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Barbara Freas's avatar

Barbara Freas

Jean's Eco Challenge

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 392 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    22
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    50
    minutes
    spent learning

Barbara's actions

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

UNCOMPLETED
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 15
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?


  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/25/2018 3:56 PM
    (Continuation of truncated previous post:)
    In investigating, found a great website on food storage, freezing and use beyond its best quality, as well as a bunch of other stuff. Check it out: www.savethefood.com

  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/25/2018 3:56 PM
    (Continuation of truncated previous post:)
    In investigating, found a great website on food storage, freezing and use beyond its best quality, as well as a bunch of other stuff. Check it out: www.savethefood.com

  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/25/2018 3:49 PM
    Food “expiration” dates are much more complicated than I realized. For one thing, there’s no federal oversight or standardization. It’s pretty much left up to vendors to decide methodology and terminology. But the gist is dates speak to food quality rather than safety. So don’t throw it out just cuz the food’s beyond it’s date. 
    In investigating, found a great website on food storage, freezing and use beyond its best quality, as well as a bunch of other stuff. Check it out: www.savethefood.com

  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/25/2018 3:15 PM
    Silvopasture. Makes so much sense!! Benefits farmers, livestock AND climate!

  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/23/2018 10:18 PM
    Well, was doing really well until recently. We ate out more and had already bought too much produce. Had to throw some things away. Am thinking of investigating composting so at least when something like that happens (which I plan to reduce likelihood by planning better and buying less), it won't be quite as devastating.

  • Barbara Freas's avatar
    Barbara Freas 4/23/2018 10:13 PM
    Used empty gallon jugs. Make sure to fill completely. Initially filled only 3/4 and jug fell over in tank. After filling to the top, works perfectly. Saving a gallon of water with every flush!! So simple!