Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Julia Bica

Comerica Bank

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
445 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

16

hours

volunteered
UP TO

11

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

18

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

135

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

270

minutes

spent learning

Julia's actions

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

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Locally-Sourced Meals

Do at Home

I will source 1 meal(s) each day from local producers.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host a Watch Party

Do at Home

I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in My Community

Do at Home

I will volunteer 10 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

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

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

Do at Home

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Go for a Daily Walk Outside

Do at Home

I will take a walk outside for 15 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Tour a Waste Management Facility

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Research Local Waste Sites

Do at Home

I will spend 60 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: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Businesses Owned by People of Color

Do at Home

Racial inequity is both a sustainability and justice problem. I will support businesses owned by people of color in my community whenever I shop.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Support Comerica's National Day of Service

As an extension to Comerica's National Day of Service in September, consider conducting a virtual volunteer action that supports our communities. Since there are no organized in-person river, beach or lake clean-ups in most communities this year, if you would like, you can consider cleaning up around your house and neighborhood to support your local environment as neighborhood storm drains commonly drain to local water bodies. Please do not invite others outside of your household if you choose this action.

UNCOMPLETED
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
Action Track: Healing and Renewal Happiness

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

Julia Bica 10/13/2020 8:34 AM

It is really interesting, because I have found that taking a few seconds (really about 15-30 seconds) to just jot down things I am grateful for in my life has made a huge impact on how I interact with others. I am more likely to express my appreciation to them and I am less likely to get angry or annoyed with them. Then, because I am more pleasant and my mindset has shifted to thinking of things to be grateful for, I have more good days! It is like a snowball effect. I really did not expect it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Tour a Waste Management Facility

Field trip! What a fun way to learn about our impact and consumption! What facility did you tour? What did you learn?

Julia Bica 10/09/2020 8:09 AM

I did virtual tours of a few different kinds of waste management sites. I started going zero waste about a year ago, and now I remember why! It makes economical sense, as well as ecological. It was very interesting to learn about the new technology being used to reduce waste by improving recycling efficiency, but no amount of technology gets rid of the land fill waste.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Online Energy Audit

What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint? What changes did you make or will you make?

Julia Bica 10/08/2020 2:13 PM

Doing an energy audit on my home was really illuminating (pun intended). I live with 3 other people, and by looking at all the outlets in my house, which is A LOT, I was able to find things that I never would have thought to unplug! I also started a contest with my roommates to see who could use the least amount of energy, with the incentive of paying a reduced percentage of the electricity bill. I can't wait to see what our next month's energy bill looks like!

Read More