Ecochallenge.org

Campus EcoChallenge

Emma Rucker

Sustainability in Action

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,243 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1,792

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

66

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

14

pounds of paper

have been saved

Emma's actions

Water

Brush My Teeth Without Running Water

I will save up to 8 gallons (30 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

COMPLETED 64
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use a Reusable Water Bottle

I will keep 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

Nature

Enjoy the Sunrise/Sunset

I will enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset each day.

COMPLETED 65
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Turn it off

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

COMPLETED 65
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

5-Minute Showers

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

COMPLETED 64
DAILY ACTIONS

Water

Watch A Water Documentary

I will watch a documentary about water and the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Print Double Sided

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided.

COMPLETED 66
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 63
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Recycle Everything I Can

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

COMPLETED 60
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Avoid Disposables

I will not use any disposable plates, cups, or cutlery.

COMPLETED 59
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Needs vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 61
DAILY ACTIONS

Energy

Switch to Cold Water

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of C02 over the course of the next year.

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?

Emma Rucker 11/30/2017 9:50 AM

I hosted a Bridal Shower for my sister recently and we used all reusable bowls, utensils, glasses and napkins for the brunch. I feel like it can be easy to create a lot of waste with big parties but it was awesome to see the trash can at the end with barely anything in it.We also got the right amount of food so it wasn't wasted and were able to spend all the time outside on a beautiful afternoon. One thing that I couldn't do anything about was all the wrapping paper from the presents; We recycled it all but it still felt unnecessary. All in all, It was cool to see how easy it can be to throw a sustainable, minimal-waste party.

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- Heather Parsons 11/30/2017 3:22 PM
  
  Emma, that is too cool that you were able to organize the bridal shower with the environment in mind! Keep it up!
  
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Emma Rucker 11/12/2017 3:41 PM

I went to the mall today and you could already tell the holidays are near... There were lines and people everywhere. I feel like this time of year is full of just buying new things that people don't even need. Luckily, I was able to resist and only bought the one thing I went there for.

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Emma Rucker 10/28/2017 2:19 PM

Just got back from the beach cleanup at OB! It was crazy to see how many little pieces of plastic are on the ground. People think our beaches are pretty clean because there isn't too much big, obvious pieces of trash lying around, but there are many hard-to-get little pieces of micro plastic that are hard to pick up in the sand! I focused on trying to get these smaller pieces.

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- Harry Watkins 10/29/2017 7:49 PM
  
  Good work, Emma! Tell us about it Monday!
  
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Emma Rucker 10/23/2017 11:09 AM

I just got back from a canoeing trip to the Colorado River. It was super cool to be out on the water and not using any energy except my own to explore the beautiful canyons. One of my favorite things was when we got to go in the natural hot springs. It was amazing to learn about and experience the crazy things the earth can do. It was also amazing how easy it was to keep all of my ecochallenges there. We were using all reusable utensils and cups, I didn't buy anything I didn't need, I didn't take a shower and I used very little resources. It was a really cool way to connect with the simplicity of living with nature.

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Emma Rucker 10/01/2017 5:16 PM

I went to the OB Farmers Market on Wednesday and brought my own little reusable cup for sampling. Some of the booths thought it was a cool idea and I was able to get my sample in there without any disposable stuff, but also some of the places I wasn't able to get a sample because of health stuff or 'contamination' issues. Overall, it was kind of a sacrifice and not super easy, but totally worth it. Maybe one day if more people start doing this, the vendors will alter their sampling process to accommodate.

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Emma Rucker 9/22/2017 2:14 PM

I have been practicing being a little more vocal with my family and friends about what they can do to help the environment more. With my friends, it's more simple things like suggesting recycling some of the stuff I see them throwing away or asking them to carpool most of the time. With my family I am suggesting more involved things for them. My mom has always been environmentally conscious but never really knew a lot of what she could practically do, so I've been suggesting things like buying less food at the grocery store at one time to avoid throwing away expired food or even helping her with starting a garden at out house. It can always be awkward if people think you are judging them when you speak up about these things but Ive found that real friends and family will respect you and in turn respect the environment.

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- Harry Watkins 9/23/2017 1:20 PM
  
  This is awesome, Emma! Thanks for exploring how you can be an advocate for the environment!
  
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Emma Rucker 9/16/2017 11:38 PM

Enjoying the sunrise/sunset everyday has been really easy and rewarding. Most mornings I go to the gym just as the sun is rising and it is always a good start to my day. In addition, I always try to make a point to watch the sunset where ever I am. Most days, I am able to enjoy both the sunrise and sunset. It's always a good reminder of the beauty on earth and the power of God.

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- Madison Elick 9/17/2017 11:47 PM
  
  Emma, that is awesome! Sunrises are always so rewarding. I've been attempting to get up early to work out because I know it will be beautiful, but I am really struggling. Thank you for the motivation!
  
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Emma Rucker 9/10/2017 4:27 PM

One of the challenges that was super easy to do was washing my clothes in cold water. I didn't even know that this could make an impact and it was such an easy switch to just press a button. One thing that I really struggled with was not using any disposable cups or utensils. I went to the Farmer's Market downtown and I love to try all the samples but I found myself with a bunch of little pieces of disposal cups and utensils from the samples. This has definitely made me more conscious just about how much of these kinds of trash is used for one second then thrown away without a second thought.

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- Harry Watkins 9/10/2017 7:14 PM
  
  That is a good example of how the systems we are embedded in push us towards waste! Just as we now bring cloth bags to the grocery store to shop, why not take a reusable cup or container that you could use when vendors want to offer you samples. That is the challenge of this course: becoming mindful and then taking action. This is an example of "Refuse", i.e., refuse to contribute to the waste stream in this small way. Good observations Emma!
  
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