One Healthcare Ecochallenge 2025

April 1 - April 30, 2025

Joanne Taylor deKay

"On a mission to reduce my impact on the environment at home, at work, and at play every day in any way I can. I want to build an ecoteam to collaborate with on bigger project goals to effect change on a larger scale. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,051 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

135

pieces of paper

avoided
UP TO

1.0

water leak

reported
UP TO

580

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

sustainability pledge

taken
UP TO

40

minutes spent

learning

Joanne Taylor's actions

At Home

Practice the 5 r's

I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Shorter Showers

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

COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Last to Leave? Lights Out, Please!

Lighting makes up approximately 10% of hospitals' energy use on average. I will save energy by turning off unnecessary lights when not in use and when I am the last one to leave a space.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Go Paperless

I will avoid printing 4 pieces of paper by "going digital" and printing double-sided whenever possible.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

In Our Communities

Support Local Wildlife

I will take one action to support local wildlife, such as adding a food or water source, creating shelter/habitat, preventing light pollution, eliminating bird strikes, or another action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

One Healthcare

Greening the Labs

I will spend 30 minutes learning about some of the ways my organization makes its laboratories more sustainable and ways we can improve.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Home

Adjust the Thermostat

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health & Well-being

Gratitude

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for every day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Report a Leak

I will prevent water from being wasted by reporting one or more leaky faucets, toilets, or other water leaks to my organization's facilities team for repair.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

In Our Communities

MAINE COMMUTER SURVEY

Support GoMaine by completing the Maine Commuter survey. The data helps inform commuting needs in our state. Follow the link to take the survey and be entered into a raffle for $50 gift certificate!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

One Healthcare

One Healthcare Ecochallenge Survey

Your voice matters! Help us improve the One Healthcare Ecochallenge by taking our survey, available starting April 23rd.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Home

At Home Compost Reimbursement

Check out Espresa's Platform-- did you know you can get reimbursed for at home composting? Composting reduces GHG emissions by as much as 70% vs landfilling organic waste.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Work

2025 Pledge at Work

I pledge to take one action that improves the sustainability of my organization in 2025. It can be an action from this challenge or another action that improves resource stewardship.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
In Our Communities

What is your favorite local plant or animal species? Why is it important to support wildlife, even if it is in small ways, in the areas in which we live?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/30/2025 8:41 AM
I adore Cypripedium acaule (lady slippers) and Trillium erectum (red trillium). Biodiversity not only makes our lives richer but also keeps all of us, not just humans, healthier. We need to protect and support wildlife to mediate the impacts of development and sprawl.

Read More
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/29/2025 8:56 AM
Several teammates volunteered at a beach cleanup this weekend sponsored by the Audubon Society in honor of Earth Month. I am so proud of my colleagues and their efforts toward environmental sustainability!

Read More
- Sally Wright (SSC) 4/29/2025 9:40 AM
  - Nature Steward 🌳
  I wonder what the most interesting item found was.
  
  Read More
- Deanna Freitas 4/29/2025 9:07 AM
  - Exercise Lover 🤸
  Wonderful!!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
One Healthcare

What is one action your organization can take to make its laboratories greener? How can you assist in this effort?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/25/2025 7:12 AM
Switch from single-use to reusable containers whenever possible, i.e. beakers, flasks, etc.
Facilitate the washing and autoclaving processes to make the transition smoother.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/25/2025 7:10 AM
Construction, fertilized lawns, forever chemicals, ocean drilling

Minimize tilling and use of fertilizers and other chemicals
In the lab, dispose of chemicals properly.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home

What other steps can you take each day to heat and cool your home more efficiently?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/21/2025 7:13 AM
Use shades in the summer to minimize solar contribution in the summer (we do not have central air, but use fans to move cooler air from the basement to other parts of the house). Raise shades/open curtains in the cooler months to maximize solar collection. PV panels help reduce our electricity bills.

Read More
- Paul Goodenough 4/21/2025 9:11 AM
  Heating and cooling my home is as much or more of a climate impact than my commute. When I was younger, I dreamed of having a bigger home. Now I dream of downsizing, Passive House design, and a solar + battery set up!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home

Which of the 5 R's was easiest for you? Which was the most difficult? How did practicing the 5 R's help you reduce more waste than recycling alone?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/17/2025 6:02 AM
Surprisingly to me the easiest of the 5 Rs was Refusing. I grew up with the 3 Rs, but I like this addition because it is a preemptive way to reduce waste. It's more of a mindset than a reaction/action, and my hope is that with more people adopting it, we will as a society create less waste.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
At Work

How do you plan to make sure you meet your pledge by the end of the year? What has helped you be successful in meeting longer term goals or resolutions in the past?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/14/2025 8:21 AM
I have joined an ecoteam at work to target energy waste. Working with colleagues who share a motivation to reduce our carbon footprint helps all of us achieve our goals.

Read More
- Paul Goodenough 4/14/2025 9:20 AM
  Love to hear it!
  
  Lights Off
  Power down non-essential workstations
  Unplug and store energy vampires like phone chargers when not in use
  And my personal favorite - as the weather starts to warm up - don't forget to pull shades during hours of peak heat and direct sunlight - solar gain is no joke!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Work

Have you considered doing a review of your work practices to see if there are opportunities to go digital with a process that has historically been paper-based at your organization?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/10/2025 7:42 AM
We talked about reducing paper by using the multiple digital platforms already approved and established by IT, i.e. Teams, Outlook, Share Point.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Well-being

What is one thing that you are grateful for today? How does practicing gratitude make you feel?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/08/2025 8:10 AM
I am grateful for community and the sense of hope generated from connection with others over a common cause.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
At Work

How could you encourage your coworkers to develop the habit of turning lights off?
Joanne Taylor deKay 4/07/2025 12:26 PM
We have a weekly meeting that starts with general announcements when I could give a gentle reminder about lights out. We also have some fun stickers to post at the exit doors.

Read More