Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Corey Efaw

EcoINL

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
599 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

2.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

4.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

122

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

10

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

660

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

90

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

21

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

65

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

9.0

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

1,812

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

0.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Corey's actions

Water

Collect Rain Water

Do at Home

I will create a rain garden or bioswale or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

UNCOMPLETED
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

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 60 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

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

Community

Express My Support

Do at Home

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Advocate for Greener Vehicles

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minutes assessing the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.

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

Stay on the Ground

Do at Home

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

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

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

Do at Home

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Join a Local CSA

Do at Home

I will sign up for a local CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture).

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 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 3 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

Do at Home

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

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

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Do at Home

I will spend 90 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

Do at Home

I will watch 3 documentary(ies) about systemic racism.

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
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?

Corey Efaw 10/21/2020 8:24 AM

I watched different documentaries on climate change and racial injustice, and found that there is intersectionality between the two issues. We cannot attempt to produce a more sustainable existence without recognizing that we have been systemically harming black and brown people in our communities. They go hand-in-hand. To fight climate change is to fight systematic oppression. Creating cleaner energy sources should work within the ideas of reallocating funding from militarized policing, and in producing equitable, inclusive governing structures. One example is the BREATHE Act, proposed by the Electoral Justice Project of the Movement for Black Lives.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?

Corey Efaw 10/15/2020 9:25 AM

A heavy reliance on meat products in our daily diet has led to the mass production of meat - this has caused horrible mistreatment of animals through factory farming, caused us to destroy land to make room for more animals (such as what has happened in Brazil with mass destruction of the Amazon forests), and waste more water and crops to produce meat than could otherwise be used to produce higher consumable calories per gallon water used by relying on plant-based diets. The consumption of meat is not a terrible thing, however the amount of meat consumption our society relies on has supported the exponential increase in CO2 emissions our human species has caused in the past few hundred years. Choosing to eat more meals without meat as the main dish will help in lessening these effects, and return us back to eating meat at healthy amounts without the need of detrimental factory farming practices.

Read More