Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Gretchen Gary

HP San Diego - 2020 Green Team

"Preserve, Participate, Protect"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
693 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

102

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

hour

volunteered
UP TO

24

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

2.0

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

14

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

23

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

4.3

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

12

zero-waste meals

consumed

Gretchen's actions

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

Do at Home

I will enjoy 3 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

Do at Home

I will enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset each day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

Do at Home

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Ditch the Lawn

Do at Home

I will replace my lawn with a drought-tolerant landscape and save the water, money, and time I used to spend cutting the grass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Do at Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Eco-Friendly Gardening

Do at Home

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in My Community

Do at Home

I will volunteer 5 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

Do at Home

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 7
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 Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you or aren't allowed to use the one you brought? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?

Gretchen Gary 10/27/2020 9:40 PM

I carry a reusable bag that zips up super small in my purse but when it's not enough, I just put the groceries (or items purchased) back into the cart and bag everything at the car. I store a bag of reusable shopping bags, produce bags and bulk bags in my car for use whenever I need them.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Volunteer in My Community

What is one thing you can do to help your community become more sustainable?

Gretchen Gary 10/27/2020 9:28 PM

Spreading awareness is a great way to help my community become more sustainable. The more we know, the better we understand the need for action.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Gretchen Gary 10/27/2020 9:20 AM

After learning about how animals are treated at dairy farms, I gave up cow's milk last year and my kids hardly noticed the difference with the organic almond milk I buy now. I use it in recipes, with cereal and as a regular drink. This year, I gave up eating beef as I saw it as an easy way to reduce my carbon footprint. My son still eats beef but my daughter gave it up with me (her choice!). We still have room for improvement, but we work on it every day. :)

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Gretchen Gary 10/23/2020 1:17 PM

Ever seen a bag flying around on the street or sitting on the sand at the beach? Try to grab it if you can and make sure it gets to a proper trash can. It takes just a minute to do and can save sea life. Every time I see a bag littered on the ground near me, I pick up and think of the sea turtle I just saved. It's a mini act of activism and it feels great. And if you want to take it one step further, fill the bag with more litter before you dump it in the trash. Imagine the impact if everyone everywhere did the same! It's not my trash, but it's my planet.

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Gretchen Gary 10/13/2020 10:48 AM

This is one of my favorite books on treading lightly and eliminating unnecessary waste from your life - 101 Ways To Go Zero Waste. With everything from simple tips like opting for the cone rather than the cup when getting ice cream to recipes for DIY cleaning and beauty products, Kathryn Kellogg offers so many ways to live more sustainably in your everyday life. I guarantee you will love it!

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Gretchen Gary 10/12/2020 4:46 PM

Wondering if solar panels are worth it? To share my personal experience, I'd say absolutely! We financed 16 panels in December 2019, which is more than enough to power the house and the pool we want to put in one day. We put zero money down and got the full rebate at the end of the year. The amount I spend on my bill is the exact same as it was before I installed the panels but now, I don't have to worry about electricity rate increase, peak hour pricing or the increased expense if we increase our usage down the road. And the best part - our house is now powered by renewable energy. One tip: push to see if there is wiggle room in the interest rate if you decide to finance the panels. We got our rate down a good amount from what they originally quoted.

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Gretchen Gary 10/06/2020 11:07 AM

Kicking off our EcoChallege with a sunset beach cleanup this past weekend. I love gardening and go through potting soil regularly so I save all the empty bags for my beach cleanups. I find that the best time to do a cleanup is at sunset when people are leaving so you can see the pollution from the day firsthand - we always find sand toys, plastic bottles, empty snack bags and now, disposable masks left on the beach. All of what we pick up would otherwise get washed away into the ocean with the next high tide. I love how I feel like I am making a difference when I do these cleanups. What do you like to do to make a difference in your community? I'm always looking for more ideas. :)

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Gretchen Gary 10/02/2020 9:26 AM

Ever heard of the SoCal Water$mart program? You can get thousands of dollars towards your yard renovation projects if you pull out your grass lawn and replace with drought-tolerant plants. We got $3,000 back after we put in a water wise, rock garden themed front yard last year. Your lawn has to be alive when you apply (don't pull out the lawn until your project is approved!) and it does take a while to get the refund but it's free money towards your dream yard! No artificial grass is allowed and all surfaces must be porous so the yard absorbs water rather than letting it run off into storm drains. Such a great way to save water and make your home more sustainable! #watersmart #waterwisegarden #savewater #gogreen #greenhome

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Gretchen Gary 10/01/2020 1:33 PM

Any Oceanside residents out there? Register for the City of Oceanside Zero Waste Plan Public Workshop at the link below. The event is planned for Tuesday October 6, 2020 at 5:30pm PT.

"Join the City of Oceanside's Green Oceanside team as we update our current Zero Waste Strategic Resource Management Plan! The City is hosting a workshop for the public to engage and learn with staff on the City's zero waste progress, future programs, potential Marine Debris Reduction Ordinance, and regulatory impacts and service enhancement needs."

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehaewso887b7eb7d&oseq=&c=&ch=

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