Skip to main content

Modal Title

Modal Description

Welcome to Earth Day Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Earth Day Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Earth Day Ecochallenge
April 1 - April 30, 2020
Stephan Classen's avatar

Stephan Classen

UWB/CC Crow-navirus Isolators

"To help our community become more sustainable!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 518 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    96
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    12
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    4.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    12
    pounds
    waste composted

Stephan's actions

Fresh Water

Conserve Toilet Water

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Oceans

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When marine wildlife ingest plastic, they have a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Compost Food Waste

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 0
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?

  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 5/01/2020 10:38 AM
    I learned how much our community cares, and a lot of the background and enthusiasm from your updates, team! Thank you everyone so much for participating, and I'm thrilled that we made an impact together!
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/27/2020 10:57 AM
    As we're coming to a close, I wanted to say thank you to the team! Seeing you all do actions, check in, and so many participate is amazing, and I'm definitely more enthusiastic to do another Ecochallenge with our campus in the future!  Hope you all keep up with sustainable actions even past our month as it closes, and let's build a better world through these COVID19 times!  Thank you so much!
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/22/2020 12:37 PM
    Happy Earth Day!  I'm watching Biosphere 2's live QandA with people who were part of the first mission, and we're hosting a seminar on how to do sustainable actions at home!  Hope you're having an amazing day!
    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?
    Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/21/2020 9:03 AM
    Meat has always been seen as the 'richer' person's food, and it's been used as the main 'delicious' recipe.  So humanity has focused on making it available, and it makes tons of money to keep eating meat.  Look at fast food - almost all meat meals.  

    But 'richer' is the same in food as it is for other resources it seems - where it takes more resources in carbon, water, and land than non-meat sources.  We have research and facts behind this.  It's time to allow our eating habits to change, and also find ways to make non-meat meals more 'yummy'.
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/18/2020 9:13 PM
    One thing that's ridiculously easy to share and adds simple donations to sustainable organizations is Tab For A Cause. Everyone opens tons of tabs in their browsers these days, how would you like to start earning money for non-profits and charities just by doing that normally?  Here's an invite code: https://tab.gladly.io/?u=drakk2 It's a basic add on to your browser!  Get started!!
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/15/2020 10:43 AM
    It's interesting being at home so much.  I can control our food waste and compost much better - but we're definitely ordering take-out more, which comes with a stack of styrofoam containers now taking up a closet waiting for Recology stores to re-open so that I can at least recycle them.  We're composting and reusing materials where we can - but the system has so much waste ingrained within it.  

    We need to find ways to push the system to move more sustainably, since COVID19 has changed everything, and we cannot go back to 'business as usual'.  
    Read More
    • Alexa Russo's avatar
      Alexa Russo 4/16/2020 9:49 AM
      I ordered once from a Thai restaurant, and was excited to wash and save the plastic containers they gave me for when we have a holiday and need to send people home with leftovers! 

      I would love to try bringing my own containers to a restaurant, I know some people do that, and it might be a great way to avoid that (once we get back to "normal" of course)! 
      Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/11/2020 11:22 AM
     One thing that is only a 'holding action' for sustainability but still worthy of doing in this society, is buying carbon offsets, is one I participate in for my driving/travel.  I use the carbon tracking app 'OffCents', because I enjoy that it has free credits for walking, and with paid advertisements.  So I'm having other companies help pay off my carbon load, and connect to the decarbonization effort.   
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/11/2020 11:18 AM
    Last night we ordered out.  While I haven't convinced my partner to go a lot more meatless, she definitely has found some meatless meals she enjoys with me ordering and buying less meat.  I ordered a Tofu Pad Thai, and we got Basil green beans as well. The daughter loves them too!  And it's really tasty too!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Compost Food Waste
    New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?
    Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/10/2020 10:54 AM
    So we're not new to compost, and we try not to waste any food in the first place - not easy with a newly minted 2-year old.  She throws things all over.  So we have a compost bin, but also any paper bags with food remnants or compostable take out items all get put together and used for extra compost contents!  We even have compostable diapers for her at this time!
    Read More
  • Stephan Classen's avatar
    Stephan Classen 4/09/2020 10:33 AM
    I've been pushing for Flexitarianism - a new idea of just reducing meat consumption on a weekly basis, without having to go full vegetarian!  So I'm reducing my meat content in meals, and at (take out) restaurants - I generally order vegetarian now!  Less meat is less damage to the planet, and less carbon!
    Read More
    • Stephan Classen's avatar
      Stephan Classen 4/10/2020 10:51 AM
      Reply to Alexa:  Not visual images no, but breakfasts are generally easy if it's not sausage/eggs type meals. 

      I've ordered Tofu meals when eating out.  
      This week my partner and I did 3 carry-out Mediterranean  meals, and I had falafel gyros each time to compare!
      Ordering vegetarian at places like Qdoba or even Burger King are easy now, with things like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers!
      Read More
    • Alexa Russo's avatar
      Alexa Russo 4/09/2020 3:09 PM
      Do you have examples of the meals that you have been eating? 
      Read More