April 3 - April 24, 2019

Brandon Byrne

"I want to cut back or eliminate harmful behaviors on a personal and campus-wide basis to take the beginning steps of reversing global warming."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,378 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

318

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

570

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

64

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

54

zero-waste meals

consumed

Brandon's actions

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 10 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 9 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 3 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:42 PM

I'm so glad that I was able to participate in the ecochallenge!

Read More
Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:42 PM

and that's a wrap! the ecochallenge has been a lot of fun!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Become A Master Recycler/Composter

What could you do differently to waste less?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:41 PM

I can use products that have less packaging, since most of what I throw away is the packaging, not what is inside.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:40 PM

I address them by the fact that I am doing what I can do to start the reversal of climate change, and I can try to get others to do the same

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:39 PM

using fertilizer is a huge problem since it runs off into my watershed (the lawrence brook watershed and raritan river) and cause eutrophication that depletes the oxygen level.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Launch a Recycling Program

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:37 PM

Although I set up a very small scale recycling center (made sure everyone in my dorm recycles everything they can), this will hopefully create a domino effect that they will do the same.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:35 PM

I have briefly heard of silvopasture before now, and I think the biggest advantage is the fact that the pasture land is very productive with all the trees, rather than being nutrient depleted.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Composting

Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:32 PM

Hours of labor - this is because I don't want to waste someone's hard work just by throwing out extra food.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:31 PM

Being able to differentiate helps you reduce food waste by not throwing out food that you think is expired

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Brandon Byrne 4/24/2019 5:27 PM

I would switch because it will cost a lot less to fuel my car. I do not want to switch to an electric vehicle since the car could then be powered by coal, which is much more toxic than gasoline. Rather, I would switch to a hybrid car, since I would know exactly what the fuel is, and the energy spent when I hit the breaks is saved and stored in a battery, which is very resourceful and economical.

Read More