Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge

October 6 - October 27, 2021

Christina Englehart

CES Team - Concerned Environmental Stewards

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,162 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

693

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

684

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

870

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

82

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

665

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

6.0

locally sourced meals

consumed

Christina's actions

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Native Communities

Do at Home

I will use the resource links provided and spend 60 minutes learning about the native populations that lived in my area prior to colonization, and what I can do to support those that still exist.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Nurture Self-Compassion

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes nurturing my Self-Compassion.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Know My Health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Forgiveness

Do at Home

I will begin, or continue, on the journey of forgiving myself and/or other(s). I may do this through journaling, meditation, prayer, and/or talking with a licensed healthcare professional.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn More about Food Apartheid

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes learning about food apartheid and find out how I can advocate for healthy and fresh food in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

Do at Home

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

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

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Do at Home

I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

Do at Home

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Research Voter Suppression

Do at Home

I will spend at least 60 minutes finding out what local laws, policies, and practices keep people from voting in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Go for a Daily Walk Outside

Do at Home

I will take a walk outside for 20 minutes each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

Do at Home

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Healthy Sleep

Do at Home

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

Do at Home

I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about systemic racism.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Businesses Owned by People of Color

Do at Home

Racial inequity is both a sustainability and justice problem. I will support businesses owned by people of color in my community whenever I shop.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

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 3 conversations.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

Do at Home

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

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 3 container(s) out of the landfill each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Core Values

Do at Home

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Learn About Constructive Communication

Do at Home

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

Do at Home

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Take Control

Do at Home

Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

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
Health

How do you deal with the physical and emotional stress of the big problems we face? How can you help others cope?
Christina Englehart 10/18/2021 4:38 AM
I do a lot of journaling and mediation. It helps me stay focused on what I can control and what I cant. I help others to cope by not only offering those suggestions, but by being an active listener and someone that they can trust to lean on.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Why is it often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places?
Christina Englehart 10/14/2021 9:48 AM
I believe that most people are just not in touch with what they buy or throw away. There isn't enough being done to bring it to the attention of people to see the landfills overflowing with wasted products, food, appliances, computers, furniture, clothes. I think it becomes difficult to imagine the footprint you are leaving unless you are made to account for it each and every day. When I did my audit and saw just how much was being thrown away and not used, it has made me buy wiser. Our society has become one of instant gratification and a disposable generation. Most of what's made is often just thrown away and a new product bought even if the old product is fixable. we always want what's new and of the latest technology, ignoring the still usefulness of a product we already have that could be fixed. I am teaching my daughter that lesson now as her washer broke and legit she kept fixing it until there just was no way to fix it any more (kuddos to her) but then she turned around buying a brand new set (washer and dryer) even though her dryer was fine. The old dryer still worked, but now sits at a dump somewhere. Her justification, it was a good deal and the dryer would eventually need replacing anyway.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What is one food choice that you make, or could make, that would do more good and less harm?
Christina Englehart 10/14/2021 9:30 AM
Eliminating processed foods from my diet which would improve my health as well as good for the environment by reducing greenhouse gasses. Buying organic fresh produce whenever possible!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
Christina Englehart 10/14/2021 9:27 AM
Balance is important for the environment to be protected, for the economy to thrive and our quality of life itself improved.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Consider the ways you can garden: a plot of land? a patio container? hanging basket? windowsill gardens? What would work best for your living situation and lifestyle?
Christina Englehart 10/11/2021 5:40 AM
I decided on a window sill garden as my yard is not large enough for a garden and it is easier to maintain at my windowsill.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

What are the ways in which voters are prohibited from or discouraged from voting in your region and/or state? What could be done to get rid of these barriers?
Christina Englehart 10/11/2021 5:39 AM
The only discouragement i could really find was not enough drop boxes for ballots or early voting centers in historically disenfranchised communities where there was questions around them being accessible by public transportation and being placed in areas of dense concentration. A study would need to be done to determine where the best locations for those boxes and voting centers would be. They should be proportionate to the population (Baltimore City literally only had one drop box set up)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health

How do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?
Christina Englehart 10/08/2021 6:46 AM
Environmental pollutants cause health issues such as heart disease, cancer and respiratory issues and strains our medical system and hospitals. An unhealthy environment affects the community and each person in it. I live in a community near industrial sites and have found that when i am home I suffer from more respiratory issues then when i have spent time away from home in the mountains where I am away from all of the pollutants. Talking with neighbors, i hear of many of the same issues, so I know i am not alone or just "imagining" it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. Just make sure to follow the canning and pickling guidelines from the USDA or another trusted source. What are some foods that you would like to preserve and enjoy later in the year?
Christina Englehart 10/08/2021 6:35 AM
Looking forward to doing apples, tomatoes and squash!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Who is most affected by environmental degradation and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?
Christina Englehart 10/08/2021 6:30 AM
People of color are most affected by environmental degradation and environmental irresponsibility and are often the targets of large corporations who are only interested at profits vs the health and well being of those targeted groups. I found that 3 out of 5 African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans live near toxic waste sites and that 79 percent of African Americans are more likely to live where industrial pollution is the suspected cause of harmful health effects.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Reducing your paper mail can reduce mental clutter as well as physical waste -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?
Christina Englehart 10/08/2021 6:21 AM
I am really looking forward to getting less mail in my mailbox (especially all those Christmas catalogs ) that usually go from my mail box direct to the recycle bin without even being looked at. As i receive the catalogs, I contact the businesses directly and asked that they not send future catalogs to my home. I also opted out of prescreened credit card and insurance quotes and offers. My next step is to address the non catalog items that i receive by opting that mail and looking for the phone numbers to call to opt out of receiving future mailings.

Read More