Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Adrienne Heller

WSP USA Ecochallengers

"Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,292 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

8.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

360

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,013

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

540

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

600

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

70

conversations

with people
UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

12

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

65

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

586

gallons of water

have been saved

Adrienne's actions

People

Write Letters or Emails

I will write 1 letter(s) or email(s) per day to a public official or company to advocate for planet-friendly and/or environmentally just policies.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 2 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

People

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 3 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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 60 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 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

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 3 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 60 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

Climate

Calculate Personal Carbon Footprint

Complete your personal carbon footprint calculator. Go to www.wsppact.com and answer the questions for each section. The process takes about 10 minutes. Details about your utility bills and travel will be required. Please be as accurate as you can, but it’s not required to search for receipts.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Vedge Pledge and Webinar

I challenge you to go veg for a week. Sign up and I will provide you with daily updates during the week of the challenge (April 20th to 25th - send me an email that you want to join at [email protected]) We will have a webinar on Wednesday, April 22nd (Earth Day) at 9am Pacific/noon Eastern about the environmental impacts of food. Join the webinar and/or take the pledge :)

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

Climate

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

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

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
Climate 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!

Adrienne Heller 4/30/2020 3:00 PM

I want to win this
And to leave the world better
Let's do both, colleagues

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Oceans Smart Seafood Choices

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?

Adrienne Heller 4/30/2020 2:52 PM

I am heartbroken to learn that eel is on the avoid list - it's my favorite sushi. But salmon (with some care) looks ok. Glad to learn more about this issue - I eat a lot of seafood.

Read More
Adrienne Heller 4/28/2020 6:09 PM

I really enjoyed the ecochallenge. It's been fun to have something to work toward while so much is off limits because of COVID - and it's nice to feel connected to sustainability-minded folks all over the country. Thanks for organizing, everyone!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Explore My Area

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

Adrienne Heller 4/28/2020 6:06 PM

We've found that there's a new park near us! It's still under construction (in fact - getting there was a bit of a hazard) but it'll be neat to use when COVID is over.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate Calculate Personal Carbon Footprint

What surprised you about your PACT results?

Adrienne Heller 4/28/2020 6:01 PM

I'm used to looking at electricity and natural gas usage for a much larger customer than me, so I felt like my average 1.2 therms per day was pretty adorable (I know that's not the right way to think about it and I'll take the advice to put on another jumper). I generally felt like my usage was pretty small. It really galls me not to compost - that's something I'll try to figure out in the next year.

Read More
Adrienne Heller 4/26/2020 1:33 PM

Guys... we're only 500 points away from second. I think that means we would literally be beating ecochallenge.org at their own game.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Vedge Pledge and Webinar

How does food impact your carbon footprint?

Adrienne Heller 4/25/2020 12:34 PM

The things I think about in my food choices: 1) How can I reduce my environmental impact of whatever i'm about to eat 2) how were the critters I'm about to eat treated during their life and 3) what does my body need. It's been fascinating to watch what's been happening to supply chains during the pandemic. It feels like the planet is telling us to think hard about our priorities and make choices accordingly.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
People Write Letters or Emails

How might thinking creatively help us address big systems problems - like plastic pollution - differently?

Adrienne Heller 4/24/2020 9:09 AM

I've been advocating to make temporary street closures permanent! I want to throw support behind initiatives that focus on bikes and feet, and maybe we can seize this opportunity to take back some public space from cars.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Research a Wild Animal

What interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?

Adrienne Heller 4/22/2020 5:57 AM

I learned about Say's Phoebe, one of the birds I often see from my (home) office window. I learned that in addition to only singing two notes, it is a tail-wagging bug-eater! Fun bird https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Says_Phoebe/id

Read More
Adrienne Heller 4/21/2020 8:35 AM

Going to make this tonight: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crispy-tofu-with-maple-soy-glaze

Read More