Madelyn Ellinger
10/31/2025 11:31 PM
Yes definetly. Since starting the challenge I've been working to do so more, although most of the trips I get to carpool with other people for are often pretty short.
Madelyn Ellinger
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 210 THIS WEEK
- 786 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO54zero-waste mealsconsumed
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UP TO63meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO367milesnot traveled by car
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UP TO367milestraveled by carpool
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UP TO181pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO1.0carbon footprintcalculated
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UP TO1,012minutesspent exercising
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UP TO1.0women, BIPOC, and immigrant-owned businessessupported
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UP TO30minutesspent outdoors
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UP TO14minutesspent learning
Madelyn's actions
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products
Plant-Rich Diets
I will enjoy 4 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Visit the Coast
Macroalgae Protection and Restoration
I will visit a coastal or ocean site to experience the ecosystem and look for the presence of macroalgae/seaweed.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Zero-Waste Cooking
Reduced Food Waste
I will cook 2 meals with zero-waste each day.
Electricity
Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint
I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.
Health and Education
Support Businesses Owned by Women, POC, or Immigrants
Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders
I will spend 10 minutes researching and shopping from 2 businesses owned by women, people of color, or immigrants.
Share Your Story
Share Your Aha Moment
Fill out this form and share your Ecochallenge story with us!
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
Transportation
Try Carpooling
Carpooling
I will commute by carpool 10 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.
Participant Feed
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REFLECTION QUESTIONTransportationList some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONShare Your Storyhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQKnH7V660-tDnXQQko2liN5VVgj45KQx-VxuDP5PVyKHG7w/viewform
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 8:04 PMSome of my main aha moments for this challenge have been centered around how much I did not realize I could have been composting before. I've started doing much more composting and having greater appreciation for my food over the past few weeks. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONCoastal, Ocean, and Engineered SinksWhat coastal site did you visit and what did you learn while there?
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:58 PMI visited Asilomar and found a lot of bull kelp and seaweed on the shore as well as a decent amount of macroalgea in the tidepools. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth and EducationWhich businesses that you researched are you excited to support? Are you already supporting businesses that you didn't know were owned by women, people of color, or immigrants?
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:55 PMStokes Adobe, Lucy's on Lighthouse, One More Bite, and Alma Del Mar & Wahine HQ. I had not been to any of the restaurants before this challenge and I got to learn more about the soap refill shop too. I believe there are some more places that I already was going to (Pilipino markets for example) that I did not consciously patronize and so did not really think about who owned them. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricityAfter you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:52 PMI did see some, mainly around the food I buy/eat and how I cook it. I also am more aware of turning off and unplugging devices I'm not using as well as blowing out the pilot light on my heater which I just never use anyway. -
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:49 PMI've been learning to cook tofu better (I was really not getting the hang of it at first) as I've been swapping out red meat from more of my dishes. -
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:44 PMI got to see lots of beautiful plants and animals on my walk today - including some woodpeckers and frogs! -
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:43 PMI got to try some great new restaurants because of this challenge - my favorites were Stokes Adobe, Lucy's on Lighthouse, and One More Bite. These are all owned/co-owned by women. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransportationWhat have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:29 PMI've noticed how much more at ease I feel after walking for a while, especially when I'm not carrying anything or going anywhere in particular. Without a need to rush, the walk is really fun and calming. I can look around and wander just following my heart. I really enjoy discovering the local plants and animals and appreciating the various kinds of architecture I find. I also like greeting the trees, humans, cats, or deer I meet along the way. I prefer walking on dirt paths over pavement, and if there were more of them in my neighborhood, I would enjoy it much more than walking on concrete. I also try to walk away from the main streets because of the noise and air pollution. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood, Agriculture, and Land UseIn North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?
Madelyn Ellinger 10/30/2025 7:24 PMAs a beginner, I'm try to focus on easy steps. For vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers, I'll refrain from peeling them. For peppers I try to keep the seeds to make plant starters. Instead of tossing the root ends of green onions, I put them in a reused glass jar. They grow back when put on the windowsill with a little water so I can keep using them. For things I'm not sure how to use I compost it for my garden.