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October 7 - October 28, 2020
Camille Brown's avatar

Camille Brown

EcoINL

"Excited to be a part of this years Eco Challenge!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,036 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    38
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    60
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    5.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    10
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    324
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    documentaries
    watched
  • UP TO
    75
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    community event
    hosted or attended
  • UP TO
    435
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    12
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    3.3
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    540
    minutes
    spent learning

Camille's actions

Energy

Use an Energy Meter

Do at Home

I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Work From Home

Do at Home

I will work from home 5 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

Do at Home

I will avoid sending 6 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Car Share

I will sign up for a car-sharing service, or organize car sharing with my neighbors, to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Upgrade Heating & Cooling Units

Do at Home

I will replace inefficient heating and cooling units with energy saving units.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Do at Home

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Reduce Refined Sugar

Do at Home

I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.

COMPLETED 13
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

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

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

Do at Home

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Donate to or Volunteer for Low-Income Solar Initiatives

Do at Home

Whether it's by donating or volunteering, I will research the benefits of low-income solar and find out how I can support low-income solar initiatives in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

Do at Home

I will use the resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Energy

Install Alternative Energy

Do at Home

I will install an alternative energy system, such as solar electric systems or solar water heaters.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Replace Manual Thermostats

Do at Home

I will replace manual thermostats with programmable ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Organize a Course

Do at Home

I will organize Ecochallenge.org's discussion course A Different Way: Living Simply in a Complex World with my family, friends, co-workers, or classmates.

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

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

Health

Exercise Daily

Do at Home

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Family Game Hour

Do at Home

I will spend quality time with family and friends by playing low-tech game(s) and/or through the spirit of imagination.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Engage In Active Listening

Do at Home

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 10 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Forgiveness

Do at Home

I will begin, or continue, on the journey of forgiving myself and/or other(s). I may do this through journaling, meditation, prayer, and/or talking with a licensed healthcare professional.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Community

Join My Neighborhood Association

Do at Home

I will join my neighborhood association or another local group of decision makers.

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?


  • Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/28/2020 6:12 PM
    Thanks for the opportunity to participate this year!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Forgiveness
    How has the process of forgiving, or contemplating forgiveness, benefited you?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/28/2020 8:37 AM
    Forgiving people really does take the stress off of you. It's like carrying a weighted backpack around all day. Why would you do that? I don't understand why forgiveness sometimes doesn't happen. I think it's always important to forgive for our own sakes even if it's not the case to forget.

  • Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/28/2020 8:35 AM
    I've really enjoyed the ecochallenge this year. I felt like it help to keep me motivated as the weather gets cooler. Thanks for the opportunity to participate again!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Go Get a Check Up
    How do you practice self care?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/28/2020 8:33 AM
    Self care can come in a lot of forms. My new years goal this year was to spend 30 minutes a day doing exercise which could be a walk or something more intense. I think just that 30 minutes to myself a day has really helped me to feel calm and helped to recollect myself to be ready for the next day. It doesn't have to be exercise but I think everyone should have some "me" time everyday.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Engage In Active Listening
    What was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation(s) benefit from active listening?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/28/2020 7:30 AM
    It's funny how often we "listen". It's not very often. When my goal going into this was to listen I had to bite my tongue a few times. I know for women sometimes we just want to talk so having a listening ear can be therapeutic. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Community Join My Neighborhood Association
    How can your community support inclusive decision making?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/27/2020 3:03 PM
    I think just making people aware of decisions being made will cover that. People who have an opinion on what is going on will voice it.... the key here is making people aware of the decisions. Some of that is as simple as following your city or things you care about on social media.
  • 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?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/27/2020 2:52 PM
    It's such a simple thing to sign up for paperless billing. I guess I haven't yet because we just moved in and wanted to make sure I was catching all of my bills. Now that everything is paperless I can only imagine how much stress that will take away from my mind and clutter from my house. Now I need to recycle all those unwanted papers....

  • Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/27/2020 9:35 AM
    I am interested to see how much electricity usage has changed overall since COVID. There are less people at work so maybe they are saving on electricity but is it the equal to what we're spending extra at home? Just a question I've been thinking about.

    • Anudeep Medam's avatar
      Anudeep Medam 10/27/2020 10:57 AM
      I have been coming on and off to work and don't see any reduction in electricity usage in the office. At home, electricity usage has increased. So, in total net electricity has increased. 
  • 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?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/27/2020 9:32 AM
    Just like how if there is tension in the home things aren't as efficient. If there is tension in the world then things are the same. When we treat people equally then tensions in the world will cease and that is more sustainable for everyone in lots of ways.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Organize a Course
    How can you use Ecochallenge.org programs to help mobilize your community to take action toward a sustainable future?

    Camille Brown's avatar
    Camille Brown 10/26/2020 8:29 AM
    This is a great program to share with anyone in our communities. The ecochallenge is fun and competitive but is also getting serious about helping the environment.