Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge

October 6 - October 27, 2021

Christian Brinser

Green Dinosaur

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
562 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

48

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

870

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

4.0

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

18

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

22

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill

Christian's actions

Simplicity

Family Game Hour

Do at Home

I will spend quality time with family and friends by playing low-tech game(s) and/or through the spirit of imagination.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Do at Home

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Calculate the Carbon Footprint of my Household

Do at Home

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Work From Home

Do at Home

I will work from home 5 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

Do at Home

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 30 minute(s)

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn It Off

Do at Home

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Research My Investment Portfolio

Do at Home

I will find out what stocks and bonds are in my investment account portfolio to determine if they align with my values (e.g. environmental, social responsibility, community).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

Do at Home

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 3.4lbs (1.5kg) a month or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Calculate My Water Footprint

Do at Home

I will calculate my Water Footprint to learn about my tap water use and "virtual water" use.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

Do at Home

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Engage In Active Listening

Do at Home

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 2 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

Do at Home

I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Do at Home

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Waste

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?
Christian Brinser 10/19/2021 10:59 AM
As someone who exercises a lot, I tend to drink a lot of water. When I am at home or at the office, it is easy to drink from a reusable bottle. One barrier that can be difficult is when I am onsite at a construction site, there is not always reliable access to water. It is during these times that I sometimes buy a single use water. I could try to bring larger stores of water during these times to get around this barrier.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Maybe you've heard how good it is to switch from a single use coffee cup to a reusable one, but it's just hard to make the switch. What stands in your way of making this a habit? By identifying the challenges, you can begin to work through them to have better success in taking this action. Knowing the difference you are making, how does it make you feel?
Christian Brinser 10/19/2021 10:57 AM
I've always preferred making my own coffee each day, and with doing so it is easy for me to use my own mugs. I don't always think about the difference I make alone, but when I do, I think about the difference that would be made if everyone made this decision.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?
Christian Brinser 10/19/2021 10:54 AM
I find that the same quality work can be done with virtual meetings as in-person meetings. With tools such as screen share and screen mark ups, it provides a solid alternative to in-person meetings. Obviously, there are still areas that cannot be translated through virtual meetings, and one example is non-verbal communication.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

Social media can keep us connected with loved ones, make us laugh, and help us to learn new things. It can also take more time than we realize or intend to give. After doing this action for a few days, how do you feel? What do you notice?
Christian Brinser 10/19/2021 10:51 AM
I have always tried to limit my Social Media time, and with the latest Facebook whistleblower shedding light on its negative impacts, this is the perfect time to challenge myself with limiting it even more. Instead of scrolling through my feeds before going to sleep, I have instead been reading the Economist, which I find a good healthy alternative.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?
Christian Brinser 10/19/2021 10:48 AM
According to the California Energy Commission, the 2019 Total System Electric Generation relied mostly on Natural Gas and Large Hydro-Electric. Approximately 14% of the electricity was produced by solar, with an additional 7% coming from wind. Its good to see that California relied more on Natural Gas and Hydro-Electric rather than coal, although I would like to see larger portions of the electricity coming from renewable sources.

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Christian Brinser 10/18/2021 8:44 AM
One of the many unfortunate characteristics of climate change and pollution is that it disproportionately effects the lower class. This can be seen internationally, but also within the United States. It is usually the lower class families that have to deal with the bad air quality, noise pollution, and heat island effects. One example of this is that during this past summer's heat wave in Portland Oregon, the temperatures recorded in blue collar neighborhoods were sometimes as much as 10 degrees (F) higher than in the white collar neighborhoods. It then becomes a question of morality for the people at top to bring about change that will benefit the people impacted the most.

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Christian Brinser 10/12/2021 8:39 AM
As a resident of Southern California, I often find myself wondering about innovations that can be made to our clean water infrastructure. Whether that is innovations to Desalinization, Waste Water Treatment, or others, we need to find sustainable alternatives to the current strategy of drawing water from rivers and aquifers.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation(s) benefit from active listening?
Christian Brinser 10/11/2021 8:49 AM
Engaging someone in a thoughtful and equitable conversations about differing opinions help open each other's eyes and helps us understand that having differing opinions does not make us enemies. One in particular was a conversation about the cleanliness, and sustainability of Nuclear power. While I disagreed with their opinion that Nuclear power was a clean alternative, it was great to hear their opinion.

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