Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge 2025

October 1 - October 31, 2025

Dina Lomagno

STARBUCKS

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
90 THIS WEEK
762 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

carbon footprints

calculated
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

215

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

4,430

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

83

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

88

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

water footprint

calculated
UP TO

2,240

minutes

spent outdoors

Dina's actions

Community

Make Sure You are Registered to Vote

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Calculate My Digital Carbon Footprint

I will calculate my digital carbon footprint and take steps to reduce my CO2 emissions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Calculate My Carbon Impact

Knowing our carbon footprint is the first step to reducing it. I will calculate my carbon impact and identify lifestyle changes that could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment. I will share my commitments to lowering my impact on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Complete an Online Energy Audit

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Meditate or Create a Moment of Silence

I will meditate or create a moment of silence for 5 minutes each day to reflect on things important to me.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media Use and Reflect About My Experience

I will limit my social media use to once per day and share the impact I see and reflections I have on the feed.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Understand My Water Footprint

Each of us has a water footprint, directly linked to our daily activities as well as the water required in the production of things we use each day. Understanding our water use is important for a healthy planet. I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste, then share what I learned on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Practice Eco-Friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cups to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Historically, marginalized and low-income communities live closer to landfills, contributing to a multitude of health problems. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate. I will keep 1 containers out of the landfill each day.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless and Opt Out of Junk Mail

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 3.4lbs (1.5kg) a month or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Complete a 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. I will share a photo and reflection of this action on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Take the Pre-Survey

Take the Pre-Event Survey

I’ll take a short pre-survey to share what motivated me to join — and earn 15 points! (If I already took the survey by email, I’ll just mark this action complete to get my points.)

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 10 minutes each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

Where in your life do you emit the most carbon? What change are you willing to make in your daily life to reduce this output?
Dina Lomagno 10/28/2025 11:49 AM
When researching this I found a great article which breaks down 35 ways to reduce your carbon input, take a look and spread the word! https://www.constellation.com/energy-101/energy-innovation/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint.html

Read More
- Mary Hanks 10/28/2025 2:48 PM
  
  Pet Parent 🐾
  Thanks for posting the link! I'm pleased to say that I'm already doing 22 of the 35 recommended actions. Now I need to look into implementing as many of the rest as I can.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Energy

What most interested or surprised you about your own energy footprint? What changes did you make or will you make?
Dina Lomagno 10/27/2025 12:13 PM
Since we use solar we decided to do this in partnership with learning how the solar impact really shows within our household and how we can improve it. We've managed to reduce our energy output in the summertime due to replacing the weatherstripping on all windows, updating the window film to increase insulation and also keeping our house temperature at a constant instead of changing continuously. What we've also noticed with the season shifting is that now that our trees are getting more mature, they are in Fall getting covered so we've cut those back for maximum exposure on our panels.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water

What surprised you most about your water footprint, and how did it influence your perspective on water use? What changes can you make to reduce your water consumption, and how will these impact your daily routine?
Dina Lomagno 10/24/2025 9:51 AM
Water is an important resource, especially so in Las Vegas where we are on constant restrictions. Utilizing xeriscape and drought tolerant plants throughout decreases the water need for landscaping, we use our appliances on off peak hours for both electricity and water efficiency, and turning off drip/sprinklers when rain is forecasted is another great tool, a little savings goes a long way!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Why is it often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places?
Dina Lomagno 10/20/2025 1:14 PM
One of my fellow PFS partners told me about how she reduced her bathroom waste to just ONE bag of trash so far this year so I decided to re-evaluate how I can better consume in the bathroom. I'm already utilizing bar shampoo/conditioner, glass refill bottle for soap that I get refilled locally, use washcloths/towels and reusable makeup remover cloths. Just need to cut down on ear swabs and get my husband to use more local bar soaps but we are working on it!

Read More
- Dina Lomagno 10/27/2025 12:25 PM
  @Amy Sarno, this is why I try to buy via my local farmers market. There is no packaging and I bring my reusable totes. Most of my fruits/veggies that I don't grow, I buy there in addition to local meat sourcing from organic farms, soaps and refillable items here and seafood purchases up North when I travel (I bring a reusable freezer bag). Stores are getting better but only by a VERY small margin, I like the fact that I can choose less packing materials/boxes with Amazon and that I can return those to a local chapter that repurposes those boxes as well.
  
  Read More
- Amy Sarno 10/20/2025 1:22 PM
  Sometimes it's difficult to understand the overall impact of a purchase because we don't have visibility to how things were made or shipped. For me, sometimes if I can't see it, and it's not information that's readily available, it doesn't exist as part of my overall top of mind conscious decision making.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Simplicity

What would you like to invest more time in reflecting on?
Dina Lomagno 10/20/2025 1:11 PM
Today we went hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park and it was so calm and peaceful on the trail we chose, just puppy and I and very little interaction with anyone else except some deer and chipmunk. I was able to take deep breaths and really be in the moment to enjoy the beautiful weather and natural landscape.

Read More
- Kerry Keck 10/20/2025 4:24 PM
  Oh, I love that place! I'm glad you and your pup had a great time.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

Reducing your paper mail can reduce mental clutter as well as physical waste -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?
Dina Lomagno 10/16/2025 2:48 PM
This has been a constant struggle with junk mail that we are receiving on a daily basis. I've made a point to start a pile with all the ads/magazines I receive and have started to email them to stop sending any physical materials and providing an alternate email for my junk mail to alleviate the overall load.

Read More
- Jamie Leigh 10/16/2025 3:24 PM
  I've been inundated with university brochures for my high school senior. I'm saving the heavy cardstock ones to use as envelope padding when I mail photos to family!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

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?
Dina Lomagno 10/14/2025 8:59 AM
I have a resuable mug for my coffee, a Yeti for my daily intake of water and a Starbucks tumbler for my electrolytes. I'm proud to say that I haven't used a paper cup or plastic cup in almost 8 months. It's been a challenge for sure but we don't eat at fast food restaurants so that definitely helps, but we always bring our reusable straws and chopsticks to restaurants when we do!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What did you substitute or could be substituted instead?
Dina Lomagno 10/14/2025 8:56 AM
Glass pyrex has become a staple in our house, to store fruits and vegetables, meal prep and leftovers. It's easier to reuse then to waste!

Read More
- Anan Srivilai 10/14/2025 9:00 AM
  
  Adventurer 🏔
  Definitely reusing glass pyrex helped reduce waste, and using a water bottle instead of bottle water reduced the large amount of plastic we recycle.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Water

What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.
Dina Lomagno 10/14/2025 8:55 AM
This is something that I have learned to love doing, I utilize the grounds from the garden program in addition I use crushed egg shells that I collect in a container in my kitchen for fertilizer along with compost, and ceylon cinnamon and spearmint as natural pest repellants.

Read More
- Anan Srivilai 10/14/2025 9:02 AM
  
  Adventurer 🏔
  My concern with our water is pollution. It's to the point where I find so many needles/trash on our beaches and I do not want to go in the Columbia river.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

Why is voting important to creating a just, sustainable, and thriving world? In what other ways can you actively participate in important decision-making?
Dina Lomagno 10/14/2025 8:51 AM
Voting in today's economic and social climate is more important than ever, if you don't make your voice heard you cannot complain about the circumstances that you are put in.

Read More