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Welcome to Earth Day Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Earth Day Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Earth Day Ecochallenge
April 1 - April 30, 2020
Katherine Owen's avatar

Katherine Owen

Salesforce (Earthforce)

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 878 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    270
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    30
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    2.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    14
    pounds
    food waste prevented
  • UP TO
    73
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    134
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1,050
    gallons of water
    have been saved

Katherine's actions

Wildlife

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Climate

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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

Action Track: Building Resilience

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 1 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

Fresh Water

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 6 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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?

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Building Resilience Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
    How does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/13/2020 12:41 AM
    Traditional food systems are often more sustainable and better for the environment than mass farming operations. Not all GMO are bad, but there are many GMO products that look better instead of being better for our bodies. Corporations and governments putting profits before health and ecology is a problem. Countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, and Egypt have specific laws about food sovereignty written in their laws. More countries should consider giving the people more control over their food systems.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Climate Choose LED Bulbs
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/09/2020 3:44 PM
    Like many houses in Japan, my house has single-pane windows. My solution so far has been to cover the windows in bubble wrap insulation to provide a barrier. Maybe it's not the most beautiful solution, but small steps such as this can help improve the house's insulation and therefore allow us to use less electricity to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Wildlife Research Benefits of Biodiversity
    How can you encourage biodiversity by your own actions?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/08/2020 12:50 AM
    When I was in high school, I became obsessed with learning about the native foods of the Americas. The history of potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and chiles still fascinates me today. 
    I remember the first time I had a chance to try a dish using heirloom corn; it tasted totally different from the commercial corn I was used to. It was harder, earthier, and less sweet, but the flavor was absolutely delicious. Corn monoculture has destroyed countless grassland's biodiversity and ecosystems, but it doesn't have to be that way. There are better ways to farm and hundreds of thousands of corn varieties that should be appreciated and given a chance in our gardens and on our plates.
    I've committed to both learning and consuming more local plants. Now that I live in Japan, I make sure to use local plants in a lot of my dishes, and even grow a few in my house. 
    If we ignore the biodiversity around us we harm the Earth, and in addition might be missing out on some delicious flavors! Buy locally, buy ethically, and support small farmers and native plants.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Forests Forest-Friendly Foods
    How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/06/2020 10:47 PM
    It has been extremely difficult to change my diet.
    When I was a teenager, I was a pretty strict vegetarian for ethical and health reasons, but when I went to college I struggled with keeping a healthy diet so I started eating small amounts of meat. While meat is rarely the center point of my meals, I find that I eat a fair amount. For example, I put anchovies or a small amount of pork in about every dish for seasoning.
    This month, I've started to find alternatives such as fermented soybeans, fried mushrooms, and maggi sauce as "umami-boosters" instead. A lot of the dishes that I thought totally needed meat were just fine when I transitioned to veggie.
    Here's a picture of my vegan mac and "cheese" made with nutritional yeast and cashews!
     
    Read More
  • 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?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/06/2020 10:15 PM
    Besides the tap at home, I also refuse to buy bottled water if there is an alternative available. Companies like Nestle and others take fresh water away from communities who cannot afford to fight and I can't be someone who supports that. Instead, I bring my own water bottle wherever I go so that I can refill throughout the day.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Weekly Meal Planning
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?
    Katherine Owen's avatar
    Katherine Owen 4/02/2020 3:36 PM
    In the past, I've definitely been guilty of this. When I went to the store, I tended to overbuy vegetables because they're so beautiful in Japan. Unfortunately, I often then forgot about them. 
    One way that I've helped to solve this is by moving my vegetable shelf to eye-level. Now I have a constant reminder of what veg I have in the house. 
    Read More