Ecochallenge.org

2019 People's Ecochallenge

October 2 - October 23, 2019

Laurentina Garcia

Green Demons

"Just trying to hold myself accountable and do the best I can even if it's small!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
419 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

24

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

5.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

40

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

410

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

16

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

24

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill

Laurentina's actions

Water

Get Involved in the Water Justice Movement

I will spend at least 30 minutes using the resources provided to learn about water justice and find out how I can get involved in local initiatives.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 3 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

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

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 2 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 3 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

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

High Impact Action Track

Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Health

I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice concerns in my region, their causes, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or 2 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will spend at least 20 minutes finding out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

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
High Impact Action Track Learn About Local Environmental Justice Concerns

Who is most affected by environmental degration and/or environmental irresponsiblity in your community? How are they affected?

Laurentina Garcia 10/18/2019 8:29 AM

It's marginalized communities who are most effected by the degradation of the environment and irresponsibility of the privileged. With sacrifice zones that are placed in population that are predominantly made up of people of color it is entirely racialized. There is a reason Flint, Michigan went nearly 5 years without clean water and it was because it is a black community. People turn a blind eye when their actions don't affect them, and it's happening all over the world.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Laurentina Garcia 10/18/2019 8:22 AM

Thrifting!! It's honestly so much fun scavenging to find something really interesting or unique that just can't be replicated in fast fashion stores. It also offers opportunity for diy crafts. You can change buttons, cut hems, and so much more to make something completely your own. And if you're anything like me, who is constantly cycling out clothes its a great way to to reduce waste since I'm buying things that have already been used and then just donating things back once I've moved on for particular pieces.

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- Matthew Cooper 10/22/2019 8:17 AM
  
  I'm always meaning to get more stuff at thrift stores! I had never considered it from an environmental perspective, so it's good to have even further motivation to start :)
  
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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?

Laurentina Garcia 10/17/2019 11:24 AM

I think it’s just the idea of having to carry it around especially when already using a reusable water bottle, but it’s an issue over convenience over accessibility. I notice while it is less convenient I feel better that I’m making a change that is beneficial for the envir.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Buy From a Farmers Market

What is one food choice that you make, or could make, that would do more good and less harm?

Laurentina Garcia 10/16/2019 6:52 AM

I could go full veg and finally cut out seafood from my diet. The fish population in the ocean is near depleted due to the mass production of fishing. We have near empty oceans which ultimately affect the ecosystems which exist because everything is dependent on everything playing out its role. Cutting seafood out could have a small part in creating less of a demand and therefore less of an impact on those fish communities.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Choose Organic Ingredients

It is often said that “you can’t feed the world with just organic food.” What is your response to that statement?

Laurentina Garcia 10/16/2019 6:47 AM

My response is all food used to be organic before we decided to commercialize it. The reality is that organic and ethical food is everywhere but because the food industry has been so monoplized by big corporations its basically wiped out all other businesses to continue to compete.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use a Reusable Water Bottle

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?

Laurentina Garcia 10/16/2019 6:43 AM

I think the only barrier is really its convenience. People don't often like to carry a bottle around and find it easier to have something you can just throwout, but its honestly super easy and it makes a difference in the long run.

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Laurentina Garcia 10/14/2019 1:31 PM

I've been on the boarder of vegetarian and pescetarian pretty much my whole life (never been a fan of meat) but I've been making a greater effort in cutting out dairy products along with limiting eating fish to once a week. It's a small change that I hope can become normalized in my routine and becomes something I carry on even after the challenge :)

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- Barbara Willard 10/18/2019 2:09 PM
  
  Keep up the great work! It' s fairly easy to make the full transition vegan if you get this down
  
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- Lydia Connolly 10/14/2019 7:10 PM
  
  Hi Laurentina, I also chose to try out vegetarian meals too for one of my challenges! I feel the same way because I have never eaten a lot of meat either so I'm trying to cut it out completely or eat it once or twice a week. Good luck with your diet and I hope we can both cut down on certain products, a small challenge but a difficult one!
  
  Read More