Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Mia Huebner

Asheville High School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,056 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

135

pieces of litter

picked up
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

31

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

161

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

7.6

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

169

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

382

gallons of water

have been saved

Mia's 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

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 5 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

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

Oceans

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When marine wildlife ingest plastic, they have a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 6 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

People

Keep My Community Clean

I will pick up 5 piece(s) of litter each day while following the CDC’s current guidelines for prevention of disease transfer.

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

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

Action Track: Building Resilience

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

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

Oceans

Learn about Our Oceans

I will spend at least 5 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

Fresh Water

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 10 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 1 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

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

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?

Mia Huebner 4/18/2020 10:20 AM

The dishwasher efficiency is going well! We use it every day to use less water when we run the dishwasher. Since we run it every day, we are using more water than ever so by trying to save electricity and energy we use the energy saver button!

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?

Mia Huebner 4/15/2020 11:51 AM

For my region there are lots of streams, rivers and lakes but we do not live on the water unless you live in the Outer Banks. I did some research but I did not find out if you can take the fish home or not and eat it. I think different areas in NC have rules of if you can take the fish home but I think if you catch it in a stream you are supposed to put it back and let it live but if you catch one in the ocean you can do whatever you want to do with it.

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?

Mia Huebner 4/15/2020 11:39 AM

Knowing the difference between all of these makes me want to check the dates on the food before I buy it and eat it faster because I don't want it to go bad and I want to eat the food when it is supposed to be eaten so it will taste the best! I want to also buy less and if the food is not overdue yet, then I can still eat it. There is no need to buy more of the same thing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Eco-friendly Gardening

What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.

Mia Huebner 4/15/2020 11:25 AM

The most prominent water concerns in my area are probably floods and contaminated water. When we have really heavy rainstorms, there are some houses and businesses that live in the flood plain and get flooded every time. We have also had issues with our water all over the city being contaminated with water and some schools had to close because of it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Seek Alternative Gifts and Souvenirs

How do your consumption choices affect the health of wildlife and other communities?

Mia Huebner 4/15/2020 11:08 AM

My consumption choices affect the health of wildlife and other communities in sometimes not a very good way. My choices of what I buy are probably not the smartest all the time for protecting the environment and wildlife. A lot of souvenir's are not made with eco-friendly materials which means I should not be buying a lot, but when you go somewhere, you want to have memories so you buy something cheap but something that will help you remember where you went.

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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?

Mia Huebner 4/11/2020 9:19 AM

One way oceans support my life on Earth is by observing a lot of the Carbon Dioxide that we produce that is toxic if our earth gets too much of it, so the ocean keeps us all alive in that matter. One way I can help take care of ocean health is by cutting up all plastics that I throw away, such as soda can carriers, plastic bags and other plastic things that could kill animals if they are still in one piece once they reach the ocean.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Forest-Friendly Foods

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Mia Huebner 4/11/2020 9:10 AM

It was harder than I thought but I did it. I found out that there is basically palm oil in everything I eat daily and it made me think that I can start eating a lot less palm oil if I really tried but also not having a routine to my day, I don't have a routine to my meals either so I eat a lot more and eat a lot more things that contain lots of unnecessary oils in them. I think we could all try a little harder but changing your diet was way harder than I thought.

Read More
Mia Huebner 4/11/2020 9:08 AM

My challenge is going well. It makes me advocate and want to learn more about how we can help our environment day by day.

Read More
Mia Huebner 4/11/2020 9:08 AM

My challenge is going well. It makes me advocate and want to learn more about how we can help our environment day by day.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your ZIP code, region, and/or state. What other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?

Mia Huebner 4/11/2020 9:04 AM

Some other steps I can take each day to reduce my electricity usage is turning off all the lights when I leave a room an area of a building or house. I buy lights that are good the for environment and safe for my home. I can unplug things when I am not using it and be mindful of things when you see lights that are on and could be turned off, turn them off.

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