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April 1 - April 30, 2020
Carol Newcomb's avatar

Carol Newcomb

FGCU Eagles

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 570 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    4.0
    miles
    traveled by foot
  • UP TO
    95
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.9
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    180
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    4.0
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    180
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    10
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    hour
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed

Carol's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 40 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 60 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

Action Track: Building Resilience

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

Action Track: Building Resilience

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 4 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

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

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 37 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).

UNCOMPLETED
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

Fresh Water

Water-Friendly Beauty Products

Avoid beauty products with micro beads or harsh chemicals that will feed into the ground and your water supply.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:37 AM
    Hi Class! It is only day one (April 6th) of signing up for this EcoChallenge, but I hope you are finding this meaningful and enjoyable! If anyone has a competitive spirit, check to see how our collective actions are comparing to the other teams in this EcoChallenge. I am going to be keeping my eye on the other FGCU team that is doing this challenge.  Remember, our team is called FGCU Eagles, the other team is called Florida Gulf Coast University. You can find a list of teams that are in this EcoChallenge by clicking on 'Teams" at the top of the webpage. We already have 566 points (1:36 pm)!!! Go Eagles!.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Fresh Water Water-Friendly Beauty Products
    Beyond what does or doesn't come out of the tap at home, how do your choices affect freshwater locally and globally?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:23 AM
    I try to use a little water as possible. I have been using drinking (potable) water that flows from my garden hose to water the plants in my yard since we have had so little rain for a long stretch of time. I do feel guilty about that. I used to have a rain barrel but I had trouble keeping mosquitoes from reproducing in the stored water. I finally gave up. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Research Benefits of Biodiversity
    How can you encourage biodiversity by your own actions?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:17 AM
    My yard consists of over 100+ (last count) plants...from tiny flowering plants to huge live oak trees. It is a mix of native and non-native plants. I have no grass in the front yard and a small patch of weeds that I call my lawn in the back yard. Important Law of Nature: "The more diverse a system is, the more stable it is."  My yard is pretty stable!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Connect While Social Distancing
    How does connecting with others help your own mental and emotional health? How can it help support others?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:12 AM
    Right now, my mental and emotional health is dependent on staying in close contact with my family, friends, and students through emails, social networking, texts, phone calls and Facetime. Thank goodness for technology! We're all in this together...but apart. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Volunteer in my Community
    How does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:06 AM
    I signed up to help out the less fortunate with this ecochallenge, but right now, besides checking in on family and neighbors, the best volunteer effort I am doing today is volunteering to not go past my front yard. I wish I had a sewing machine to make some masks. I do like the simple no-sew masks made with a bandana, though. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon, so I won't need a mask until I do venture out. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Use Muscle Power
    How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 10:01 AM
    I hope my battery hasn't died in my car from non-use! Right now the car is covered in oak leaves and has been nowhere since I last went to the grocery store to stock up on food on March 18th. I figure I am getting about 1 month of driving/2 tablespoons. :-) I drive a Prius plug-in that gets about 53 mpg to begin with so I probably have the lowest carbon footprint for driving this month that I have had since I got my driver's license almost 50 years ago! I have been riding my bike for exercise, which I greatly enjoy.  As far as transportation choices affecting my community? I no longer hear ANY traffic noise coming from Route 41 (which I live a few blocks away from). No more sirens either.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Support Pollinators
    Why is it important to take care of pollinators?

    Carol Newcomb's avatar
    Carol Newcomb 4/06/2020 9:51 AM
    Without pollinators we will not have fruits and vegetables to eat! Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce. I leave a big patch of front yard with native plants  that honeybees, butterflies, and other pollinators like to visit. My yard is constantly humming with activity!