Earth Month Ecochallenge 2022: Sustainable Development Goals

April 1 - April 30, 2022

Christopher von Roretz

JAC Sustainability

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
794 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1,365

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

323

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

38

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

555

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

78

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

6.5

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

52

conversations

with people
UP TO

14

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

1,365

minutes

not spent in front of a screen

Christopher's actions

Basic Needs & Security

Reduce Animal Product Consumption

SDG #2 Zero Hunger

I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Economy & Communities

Learn About The Economy & Communities SDGs

SDG #7, 9 & 12

I will spend 30 minutes learning about these SDGs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Make Zero-Waste Meals

SDG #2 Zero Hunger

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero waste each day.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Health & Equity

Spend Time Outside

SDG #3 Health & Well-Being

I will replace 30 minute(s) per day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside exercising, enjoying the sunrise/sunset, gardening, journaling, or practicing gratitude for nature.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Basic Needs & Security

Learn About the Basic Needs & Security SDGs

SDG #1, 2 & 6

I will spend 30 minutes learning about these SDGs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Support Indigenous & First Nations Communities

SDG #10 Reduced Inequalities

I will spend 60 learning about the past and present indigenous communities in my regions and what I can do to be supportive.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Learn About The Health & Equity SDGs

SDG #3, 5, 10 & 16

I will spend 30 minutes learning about these SDGs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Basic Needs & Security

Know Your Produce

SDG #2 Zero Hunger

I will visit ewg.org to learn about and use their Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen produce lists.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Engage In Active Listening

SDG #17 Partnerships

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, peer, or someone who has a different experience/identity for 1 conversations per day.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Basic Needs & Security

Calculate Your Water Footprint

SDG #6 Water & Sanitation

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Equity

Practice Mindfulness

SDG #3 Health & Well-Being

I will spend 10 minutes each day practicing mindfulness.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Education & Livelihood

Plan A Staycation in Your Community

SDG #11 Communities

For an upcoming vacation, I will plan a staycation in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Online Energy Audit

SDG #7 Energy

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

Education & Livelihood

Research Impact Investing

SDG #8 Work & Economy

Using the links provided below, I will research impact investing or my current investment portfolio to determine if they align with my values.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

SDG #13 Climate

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Induction Cooking

SDG #7 Energy

I will spend 30 minutes learning about induction cooking and consider if I could add this to my food prep methods.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Create A Readiness Plan

SDG #9 Industry & Infrastructure

I will develop a readiness plan for my household in the event of an emergency.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Economy & Communities

Find out where your energy comes from

SDG #7 Energy

I will spend 15 minutes learning about where my energy comes from.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Learn About Invasive Species

SDG #14 & 15

I will spend 30 minutes learning about invasive species and ways to reduce their impacts.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Learn About The Education & Livelihood SDGs

SDG #4, 8, 11 & 17

I will spend 30 minutes learning about these SDGs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Support Local Pollinators

SDG #15 Life On Land

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 30 minutes researching which plants support local pollinators and plant some in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Learn About The Climate & Ecosystems SDGs

SDG #13, 14 & 15

I will spend 30 minutes learning about these SDGs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Ecological & Xeriscape Gardening

SDG #14 & 15

I will do one or more of the following actions in my yard, or volunteer in my community: plant indigenous plants, landscape with water-efficient plants, add mulching, replace a lawn, and/or use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Education & Livelihood

Improve Bus 419

Tired of overcrowded and infrequent buses? Let's improve public transit by sending your concerns to the STM. Let them know that the 419 needs to be addressed. Write to them based on your own frustrating experiences with this line.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Attend Earth Day event at JAC

Celebrate Earth Day in the Agora on Thursday April 21 from 10am-3pm! Pick up some seedlings, learn how to make a seed bomb, learn about cycling, and much more!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood

After learning more about investing, how can you increase positive impacts and decrease negative impacts?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 8:44 PM
I need to sit down with my financial advisor and discuss how I can shift my investment portfolio to be considerate of impact investing. While I have been all in favour of divesting from fossil fuel stocks (with pension funds, for example), and do not directly invest in unsavory industries... I don't know anything about the ethical and environmental considerations made for deciding mutual funds I'm a part of...

