The People's Ecochallenge 2022

October 5 - October 26, 2022

Chan Kim

"By participating in the People's Ecochallenge, I would like to form some habits that I could implement in my daily life."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,406 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

374

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

35

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

86

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

7.5

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

1.0

pound

waste avoided
UP TO

16

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated

Chan's 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.

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

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nourishing Food

Donate Food

I will find out what food programs are in my area and donate food and/or other items that they request.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Regenerating Nature

Volunteer in My Community

I will volunteer 4 hour(s) for a nature-based event or another opportunity to support my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Forest-Friendly Foods

I will spend 20 minutes learning about palm oil, coffee, cocoa, and other products known to contribute to deforestation, and replace or remove them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nourishing Food

Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty

I will watch 2 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

Enacting Equity

Research Indigenous & First Nations Communities

I will spend 15 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.

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

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

Cultivating Communities

Donate Blood

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

What is Sustainable Fashion?

I will spend 20 minutes learning about sustainable fashion and adopt at least one sustainable fashion practice.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Balancing Consumption

Develop a Work-Life Balance

During the work day, I will schedule time for breaks to practice work-life balance.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Balancing Consumption

Needs Vs. Wants

Each day, I will practice a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Balancing Consumption

Track My Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases and identify my spending habits.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Nourishing Food

Eat Plant-Based Meals

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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 20
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?

Chan Kim 10/26/2022 10:02 AM

I read an article today that the rate of plastics actually being recycled fell down to around 5 to 6% in the US. Which is a huge concern since it doesn't look like recycling in the US is not working. In the future, I am planning to collect single use coffee cups, and plastics and just paste them into my paintings. The medium I use is acrylic which is also just a fancy plastic, so they should combine well. I hope our recycling system improves over time, but in the mean time I am going to keep the plastic waste in my paintings rather than in landfill.

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- Mary Hanks 10/26/2022 12:04 PM
  
  Chan, your art sounds fascinating! Thank you for using it to help the planet.
  
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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?

Chan Kim 10/24/2022 7:30 AM

My biggest source of carbon footprint was my shelter category according to the Global Footprint Network. I was shocked to learn that it would take 2.3 earths if everyone lived like me. I will be looking into ways to make my apartment more sustainable, and see what I can do for smart urban planning in the future.

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Chan Kim 10/23/2022 6:22 PM

A few more days left! Let's finish strong!

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- Thomas Saad 10/24/2022 7:13 AM
  
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Chan Kim 10/22/2022 10:01 AM

Beautiful weather this weekend, hope everyone has a chance to go outside! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Regenerating Nature Complete an Energy Audit

What most interested you, or surprised you about your energy audit?

Chan Kim 10/21/2022 5:58 AM

The biggest culprits were the windows, and doors. I have ordered some door draft stoppers and some window insulator kits, hopefully they are helpful, and keep my apartment warm during the winter.

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Chan Kim 10/20/2022 9:48 AM

Ever since starting my plant based diet, my friends have been telling me that I won't be able to get enough protein. Although I do not know the exact number of protein I need to consume, one solution I have found was to add a plant based protein powder to oatmeal. It mixes well, and you can add more water as needed. Since, I do enjoy eating oatmeal it has become a new staple, and I make a lot of variations with the topping I choose. If you also enjoy eating oatmeal and think you need a little more protein in your diet, give it a try!

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- Kyra Sciabica 10/21/2022 7:23 AM
  
  @Chan if you try the tofu in smoothie trick, definitely use silken tofu, as it's the softest and has the easiest flavor to cover up with the other smoothie ingredients. I've used regular firm tofu as well, but it doesn't blend as well, so it throws off the texture and flavor. I've used it in a pinch, but silken tofu blends up much, much nicer and gives the smoothie a nice thickness, almost like a milkshake? I haven't had a milkshake in probably ten years, so my opinion may be a little skewed, but I thought it tasted incredible. I did about half a block of the silken tofu with some frozen cherries, oat milk, and some cocoa powder and it was stellar. I imagine you could use anything though, and I'm sure there are a million recipes out there to find something you like.
  
