Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Samantha Boucher

erstad ARCHITECTS

"Be Better."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
505 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

6.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

5.0

donations

made
UP TO

16

hours

volunteered
UP TO

36

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

150

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

260

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

60

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

25

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

57

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved

Samantha's 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

Do at Home

I will raise money to support Ecochallenge.org or another nonprofit.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

Do at Home

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Volunteer in My Community

Do at Home

I will volunteer 8 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community while observing best practices in my region for not spreading COVID-19.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Donate to an organization that works to preserve open natural spaces

Sometimes the best thing I can manage to do is to just hand the reins to people who know how to do it best.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Work From Home

Do at Home

I will work from home 10 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Drive Less

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 3
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

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Do at Home

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn More about Food Apartheid

Do at Home

I will spend 10 minutes learning about food apartheid and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

Do at Home

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Research My Investment Portfolio

Do at Home

I will find out what stocks and bonds are in my investment account portfolio to determine if they align with my values (e.g. environmental, social responsibility, community).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Meditate

Do at Home

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 15 minute(s) each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Needs Vs. Wants

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Joyful Movement

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Native Communities

Do at Home

I will use the resource links provided and spend 20 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

Do at Home

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about systemic racism.

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
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?

Samantha Boucher 10/26/2020 10:08 AM

I've done a couple of "opt-out" programs now, and the next step is just to wait and see if my mailbox changes. Out of all of the mail we get, only about 4 things are wanted: cards and letters from friends and family, bills, things we've actually ordered, and mailers from organizations we're actively supporting. The rest can go!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Join An Outdoor Project

How well do you know the area you live in? In what ways is a deep knowledge of your surroundings -- known as a 'sense of place' -- important to you?

Samantha Boucher 10/26/2020 9:04 AM

Knowing the place you live - really knowing it - is essential to feeling settled, at home, and grounded. The best bang-for-my-buck way to do this is to spend time with the plants, critters, and dirt that live in the ecosystem around me! Trail repair turns out to be a good excuse for some quality foothills time.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Needs Vs. Wants

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?

Samantha Boucher 10/08/2020 9:34 AM

To practice simplicity, one must think a little harder about what they really do need and try to evaluate how they could do without that thing. Let's use cooking, for example. A recipe you're using calls for zesting and juicing lemons. The lazy/consumerist brain would think "okay, I'll need to get a zester and a juicer." But a creative thinking brain would go "what does a zester do? Scrapes off the rind. What do I have that could do that? Cheese grater! Great. What about juicing? I could use a fork if just squeezing isn't enough." Use the tools you already have in creative new ways to reduce your impact and consumption.

If you REALLY do not have anything that can accomplish the task you need: ask a friend or neighbor to borrow the needed tool from them! Voila.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Adjust the Thermostat

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your ZIP code, region, and/or state. What other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?

Samantha Boucher 10/07/2020 8:31 AM

This one will be a daily fight now that it's cold in the mornings! But that's what sweaters and socks are for!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Research My Investment Portfolio

In what ways can you increase the positive impacts and decrease the negative impacts of your financial investments?

Samantha Boucher 10/07/2020 8:30 AM

I needed to invest more anyway - and now I'm actively investing in ESG (environmental, social, governance) ETF's and funds. They're not the biggest chunk of my investments yet, but if they do well, I may shift more $$ over to them down the road and take money out of funds that rely so much on things like oil production, weapons manufacturing, and unethical practices.

Read More
Samantha Boucher 10/07/2020 8:22 AM

Learned a bit about food apartheid in Chicago and in the southern US. Most interesting was actually WHY it's called apartheid: to call attention to its deep roots in racial disparity. The next step is to learn about where that's happening here in my area.

Read More
Samantha Boucher 10/01/2020 4:05 PM

A lot of points can be gained by just thinking about and checking off things you've already done! Feels good to realize what you've already done, too.

Read More