Skip to main content
October 11 - October 25, 2017
Sarah Steele's avatar

Sarah Steele

Rob Greenfield Team

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 994 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    10
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    279
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    42
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    450
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    10
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    15
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    30
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Sarah's actions

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

Water

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Explore My Area

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

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

Energy

Consider Switching to an Electric Vehicle

I will research or test drive an electric car or bike.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Buy Food And Water Only

I will not purchase anything but food and water during the Challenge.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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 by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Power Down the Computer

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 per day that I do this.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Community

Host a House Party

I will host a house party to watch a movie or present a guest speaker on an environmental issue that matters to me.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Compost Food Waste

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food or learning how to.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Exercise Daily

I will exercise daily for 30 minute(s) per day for two weeks.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Audit Toxic Cleaning 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

Food

Join a Local CSA

I will sign up for a local CSA (Consumer-supported Agriculture).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Start Composting

I will start a compost collection at home, work, or school.

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

Health

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-Waste Cooking

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero waste each day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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 9
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Visit a Local Farm

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Eat Meatless Meals

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) per day.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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?


  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/25/2017 8:06 PM
    Feels great to have accomplished all my goals! I still have more work to do, but this EcoChallenge whipped me back into shape! Hoping I, and others, carry forward what has been learned! <3

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/25/2017 2:53 PM
    Signed up to volunteer with a local water quality NGO. I volunteered with them about 7 years ago, but am probably more useful now!

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/25/2017 2:35 PM
    Found a local farm with a great winter CSA program! I was worried I wouldn't be able to sign up until spring! So excited :D

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/22/2017 7:10 PM
    Finally got around to my Doc one-time challenge! Watched 'No Impact Man' and discussed how to reduce my impact in practical ways! 

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/19/2017 10:41 AM
    After handing in my thesis, I am celebrating tonight with a vegetarian, local produce, zero waste dinner party and watching No Impact Man to discuss food waste, over-consumption, and many other environmental challenges! I also am going to tell everyone about my boyfriend and my successes and challenges during this current Eco challenge, as well as our future plans for a low impact lifestyle. 

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/16/2017 6:35 PM
    Today I was able to cross off a one-time challenge: Install Toilet Tank Bank. On the first day, I was a little disappointed to discover the toilet in my apartment was a high efficiency toilet (though I will try to improve it) and wondered what I could do for my challenge. Tonight, my boyfriend measured out the shower discharge to calculate his per shower usage (now down to 154 seconds! A reduction of 86%! So proud). We have both been watching our flushes, but I was curious how much his toilet actually used. We calculated a single flush was almost as much as his entire shower! So we modified the system and were able to reduce the per flush usage by 38%.  :)

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/15/2017 2:24 PM
    Happy to be back in the groove of low impact, and adding new routines to my day/week. Bought fresh local veggies from a farm outside the city for the first time in years, and started collecting grey water to flush toilets (when I really need to). Feeling fantastic. Very conscious of every action and decision!! :) 

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/12/2017 3:12 PM
    While my work day was not productive as I hoped, I enjoyed my walk to and from work (my normal routine), as well as 30 minutes of yoga to calm my brain. I cooked a new recipe (veggie, zero waste, using leftovers in my fridge). The only waste from today was a package from leftover cheese brought by a guest last week for a party. Though not my purchase, it still hurts to see it in my bin.

  • Sarah Steele's avatar
    Sarah Steele 10/11/2017 9:20 AM
    I have been trying to reduce my impact on the environment, while maintaining a positive attitude to help inspire others to do the same! Currently busy finishing my PhD but going to do what I can to incorporate some new improvements to my life during this challenge! So excited!! :)

    • Rob Greenfield's avatar
      Rob Greenfield 10/11/2017 6:13 PM
      Great to have you on the team Sarah! Glad you are excited to implement positive changes into your life!