a grassy area means that the fallen seed is harder for the birds to spot, so they're more likely to stay on the feeder and out of danger.
No matter how many park improvements you attend where some of the participants are not experience gardeners, you're almost always going to encounter a pitchfork or rake that's been abandoned with its points UP. Be careful out there!
Sometimes you will add basil leaves to a salad to make it a more interesting alternative to meat but your friend might mistake it for mint and put it in his tea. And you might see it and freak out and think that YOU put the basil in the tea and worry that you're having cognitive issues.
How did participating in a bio-blitz with young people enhance their understanding of local biodiversity? What impact do you think activities like a bio-blitz have on inspiring youth to protect nature?
The biobliltz I attended WAS THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE 2025. This biobliz is an independent activity, using iNaturalist. I am a senior citizen, and do not know young people to form a cooperative for this activity.
I was able to participate in this sporadically and identified a range of insects, reptiles, and plants not in someone's garden.
In support of my daily research on a native organism, I researched a moth reported by a neighbor: Exposed Bird Dropping Moth (Tarache Africa).
The species is found from Ontario and Quebec south to Florida, and west to Kansas. The moth is an excellent nighttime pollinator.
This is one of the rare species that hosts its caterpillars (i.e. they lay their eggs on the plant and the young eat nothing else) on a non-native. Int this case, their host plant is the common hollyhock (Alcea rosea ).
I know that some roaches are pollinators, but I am really creeped out by the huge ones that can fly around! Many people who move to the Texas Gulf Coast are surprised by the high humidity, the frequent flooding, and THOSE GIANT FLYING NASTY BROWN THINGS known as palmetto bugs. Eww! Ick! I greatly prefer pollinators like butterflies, birds, and bees. :)
I did not know that some cockroaches are pollinators or that they are sometimes referred to as palmetto bugs! Thank you for sharing! I live in Central Texas and, gee whiz, our cockroaches certainly aren't small either 😅
Who: A group of consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc.
Why: The consumers allege Amazon misled consumers by falsely advertising its Amazon Basics Paper Products as environmentally friendly.
Where: The Amazon class action was filed in Washington federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges Amazon.com Inc. falsely advertised its Amazon Basics Paper Products as environmentally friendly.
The lawsuit explains Amazon failed to disclose that its paper products are made from wood harvested using environmentally harmful methods, such as clearcutting and burning.
The Amazon Basics Paper Products class action lawsuit is Ramos, et al. v. Amazon.com Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-00465, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Today, I met my daily goal of learning about native species by researching an insect observed by a neighbor in the iNaturalist system. My native is the black-bordered lemon moth (Marimatha nigrofimbria).
Adult black-bordered lemon moths, are yellow, and their wings have a black edge. There are no other lines present. There usually are two dark dots on each forewing. The forewings are often bright yellow with a lustrous or glossy look. The hindwings tend to be more muted.
Caterpillars are rather thin, with few hairs. Overall color is grass green, with some lengthwise pale stripes running down the body. Usually see on the leaves of grasses, on which they are perfectly camouflaged.
This species is found east of the Rocky Mountains; it is highly endangered in western New York State.j. Like all moths, it is an excellent pollinator especially for those plants that have their flowers open at night. They are dependent upon native grasses for their caterpillars to survive.
I love the concept of an animal ambulance! Until I read a feed post from Ulrike Lindstrom about donating to the Swedish animal ambulance organization and was motivated to do an internet search, I had no idea that the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers this service. According to their website, it's the only one in the entire Texas Gulf (of Mexico) Coast region.
Houston-area Ecochallengers, to contact the 24-hour animal rescue ambulance:
Call 713-869-SPCA (7722) seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
After hours and holidays, please call 713-880-HELP (4357).
Today my co-captain and I took part in a greenway clean-up effort organized by another participant in this Ecochallenge. Lisa is a leader in environmental activities in our city and has organized many events like this over the years. The greenway administration changed the main goal for the day from trash pick-up to mulching, so we spent most of the time with a rake or a pitchfork in our hands (though some of us did pick up a little trash--it's so aggravating to see those beer caps). First, after weeding the unwanted "volunteer" plants in the space, we spread mulch on a circular area with a radius of about 15 feet around a huge oak tree. A mathematician in the group guessed at the width of the tree trunk and figured out that we'd spread at least 8 cubic yards of mulch in that one area alone. Then we distributed mulch around several areas of native plants. As always with Willow Waterhole Greenway, I was impressed with the informative signage about the flora and fauna.
The mulching process involved using pitchforks to load mulch from its original deposit site near the street onto a golf cart-type vehicle with a flat bed that can be tilted to dump the contents. A skilled driver maneuvered this cart between stones and plants to the desired locations, where we unloaded the mulch with pitchforks and then used pitchforks, rakes, and our hands to get it in the exact places.
I appreciate how well-organized the event was. All equipment was provided, including gloves...though my co-captain and I brought our own since we're used to them from yard work. A highlight was getting to listen in on the educational event where the younger workers heard about how a greenway is run and then had the chance to ask questions. It was clear to me that these kids care about the environment and want to know how to take care of their planet.
