Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Katy D

Team SouthCoast

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
353 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

140

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

25

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

70

minutes

spent outdoors

Katy's actions

Nature

Do Nature Activities

Do at Home

I will engage in nature-based activities alone, or with my friends or family, for 5 minute(s) each day. (This can be anything from going on a walk or hike, to noticing the leaves changing color, to reading a book with nature themes.)

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Research Restorative Justice

Do at Home

I will spend 15 minutes learning about restorative justice and conflict resolution opportunities in my own community or state.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

Do at Home

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

Do at Home

I will spend 10 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Research Voter Suppression

Do at Home

I will spend at least 15 minutes finding out what local laws, policies, and practices keep people from voting in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Learn More about Food Apartheid

Do at Home

I will spend 15 minutes learning about food apartheid and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

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

Waste

Research Local Waste Sites

Do at Home

I will spend 10 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Happiness

Do at Home

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Go for a Daily Walk Outside

Do at Home

I will take a walk outside for 20 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 6
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
Waste Find Local Recycling Depots

Our ability to recycle certain things ebbs and flows based upon many factors, including market demand for recyclables. Luckily there are places that accept uncommon things to recycle or dispose of in a less harmful way. What did you find when looking for places to recycle items that can't be recycled in your curbside bin?

Katy D 10/16/2020 7:31 AM

I was amazed at what could be recycled. I already knew that plastic film and plastic shopping bags could be recycled at grocery stores. What I found when looking at the resources is that recycling uncommon things requires the means to do so. For instance, to recycle sports balls, you would need to purchase a box for $94. We play tennis and at the end of the season, we have three dead balls. In order for me to recycle these balls, I would have to purchase the box for $94 and have the box for awhile as I try to fill it or start wandering parks and tennis courts looking for loose balls to recycle. I am sure that the cost is not the same for all uncommon things but it does bring to mind the idea that unless you have taken care of your basic needs (food, sheltering, clothing) then the environment (and recycling) will have to wait because you can't afford to do it all.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Do Nature Activities

What did you observe while spending time outside -- through sight, sound, smell and/or touch?

Katy D 10/15/2020 11:15 AM

Nature, in all its glory. I love this time of the year when the leaves change colors. There's the smell of trees most from the morning dew and leaves as they fall to the ground and start to decompose. The sound of leaves crunching under your feet. The wildlife that is all around you - deer, rabbits, squirrels, red-tail hawks, turkeys...the list just keeps going. Every day you step outside you never know what you will see. And did I mention the leaves? A colorful tapestry of reds, oranges, yellows, mixed with greens. Pick up a leaf and you can find the mystery and beauty in it. The way the color changes around the veins as the chlorophyll departs the leaf. It's all so amazing!

Read More
Katy D 10/09/2020 11:12 AM

Do you find that sometimes it is hard to be kind? Maybe that's why kindness and compassion are considered practices. Living in stressful times, it is sometimes easy to forget that we are not the only ones having a difficult time. If we lapse, we need to remember to be kind to ourselves as well. When we fall, we pick ourselves up. If we come across someone who has fallen and we are capable, we should pick them up.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Learn More about Food Apartheid

What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?

Katy D 10/07/2020 6:36 AM

Food feeds more than the body. It also nourishes the mind and the spirit. Access to nutritious food feeds every member of a community. I think the adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link comes to mind. When every community member has a true choice about what they consume and access to the foods that feed their bodies, minds, and spirits, then there is no weak link. The community chain is strong.

When bodies receive the nutrients that is required, chemical stress can be reduced and toxins leave the body. People are able to handle the stresses in their lives and thrive. Healthy people are better able to handle adversity and recover.

Read More
Katy D 10/05/2020 10:22 AM

Who's ready for another EcoChallenge? With a changing landscape around us, it is nice to see so may action items that at the core are about strengthening our bonds with our communities at home and abroad and also taking time for ourselves - to feed our soul and replenish our well of kindness. We can only share kindness if our well is full and running over. When we have no kindness for ourselves it makes it more difficult to have kindness for others. Let's be kind to one another and all the inhabitants on Earth!

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