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October 14 - October 28, 2016
Shawna Troyer's avatar

Shawna Troyer

Ecova EcoChallengers

"To explore the world and improve it as I'm able, or at least leave as few negative footprints behind as possible."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,261 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    90
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    5.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    1.0
    lightbulb
    replaced
  • UP TO
    90
    minutes
    of additional sleep
  • UP TO
    120
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    140
    minutes
    spent outdoors

Shawna's actions

Food

Visit a Local Farm

I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Buy from a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and meat from a local farmers market or food co-op.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Just Drive Less

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Express my Support

I will find out who in my state makes decisions that impact the environment and express my support for more environmental actions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Share my Actions

I will make my environmental actions visible with a lawn sign or bumper sticker, or by posting to my social media networks.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 15-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Sign a Petition

I will sign a petition in support of an environmental or social initiative in my state.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 5 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Plant an Herb Garden

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Raise Money for a Nonprofit

I will raise money to support Northwest Earth Institute or another nonprofit.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Community

Connect with a Nonprofit

I will connect with a local nonprofit, environmental or otherwise, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

COMPLETED
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

Nature

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 15 minute(s) per day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Explore my Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Find Local Recycling Depots

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in my curbside bin.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Exercise Daily

I will exercise daily for 15 minute(s) per day for two weeks.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Avoid Refined Sugar

I will adopt a diet free of refined sugars, which eliminates sweetened beverages, candy, and processed foods.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Healthy Sleep

I will commit to getting 90 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Energy

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Heat and Cool Naturally

I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Join a Local CSA

I will sign up for a local CSA (consumer-supported agriculture).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Know My Health

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smart Seafood Choices

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Go Get a Check Up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Join an Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

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

Health

Take Control

Develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Choose Clean/Renewable Energy

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Audit Toxic Products In My Home

I will research toxic chemicals found in cleaning supplies and personal care products and remove them from my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Install a Toilet Tank Bank

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and/or unsubscribing from catalogs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Support Pollution Reduction

I will learn about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Visit a Waste Management Facility

I will visit a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about the waste stream.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk each day.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Community

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 5 hour(s) in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

De-Clutter my Home

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 1 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Fix Leaky Faucets

I will fix faucets that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet per day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Energy

Consider Switching to an Electric Vehicle

Research or test drive an electric car or bike.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Become a Master Recyler/Composter

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

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?


  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/29/2016 7:10 AM
    I had fun participating this year. it motivated me to finally make skyr (icelandic yogurt) which I've wanted to do for over a year. it turned out great. i also attempted an Icelandic cheese made from leftover whey - which was a major fail. Learning about LED lights from the guy at Ace convinced me to try them

    • Shawna Troyer's avatar
      Shawna Troyer 10/29/2016 7:22 AM
      Now I plan on replacing all my incandescents as they burn out. this challenge also convinced me to explore a hiking area I've been driving past for years. overall it's been a very positive experience and I'm eager to see what further benefits the various changes I've made well bring in future. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/28/2016 8:15 AM
    Turns out Aveda no longer accepts twist caps for recycling. Per capcollection@aveda.com : 

    The awareness all of our participating schools, stores and salons have helped raise about the need to recycle plastic caps and closures has helped build pressure to allow curbside recycling of these materials resulting in improved recycling collection, processing technology and higher demand for the material across the industry. As a result, the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and others now actively promote leaving caps and closures on plastic bottles for recycling (caps-on), and have asked for our help to continue advocating for this change until all Material Recovery Facilities (MRF’s) and municipalities across the United States accept them.  The advantages of caps-on recycling include:
     
    •          By keeping caps and closures on recycled plastic bottles, we help ensure they do not end up in our waterways, oceans and landfills
    •          In most cases, shipping individual boxes of collected caps long distances has a much higher carbon footprint than caps-on recycling which utilizes the existing plastic bottle recycling system
    •          Participation is easy and convenient – simply empty your plastic bottle, crush, replace the cap or closure and put the bottle in your recycle bin
     
    In view of this important development, Aveda discontinued our Recycle Caps with Aveda program on January 30, 2015.
     
    We encourage you to contact your local recycler to see if they are already accepting caps-on. You can also visit the Recycle search at www.earth911.com or http://1800recycling.com.
     
    Some solid waste authorities and MRFs do not yet support caps-on, but with your help we will continue to move the industry in the right direction. Aveda will work diligently to support APR’s caps-on initiative until all recycling centers comply. For areas who have not yet transitioned to accept them, or for caps that you have already collected, the following options are available:
     
    1.         ACA Waste Services, one of Aveda’s long standing recycling partners, will continue to accept polypropylene caps via mail:
                                                                ACA Waste Services
                                                                40 Eads Street
                                                                West Babylon, NY 11704
     
    2.         Select Whole Foods Stores are accepting polypropylene caps as a part of Preserve’s ‘Gimme Five’ program. Please visit their website Preserve to find a participating city near you. Please note, there program is not designed to accept large quantities of caps.
     
    In the event your area is not accepting caps-on, please forward the contact information and any details you can provide, so we can work with APR to get them on board asap. 2� ��t~�

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/27/2016 11:37 PM
    A few months ago i started thinking about my history of volunteering. it often seems those that volunteer do so a lot and those that don't. .. don't. My first volunteer event was as a junior counselor at YMCA summer camp when i was 13. I've  been volunteering somewhere, in some way, every year since. last year i put in over 60 hours. 2016 is the year i planned not to volunteer. I've only done 10 hours at non profits, and put in time as a delegate for the democratic party. While researching local non profits for the eco challenge i found a great site - www.volunteerwatch.org. enter your zip code and it pops up a list.

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/26/2016 11:59 PM
    I voted! that's all. ..

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/25/2016 5:46 PM
    I went hiking at John H Shields park by the Spokane river. 14 years in Spokane, drove past it a thousand times, but never stopped. I do my hiking in Idaho. Graffiti pic because the words are fun. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/24/2016 8:47 PM
    Incandescent bulb burnt out. Replaced with an LED. *Boom!* action done.  Though the guy at ave was right - i probably should have gone down to a 40 watt. LED's are brighter. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/24/2016 7:03 AM
    Happy Monday, everyone! This is the final stretch of the challenge.... have fun! :)

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/23/2016 7:41 PM

    • Shawna Troyer's avatar
      Shawna Troyer 10/23/2016 7:45 PM
      Half gallon of homemade Icelandic skyr. I've been wanting to make this for over a year. The whey byproduct is being used as well. 

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/22/2016 8:19 PM
    I love all the options listed on the eco challenge. great motivation for things I've been intending to do. I hit greenbluff today and picked a variety of squash. Visited Finch  Arboretum and went through their master composting class. Used the squash i bought to make Thai curry with garbanzo beans and butternut squash for dinner, and using milk from the farmers co-op to make skyr (Icelandic yogurt). It's been a busy day :)

  • Shawna Troyer's avatar
    Shawna Troyer 10/22/2016 12:37 AM
    I did a bit of research on electric cars. So far everything i find fails to meet my needs  though in 2018 Audi plans to come out with an SUV which I'll be excited to