Ecochallenge.org

The People's Ecochallenge 2025

October 1 - October 31, 2025

Sydney Morris

SUS 304 Fall 25

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
70 THIS WEEK
906 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

7.3

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

50

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

50

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

15

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted
UP TO

366

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

6.0

random acts of kindness

completed
UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

10

individuals

recognized
UP TO

1.0

community event

hosted or attended
UP TO

150

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning

Sydney's actions

Transportation

Car Share with Neighbors or a Service

I will sign up for a car-sharing service or organize car sharing with my neighbors, to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

I will try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Limit Light Usage

Reduce household emissions by reducing energy consumption. Use natural lighting or lamps to illuminate rooms, and turn off all lights when you leave a room.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Identify Producers with Sustainable Practices

Virtual water use in food production is very high; a thousand gallons of water may be required to produce the food of one person for one day in the US. Researching food suppliers in your area could help you to identify who has sustainable production practices and who doesn't, and use that information moving forward.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Enjoy a Meatless Meal

Producing 1 kg of beef emits as much greenhouse gas as driving 150 miles, meanwhile, 1 kg of veggies or grains leaves a much lighter footprint! This week, I’ll shrink my climate impact by having 1 meatless meals and/or 1 vegan meals each day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Plan Meals for the Week

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 1 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Express Gratitude and Random Acts of Kindness

Small acts of kindness and gratitude can brighten someone's day and create a positive ripple effect. I will express gratitude to 1 people or perform 1 random acts of kindness to spread joy and connection.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Nature

Explore a New Trail or Nature Walk

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Host a Watch Party

I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Spend 30 Minutes Learning Inclusive Language

Common language is not always inclusive to every community. I will learn what language to use and what language to avoid to be as inclusive as possible and help everyone feel valued, seen, and respected.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Waste

Research Local Waste and Landfill Sites

I will spend 30 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Commute By Bike

I will commute by bike 2 miles each day and avoid sending CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Community

What did you learn about in the documentary you watched? How did it make you feel?
Sydney Morris 10/26/2025 10:04 PM
We watched Dark Waters. I learned about the specifics of PFOAs and how they were present in the waters and causing huge health detriments to people and animals. I felt a bit helpless and angry watching this.

Read More
- Mary Hanks 10/27/2025 5:33 PM
  
  Pet Parent 🐾
  I also have a hard time understanding how people seem to think that the pursuit of wealth now justifies poisoning the planet for future generations. :(
  
  Read More
- Frank Tallman 10/27/2025 2:29 AM
  
  Foodie 🍱
  So many people are ignorant to what is happing to our Planet and do not take the time to look into what is taken place. Most people take this planet for granted!!!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. Just make sure to follow the canning and pickling guidelines from the USDA or another trusted source. What are some foods that you would like to preserve and enjoy later in the year?
Sydney Morris 10/20/2025 4:20 PM
I would like to preserve rapsberries and more cucumbers to enjoy later in the year.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience differ while walking, riding transit, biking, or driving?
Sydney Morris 10/20/2025 4:18 PM
My transportation choices don't affect my engagement in the community much. Perhaps riding the bus causes me to talk briefly to more people, but other than that, my community engagement was not very affected by my means of transportation.

Read More
Sydney Morris 10/19/2025 7:14 PM
Personal Waste Audit action.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste

In what neighborhoods or areas of your region are landfills or other waste sites located? Which communities are most affected by these locations?
Sydney Morris 10/13/2025 2:21 PM
The city of Adair Village, Oregon is closest to my local landfill, the Coffin Butte Landfill. This rural town, with a population of about 1,000 people, experiences foul odors, litter, and the risk of exposure to toxic elements. They've also reported a higher fire risk and a negative effect on local wildlife from the dump.

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?
Sydney Morris 10/13/2025 1:44 PM
The aspect of my energy footprint that I was most surprised by was how much energy is used when keeping lights on, fans running, and electronics plugged in all the time. I've started keeping lights off as much as possible and using natural light as much as possible, turning fans off and opening windows for airflow instead, and unplugging electronics when I'm not using them.

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?
Sydney Morris 10/12/2025 12:53 PM
It's often difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places because actions that produce waste are normalized in our culture, we don't often see the full sum of the waste we produce, and we aren't encouraged to think about our actions in contributing to wasteful consumerism because doing so hurts the income of the companies we buy from.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?
Sydney Morris 10/07/2025 12:58 PM
Spending more time in the environment allows me to identify what I love about it, what I want to preserve, and what must be changed. Being immersed in nature leads to a more complex perspective on it that motivates me to be conscious in my efforts to protect it.

Read More
- Nathalie Alaves 10/07/2025 6:39 PM
  This is such a meaningful reflection!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?
Sydney Morris 10/07/2025 12:55 PM
Expressing gratitude allows me to identify the aspects of my life that are important to me. This includes nature and its preservation, so thinking about what's important to me in the environment causes me to be more conscious in the decisions I make that affect it and motivates me to do more to preserve and improve the natural world around me.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

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 else would you rather invest this money instead of wasting food?
Sydney Morris 10/07/2025 12:53 PM
I've heard this fact before, so it doesn't surprise me currently. It did surprise me when I first learned it, though. I would rather pay for tuition, rent, utilities, or donate my money rather than spend it on wasted food.

Read More