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Welcome to The People's Ecochallenge 2025!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an The People's Ecochallenge 2025 expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
The People's Ecochallenge 2025
October 1 - October 31, 2025
Tana L Saunders's avatar

Tana L Saunders

SUS 304 Fall 25

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 15 THIS WEEK
  • 585 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1,155
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    162
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    127
    minutes
    spent outdoors

Tana L's 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

Reduce Dairy Consumption

While not as impactful as meat, producing dairy products create a significant amount of emissions. To reduce my carbon/ecological footprint, I will eat less dairy by replacing it with non-dairy alternatives or just skipping it altogether.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Cook for the entire Household

Cook a meal for everyone you live with instead of just yourself to reduce food waste, limit energy use for cooking, and provide further connection with the people you live with.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Turn Off Lights and Electronics

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Waste

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

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise or Sunset

I will enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset each day.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Take 5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 6 gallons (23 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 27
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Replace Screen Time with Other Activities

I will replace 30 minutes of screen time each day with other activities.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Try a New Way to Prep

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Nature
    Father Thomas Berry says, "... our primary purpose is celebration. Celebration of the dawn and the sunset and the different seasons of the year is a religious ritual, a way in which humans can establish their integral relationship with the universe, with the planet Earth." What is your response to Berry's assertion?
    Tana L Saunders's avatar
    Tana L Saunders 10/13/2025 1:33 PM
    • Book Lover 📚
    This reminds me of a lot of older religious practices, with festivals centered around the changing of seasons in the form of harvest celebrations, winter feasts, spring celebrations of life and fertility, and summer festivals full of energy and fire. Many also had rituals for sunrise and sunset that would be carried out each day. I've always felt a stronger connection to holidays and celebrations focused on the rhythms of the natural world and I love watching the sky light up at sunset.
    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?
    Tana L Saunders's avatar
    Tana L Saunders 10/13/2025 1:24 PM
    • Book Lover 📚
    I went on a foray with the mycology club which means my sense of place was enhanced by learning more about the mushrooms in the forests near where I live, as well as the opportunity to forage some plants that I've been wanting to try and know a lot about from books, but haven't had the chance to interact with in the wild. Even with trails I know, I feel like I notice something new every time I hike them, which usually means I learn something new as well.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity
    What did you notice in implementing this challenge? Was it hard to choose other activities over screen time? How did you decide to spend your time?
    Tana L Saunders's avatar
    Tana L Saunders 10/13/2025 1:21 PM
    • Book Lover 📚
    For me it isn't so hard to choose other activities because I have so many hobbies (knitting, painting, drawing, writing with my fountain pens, reading, etc.) but it is harder for me to give myself permission to do those things instead of "productive" things like working on school work. I feel more guilty about taking time to work on my hobbies instead of being on my phone because it feels like a bigger time investment, even though it generally isn't. I have been working on journaling with my fountain pens before bed and making time to work on my knitting project though, and I made myself put down my phone and spend an hour cleaning my room which was well overdue.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Energy
    How is electricity generated where you live? How does it impact the environment, animals, and humans?
    Tana L Saunders's avatar
    Tana L Saunders 10/13/2025 1:17 PM
    • Book Lover 📚
    Oregon uses primarily hydropower, natural gas, and wind to generate electricity. While hydropower and wind have a smaller opperational carbon foot print than natural gas, both require parts with relatively high embodied carbon. Additionally, hydroelectric dams tend to block migration for fish which decreases their populations and impacts native peoples who place cultural importance on salmon runs and animals that rely on migrating fish for food. There are solutions to this issue, and many dams have implemented solutions with some success, but it is still an ongoing problem.
    Read More