Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge 2022

October 5 - October 26, 2022

Nadia Bukres

PCC EcoPanthers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
500 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

14

donations

made
UP TO

60

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

290

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

8.0

pounds

waste composted
UP TO

66

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated

Nadia's actions

Enacting Equity

Learn About Trans, Femme, and Nonbinary Experiences

I will spend 20 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Enacting Equity

Listen to Equity & Justice Podcasts

I will spend 20 minutes listening to a podcast about equity and justice.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Cultivating Communities

Donate Blood

I will donate blood in my community to make sure there are adequate supplies for routine medical services and emergencies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cultivating Communities

Advocate for Greener Vehicles

I will assess the vehicles used by my company, college, or city and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Cultivating Communities

Drive Less

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

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Cultivating Communities

Pull Together Items to Donate

Each day, I will find one or more items I can donate to a local thrift or resale shop.

COMPLETED 4
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

Nourishing Food

Compost Food Scraps

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Balancing Consumption

What is Sustainable Fashion?

I will spend 30 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and adopt at least one sustainable fashion practice.

COMPLETED
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

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
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?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:49 PM

My mom recently got engaged in the new trend of Small Business Saturdays. Portland does a great job of promoting small business online, so my mom hunts down a new one every week and we take a mini trip together. They're almost always owned by BIPOC or LGBTQ people because that's what Portland promotes, so it's a great way to have a fun outing and support community members.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Enacting Equity Listen to Equity & Justice Podcasts

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

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:47 PM

My favorite podcasts recently have been Radical Empathy and Asian American Stories.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Cultivating Communities Advocate for Greener Vehicles

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:46 PM

My mother works for Portland General Electric and they have started a huge initiative to promote electric vehicles, a project my mom is actually on the leaderboard for. She has taken me to EV events and I have actually test driven almost every single EV on the market, just to learn more about them and compare them. My mom loves to give me updates about her work, and one of my favorite things she's shown me was a flowchart that chose the perfect EV for your lifestyle. Every time we need a rental car, we choose an EV and we love finding Chargepoints and meeting the EV owners who are charging. It's a great privilege to own an EV and be able to afford the technology, which has been something I've had to recognize, and I cannot personally afford an electric vehicle. My mom, however, has purchased an EV and I love that. My family is very excited to see EV's progress.

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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?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:39 PM

I found that I am right about at the average US water consumption of gallons per day. Frankly, this was a bit disappointing at first. I thought I would have a lower water usage because I'm aware of how much water I use, but when I saw my gallons/day shoot up just because of my state and my electric utility provider, I was stunned. Being aware of how much water I use isn't enough, it seems. I personally need to take more action. I have a front and backyard, and I liked the idea of using a rain barrel or planting native plants to reduce my water for my yard. Also, I actually never thought of the water needed to make my dog's food; I only ever considered human consumption. I am also give my dog a medicated shampoo shower outside with a hose every day, which is obviously something the calculator didn't include, so now I'm thinking about my net water usage in detail.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nourishing Food Compost Food Scraps

As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:32 PM

I bought a compost bin! I've actually tried composting twice before, once with a huge compost bin in my backyard and another time with a countertop compost bin. The problem for me has been finding somewhere to put my compost. Now, I have a solution. My friend lives in Portland Metro and has a compost bin that gets picked up weekly by the city, and she's happy to let me add my compost every couple of weeks or when I need. So, I've bought a bin and am excited to start composting!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Balancing Consumption What is 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?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:22 PM

I watched a series of videos on YouTube about fashion, including a TedTalk on how sustainable fashion is a privilege that only some can afford, which was very eye-opening. I also watched a Vice news video on fast fashion and I learned that clothes are the second largest polluter on the planet. One speaker in the video talked about how consumers can still buy clothes for fashion interests, but they should consider buying smarter and kinder, like thrifting or upcycling. Another speaker spoke on the environmental benefits of washing clothes in cold water. Also, one speaker spoke about giving clothes to friends, donating them to charities, or reselling them.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Balancing Consumption Calculate My Carbon Footprint

What is one way you will reduce your carbon impact? What is a practice you already have that helps you reduce your carbon impact?

Nadia Bukres 10/10/2022 12:16 PM

I used the EPA's carbon footprint calculator and I loved the results table I got at the end. It showed not only the money I would save by doing each of the actions I added, but also the CO2 emissions that I would prevent from being expelled into the atmosphere. I learned that I already recycle of all the common household goods listed, which was very fulfilling to hear. I have family in Colorado and South Carolina, and neither of them have recycling bins at their residences, nor a utility truck to come pick up recycling. I think my recycling proficiency is due to the fact that Oregon takes all recycling, so that was an interesting thought to think about. I would also be curious to see how my carbon footprint would change if the system included airplane travel emissions, meat consumption and water usage.

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