Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Lisa Leiran Sparby

University of Minnesota

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
282 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

37

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

4.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

105

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

minute

spent outdoors
UP TO

7.0

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill

Lisa's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Forests

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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

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

Wildlife

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

Fresh Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 2 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

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

Wildlife

Use Reusable Bags

Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals. If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Water-Friendly Beauty Products

Avoid beauty products with micro beads or harsh chemicals that will feed into the ground and your water supply.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Dishwasher Efficiency

I will scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher and only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Fresh Water

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

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?

Lisa Leiran Sparby 4/24/2020 8:35 AM

We are replacing all of the light bulbs in our house with LED bulbs

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Lisa Leiran Sparby 4/12/2020 7:09 AM

As the snow is beginning to melt in the yard, we are picking the the garbage that sticks and pieces of material that are left behind or underneath.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?

Lisa Leiran Sparby 4/02/2020 1:11 PM

My husband works for a company that provides us with reusable bags and we use them for everything. We have more than we need. They are good for advertising; however, we find that we use them for transporting gifts, mailing items, paperwork to the office, many different reasons. We get our groceries and do not need disposable bags. These bags solve many problems that we didn't even realize we had. It's amazing what you can do if you just listen to others and open your mind to what is available right in your own home.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Using the links provided, investigate the bottling practices of water corporations. There have been many cases where the water rights of the local people have been violated or even completely disregarded when a corporation decides to bottle water from a particular water source. How can you advocate for those who have been harmed - both humans and wildlife - by this bottling process?

Lisa Leiran Sparby 4/02/2020 1:08 PM

We love Powerade, and when we are done with the bottle, we save it and fill them with water and put them in the fridge so we have cold water bottles for quite a while and we tend to reuse them many times as well. We do this all the time, so staying hydrated is not a problem in our household.

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