Erica McMaster

Washington College

"Live simply"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
417 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

260

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

270

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

209

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

waste audit

conducted

Erica's actions

Nature

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Nature

Practice Gratitude for Earth

I will spend 30 minute(s) each day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and the nature surrounding me.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Personal Waste Audit

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Waste

Use Reusable Bags

I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Drive Less

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Waste

Go Paperless

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health

Happiness

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

COMPLETED 0
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
Waste Personal Waste Audit

Why is it so difficult to understand the impacts our purchases and waste have on other people, animals, and places? How might your experience with this challenge impact your future consumption and choices?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:19 AM

We have reduced so much waste after becoming more aware of the actual waste we had each week. We have put a system in place to focus on using perishable products first, and having non perishables as a backup so we don’t waste products.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Use Reusable Bags

What do you do if you find yourself in the situation of needing a bag for items but don't have a reusable one with you? Carry things out in your hands? In a cart? Accept a disposable one? If you find yourself in this position often, what system could you put in place to try to create a successful habit of not using plastic bags?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:17 AM

We have cut out plastic bags and instead carry paper or reusable bags with us. I was in a situation where I didn’t have enough reusable bags and kept the items in the cart. I was able to transport these items easily without a plastic bag.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Waste Go Paperless

Reducing your paper mail can be such a freeing action to take -- by reducing what is coming in, you can reduce what is going into the recycling bin too. How does it make you feel? What is the next step you will take to reduce your waste?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:15 AM

I’m amazed that since cutting out junk mail and unnecessary paper statements, we almost never receive mail. It feels great to not have as much waste or recycling due to unnecessary paper. We will continue to find ways to reduce the amount of paper mail and encourage others to do the same!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Drive Less

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:13 AM

I have always put thought into the impact of transportation, but only ever made choices that I thought were small and not as impactful, like driving a hybrid or car pooling when possible. With living in such a rural area with fewer transportation choices, I never felt like I could make a big difference. By not driving the last few weeks, and seeing the impact of that choice, it’s amazing to me that as one person, I can make a difference. We now plan ahead to limit our trips and choose to car pool whenever possible! We are much more aware of our transportation behavior!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Explore My Area

How might spending more time outdoors enhance your brainpower?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:08 AM

After spending some time outdoors, I can say that the stress that I would normally feel seemed to dissipate and I was able to focus on more positive aspects of my life. It helped clear space for reflection and thought beyond what I was capable of before!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Nature Practice Gratitude for Earth

Kathleen Dean Moore says that a sense of gratitude leads to a sense of moral obligation. Do you agree? How do we cultivate a sense of gratitude as individuals, and as a society?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:06 AM

I believe that immersing ourselves in our world creates a greater sense of being one with what surround us. After a few walks listening for sounds of any kind in a more quiet world we live in, we were able to hear birds chirping, squirrels scurrying about, saw baby turtles making their way from one area to another. These are all things we never quite appreciated the same way before we took the time to listen and see.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health Happiness

How does/can practicing gratitude keep you centered and motivated to work for a better world?

Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 10:03 AM

In a time of so much uncertainty, it takes less effort to be negative or critical. These past few weeks, I have focused on the positives - spending more quality time with family, eating healthy meals together, completing projects around the house and building in time around the table saying what we are grateful for. We start and end our day reflecting on what we are grateful for.

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Erica McMaster 4/26/2020 9:58 AM

Last day of the challenge; I have spent the day reflecting on how many behaviors I’ve changed after becoming more aware of their impact! we have spent so much time outdoors exploring nature and I am so happy that my kids are getting an opportunity to participate in this challenge with me!

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Erica McMaster 4/22/2020 10:18 AM

Encouraged a co-worker to sign up today!! She's well on her way with setting up her challenges.

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Erica McMaster 4/22/2020 6:32 AM

Day 11 of the EcoChallenge for me - I'm amazed about the overall impact of driving less!

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