Ecochallenge.org

2019 People's Ecochallenge

October 2 - October 23, 2019

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer

MSR DESIGN

"Try something new !"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
936 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

27

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

52

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

70

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

70

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

210

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

210

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

210

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

765

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

11

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

17

whole food meals

consumed

Simona's actions

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED -2
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED -2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party with 10 friends and/or colleagues to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on an environmental issue that matters to me.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Take Control

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

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

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

Simplicity

Research My Investment Portfolio

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).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Fix Leaky Faucets

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Public Transit

I will use public transit 5 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to 0.82 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

High Impact Action Track

Research Impact Investing

Simplicity

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

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
Transportation Use Public Transit

The US spends roughly 20% of its federal budget on defense. In contrast, 2% goes to education, 20% goes to social security and 3% goes to transportation infrastructure. Do these numbers surprise you at all? Why or why not? How would you adjust them if you could?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:15 AM

I bused almost every day on this challenge, which meant I also walked all of those days. Transportation infrastructure is such an interesting thing. I think this country could be all kinds of cooler with good trains.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How do your eating experiences differ when practicing mindfulness?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:14 AM

I enjoy my meals more when I'm not eating in front of Netflix. I'm going to keep it as more of a habit.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Go for a Daily Walk

How do you experience your neighborhood or city differently when walking instead of driving?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:12 AM

Didn't do it every day, but I paid more attention to my time outside! I like my bus commute because of how much more walking I do than when I have driven in the past.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Research My Investment Portfolio

In what ways can you increase the positive impacts and decrease the negative impacts of your financial investments?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:12 AM

Next on my list is contacting Vanguard about impacting investment options. I like the low-cost index style of investing, but I'd like it to be fossil fuel free. One thing that's a little frustrating with some of these funds is they are all or nothing in terms of ESG (environmental, social and governance). For example, no fossil fuels in an index fund will also mean no gun manufacturers including civilian firearms (which I'm fine with, but others might not be), but also no alcohol or tobacco, or gambling, or nuclear power - it's way too big a bucket of exclusion, and feels more like a set of religious values in some ways.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
High Impact Action Track Research Impact Investing

How might impact investing help you better live your values?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:03 AM

This is fascinating. I highly recommend the website fossilfreefunds.org. I have more reading to do before I choose a fund, but my goal is end of 2019 for some major shifts in my portfolio.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Take Control

How do environmental health, community health, and your personal health intersect?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 9:00 AM

Getting older sucks. I've used this challenge as an opportunity to think about changes I want to make for the next decade, healthwise.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Whole Foods Diet

Michael Pollan states that “it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor.” What are your thoughts on this idea?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 8:59 AM

I agree with the sentiment that you are what you eat, so you can either be made from processed stuff or whole food groups. This is the first time I've really been mindful of eating less processed food. I didn't make it every day, but I was able to do most days. It's an important distinction - you can even be a person who shops organic and all that, but if you're not eating fruits and veg whole, you're probably still not eating a great diet.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Host a House Party

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/23/2019 8:57 AM

I'm going to do this, but it just didn't happen this EcoChallenge. Working on environmental issues creates a sense of community, and I find I enjoy working on this especially with others. Alone it's an impossible challenge.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to clean energy?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/14/2019 8:45 AM

Boy, I feel like all I do is advocate some days. I signed up for community solar since my roof is not great for solar exposure. It will pay ME over time, instead of the other way around, as the array is paid off and Xcel continues to buy the power for 25 years. I'm going to the grand opening of "my" solar array on the top of Ramp A in downtown Minneapolis this coming Sunday!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Simona Gray Wolf Fischer 10/07/2019 6:27 AM

It's embarrassing that I even still had any, but there were two bedside lamps. Now LED.

Read More