April 3 - April 24, 2019

Elizabeth Newcomb

San Antonio Climate Ready Eco Challenge Fiesta

"To learn about climate change issues and solutions in order to take action now and encourage others to do the same to make the planet healthier for future generations"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,331 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

19

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

190

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

48

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Elizabeth's actions

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

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 10 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 120 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 18
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
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?

Elizabeth Newcomb 4/24/2019 4:10 PM

Modern human societies are often disconnected from their food sources but this doesn't have to be the case. Individuals can grow some of their food and also support local farmers by buying close to home.

Read More
Elizabeth Newcomb 4/24/2019 9:23 AM

This eco challenge was enlightening. I am learning more about the critical issues related to climate change.
Thanks to all the EcoChallenge team.

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Elizabeth Newcomb 4/17/2019 5:03 AM

The challenge is harder than I thought it would be. If my day goes smoothly, it is easier.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

Elizabeth Newcomb 4/15/2019 4:52 AM

I will only buy recycled paper products moving forward.

Read More
Elizabeth Newcomb 4/10/2019 5:54 AM

Today I am going to look for eco-friendly paper goods for an event.

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Elizabeth Newcomb 4/05/2019 4:56 AM

I'm amazed at the incredible resources available online for learning about climate change, sustainability and the circular economy. So many talented people contributing solutions and making a difference in their communities and across the globe. We can do the same.

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Elizabeth Newcomb 4/04/2019 4:41 AM

I joined the EcoChallenge to learn more about eco-actions that I can take that add up to make a difference for my family, community, city, country and the planet. I learned a lot from reading Drawdown and was inspired to spend a year learning more about climate change, sustainability, the circular economy, sustainable cities, sustainable food production and zero fossil fuel energy.

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Elizabeth Newcomb 4/03/2019 6:17 AM

I learned about the difference between Use By & Best Before Dates and learned that different type of products have different Best Before lifespans. If a product is tinned it can last for years after the Best Before Date, if it is fresh it may only last a week or so. The Use By date indicates the length of time the product is safe to eat.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Elizabeth Newcomb 4/01/2019 5:20 PM

By eating smaller portions, I consume less calories at one time. I have found that my husband and I are able to split a meal when eating out. I am also able to eat only half a meal and save the other half for another meal.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Elizabeth Newcomb 3/31/2019 10:18 AM

I would rather use my money on installing a water catchment system.

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