Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Sidonie Wittman

Garfield Greendogs

"save the world babey "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
949 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

145

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

663

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

497

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

437

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

32

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

28

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

174

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Sidonie's actions

Action Track: Earth Day Together!

Earth Day Action: Share Eco Tips

Through social media or on the Earth Day Ecochallenge feed, I will share my favorite environmentally friendly habit with my friends, even if it’s not an Earth Day action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Earth Day Together!

Earth Day Action: Write a Love Letter, Poem, or Song to Earth

I will express my love and gratitude for our Earth by writing a love letter, poem, or song to Earth.

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

Learn about Our Oceans

I will spend at least 10 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

Climate

Stay on the Ground

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

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 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

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

Food

Family meal

I will cook a vegan meal for my whole family

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

People

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 10 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

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

Climate

Local Climate Issues

I will spend at least 20 minute(s) a day researching climate issues or climate solutions in my local area and share with others through my team feed, social media, or conversations with my peers.

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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 5 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Earth Day Together! Earth Day Action: Write a Love Letter, Poem, or Song to Earth

What are you grateful for about our planet? Share what you created or your general thoughts of love and gratitude with everyone else!

Sidonie Wittman 4/25/2020 2:30 PM

I wrote a (brief) thank you letter to our planet! It was great. I think we often tend to take our planet for granted, but when you stop to think, our planet is truly amazing. Also, I think spending more time at home has allowed me to notice more of the nature that's right outside my door, helping me realize that you don't need to go off on a trip to find nature, as it is all around us on this magnificent planet.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Earth Day Together! Earth Day Action: Share Eco Tips

What environmentally friendly habit have you most recently implemented? How do you ensure that you are successful in creating or changing a habit?

Sidonie Wittman 4/25/2020 2:27 PM

Recently I have been cooking vegan meals for my family to enjoy! It has been going wonderfully. I'm also sharing recipes with my extended family via letters. I think that this is a much more positive way to get people eating less meat than making them feel bad for their consumption. I also think that in trying out new recipes I'm always able to make a great meat-free meal, meaning that it is easy for me to create this a strong habit.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place?

Sidonie Wittman 4/19/2020 4:23 PM

I don't have many good places to be in nature near my house, so today I walked to my old elementary school which has a forest connected to the playground. It was wonderful! I found a new trail in the forest. The playground was absolutely carpeted with daisies. Everything looked so much smaller than I remembered! I also really loved hearing the birds sing all the way.
One thing I was really thinking about was something I heard someone say recently, that its not the city that's noisy, its the cars. I was really appreciating that I could walk in the middle of the road most of the way there. Even though there are still some cars out, the small difference makes it seem much more peaceful outside. I remember the other day I was standing on west crest ridge and looking over the city, and even though there wasn't a car driving for blocks and blocks around me, I could still hear the dull roar of the cars on the highways through the city. It really makes you think, how many more birds could we hear if there were no cars?
To answer the question, I think spending more time outdoors helps people feel more connected to the rest of the world. If you spend more time outdoors you learn to appreciate the land we live in and the earth and your community. You observe everything and slowly become more a part of the land, instead of going past it and not appreciating it. Spending more time outdoors locally helps you feel at home in your part of the world and helps shape your identity.

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- Flora Wright 4/19/2020 8:08 PM
  
  That sounds awesome!! I'm glad you found a way to build time for nature in your day!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Oceans Learn about Our Oceans

What is one way in which oceans support your life on Earth? What is one way you can help take care of ocean health with your actions?

Sidonie Wittman 4/08/2020 8:31 AM

I didn't know that the oceans create 70% of our oxygen. The oceans also help regulate the climate, and host most of earth's life. For humans, the ocean provides jobs, food and fun. The articles provided didn't say much on how I can help the ocean, but I know I can reduce the amount of plastic I use and not eat too much seafood, and I can advocate for the ocean.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate Stay on the Ground

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

Sidonie Wittman 4/08/2020 8:29 AM

Every year my family goes on a trip to our grandparents in Idaho for Easter. Because of COVID-19, we can't do that this year. So that means much less emissions were produced, even though it wasn't only because of this challenge. Even if we had gone, I would have still argued for driving there instead of flying. Each year we decide which to do based on the weather in the mountains, and I know in the past it has been much less fun to drive but its worth it. In the future we can bring many people in one car which will save money and carbon emissions, and we can also plan less trips far away.

