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October 14 - October 28, 2016
Kate Barber's avatar

Kate Barber

AMD Green Team

"Eco-enthusiast. Aspiring mountain biker. AMD Green Team Champ!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 555 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    420
    disposable cups
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    465
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    6.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    280
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    30
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill

Kate's actions

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a 20-minute walk outside each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

I will only use muscle-powered transportation.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Work from Home

I will work from home 14 day(s) to avoid my commute's carbon output.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

Go for a Daily Walk

I will take a walk each day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once per day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Avoid Disposables

I will not use any disposable plates, cups, or cutlery.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of C02 over the course of the next year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Conserve Toilet Water

I will save up to 12 gallons (45 L) of water a day by flushing only when necessary.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Mug

I will avoid sending 28 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Choose LED Bulbs

I will replace 6 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Simplicity

De-Clutter my Home

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Car Share

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day for two weeks that I am grateful for or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Recycle all Recyclable Materials

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Containers

I will only use reusable containers for my lunches at work or school.

COMPLETED 15
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?


  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/31/2016 2:24 PM
    Many thanks to everyone who participated in the 2017 EcoChallenge Oct. 14 -28th! So proud of the achievements of our AMD Team! Out of 450 Teams, we earned 2nd place overall and 1st place in the business category with more team members and points than every other company that participated! Great work everyone for making it happen! Best of all, we can take pride in our outstanding collective impact and environmental savings. 

    In two weeks, our team saved:
    • 8,472 lbs of CO2 
    • 18,090 gallons of water 
    • 1,504 plastic bottles from the landfill
    • and so much more!

    Keep an eye on Connect! We’re posting more details, including which site achieved the highest participation rate and the winners of the Eco Prize Packs, later this week!

    We hope each of you enjoyed participating and learning new ways to be green from your fellow AMDers across the world. Above all, we hope you feel inspired to carry your eco-conscious practices forward into the future and will keep them a part of your everyday lives. On behalf of AMD and the Go Green Program, thank you for everything you do to make the world more sustainable!

    Kate Barber
    AMD Green Team Captain 

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/28/2016 12:50 PM
    On my daily nature walk, reflecting on what eco-challenges to take on in the weeks ahead... Always more we can do to improve and live more sustainably. :-)


  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/28/2016 10:09 AM
    Here's a fun challenge I encourage everyone to try... I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by stuff in my home recently... So many things that had accumulated over the years and much of it was rarely, if ever, used. I knew I'd feel better with less stuff. One of my ongoing goals is to live a more minimalist lifestyle, but I was also daunted to undertake a massive purge of things... so I set a small goal: Get rid of just 3 things every day, no matter how big or how small. That meant I could donate, recycle, or sell any item. It was tough at first but it kept getting easier and easier to the point where I was actually excited about doing it every day! I highly encourage folks to give it a try. It's a really good exercise that gives you a new perspective on how much you really need in life versus what are just wants...

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/27/2016 2:08 PM
    Thought my fellow EcoChallengers might enjoy a cool video my husband shared from his nature hike in New Mexico yesterday. A Gray Jay followed his friend and him for over a mile on their walk. It finally culminated in a VERY close but friendly greeting! https://youtu.be/fzfHIGWPNzE Apparently this is common behavior of the species. https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/gray_jay.htm

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/27/2016 8:34 AM
    Way to go, Team AMD! We're in first place!! Keep up the good work through tomorrow, and help our team win the EcoChallenge! 

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/25/2016 3:50 PM

    • Vinay Gattu's avatar
      Vinay Gattu 10/25/2016 10:16 PM
      Awesome! Every time I forget the bag and remember only when I am at the billing counter. Way to go, Kate.

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/21/2016 10:27 AM
    Had fun showing my friend a new way to enjoy the great outdoors this week: mountain biking! Nothing like spending time outdoors to nurture a greater appreciation for the environment. 

    • Kate Barber's avatar
      Kate Barber 10/26/2016 8:45 AM
      @Anand Thanks! I like that motto and will definitely be using it in future conversations about cycling. What a wonderful thing the EcoChallenge is! I'm learning so many smart, clever, and interesting things from around the world. 

    • Anand Sharma SVS's avatar
      Anand Sharma SVS 10/25/2016 10:19 PM
      Happiness on your face with that Rocking Crown Helmet speaks how Joyful your weekend ride was spent. 
      "Rule the Road but Wear the Crown" @Kate

    • Kate Barber's avatar
      Kate Barber 10/25/2016 3:55 PM
      Thanks! It makes me feel like a total rockstar biker and probably more skilled than I actually am. LOL

    • Calvin Holic's avatar
      Calvin Holic 10/25/2016 2:28 PM
      NICE HELMET KATE

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/21/2016 9:35 AM
    I just found a really great recycling website today that provides info on how/where to recycle different waste materials in your city. Right now it only serves a few US cities in TX, CA, IL, and PA. Hopefully it will continue to expand worldwide to provide info on eco-friendly waste disposal options for everyone based on where they live. Here's the guide for Austin: http://www.recyclebycity.com/austin/guide

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/14/2016 8:38 AM
    Headed to my next meeting with H20 bottle in tow. And carpooling there. DOUBLE points!!

  • Kate Barber's avatar
    Kate Barber 10/13/2016 2:56 PM
    @ANGELA OBOLSKY - Don't you love it when that happens? I started noticing the same recently. It got to the point where I switched my recycling and trash containers to devote the larger one to recyclables and the smaller one to trash! WIN! What waste reduction goal should I set next...? Hmmm... Will set a new goal in motion for the EcoChallenge :-)