Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Scott Benson

Columbia Bank

"The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
918 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

24

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

locally sourced meal

consumed
UP TO

33

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

575

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

930

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

765

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

60

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1,031

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Scott's actions

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

Do at Home

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

Do at Home

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

Do at Home

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Research Local Waste Sites

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

Do at Home

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

Do at Home

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Joyful Movement

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

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

Transportation

Work From Home

Do at Home

I will work from home 8 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

Do at Home

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 22
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

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 Personal Waste Audit

Why is it often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places?

Scott Benson 10/27/2020 8:13 AM

We don't routinely see these other people, animals, or places and it's very easy to adobt a mindset of "out of sight, out of mind"

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Support Local Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Scott Benson 10/26/2020 9:18 AM

Without the pollinators our trees will not be able to reproduce. We have planted quite a few different plants that will bring them to our house, and have set up a house for mason bees to live in on our deck.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Research Local Waste Sites

In what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?

Scott Benson 10/26/2020 9:17 AM

We have transfer stations in most of the cities around Seattle. They are located near smaller business locations, however the one nearest me has lower income housing and retirement homes near it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Go Paperless

Reducing your paper mail can reduce mental clutter as well as physical waste -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

Scott Benson 10/23/2020 10:50 AM

After opting in the electronic communications, my next step is to request receipts be sent by email rather than printed at time of sale.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Drive Less

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Scott Benson 10/23/2020 10:49 AM

Growing up there was not a good public transit system in place, so the primary transportation has been a vehicle, however once I moved to a larger city I had access to public transit, which I starting taking advantage of to limit wear and tear on my car, and to reduce emissions.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Work From Home

It takes the average worker in the United States 26 minutes to travel to work. One way to fix long commutes would be to make cities more affordable. An even simpler option: promote the use of telework. How have you used technology to replace in-person meetings or work this year?

Scott Benson 10/22/2020 8:09 AM

We use a few tools to replace inperson meetings, Zoom or Skype along with quick phone calls to coworkers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Joyful Movement

What's your favorite activity(ies) in which you experience joy while being active and moving?

Scott Benson 10/22/2020 8:08 AM

Hiking through nature trails or the local park, however with the approaching winter, have shortened the walks or start earlier in the day to still have light while outside.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Buy From a Farmers Market

What is one food choice that you make, or could make, that would do more good and less harm?

Scott Benson 10/22/2020 8:07 AM

Eating more fruits and veggies while avoiding excess meat. I've started a small garden, and plan to expand it in future years.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Scott Benson 10/21/2020 8:11 AM

Less reliant on gasoline, which can reduce the cost of driving.

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?

Scott Benson 10/14/2020 9:28 AM

The hardest part I've found is just making sure I always have a reusable mug with me. I've left a few at the office and in my car so that one is always close by when a coffee craving hits.

Read More