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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
Mike Parker's avatar

Mike Parker

LiveGreen/UNMC/Nebraska Medicine

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 870 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    765
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    4.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    43
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    15
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    3.0
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    15
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    32
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    70
    trees
    planted

Mike's actions

Forests

Plant Trees

I will plant 25 native tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Fresh Water

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

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

Wildlife

Support Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 5 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 2 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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
    Forests Plant Trees
    How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
    Mike Parker's avatar
    Mike Parker 5/01/2020 4:56 AM
    It was great to get the kids out and doing something physical that will help the environment for years to come.
    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?
    Mike Parker's avatar
    Mike Parker 4/17/2020 8:07 AM
    Meat is relatively more affordable in those richer countries.  Meat is much more resource intensive protein than any other source and by a large factor.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
    How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
    Mike Parker's avatar
    Mike Parker 4/16/2020 7:28 AM
    Things that can be used, get used versus being thrown out.  It helps when the food banks have this information as well as a lot of expired food gets donated, that is still ok for consumption.  
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Climate Choose LED Bulbs
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?
    Mike Parker's avatar
    Mike Parker 4/16/2020 7:26 AM
    Make sure recycling is done and done properly.  Finding outlets that can re-use materials vs. recycling is always appreciated.  But let's at least get things recycled that can and should be.  Too many plastics, cardboard and metals end up going to the landfill.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Weekly Meal Planning
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?
    Mike Parker's avatar
    Mike Parker 4/16/2020 7:23 AM
    It doesn't surprise me,  There is a lot of things we buy that go bad due to schedule changes or over-optimism on what we can get done.  Besides a vacation, I'd love to use the money to plant more trees in our yard or the surrounding areas.
    Read More