2019 People's Ecochallenge

October 2 - October 23, 2019

Erin Sheehan

"I'm excited to get back into the EcoChallenge mindset. Ready to track my progress and improve my daily habits to better benefit the Earth. Go Green 2019!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,066 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

15

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

15

donations

made
UP TO

17

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

330

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

155

minutes

spent learning

Erin's actions

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Donate to or Volunteer for Low-Income Solar Initiatives

Whether it's by donating or volunteering, I will research the benefits of low-income solar and find out how I can support low-income solar initiatives in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Research Impact Investing

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money For a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support Ecochallenge.org or another nonprofit.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

I will spend 15 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 0
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy From a Farmers Market

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Track my Purchases

I will spend 20 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Install a Toilet Tank Bank

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water each day by installing a toilet tank bank.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 0 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 30 minute(s) each day.

COMPLETED -1
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Erin Sheehan 10/22/2019 11:56 AM

Really trying to get in all my one-time actions. Only one more day to go!
Take the time to review your actions and answer your reflection questions. Not only does it get us extra points, it helps to really think about and understand the impact some of these actions may have.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Host a House Party

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Erin Sheehan 10/22/2019 11:54 AM

Thanks Julie for helping us host a "house party" in our office! Especially here in the PNW the environment and our impact are constantly a topic of conversation and always on our minds. I think the environment and our current state of crisis has really strengthened our sense of community as humans. We need to be more conscious of our choices and our impacts, and the more we do together and inspire action, the better!
This presentation in particular was a tough one to digest on if the packaging and material choices we are making on a daily basis are doing more harm than good. There is so much that goes into the process of making and transporting items that even by reusing it, you may still be contributing negative impacts to the environment... great food for thought!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Personal Waste Audit

Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

Erin Sheehan 10/22/2019 11:50 AM

This challenge is going to be a rough one. I'm saving it for the last day of the ecochallenge (mostly because i forgot about it) but also to leave the challenge with the most impact. No better way to know how much waste you're contributing than by tracking it and collecting it. I wasn't able to do this for the entire challenge, but by committing to a full day of collecting and tracking I am intrigued to see my average daily consumption.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Go get a check up

How do you practice self care?

Erin Sheehan 10/22/2019 11:47 AM

I practice self care by just taking time for myself. A couple of other daily actions have helped with that! I have been trying to take more time to exercise (though I definitely need to be better) and to reflect on my day before bed with the happiness/ gratitude challenge. I am hoping to continue both even after the challenge is over.

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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?

Erin Sheehan 10/22/2019 11:45 AM

One food choice that I could make would be to eat less meat. Which I am trying to do daily as a part of another action. On a fully different note, no matter what food or where I purchase it I could always be better about not letting it go to waste. I am composting food/ leftovers found in my fridge way too often. So a choice I need to make is to be more aware of what I buy and its shelflife in my fridge. Consume before it goes to waste!

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Erin Sheehan 10/18/2019 9:49 AM

Only 6 more days of the challenge! Now's the time to make a plan to complete your one-time actions!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Exercise Daily

How can you incorporate other personal values (like quality time with friends or spending time in nature) into your exercise routine?

Erin Sheehan 10/11/2019 1:59 PM

Working out has been my toughest challenge to complete. With chores at home and work, my time off is normally spent relaxing at home. I am hoping soon I can get into the habit of working out more. It would definitely help if I could get my friends or SO to join in! Nothing motivates more than having someone else hold you accountable...

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity Track my Purchases

What have you noticed about your purchases? Where are you inclined to make shifts, if any?

Erin Sheehan 10/11/2019 1:52 PM

I use sites like Mint to track my finances on a regular basis. However this is in a broad sense that I check/ review once every so often. Taking the time to actually track my purchases on a daily basis has made me much more mindful of my spending. I don't know if I will be able to maintain this habit after the challenge, but I am hoping it will make me more intentional and conscious of my spending. Maybe save a bit more than I have been previously... fingers crossed.

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Erin Sheehan 10/10/2019 11:15 PM

Finally had a day where I completed all 5 of my daily challenges! I feel so accomplished!

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Erin Sheehan 10/10/2019 9:53 AM

I missed my first day of checkin... so disappointed. With a busy day yesterday I didn't get a chance to log-in.
It's a challenge but I am aiming to be more mindful of my impacts, so I'm trying to make my checkins a priority. Even on weekends!

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