Ecochallenge.org

Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course

Yana Pisarchuk

Capstone Winter 21

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
310 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

14

organic meals

consumed
UP TO

14

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

21

whole food meals

consumed
UP TO

21

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

14

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

140

minutes

spent outdoors

Yana's actions

Visions of Sustainability

Collect Rain Water

I will create a rain garden or bioswale, or use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor watering needs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Eco-friendly Gardening

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Visions of Sustainability

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Watch a Documentary

I will watch one of the films suggested in the additional resources and discuss it with friends or family.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Track my Purchases

I will maintain a record of all my purchases.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Consumption and Economy

Support a Sharing Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Local Food Systems

I will source 2 meal(s) from local producers each day this week. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 3 meal(s) with zero waste each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 3 meal(s) free of processed foods each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Choose Organic Ingredients

I will enjoy 2 meal(s) cooked with organic ingredients each day this week.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Pick Up Litter

I will pick up litter on my street and ask others to join me in taking care of our neighborhood.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Watch The Story of Bottled Water

I will watch The Story of Bottled Water to learn more about bottled water's impacts on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Say No to Plastic

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. This week, I'll say "no" to plastic bags at the store and plastic straws in all of my drinks.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Practice Gratitude for Earth

This week, I will spend 20 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Start a Sustainability Journal

I will start a sustainability journal, capturing my thoughts, concerns and learning about sustainability issues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Explore My Area

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

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?

Yana Pisarchuk 2/22/2021 10:40 PM

I love to have fresh flowers in my home but sometimes they are so expensive, especially around Valentine's day. Recently, I got an amazing flower arrangement absolutely for free. A couple months ago, my husband was cutting a few useless branches from the cherry plum tree, which were leaning into our greenhouse and has deformed it. My husband was busy with other yard work that day and he left the fresh cut branches under the tree. A few days ago I found those cut branches full of buds which were preparing to bloom. I picked up a few branches and put them in water, after a couple of days they bloomed with beautiful white flowers. My family was amazed with the beauty of nature in the middle of my house! I was glad not only saving money for the unique flower arrangement but also enjoying nature in its wild state.

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Yana Pisarchuk 2/04/2021 2:10 AM

I've started to write in my journal ideas how to be more sustainable. It would be interesting to reread it sometimes and see what I've been able to integrate into my life.

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- Yana Pisarchuk 2/09/2021 12:07 AM
  
  One of such ideas is replacing my home cleaning products for baking soda, natural dish soap and a few drops of essential oils, it works great. Vinegar and oxygen peroxide are my additional helpers at some points. Another idea of a replacement of a store-bought product with the hard to pronounce chemicals in it is a home-made sanitizer. It is easy to make just using alcohol, vegetable glycerin/Aloe Vera gel and essential oils (optional). Next one is growing plants from seeds. It should be a great experience to see the little miracles that grow almost from nothing into the real plants that will bear tasty vegetables. Also this will reduce a use of store-bought plastic containers. These are just a few of my ideas :)
  
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