"It is the idea of the world that I will leave behind that inspires me. Change can only take place when the desires of the heart and intentional actions come together."
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
0
THIS WEEK
882
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
90
conversations
with people
UP TO
180
gallons of water
have been saved
UP TO
45
miles
not traveled by car
UP TO
45
miles
traveled by foot
UP TO
140
minutes
spent learning
UP TO
920
minutes
spent outdoors
UP TO
850
minutes
not spent in front of a screen
UP TO
62
plastic bottles
not sent to the landfill
UP TO
49
pounds of CO2
have been saved
Leigh's actions
Oceans
Learn about Our Oceans
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about how our oceans support life on Earth by producing oxygen, regulating climate, and providing habitat, food, and jobs.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Wildlife
Research a Wild Animal
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Wildlife
Seek Alternative Gifts and Souvenirs
Bringing home unique souvenirs from trips you’ve enjoyed is meaningful, and giving people unique gifts from other places is fun. Seek souvenirs and gifts that support local communities and do not cause harm to the environment or wildlife.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Forests
Forest-Friendly Foods
I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 15 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Forests
Explore My Area
I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area while following CDC guidelines for social distancing.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Oceans
Smart Seafood Choices
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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
Fresh Water
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Fresh Water
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Spend Time Outside
I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside that follows CDC guidelines for preventing disease spread.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Use Muscle Power
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Connect While Social Distancing
I will connect with at least 5 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Research Benefits of Biodiversity
I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.
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?
Thank you EarthDay ecochallenge for bringing my family together for a month of challenges and events that refocused us on being environmentally focused citizens. We have grown in our knowledge and awareness of what it means to be responsible, conscientious inhabitants of this Earth.
I just wanted to share that I have been outside walking,soaking up the community/neighborhood I live in, and enjoying time with my kids outdoors all but 2 days during this ecochallenge. It has been awesome and motivating!!
My children reminded me today that it is time to get out and explore when I was behind my computer working. It made all the difference to go walk through the park across the street. I'm so happy that they have joined me in this challenge...to be committed to being a better steward of our community and earth.
4 more days to go and J plan to finish strong! I am paying so much more attention to what I eat, the water I consume, as well as the water I waste. It is disappointing that the current situation limits our activities with others in our community, but a positive out of this is how much more people have reached out to others.
Well, I have already been worried about the ocean life in today's time and how that is affecting all of earth. I think people operate in the ideas that oceans are so vast with such diverse life that it has to be healthy an unaffected by humans. But overfishing alone is such a huge problem. One out of every 6 jobs in the U.S. is marine related. Wow. Intensive use of our ocean and runoff from land-based pollution sources are just two of many factors that stress our fragile ocean ecosystems—and increasingly lead to human health concerns. There are tons of waste that makes its way into the ocean each year. One of the articles I read said "Waterborne infectious diseases, harmful algal bloom toxins, contaminated seafood, and chemical pollutants are other signals that oceans can affect our health." Just think about the marine life in the ocean... they are exposed to potential ocean health threats such as toxic algae or poor water quality 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can shed important light on how the condition of ocean environments may affect human health now and in the future. This image I am attaching is becoming more and more of a reality on our coastlines each year.
Well, according to the 2018 water report for the county I live in, our water supply comes from Lake Lanier, This is a huge man made lake outside of Atlanta. According to the site, it provides a raw water that is naturally low in suspended materials, bacteria, dissolved organics, and metals. Gwinnett county's water production treatment plant staff continuously monitors and analyzes water quality around the clock to ensure drinking water in Gwinnett County meets or exceeds all federal and state regulations for safety. Infrastructure is our biggest challenge in Atlanta due to our high growth and over development. Fortunately, we did begin our Green Infrastructure Strategic Action Plan in 2016, which is moving green infrastructure forward across the city to address flooding and relieve capacity in combined sewer areas. As more green stormwater infrastructure is implemented across the city, communities will see improved quality of life in the form of increased greenspace, trees and stormwater management.
White-tailed deer are found in North America from southern Canada through Central America. They can be found in all of the mainland US.
Deer prefer open woodland, but are often found on the outskirts of urban areas and in farming country.
White-tailed Deer habitat includes areas along streams and rivers, mixed woodlands, farms, forests, and burned shrub fields. They use open areas only when thick shrubs or forest are nearby. I found out that they feed on a variety of vegetation, depending on what is available in their habitat. In eastern forests, buds and twigs of maple, sassafras, poplar, aspen and birch are consumed, as well as many shrubs. Conifers are often eaten in winter when other plants become scarce. Whitetail deer are the smallest and are hunted the most frequently. Whitetail deer on average just live two to three years. Deer in general have a lifespan of 10 years.
I thought it was an interesting fact that when mother deer are looking for food, they leave their offspring in a hiding place for about four hours at a time. While waiting for their mother to return, fawns lay flat on the ground with their necks outstretched, well camouflaged against the forest floor.
Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Sport fish caught in Georgia are generally good quality and safe to eat according to Georgia Sport and Fishing regulations. It also says that Georgia DNR samples fish from water bodies each year to test for contaminants such as PCBs, chlordane, and mercury. Many of the fish tested have few or no contaminants and are safe to eat. The articles I read did suggest that we should eat small fish and vary the kind of fish we eat. That is because contaminants can be found more in certain fish like catfish or in older fish. It also reduces more overfishing of certain types of fish. ThaThat is interesting because I do think most people tend to eat one or two types of fish and not vary it. There was a list of fish that they also recommend only eating once a week based on the numbers.
If I dont take the time to investigate the ingredients and materials used in the items I purchase, then I am part of the problem. It is simply a matter of stopping to check which products are made with earth friendly materials and not with materials that are contributing to the destruction of our environment. I honestly had never considered buying certain cocoa products to be a contributor to habitat loss and destruction. I have so much more research to do and I am going to be more responsible wih my choices.
