Ecochallenge.org

2020 People's Ecochallenge

October 7 - October 28, 2020

Joseph Sachit Alphy

HP Inc India

"Reduce. Reuse. Recycle."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,010 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

40

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

1,024

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

2.0

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

690

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

40

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

40

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

5,568

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved

Joseph Sachit'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

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

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

Community

Sign Up to Vote

Do at Home

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Upgrade My Windows

Do at Home

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

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

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

Choose LED Bulbs

Do at Home

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Do at Home

I will spend at least 120 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 5 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

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

Do at Home

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

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 5 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

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

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

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

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

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

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

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

Do at Home

I will avoid sending 4 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Do at Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Fix Leaky Faucets

Do at Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Conserve Toilet Water

Do at Home

I will save up to 12 gallons (45 L) of water a day by flushing only when necessary.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

Do at Home

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

Do at Home

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Energy Switch to Cold Water

What do you plan to do with the money you save from making more energy efficient choices?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/28/2020 5:28 AM

Energy efficient choices can be more expensive, atleast early on, before the savings start kicking in... example LED bulbs.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/28/2020 12:28 AM

While planning any travel, the people involved need to reflect if almost the same benefits can be derived from just a series of video calls.

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?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:58 AM

Having everything digitized, from mails to bills/invoices, is the best way to avoid paper altogether.

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?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:55 AM

Keeping a reusable cup with oneself, especially in office, is the best way to avoid using disposable cups.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:52 AM

Tap water need not be good/drinkable everywhere. The best way is to carry reusable bottles.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:50 AM

Every individual & house has to take steps to remove water wastage. Only by everyone pitching in together can we avoid critical situations.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Fix Leaky Faucets

Fixing leaky faucets is one of the tasks that we can easily put off until later. Good job on completing this action! How will you use the momentum from completing this action to increase your water efficiency in other ways?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:48 AM

Reusing water as much as possible in homes is important. Collecting water from rinsing utensils to water plants, or swabbing the floors is one way.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water Say No to Plastic Straws

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:47 AM

Plastic bags should be completely banned from individual use. There are reusable wooden/metal alternatives to straws.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water 5-Minute Showers

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:45 AM

Untreated sewage and industrial waste are two of the causes of contaminated water bodies. There should be more stringent laws governing these, and to ensure they are followed.

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?

Joseph Sachit Alphy 10/26/2020 7:35 AM

Using video conferencing tools like zoom, skype, teams is a great way to avoid in-person meetings.

Read More