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate & Ecosystems

Why is it important to take care of pollinators? Do you have a favorite pollinator?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 8:38 PM
This tips are genuinely interesting and encouraging. While I abhor mosquitoes (and hence try to avoid any sitting water in our yard), the fact that this can be beneficial for pollinators is leaving me in a real conundrum! Fortunately, supporting pollinators will likely win out (as we've already committed to leaving mulched leaves from the fall, at the base of plants and trees, untouched until the end of May).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Economy & Communities

Would you consider using an induction cooking surface? If you have used one before, what do you like about induction cooking?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 8:29 PM
This was fascinating to explore... I always assumed that gas-powered cooking was superior! An electric-induction stove seems better than I realized!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Economy & Communities

Where does the energy in your region come from? Which energy is a renewable source?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 8:20 PM
Obviously the links provided here are for American power sources... but it turns out that it's rather difficult to find unbiased accounts of the cleanliness of energy in Quebec (from HydroQuebec).

I know that hydroelectricity from our dams isn't without an environmental cost... but it's very hard to find a reliable source that provides a balanced presentation of the cost. I know that hydroelectricity is better than coal or fossil fuels (at least, I think I know?)... but how much better? Would solar, wind, nuclear, ...?? be viable alternatives in Quebec and Canada?

Much like how we are urged to "recycle!", I believe being proud of hydroelectricity in Quebec is a short-sighted goal... we need to change our habits to have REAL sustainable actions (be it to refuse, replace, etc., or have energy originating from a truly carbon-neutral source).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood

What place in your region are you most excited to visit during your staycation?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 8:12 PM
Reducing the carbon footprint of my travel is probably the single hardest action I have yet to wrap my head around. My partner and I LOVE traveling. Exploring somewhere new is fulfilling and is one of the fundamentals of who we are. But we know that flights in particular have a cost (though so does staying in hotels... the whole hospitality industry is a difficult one to navigate, it seems :S)

The lack of a strong train network in North America also doesn't make it easy. VIA rail is great, but as soon as you'd like to explore the US, it feels like a car or plane is your only option. Traveling overseas, and then relying on trains is a way we try to mitigate our cost of traveling, but I'm still left feeling guilty about pursuing something that is important to who I am :(

I hope to continue exploring greater ways to reduce the impact of my travel habit (and since the covid-19 pandemic began, we really have (by necessity) focused on local travelling, which is a plus.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security

What is one way you will reduce your water use? What is a practice you already have that helps you reduce your water use?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 7:45 PM
While this the assessment tool is informative, it's unfortunate that there are a few large assumptions, such as that vehicle use is purely gas-based, and having to guess which state has the most similar energy profile to Quebec. I went with Vermont... which is not a representative choice, I believe. All the same, it was informative to be able to compare the relative water-waste produced from different habits.

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- Melissa Tomecz 5/02/2022 8:43 AM
  I had the exact same thought. I did not check to see if there was a water footprint calculator for Canada, though.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Education & Livelihood

What was it like to actively listen to someone? How did both people and the conversation benefit from active listening?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 7:33 PM
I chose this goal because I KNOW that I can easily be distracted while having a conversation with someone. I know that it's rude and disrespectful to not dedicate my complete attention to someone, but I often find my mind wanders because of distractions or other issues I can't get out of my head. While I don't consider this goal particularly meaningful in terms of improving my environmental citizenship, it was one that I'm grateful for having focused on, so that I make a conscious effort to actively listen.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security

How did you incorporate using an entire vegetable (skins, peels, tops, and stalks) during one of your meal preps? What's something new you're going to try that is a zero-waste meal practice?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 7:30 PM
As with last year, I take the "zero-waste" mentality very seriously for this goal - I consider ANY waste (even organic) to be too much. I realize that there's a big difference between an abundance of packaging and some egg shells, or pepper tops & seeds, but I think it's important to be conscientious of any material we don't consume as a byproduct of our eating habits. That way, I can more consciously work to replace garbage & recyclable waste with organic alternatives, and reduce my organic waste (which includes buying quantities that better reflect my needs, versus the most economic option). I hate that it's often cheaper to buy 5lbs of potatoes (and I may end up composting some) than 2lbs.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Basic Needs & Security

What was the tastiest meatless or vegan meal you ever had or had recently? Did you make it? Can you share a recipe?
Christopher von Roretz 4/30/2022 7:27 PM
This continues to be something I aspire to adopt into my regular day-to-day life; a drastic reduction in meat consumption, and ideally animal products. I see this Eco Challenge as an opportunity to keep tabs on my consumption habits, and it really does make it clear that limiting myself to one meal that includes meat each day is not too difficult. I think I'd like to go a step further and reduce meat consumption to less than daily (e.g. 5 times a week)... maybe that's the next goal!

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Christopher von Roretz 4/01/2022 8:14 PM
My participation last year allowed me to explore ways to reduce the carbon footprint of my meals, learn about various subjects, and reflect on habits that have environmental consequence. I hope to continue that trend and build further good habits through this year's edition!

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