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Welcome to Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Choices for Sustainable Living Discussion Course
Charity Walter's avatar

Charity Walter

Actioneers of EVPP 480

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 541 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    14
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    21
    plastic bottles
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    3.0
    documentaries
    watched

Charity's actions

Ecological Principles

Join An Outdoor Project

I will join an outdoor restoration project in my community.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Practice Gratitude for Earth

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Research Local Organizations

I will learn what local organizations are working on sustainability issues and how I can get involved.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero waste each day this week.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Learn About Local Issues

I will find out what local sustainability issues are most urgent in my region, including both social and environmental justice concerns.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) free of processed foods each day this week.

UNCOMPLETED
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

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

Community

Meet My Neighbors

I will meet 2 new neighbor(s) this week.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Water

Use Reusable Bottles

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) each day this week.

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.

COMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a documentary film about food with family and friends and talk about what we learned.

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

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

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

Ecological Principles

Keep An Ecological Principles Journal

I will keep a journal this week as I observe ecological principles in action in my backyard, neighborhood or community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Research Renewable Energy Options

I will find out if my local utilities offer an option for supporting renewable energy investment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Reduce My Footprint

I will calculate my ecological footprint and talk with my family or roommates about way we can reduce our negative enviromental impact.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Ecological Principles

Recycle Everything I Can

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

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

A Call to Sustainability

Pay Attention to Current Events

I will watch or read the news each day this week with a specific focus on sustainability issues and happenings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

A Call to Sustainability

Watch a Documentary

I will watch a movie about a sustainability issue I would like to know more about.

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?

  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 3/09/2018 7:26 AM
    There is no available public transportation for my commute back and forth to GMU. If there was I don't think I would take either way...why? because I spent 4 years paying off a car that I love and I would rather drive in alone then spend a horrible grueling minute sharing a ride on an uncomfortable bus sitting next to people who believe personal hygiene is not a high priority. Its not like I haven't tried to do ride sharing but, unfortunately, the people that are willing to do that, who seem friendly to ride with, want to charge 7 dollars per ride, that's just plan silly. If public transportation was offered for free that might change my mind, but that won't ever happen. My plan is, however, to invest in a fuel efficient car after the one I already have breaks down.
    Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/27/2018 3:14 PM
    Picked up litter for an hour around my neighborhood, even though nobody wanted to help I think it still difference.
    Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/25/2018 5:12 AM
     I joined the Keep Prince William Beautiful organization and scheduled myself for a roadside clean up on April 21st.
    Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/25/2018 5:10 AM
    I've been using a reusable water bottle since around 2013 after an extended stay in Germany. It was common place to have one with you where ever you go there. They take recycling very seriously and will not take your recycled trash unless properly sorted. They also have this really neat system for those who enjoy German beer and other beverages. Most bottles are made intentionally to be reused and you can return to the store and for a small deposit. These bottles get sent back to their respective company to get cleaned and refilled with more product and then get sent back to the store for resale. 
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  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/24/2018 5:13 PM
    Watched the Story of Bottled Water mini-documentary and I thought it was really interesting. I am always using a reusable water bottle, I think I have one for everyday of the week though. I really need my parents to watch this video because they burn through a twelve pack of bottled water easily in a week. It drives me up the wall. 
    Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/20/2018 5:15 AM
    I chose the weekly meal planning challenge because I practice this in a sort of thing on a regular basis. I live a stone's throw away from a Harris Teeter and so can I plan out weekly meals and walk over to the store. Not only am I reducing my carbon foot print by not getting into my car and driving to the Walmart (which is WAY cheaper then HT btw) but I also reduce the waste that is created through impulse buying when I only go for the stuff I need.
    As for the documentary challenge, I've been tuning in on a Netflix docu-series called Rotten. This show "...travels deep into the heart of the food supply chain to reveal unsavory truths and expose hidden forces that shape what we eat." according to Netflix. The first episode was all about the how bees are dying and the illegal tricks that some countries are using to meet demand of honey with a dwindling supply. Check it out. 
    Read More
    • Charity Walter's avatar
      Charity Walter 2/22/2018 3:56 AM
      I'd say both, they obviously tried to keep my attention by making it entertaining. The documentary more focused on the what people are doing as a response to disappearing bees on a corporate/criminal level. It included a story about this German company that imported honey into the US that tested positive for illegal substances and knowingly sold it off. It makes one lose faith that people will try to solve an environmental issues rather then just working around.
      Read More
    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 2/21/2018 2:38 PM
      Did Rotten episode 1 seem factual or sensationalist? Thanks, Dr. Dann
      Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/20/2018 4:52 AM
    Eating vegan was just as challenging as I thought it would be. The challenge I think stemmed from this ingrained belief from my childhood that that you didn't eat a complete meal if there wasn't any meat or other animal product in it. I think after this challenge I will continue to eat at least two vegetarian meals a day. Going vegan is, I'm sorry to say, just more then I can handle doing right now, but is a good goal to aspire to later.
    Read More
    • Dann Sklarew's avatar
      Dann Sklarew 2/21/2018 2:40 PM
      Roger that. I call it a "non-binary diet." Mixed nuts, tofu and kale help me get through vegan stints, but it's not easy -- especially eating out (including on campus)...
      Read More
  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 2/01/2018 9:33 AM
    Last weekend I explored the trail that runs along Bull Run starting at the trail head at Bull Run Regional Park.
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  • Charity Walter's avatar
    Charity Walter 1/28/2018 5:22 PM
    I watched a documentary on YouTube about the struggles facing Tuvalu as a result of climate change.
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