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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Mike Carroll's avatar

Mike Carroll

NYPA

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,711 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    34
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    144
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    15
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    58
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    119
    miles
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    765
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    40
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    252
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    public official or leader
    contacted

Mike's actions

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 45 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Spread the Word about Energy Alternatives

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will research and tell 2 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 7 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 6.26 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 80 percent of my food from local producers each day. 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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Advocate for Solar Installation

#10 Rooftop Solar

I will create a plan to and advocate for solar installation at my business, apartment building, or campus.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Rooftop Solar Consultation

#10 Rooftop Solar

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 15 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

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 21
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?

  • 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?

    Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:52 PM
    Stop using plastics that are destroying our oceans   Protect our oceans reef system 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Rooftop Solar Consultation
    Identify some ways in which modern human societies have become unsustainable. What kind of roles do individuals have in creating and changing practices in society?

    Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:51 PM
    Stop using plastics that pollute and damage our oceans and start using biodegradable paper 

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:43 PM
    Wow...my competitive nature is coming out while trying to save nature!! Cannot believe the amount of people stepping up and making changes for our planet.  Thanks everyone and keep on posting your successes.

    • Lielle  Berman's avatar
      Lielle Berman 4/24/2019 6:04 PM
      Thank you for being such a huge part of this Challenge!! You're kicking butt and making the world a better place :-) Keep up the great work!

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:37 PM
    Down 9 pounds since this challenge started.  Good clean healthy eating  

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:35 PM
    A beautiful day here in WNY to get out and help save the earth 

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:34 PM
    Does anyone have any good alternatives to the plastic used in store/grocery products? I'm finding that even though I use my own grocery bags, often things come prepackaged in plastic.

    • Mike Carroll's avatar
      Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 6:35 PM
      They do and that’s a great idea   I started Using those when I shop At Aldi’s   Our local supermarket doesn’t offer those yet but the nearest Wegmans does 

    • Lielle  Berman's avatar
      Lielle Berman 4/24/2019 6:08 PM
      Does your store offer any products in bulk? I think Wegman's has a bulk section, so the trick is to bring your own bags/containers and tare weigh it first. I find that cloth produce bags work really well for almost everything, and then I can transfer things like grains, pasta and nuts into canisters at home. If your regular store doesn't carry items in bulk, ask management to make it happen! 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Advocate for Forest Protection
    Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?

    Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 3:11 PM
    • For me I used To fill a plate of food just to fill up the plate   The more food on the plate made for less empty space   I ended Up over eating daily sometimes more than once a day 

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/22/2019 4:27 PM
    Happy Earth Day    Realizing this weekend that I need A new bicycle    This challenge has definitely motivated me to start biking again 

  • Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/18/2019 4:48 AM
    I just Planted a new Okame Cherry tree in my backyard   🍒 

    • Mike Carroll's avatar
      Mike Carroll 4/24/2019 10:25 AM
      Did those trees attract alot  of bees?    I am hoping that my cherry tree will bring honey bees but not wasps 

    • Louis  Bianco's avatar
      Louis Bianco 4/24/2019 9:42 AM
      that's awesome! my last house I had 1 pear, 1 apple and 1 peach tree. getting it to have healthy fruit is very hard! I think the tree was still too young.
  • 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?

    Mike Carroll's avatar
    Mike Carroll 4/16/2019 4:25 AM
    They require less maintenance than gas powered vehicles