The People's Ecochallenge 2022

October 5 - October 26, 2022

Tanya Blackwell

"To continue the work I started during Plastic Free July - and to continue developing sustainable ways to decrease my family's footprint. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,520 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

178

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

110

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1,135

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1,135

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

3.6

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

7.5

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated

Tanya's actions

Balancing Consumption

Buy Used

Stop contributing to the environmental destruction and human rights violations caused by consumerism - pledge to buy only USED products! You can find these at stores/venues like: - eBAY, Craigslist, Swappa, Gazelle - Goodwill, thrift stores - yard sales

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Enacting Equity

Support Low-Income Solar Initiatives

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Learn About Accessible & Equitable Voter Registration

I will spend 30 minutes learning about voter access and equity. And if applicable, I will register to vote, ask someone I trust to help me register, or help others register.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Research Indigenous & First Nations Communities

I will spend 30 learning about the past and present indigenous or first nation communities in my regions impacted by colonization, and what I can do to be supportive.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Shop at BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, & Women-Led Businesses!

I will shop at a small business owned or staffed by underrepresented members of my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Watch a Documentary about Racial Injustice

I will watch 1 documentaries about racism and racial injustice.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cultivating Communities

Stay on the Ground

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. digital/virtual attendance, vacation without air travel).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cultivating Communities

Volunteer During My Local Election

I will contact my local election office to volunteer during the upcoming election.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

Repair a Broken Item

I will repair at least one item that is broken, but is repairable. This might be items like garden tools, sewing machine, small appliances, electronics, clothing, and more.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

Calculate My Carbon Footprint

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nourishing Food

Listen to a Food Podcast

I will spend 30 minutes listening to a podcast about food.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Nourishing 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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nourishing Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste, excess carbon and save money by planning my daily and weekly menus so that I only purchase the ingredients needed.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Regenerating Nature

Complete an Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, work, or other shared space to identify the next steps for saving energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Listen to a Nature Podcast

I will spend 30 minutes listening to a podcast about nature.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 30 minute(s) per day typically spent inside and often with electronics with quality time outside walking, exercising, enjoying the sunrise/sunset, gardening, journaling, observing nature, or practicing gratitude for nature.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Regenerating Nature

Calculate My Water Footprint

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Volunteer in My Community

I will volunteer 1 hour(s) for a nature-based event or another opportunity to support my community.

UNCOMPLETED
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
Cultivating Communities Volunteer During My Local Election

Why do you volunteer during elections? What meaning does it give to your civic life?

Tanya Blackwell 10/26/2022 5:36 PM

I typically serve as a poll worker in my local area precinct. This year, I was unable to do so due to traveling/other obligations. I was grateful for the encouragement to find another way to volunteer.

I have been a relatively inactive member of the Working Families Party. During this election cycle, it was MOST important to me to be involved because I live in Georgia. This election is very important to our future and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Also, my father was a very politically-involved person. He passed away in 2018 but his birthday was 11/04. It's always near elections and that makes it that much more personal to me. He would be proud to see me involved.

Lastly, it means that my sons get to witness my engagement and know that it takes more than simply voting.

Read More
Tanya Blackwell 10/25/2022 8:56 PM

Time outside is nothing short of healing. I'm confident my time outside has helped me deal with recent challenges better than I would have otherwise.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nourishing Food Weekly Meal Planning

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four in the US spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

Tanya Blackwell 10/24/2022 8:56 PM

I would rather we use this money to help those who don't have (access to) food. But not just any food... good and healthy food. Many food pantries don't have healthy food or food that goes well together.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Enacting Equity Shop at BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, & Women-Led Businesses!

In your community, how can you work to address systemic racism, sexism, ableism and additional forms of exclusion in the businesses?

Tanya Blackwell 10/21/2022 9:52 PM

"Put my money where my mouth is."

I think the best way to address these -isms is by supporting businesses that are INCLUSIVE and that demonstrate that they are committed to addressing them. There are many businesses that ensure that their hiring practices and their business practices are in inclusive. By supporting inclusive businesses, it also says to other companies that they must also be inclusive if they want my support.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Cultivating Communities Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Tanya Blackwell 10/17/2022 10:41 PM

This one is really tough for me. I am currently in Seattle for a 3 day summit. Being a fully remote employee that works 3k miles away, it means so much to me to meet my team and my colleagues in person. While we have a great synergy over the internet, there's nothing like coming together.

I can't imagine how this would be possible without flights. I'm feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for our ability to come together, covering large distances in short time.

I'm going to have to think more on this one....

Read More
Tanya Blackwell 10/17/2022 8:30 PM

Today, I traveled. For the first time ever, I packed my food. And it was literally the best thing EVER! I'm always packing my own food from now on. 😍

Read More
Tanya Blackwell 10/14/2022 7:02 AM

I heard something on the "Sustainable Food Trust" podcast that really stuck with me. The lady said, ""We no longer have the luxury of being able to just put food in our mouths and not think about where it's coming from....all of us, now, in terms of saving the world, saving the planet, have to realize that what we eat is completely wound up in global warming and the future of the planet for our children..." and WOW! It made me think about how often it is that I honestly do not think about (especially when going to restaurants) where the food is coming from.... I would like to do some research on more farm-to-table restaurants in my area because this particular podcast really hit home for me.

I have been using Hello Fresh for meal prep at home. I looked up where their food comes from and I was happy to see: https://www.hellofreshgroup.com/en/newsroom/stories/1DxsD3cL6Ik2wbK7srj1Kk//.

That actually makes me feel better about the extra costs associated with this meal service.

Read More
- Caroline Sandbo 10/17/2022 4:14 PM
  
  The article that Hello Fresh put out is very cool! What a great use of data science, to reduce food waste and predict demand.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Regenerating Nature Calculate My Water Footprint

What is one way you will reduce your water use? What is a practice you already have that helps you reduce your water use?

Tanya Blackwell 10/12/2022 8:36 PM

I've always been good about turning the water off when I brush my teeth or wash things. But the assessment made me realize that I use a lot of water washing dishes. I still wash dishes by hand AND use my dishwasher. I will use this as a way to reduce my water use.

Read More
Tanya Blackwell 10/08/2022 3:06 PM

My brother bought me some binoculars for my birthday. I'm practicing using them with my phone to take pictures. I'm really into watching animals that can't see you watching them!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nourishing Food Listen to a Food Podcast

What podcast did you choose and what did you learn on the podcast you listened to?

Tanya Blackwell 10/07/2022 9:03 AM

I chose the Afro Beets Podcast and I listened to "What's my soil mix? Succulents, Indoor Plants and Vegetables".

From it, I learned something rather shocking.... I learned that peat moss is very resource intensive because they store a LOT of carbon. Biochar can replace peat moss as base. I am now interested in exploring and learning more about biochar. I found this webpage to be a great starting point... https://biochar-international.org/biochar/... bookmarked for future exploration and a deeper dive!

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