Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge

October 6 - October 27, 2021

Elaine Cole

PCC EcoPanthers

"Super natural most days . . . "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,204 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

17

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

302

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,533

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched

Elaine's actions

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Do at Home

Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate. I will keep 1 container(s) out of the landfill each day.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Upgrade Heating & Cooling Units

Do at Home

I will replace inefficient heating and cooling units with energy saving units.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Turn It Off

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Prevent Recycling Contamination

Do at Home

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 20 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Toiletries packaging reduction effort

I want to continue to reduce the containers that all my bath and beauty products come in such as soap, toothpaste, and lotions. Shampoo bars, toothpaste tablets or make own toothpaste, purchase bulk/gallon of conditioner, refill containers of soap, etc.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

Do at Home

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 60 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

ChargePoint account for EV charging

Set up a ChargePoint acct.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Yoga Practice

I will commit to plan to attend a yoga class 3x/week.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY 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

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

Do at Home

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

Participant Feed

Elaine Cole 10/27/2021 7:39 PM
Whew . . . last day of the challenge!!

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Elaine Cole 10/27/2021 7:45 AM
This challenge helped to solidify a couple of my actions and more importantly it pushed me to complete a number of one time actions.

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Elaine Cole 10/25/2021 9:57 AM
This fall we made some decisions to upgrade our home to be more energy efficient. I chose a one time action for this and want to provide a summary of what we have decided to do. We are replacing a large, old water heater with a tankless water heater this week. We will also replace our furnace with a smaller, more energy efficient one and due to supply chain and labor issues that will be in 2022! Most recently, my husband was inspired by a Pacific Power rebate and a federal tax credit that made sense for us to install a 6K solar system on our roof. This is slated for December 21st 2021 so you all know what my Christmas present will be!

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Elaine Cole 10/23/2021 8:28 PM
My home office . . .

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does food sovereignty address the complex transition from localized food systems to modern global food systems?
Elaine Cole 10/22/2021 2:20 PM
Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.
– Declaration of Nyéléni, the first global forum on food sovereignty, Mali, 2007

This definition helps us understand the importance of local food systems for the health of our soil, the nutrition of our food, the reduction of GHG in transportation and stresses the livelihoods of farmers and those who live near production lands.

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Elaine Cole 10/21/2021 9:11 AM
https://smartlivingmama.com/homemade-coconut-oil-toothpaste/
Here is the recipe and a photo of my latest attempt at making homemade toothpaste. I continue to learn as I experiment and make mistakes. I now use a handy dandy tiny bamboo spoon to scoop out the hardened paste. Our climate is cooler so the paste hardens and is not easy to put on my toothbrush. I may just start spooning it in my mouth! My last batch spoiled after many months because I would put my wet toothbrush in the container to get out the paste. I used mint flavoring that I have in my pantry for frosting for this recipe and it tastes fine. This does not foam in your mouth like traditional toothpastes so it really makes me think about all the other "stuff" that is going into products that we put in our bodies and on our skin. I made a half batch to test it out; I encourage you to give it a go.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

How does being playful with others enrich your life?
Elaine Cole 10/20/2021 2:20 PM
It enriches my life by fostering community and helps me reduce stress.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?
Elaine Cole 10/19/2021 9:47 AM
I live in Central Oregon and out main electrical utility provider is Pacific Power. They have the Blue Sky program which you can buy into to use renewable energy. In 2020, the “basic fuel mix”, the average mix of energy sources supplying Pacific Power customers, is 51.44% coal, 19.47% natural gas, 11.32% wind, 5.13% hydro, 5.19% solar, 0.29% geothermal, 0.37% biomass, and 6.79% miscellaneous. But they are making a commitment to move away from coal this year.
We have a bid for rooftop solar ready for our home that I need to review today. Tune in . .

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Elaine Cole 10/17/2021 6:01 PM
Mountain biking on the Peterson Ridge Trail with the Three Sisters Mountains as our backdrop. Met my exercise goal today with my dear friend, Cheryl.

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Elaine Cole 10/16/2021 2:56 PM
I am going to do some weekend planning to help me meet more of my goals for the week ahead.

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