Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Brett C.

Mace North America Green Team

"Looking forward to contribute to the environment, by leading a green life"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
518 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

7.0

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

79

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

hours

volunteered
UP TO

5.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

17

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

84

gallons of water

have been saved

Brett's 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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

People

Earth Day Action: Research and Support Local Organizations

I will spend 20 minutes researching local organizations and businesses in my community, then support one of them by writing a testimonial or positive review, ordering curbside, making a donation to my favorite nonprofit, or supporting them in another way.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

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

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 1 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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

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

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: Building Resilience

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 2 hour(s) in my community helping people who are most at need right now, including elderly and immunocompromised people, people without childcare, and people whose jobs have been affected by social distancing measures.

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

Wildlife

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

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

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support A Sharing Economy

To reduce my consumption and waste and support my community, I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:44 PM
You can’t just point towards one business or practice and blame them for all of our environmental woes, everything fits together like a puzzle. The more that we all do our part – the faster we will create an entire ecology of living that promotes sustainability. The first step is to begin to understand the basics of what each part of life can do to become more environmentally friendly. The next step is to begin to learn to make different choices on a personal level that start to change your awareness, and consumption of resources. The changes are surprisingly easy to make, there are more ways than you can imagine to begin to practice conservation.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Earth Day Together!

What environmentally friendly habit have you most recently implemented? How do you ensure that you are successful in creating or changing a habit?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:43 PM
The Environmentally Friendly Business

Becoming an environmentally friendly business is more complicated than just signing on to a cap and trade agreement. Everything from the way that products are displayed and advertised, how waste is recycled, whether or not changes can be made to the basic operations of a business will all work towards making them more environmentally responsible.

A large emphasis for non-producing businesses can be placed on the management of supplies. Buying local may not always be the most responsible way to get supplies, but it can be as well. How a business works to support their community in their environmental conservation efforts is also another important task of the environmentally friendly business.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience

How does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:42 PM
While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience

What are the benefits of a sharing economy? How could a sharing economy change the dynamics you have with friends, family and/or neighbors?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:42 PM
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210422417300114
We develop a conceptual framework that allows us to define the sharing economy and its close cousins and we understand its sudden rise from an economic-historic perspective. We then assess the sharing economy platforms in terms of the economic, social and environmental impacts. We end with reflections on current regulations and future alternatives, and suggest a number of future research questions.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:41 PM
Optimising environmental, economic, and social benefits by setting goals and selecting projects through a transparent and inclusive process with the community

Realising consistency across a range of alternatives that address both utility and community goals and

Enhancing the long-term technical, financial, and managerial capacity of the utility.
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water

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?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:40 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/29/the-fight-over-water-how-nestle-dries-up-us-creeks-to-sell-water-in-plastic-bottles

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:39 PM
It’s clear we need to change. It is time to embrace a new paradigm for solving our growing crisis: valuing water wisely, and managing it using principles of sustainability, inclusion and resilience.
One of the key global initiatives that is already working on this is the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW), 11 heads of state and one special advisor, supported by the United Nations and the World Bank. These leaders are championing a more comprehensive, inclusive and collaborative way of managing water resources, and improving water and sanitation related services. Last September, the HLPW called for a fundamental shift in the way the world looks at water and issued an Action Plan for a new approach to water management that will help the world to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A core underpinning of this approach is valuing water. Valuing the social, environmental and economic benefits of water is a pre-requisite to managing it efficiently, resolving tradeoffs among increasing demands and providing incentives to businesses, households and farmers to manage water resources more judiciously.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:36 PM
"Use-By" dates are determined by the manufacturer and are a suggestion for when the food item will be at its best quality. It should be regarded as a somewhat more forceful suggestion than the "Best-By" date. The "Use-By" date is more critical for refrigerated foods, which will deteriorate faster than non-refrigerated items. Canned food is generally safe if consumed past this date, but may have deteriorated somewhat in flavor, texture, or appearance.

What it means for you: The USDA recommends using a refrigerated product by the "Use-By" date. Discard refrigerated items after they pass this date. For shelf-stable canned goods, use as soon as possible if the "Use-By" date has passed

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water

What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:35 PM
Snowfall and snowmelt will be significantly affected in the Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest, leading to changes in the timing and amount of runoff.

Rising sea levels will threaten coastal aquifers and water supplies. Vulnerable regions include Cape Cod, Long Island, the coastal aquifers of the Carolinas, and the central coast of California.

Climate change, by increasing temperatures in lakes and streams, melting permafrost, and reducing water clarity, could seriously threaten fish and other animals that live in water as well as harming critical habitat like wetlands. More about the impacts of climate change on water…
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REFLECTION QUESTION
People

Why is it important to support local organizations and businesses? How does it help to build a more resilient community?
Brett C. 4/29/2020 4:34 PM
For many communities, most hazard events—especially extreme weather events like floods and tornados—have been regarded as random, overpowering acts of God. Seemingly defenseless, stricken communities responded reactively, focusing almost entirely on emergency response activities, followed by clean up and recovery.

In contrast, community resilience, which spans from pre-disaster preparation and mitigation to post-disaster recovery, is proactive, continuous and integrated into the fabric of community planning. Organizations ranging from the United Nations to a growing number of governments and organizations at every level are promoting community resilience as the best approach to managing the risk of disaster.

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