Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge

October 6 - October 27, 2021

Maggie Tracey

Walgreens Boots Alliance

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
883 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

water collection systems

installed
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

765

minutes

of additional sleep
UP TO

24

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

290

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,565

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

395

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

475

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

22

pounds

waste composted

Maggie's actions

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Tend a Garden

Do at Home

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Do at Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Joyful Movement

Do at Home

I will spend 15 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Collect Rain Water

Do at Home

I will create a rain garden or bioswale or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Eco-Friendly Gardening

Do at Home

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing and Renewal

Practice Gratitude for Earth

Do at Home

I will spend 10 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Compost Food Waste

Do at Home

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

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: 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

Audit Toxic Cleaning Products in my Home

Do at Home

I will spend 15 minutes researching toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Do at Home

I will spend 20 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Advocate For More Food Packaging Options

Do at Home

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus to reduce pollution in the environment and in local communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Forage for My Food

Do at Home

I will use the resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

COMPLETED
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

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Support Local Pollinators

Do at Home

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

COMPLETED
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

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

Simplicity

Research Impact Investing

Do at Home

Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing and determine if it is right for me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

To what extent do environmental factors contribute to your own health or issues with health?
Maggie Tracey 10/27/2021 3:26 PM
Environmental factors have a huge impact on our health. Pollution and contaminates in the air have a profound effect on people with asthma, for instance, but it goes way beyond that. Think of all the chemicals in a body lotion....it takes less than 30 seconds for a substance put onto the surface of the skin to reach the bloodstream. It is important that we have an awareness of what we expose ourselves to voluntarily when there are so many things in our environment we have no control over.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health

How has the process of forgiving, or contemplating forgiveness, benefited you?
Maggie Tracey 10/27/2021 3:23 PM
Holding on to grudges can be more damaging to you than to the person you are upset with. Forgiving others is also self-care.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

People are motivated to forage for many different reasons: as a source for food, a means of income, to connect with nature, to participate in cultural tradition, transmitting specific ecological knowledge, or as a means of stewarding local and native plant populations are just a few examples. What is your chief motivation for foraging?
Maggie Tracey 10/27/2021 3:22 PM
All of the reasons listed resonate with me in some way or another, but one fun reason I am fascinated by foraging is that I have read too many novels about dystopian future landscapes, zombie apocalypses, etc. and I enjoy having social conversations about disaster survival. I love being able to point to a random plant on a walk in the forest preserve and share some fun fact about it, like "if you had to, you could eat that" or "pioneers made coffee from the roots of that one."

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?
Maggie Tracey 10/26/2021 9:16 PM
Opening and properly disposing of/recycling junk mail is a huge pet peeve of mine and I really get a sense of satisfaction when I can stop that wasted paper from coming into my house.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

How might impact investing help you better live your values?
Maggie Tracey 10/26/2021 9:13 PM
By researching companies/investment opportunities that support initiatives I care about can help me decide where to use my dollars to do the most good in areas that align with my values.

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?
Maggie Tracey 10/25/2021 8:55 PM
I canned peaches last summer for the first time and it was relatively easy. Throughout the winter I can enjoy really delicious peaches picked at the peak of their season, and because I canned them myself, materials are not wasted, and there are no chemicals used in the process.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does food sovereignty address the complex transition from localized food systems to modern global food systems?
Maggie Tracey 10/25/2021 8:53 PM
The video I watched addressed the need and the rights of people for food sovereignty, but didn't go very deeply into how that transition would take place. Looks like I'll be doing some more research,

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing and Renewal

What are your top 3-5 core values? How did you narrow it down to those as being your core values?
Maggie Tracey 10/25/2021 8:45 PM
Care for others and the planet.
Creative pursuits.
Intellectual curiosity.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing and Renewal

How does being playful with others enrich your life?
Maggie Tracey 10/25/2021 8:40 PM
Life is full of responsibilities that can be stressful and serious, so it is important to me to take time to be silly once in a while.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water

Where are your nearest natural bodies of water? How might they be affected by runoff?
Maggie Tracey 10/21/2021 7:48 PM
The Des Plaines river is very prone to flooding as a result of runoff from small tributaries and roads, etc. When floods happen, homes are damaged, roads are closed, and I have actually seen row boats on a main street.

Read More