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- Chan Kim 10/21/2022 5:48 AM
  
  @Kyra, thanks for the information! I love lentils and beans, I sometimes add them when I cook rice. I have heard of tofu in smoothies, but haven't warmed up to that idea yet. Maybe in the near future, haha.
  
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- Chan Kim 10/21/2022 5:46 AM
  
  @Emaily K, I really like the idea of a savory oatmeal, will have to try it. Thanks!
  
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- Kyra Sciabica 10/20/2022 3:17 PM
  
  Lentils and beans are also good sources of protein, and they go well in soups, pastas, and as dips/tapenades. One of my favorite things to do is a white bean and tuna salad, with some lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning, though you can easily leave the tuna out and substitute a veggie of choice. You just mix a can of beans with the juice, seasonings, and a teeny bit of olive oil, and divide into two servings. It goes fantastic with crackers and makes for an extremely filling lunch when paired with some tomatoes or an orange. I used to run around constantly at my old job and that was my favorite lunch to keep me going all day.
  Another trick is to blend up tofu in smoothies if you don't like tofu, or to scramble it up like scrambled eggs (with some spices, not just plain!). Other vegetarian 'secret' proteins are pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, green peas, peanuts (or really most nuts depending on your preferences), tempeh, Greek or Icelandic yogurt (like Emily I love skyr!), chia seeds, eggs (depending on if you count these as vegetarian or not; some people do, some don't), and hummus.
  If you're not fully ready to give up meat, but want something plant based, the Tofurky Italian sausage is so good that many people who are fully meat-eaters have said they enjoyed it a lot, and that they would never have guess it was tofu. I've also heard similar things about the Impossible Meat and Beyond Meat, which are also plant-based. Hope this helps with your plant-based recipes!
  
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- Emily Katzin 10/20/2022 11:25 AM
  
  I have really been enjoying steel cut oats for breakfast. I add different types of nut butters and fruit to make them more filling. You can also try cacao nibs, chia seed, and flax seed/ground flax seed to add more fat/protein. Not vegan, but I also add Skyr (Icelandic yogurt similar to greek yogurt). I've also done savory versions with herbs, tomato, and egg, but I'm sure you could add beans and other herbs/vegetables and make a vegan version!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Balancing Consumption Repair a Broken Item

What did you fix and how did it go? Share a few pics if you can!

Chan Kim 10/20/2022 9:42 AM

I was able to fix a worn out cabinet handle by switching it with our closet handle. My apartment uses the same handle for everything except the doors used for entry. The length of the screws are different, however, for cabinets and closets, so I was able to switch the worn out handle for my cabinet with the one from the closet (which uses a longer screw). They both are working fine so far.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Enacting Equity Research Indigenous & First Nations Communities

Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, “most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation.” Why is balance important to sustainability? If you identify with or are a member of an indigenous community, how does your community practice sustainability?

Chan Kim 10/20/2022 9:38 AM

I believe balance is important because the imbalanced use of our ecosystem and our resources are why challenges like this exist. I don't know if we can restore balance to how much resources we use, but this challenge has allowed me to take a step in the right direction.

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Chan Kim 10/19/2022 7:11 AM

Researching about forest friendly foods showed me the downsides of drinking coffee, like destroying forest canopies. Although, I rarely drink coffee I will be switching to tea if I am in a situation where I need to drink coffee. Out of curiosity I will try to find a coffee brand that is Brid Friendly certified, since I have never seen that label yet.

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- Chan Kim 10/21/2022 5:44 AM
  
  I have heard of that brand, but never tried it. I will have to give it a try next time. I like that they source from small farmers when they can.
  
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- Emily Katzin 10/20/2022 11:28 AM
  
  I hadn't heard of the bird friendly certification. I'll have to look for that! I try to get cacao nibs that have sustainable certifications, too, since that is another product with environmental/supply chain issues. For tea, I have found Rishi to be a good brand for transparency. They support a lot of small farmers that use more sustainable practices.
  
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Chan Kim 10/17/2022 7:47 AM

took a 4 mile hike through the Brecksville Reservation over the weekend, it was nice to see the leaves changing.

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