Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Darien Cropper

Pepple / Cropper Team

"To improve the well being of my community by starting with myself. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,570 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

942

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

584

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

627

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1,740

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved

Darien's actions

Community

Join My Neighborhood Association

Do at Home

I will join my neighborhood association or another local group of decision makers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Prevent Recycling Contamination

Do at Home

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 10 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Launch a Recycling Program

I will start a recycling program at my workplace or school. If a recycling program exists, I will advocate for ways to improve and expand it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

Do at Home

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Use an Energy Meter

Do at Home

I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

Do at Home

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

Do at Home

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Core Values

Do at Home

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Online Energy Audit

Do at Home

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

Do at Home

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Family Game Hour

Do at Home

I will spend quality time with family and friends by playing low-tech game(s) and/or through the spirit of imagination.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household

Do at Home

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Support Native Communities

Do at Home

I will use the resource links provided and spend 30 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Apartheid

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about food apartheid and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Research Restorative Justice

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about restorative justice and conflict resolution opportunities in my own community or state.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

Do at Home

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

Do at Home

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Research Voter Suppression

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out what local laws, policies, and practices keep people from voting in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

Do at Home

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 60 minute(s)

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

Do at Home

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 3.4lbs (1.5kg) a month or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Joyful Movement

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

COMPLETED 11
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?

Darien Cropper 10/28/2020 5:34 AM

Today's the last day of the challenge! Get those final points in!

Read More
Darien Cropper 10/26/2020 7:59 AM

Halloween is almost here, so make sure your pumpkins don't end up in landfills once the holiday passes! Either compost your pumpkin remains or donate them to local animal sanctuaries. Pumpkins that haven't been painted or decorated can often be used as enrichment for animals, so many animal sanctuaries take pumpkin donations!

Read More
Darien Cropper 10/26/2020 7:55 AM

3 more days left in the challenge!

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Darien Cropper 10/25/2020 6:10 AM

Only 4 days left in the competition! Let's finish up our one-time actions and get those points in!

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Darien Cropper 10/25/2020 6:06 AM

Our team is ranked #64 out of 452 teams!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Join My Neighborhood Association

How can your community support inclusive decision making?

Darien Cropper 10/23/2020 5:48 AM

Not necessarily for my neighborhood, but I was invited to join a small sustainability group for a skincare company that I love (but doesn't offer plastic free packaging) where customers are able to answer their questions and provide feedback on the changes we would like to see. It has been great to be able to give my input and help make changes within a large company! Changing some of their packaging would make a HUGE difference since they have such a large customer base.

Read More
- Ron Pepple 10/24/2020 4:54 PM
  
  How were you able to get involved in this?
  
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- Kimberly Pepple 10/23/2020 7:13 PM
  
  This is great to hear. Glad you have this chance to make an impact in this way especially supporting products you use!
  
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Darien Cropper 10/19/2020 6:18 AM

We are moving up in the rankings! Our team is now ranked #48 out of 424 teams!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Launch a Recycling Program

How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems differently?

Darien Cropper 10/18/2020 7:34 AM

Since our apartment complex already has a recycling program, I am advocating for ways to improve and expand that program. We made a printable chart to reference when trying to determine whether we can recycle items or if they have to be trashed. I made flyers to put up around our neighborhood that link to the chart to help educate others so that hopefully we can reduce the amount of contaminated recycling in our community. I often see plastic bags in the recycling, so I am hoping that this makes a difference! I will see if there are more ways to advocate for better recycling methods in our neighborhood.

Read More
Darien Cropper 10/17/2020 6:42 PM

Tim and I just spent the night making a chart of what can be recycled curbside in Raleigh along with what needs to be dropped off at stores, trashed, and composted. We made it to print off and keep on hand to know what specific items we can recycle in our area. Then I realized that a lot of people might benefit from this, so I made a flyer with a QR code linking to our Google doc and I'm going to put it up at the mailbox areas around our apartment complex! Hopefully this can help some other people. Even if one person starts properly recycling because of this, it will make a huge difference!

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- Kimberly Pepple 10/18/2020 11:35 AM
  
  I need to do some additional research on what our recycling company actually recycles....the condo association sometimes puts a blurb about it in our emailed updates but they never mention that they take glass or aluminum cans...I am sure they do but maybe they just assume that everyone knows that since we all put them in the recycling - they may be concentrating on sharing information about the questionable items but, honestly, they should provide all the people who live here with a complete list so there is no question about it. The think I hate is that some people don't break down their cardboard boxes which causes the recycling bins to be full really quickly - I think I will send an email to the office and ask them to include a note in the next communication email that people should breakdown/fold down their boxes to ensure all the recycling can fit into the bin...I've seen people take recycling out but then end up throwing it in the dumpster since the bins are full.
  
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Darien Cropper 10/17/2020 7:05 AM

Quick update on my attempt to stop junk mail: This was the first week that we didn't receive our weekly newspaper! So glad that I looked into it and finally cancelled it. Since we never actually signed up for it, we wouldn't have even known that we could cancel it if it weren't for this challenge.

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