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Sidonie Wittman 4/06/2020 8:26 PM

I'm very grateful for this challenge for giving me the little boost I needed to get more involved and providing me with clear goals. I think this will definitely start sustainable habits. Another thing I'm happy about is how its helping me connect with my family, especially my dad who always wants to learn more about the environment. He's especially concerned about the birds, and was horrified today when our cat attacked a chickadee. I've noticed that ever since I stopped eating animal products my whole family largely cut down on them as well, seeing how my brother is already vegetarian. In the last week we've had only two dinners with animal products, which were ravioli and meatloaf. I've been contributing by getting really interested in Indian curries, as we have abundant amounts of legumes from my grandparent's farm and lots of cans of coconut milk and rice. However we did run out of onions recently and that has been a largely problem than I would have thought. Tomorrow I'm going to make a chickpea omelet. Sidenote if anyone is reading this do you say chickpeas or garbanzos? My family has always said garbanzos but as I've gotten into cooking I've noticed most recipes say chickpeas. This is like writing a diary its so weird. Also I've been having lots of oats with cherries and ramen as I'm running out of foods, I think we're going shopping soon. I had to swap out the email a legislator every day to spend time outside instead of on your phone, I wish this challenge allowed for more daily actions. However I think I couldn't write an email every day, I've run out of people and energy. I do want to go on a walk every day though, and spend less time on my phone. Today after dinner (which was a nice stir fry) my family and I went on a walk through the streets, which is now possible with the cars gone. I think tomorrow is a super moon. Is this what having a blog is like? Also I have daily actions of composting and using a reusable water bottle but I always do those things so I guess its just good to do it consciously and appreciate the sustainable action. I wish I could go to a thrift store I haven't gone shopping for clothes since last summer, I was going to after christmas and never got around to it. I also want to dye my hair but I know it'll fade before anyone sees it so I probably won't (yet). tangent!
Anyway I had fun today learning about ways to help the forest and this challenge is super cool!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Support Pollinators

Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

Sidonie Wittman 4/06/2020 10:51 AM

The article I was reading didn't really address that but I know that it's because their a vital part of all ecosystems and they're currently suffering do to human actions. The article I read was how to help them, which I am excited to do! Luckily my mom loves botany and is constantly buying more plants than our yard has room for. This weekend we planted hyacinths from her garden from the Flower and Garden show. Unfortunately, her modern California-style outlook on landscape leads to many of her plants to be grasses, which aren't that helpful for pollinators. Oh well! I also thought the article brought up interesting points on how you can release more bugs in your garden instead of pesticide, and how not all pollinators are bees and we should remember that!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Forest-Friendly Foods

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Sidonie Wittman 4/06/2020 10:41 AM

I already don't eat coffee, milk, meat or eggs so not eating those is relatively easy but not eating chocolate will be hard! I've switched from having chocolate oats in the morning to cinnamon oats, and I will start looking more closely at ingredient lists for palm oil, although I don't eat much processed food so I don't think it'll be too hard to try to avoid. It's good to know that chocolate and coffee can be grown sustainably, so if I ever can go shopping again I'll get familiar with different labels.

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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?

Sidonie Wittman 4/06/2020 10:35 AM

I also did this before then deleted it but! what I learned was not only are use by dates not need to be strictly followed, but in fact wasted food has a much worse ecological impact than I previously thought. In the future I'll actively try to eat food before it expires.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?

Sidonie Wittman 4/06/2020 10:33 AM

So I already did this but then I deleted it because I thought it was a daily action for some reason but now I'm adding it again! I can't remember what I said the first time but it was something along the lines of food sovereignty addresses the transition for communities from not having control over their food to creating a modern system based on historical times that allows for communities to make healthy food choices.

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