April 1 - April 30, 2020

Erin M

"Inspired by Greta Thunberg and the youth of today, I vow to do everything in my power to help humanity reshape our current trajectory, in order to ensure a beautiful future for all inhabitants of this Earth."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,164 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

31

miles

traveled by foot
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

19

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

31

miles

not traveled by car

Erin's actions

Climate

Create Proposal for Community Hub Website

Today I spent 6 hours working on a possible website for the city of Ashland - a community resource sustainability hub. I'm looking at best practices from other towns and envisioning what we might include. Very exciting!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Climate

Use Muscle Power

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY 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

Climate

Take a climate class

Learn from amazing professors and share ideas with classmates!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Oceans

Learn about Our Oceans

I will spend at least 20 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

Wildlife

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Take a Master Climate Protector Class

I will become much more educated on the science behind climate change which causes global warming and ocean acidification by taking a 30 hour SOCAN class!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 10 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

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

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: 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

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?

Erin M 5/02/2020 6:05 PM

Thank you again Siskiyou Climate Crew for bringing it for the Earth Month EcoChallenge!

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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?

Erin M 4/29/2020 7:11 PM

Sharing Eco habits - biggest one this time around is LESS toilet paper! I have sticky notes in all the bathrooms that say CONSERVE TP - although not the most lovely, it's truly helpful!

Zoom calls are cutting down on everyone's need to DRIVE for in-person meetings.

Strategic MENU PLANNING means less grocery shopping trips to the store.

Can't wait to apply what I learned about REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE in our home garden.

So grateful for community, more than ever!

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Erin M 4/26/2020 2:05 PM

I want to pass along a few Eco Tips from our household... In our effort to cut down on plastic waste, we switched from plastic soap dispensers to bars of soap, use toothpaste that comes in a glass jar, and deodorant that comes in a cardboard tube - like this! : )
https://www.etsy.com/listing/647224207/natural-deodorant-in-eco-friendly-tube-3 I also have been SO SO careful about TP during this quarantine, and am glad that our house is decreasing paper product usage. Would love to hear tips from other folks!

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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.

Erin M 4/26/2020 1:52 PM

Our biggest water concern is drought. We are currently WAY below the average rainfall / snow pack for this time of year, and for us, severe drought means fire. It means not having water for our parks and lawns. It means compromised agriculture (our region is known for growing pears, vineyard grapes, and more recently, hemp, marijuana). We are going to need to be SO careful gearing up for the hot summer days ahead.

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Erin M 4/25/2020 10:50 AM

Hi Friends! A teammate just asked how to track work that falls outside the regular challenges, but still counts.

Here's how to create a Custom Challenge! : )

On the left side of your Dashboard, click EDIT ACTIONS.

Choose the category that's most similar to your work. Scroll down and you'll see an area that says Create a Custom Action. Voila!

Fill in the details and then you can track it / mark it off. I use these ALL the time b/c my stuff often falls outside their categories.

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Erin M 4/22/2020 8:46 AM

Available at 10am this Earth Day? Join SOCAN for a LIVE facebook event! https://www.facebook.com/SOClimate/

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Erin M 4/22/2020 6:50 AM

HAPPY EARTH DAY! Thank you to friends near and far for being a part of this EcoChallenge, and for championing our cherished planet Earth.

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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!

Erin M 4/22/2020 6:48 AM

Love letter to the earth

At 3am this morning, the frogs sang me awake,

their gentle chirping, guttural tune, so soft

so tranquil

under the dark night sky.

They quieted as fingers of orange lit into the

air high above, lilac and powdery blue

And the birds took their queue

singing cheeky morning trills, trumpeting news

that dawn was nigh

Into the cool air I went, pedaling my bike

up up up

the steep grade of Tolman creek

Climbing from our sleepy, manicured town,

into the wild forest

where madrones tower protectively

twisting in their naked bark,

paddle leaves drumming gently

in the breeze

and the buzz of heavy bees

dipping into manzanita blooms -

the teeny tiny fairy slippers dancing with pollen,

tickled by wings.

I climbed higher and higher,

into the light

of golden day,

with the smell of fragrant soil

entering my body with each breath

At the top I wished a good morning to this stretch of earth

nodding to blue mountain peaks awash in the distance,

feeling the hush of green pines circling,

cradling, holding, supporting,

nourishing, embracing

me,

the forest,

all the life.

Good morning.

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- Tia McLean 4/22/2020 5:44 PM
  
  Oh Erin. Thank you for your huge heart and big words that paint a picture and bring us with you wherever your soul shall wander.
  
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- Lucien Muck 4/22/2020 1:00 PM
  
  Nice job mom
  
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- Shannon Christopher 4/22/2020 10:31 AM
  
  Beautiful! I felt as if I was there with you ❤️
  
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- Ana B 4/22/2020 9:59 AM
  
  So beautiful. Thank you for sharing Erin xo
  
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Erin M 4/20/2020 4:54 PM

Tonight is our last Southern Oregon Master Climate Protector class! Since February, approx. 20 students have gathered for 3 hours every Monday (first in person, now via Zoom), to learn some serious science from brilliant teachers in our community!

We've learned about global and local impacts on energy, transportation, agriculture, water, and health; about personal and collective actions; and measurements on how to reduce our greenhouse gas footprint.

HIGHLY recommend! Incredibly thankful to our professors Alan, Kathy, Eric, Ray, and Louise and to all the fellow students - we are there because each of us care deeply about learning and making a difference. Learn more at https://socanmcp.eco/

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- Erin M 4/21/2020 7:26 PM
  
  Ana B you're going to love it!!! And you will soak it up like a sponge - they will love having you in class!
  
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- Ana B 4/21/2020 2:12 PM
  
  I would LOVE to participate in the next round of classes! You are inspiring Erin!!
  
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Erin M 4/20/2020 8:45 AM

Wow! Our classmate Wanda shared this article - like nurse logs in a forest. Love this idea! https://livelovefruit.com/hugelkultur-raised-beds/

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- Ana B 4/21/2020 2:14 PM
  
  I love this!
  
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- Davis Wilkins 4/20/2020 11:57 AM
  
  Oh I agree! This is a really great way to think about raised beds/build your own. Thanks for sharing the visual.
  
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