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Welcome to 2019 People's Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an 2019 People's Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
2019 People's Ecochallenge
October 2 - October 23, 2019
Kristin Barnhart's avatar

Kristin Barnhart

PCC SOC 228

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 394 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    9.0
    plastic straws
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    9.0
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    8.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    5.0
    miles
    traveled by foot
  • UP TO
    96
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    4.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    119
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    55
    miles
    not traveled by car

Kristin's actions

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

Water

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

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

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Walk Instead

I will walk 1 mile(s) each day instead of driving and avoid sending up to 1.21 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 8 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

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
    Water Say No to Plastic Straws
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
    Kristin Barnhart's avatar
    Kristin Barnhart 10/10/2019 7:24 AM
    I think the main single-use product I use is paper towels. I don't use straws, coffee cups, or vegetable bags too often as I have my own reusable versions of those. As far as paper towels go, I suppose it would be more sustainable to buy more cloths to use and have on hand and wash regularly versus buying and using something just to throe it away. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Waste Use a Reusable Mug
    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?
    Kristin Barnhart's avatar
    Kristin Barnhart 10/10/2019 7:22 AM
    I think the challenges is just getting into the habit- making sure you have your mug with you and making sure it's clean for re-use. I think another part of the problem, in the beginning, for me was that the coffee mug I had was so small! It was only 8 oz so I could only get 8oz of coffee at a time. I remembered my husband had a 16oz thermos in the trunk of our car so I decided to use that instead. In using a bigger cup, I was more motivated to use it because it was bigger and could hold more coffee, thus saving time and money on multiple coffee trips for the smaller mug. 

    Knowing I'm making a difference feels great, I just wish other people would also participate. It's not difficult, it just takes dedication to build up the habit- which is definitely worth it!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Water Conserve Toilet Water
    What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?
    Kristin Barnhart's avatar
    Kristin Barnhart 10/10/2019 7:18 AM
    Education! We need to educate people about the water crisis. I worked in a preschool for 3 years and the children (ages 4 and 5) would leave the water on while washing their hands or play in it. We need to start educating our children so that they learn to respect and value water.
    Read More
  • Kristin Barnhart's avatar
    Kristin Barnhart 10/05/2019 11:35 AM
    Interestingly enough, I've caught on to not flushing the toilet unless it's solid waste. At first it was hard because it's an instinct but now it's become easier because I know it's serving a greater purpose. 
    Read More