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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Jeffrey Rouse's avatar

Jeffrey Rouse

VM Anesthesiology

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 790 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    3.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    360
    minutes
    spent learning

Jeffrey's actions

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 11
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

Food

Composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

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

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?


  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/24/2019 5:43 PM
    This has been awesome! Way to go Virginia Mason teams!

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/23/2019 8:32 PM
    Only one more day of the challenge! I need to make some of these changes sustainable....

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/21/2019 10:52 AM
    Only a few days left in the challenge! Keep going strong everyone!

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/06/2019 12:52 PM
    I never realized that my food choices could lead to deforestation. The top 4 foods that contribute to deforestation are: 1. Palm oil (used in over 50% of processed food products), 2. Coffee (look for coffee that is Rainforest Alliance certified), 3. Cocoa (also look for chocolate that is Rainforest Alliance certified), and 4. Meat, Dairy, and Eggs (not because of the animals themselves, but because of the soy and corn grown for their feed). Making better food choices is better not only for our health, but also the health of the Earth.

    • Addy Davidson's avatar
      Addy Davidson 4/06/2019 4:58 PM
      Ahah!  I thought I had the palm oil one defeated, but I need to investigate the chicken feed I give to my urban chickens.  Thanks for the hint.


  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/05/2019 5:28 PM
    Peatlands are second only to the ocean in their carbon sequestering ability! We need more peatlands!

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/04/2019 3:51 PM
    Today I learned that Qtip brand ear swabs are compostable because they are just made of cotton and paper.

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/03/2019 6:03 PM
    This is only the first day of EcoChallenge, but so far I've learned so much! Can't wait to keep going and earning points!

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/03/2019 5:58 PM
    I had no idea that a Tesla Model 3 got 310 miles on one battery charge!

  • Jeffrey Rouse's avatar
    Jeffrey Rouse 4/03/2019 5:32 PM
    Having some trouble uploading a profile picture. My challenge is off to a rough start....