Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Kim Sherman

Oregon Lawyers and Sustainability Warriors

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
477 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

29

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

7.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

510

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

10

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

23

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

7.0

pounds

waste composted

Kim's actions

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Sign Up to Vote

Do at Home

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Research Voter Suppression

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minutes finding out what local laws, policies, and practices keep people from voting in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

Do at Home

I will replace 7 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

Do at Home

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about systemic racism.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Compost Food Waste

Do at Home

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Do at Home

Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate. I will keep 3 container(s) out of the landfill each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

Do at Home

I will avoid sending 5 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

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?

Kim Sherman 10/28/2020 10:42 AM

That was fun. I meant to check in daily, but somehow the days all seem the same lately, and I missed checking in on more than half the days of the challenge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Research Voter Suppression

What are the ways in which voters are prohibited from or discouraged from voting in your region and/or state? What could be done to get rid of these barriers?

Kim Sherman 10/28/2020 10:39 AM

Examples are Florida's "Felon Fees" and Texas' removal of all but one ballot drop in each county. What can be done? State Constitutional Amendments that apply mathematical formula to redistricting to prevent gerrymandering.

Read More
Kim Sherman 10/27/2020 9:53 AM

I do these things that I have chosen (reusable mugs, reusable water bottle, reusable bags, reduce waste, compost food scraps, etc) every day. The hardest part of the eco challenge was remembering to check in and mark off that I had done those things!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose LED Bulbs

Switching out your lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Kim Sherman 10/27/2020 9:48 AM

Done!

I finally found a color of LED lighting that was not too harsh, and replaced the lightbulb in my table lamps throughout my home and office.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

What did you learn about racial injustice in the documentary(ies) you watched? How does what you learned connect to your understanding of sustainability?

Kim Sherman 10/27/2020 9:43 AM

I watched two TED talks: "We need to talk about an injustice" (2012) and "The fight for civil rights and freedom" (2020), as well as the HBO special about Bryan Stevenson "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality."

The last movie I watched in an actual theater was Just Mercy." With Black Lives Matter protesters being attached by police in Portland and so many other cities in America, and the pandemic killing disproportionate numbers of people of color because of historic issues of economy, housing, health care, and the disproportionate number of people of color filling jobs that cannot be done from home, race issues are front and center. And all those issues are impacting (and impacted by) continued attempts at disenfranchisement of black and brown voting.

Reparations? yes.
Justice? long overdue.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Compost Food Waste

New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?

Kim Sherman 10/10/2020 11:35 AM

I share a house with two housemates. We use compostable bags for our trash, have committed to buy products in glass or cardboard containers and avoid products in plastic containers, re-use plastic tubs (yogurt, etc), and compost food scraps. We fill our food compost bin every two days or so, and compost those scraps in a back yard composter. I allow my neighbors to use my large bin provided by my rubbish collection service for yard waste for their overflow yard waste.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Mug

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reusable one, but it's just hard to make the switch. What stands in your way of making this a habit? By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?

Kim Sherman 10/10/2020 11:30 AM

The only time I use a disposable coffee cup are those rare occasions where I have lost my travel mug.

Read More