One Healthcare Ecochallenge 2025

One Healthcare

April 1 - April 30, 2025

Michelle's points

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
385 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

7.0

disposable cups

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

7.0

plastic bottles

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

15

minutes spent

learning
UP TO

1.0

greener purchase

made

Michelle's actions

Health & Well-being

Learn About Constructive Communication

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about constructive communication.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

In Our Communities

Explore My Community

I will learn one new fact about my community each day (history, geography, local wildlife, resources, programs, current issues, goals, etc.)

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

At Work

Greener Purchasing

I will select a greener option when purchasing supplies, such as products that have environmental certifications, less packaging, or other environmental attributes, or come from local vendors.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Home

Needs Vs. Wants

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

COMPLETED 0
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

In Our Communities

Support a Sharing/Reuse Economy

I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors, or purchase items second-hand to reduce resource use.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

In Our Communities

Buy From a Farmers Market

I will purchase produce and/or meat from a local farmers market or food co-op to make 4 locally-sourced meals.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Work

Reduce Animal Products

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

COMPLETED 2
DAILY 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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

One Healthcare

Use A Reusable Mug/Bottle

I will keep 4 disposable cup(s) and/or bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle, cup, or mug.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Michelle Folken 4/29/2025 2:07 PM

I did enjoy the push to learn more about wildlife in my area and the history of my area and about constructive communication. If it wasn't for this I wouldn't have learned those things.

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- Dalena Sanders 4/29/2025 5:43 PM
  - Gardener 🌱
  We have all learned so much!
  
  Read More
Michelle Folken 4/29/2025 2:04 PM

Had VERY hard time with the needs vs wants category. So easy to justify want purchases with things like "it's good for my mental health" or "I've earned this" or "I need small wins or small pleasures in my life right now to balance out all the trauma that's going on", etc. Also found it challenging to eat plant based since my family wants to eat meat!

Read More
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?
Michelle Folken 4/29/2025 1:10 PM

The loon is my favorite local animal species. It's important to support wildlife because it ends up helping protect the environment and gives us beautiful places to enjoy camping and hiking and keeps our water clean, just provides so many benefits

Read More
- Amanda Holloway 4/29/2025 2:47 PM
  
  Nature Steward 🌳
  The Minnesota state bird! I love the loon and especially enjoy hearing a loon call echo across a lake. So beautiful!
  
  Read More
- Kellie LeGrave 4/29/2025 1:51 PM
  
  Eco-Champion 🌎
  Loons are awesome!
  
  I’ve always loved red foxes! By caring for the environments around us, we’re not only supporting the wildlife we love to see, but also protecting the hidden micro-habitats that sustain countless other creatures we may never notice.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
In Our Communities

What are some of the barriers to sharing economies? What is your plan for supporting or creating one in your community? If you focused on purchasing items second-hand, did you have success? What did you learn in the process?
Michelle Folken 4/29/2025 1:09 PM

finding who has what you need is a barrier. I won't be afraid to reach out and ask a friend if I need something if it's something I think they would be willing to share/loan or see if they know of someone who has that item.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health & Well-being

What is one way you would like to improve your communication skills? Why is constructive communication important at work and at home?
Michelle Folken 4/29/2025 6:30 AM

Will try to be more intentional about taking time to celebrate with others small wins, smiling, making eye contact, and being happy for them. Will make relationships stronger.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
In Our Communities

What is the most exciting thing that you learned about your community? Did you learn something about your community that will change the way you engage with it?
Michelle Folken 4/15/2025 4:46 AM

I have spent some time learning about native birds to Minnesota and getting them the bird seed they like. I am working on learning more about native plants and pollinators in my area. Would like to know what flowers to plant in containers on my deck and flowers to plant in my yard. I'm also reading a book on the great lakes and what I can do to help advocate for cleaning it up.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home

How is creativity a necessary ingredient for practicing simplicity?
Michelle Folken 4/15/2025 4:42 AM

Have to think of new and different ways to solve problems or live with fewer things and to use things that you already have. For example, can take pictures of art projects and put them on flash drive (and then can connect to digital art frame) and then throw or recycle the art projects to live a simpler life with less clutter. Pinterest and youtube full of good ideas, also probably tik tok and books at local library full of good ideas

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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?
Michelle Folken 4/01/2025 6:29 AM

Recycling was easiest since we have a recycle box we just throw all our recycles in. Repurposing is the most difficult for me because that takes effort and creativity and thinking outside the box. Reducing is hard for me also because that takes intentional effort and changing how I do things or maybe not getting things I want. Practicing the 5Rs puts less stuff into the recycling stream.

Read More
- Jody Malik 4/01/2025 6:54 AM
  
  DIY Enthusiast 🔨
  I've been practicing the 5R's for over 40 years. First, out of necessity, and now it's just routine.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
One Healthcare

While water bottles are needed for health and safety in certain places, we can do more to reduce the unnecessary use of them. What are the barriers to you using reusable bottles and tap water instead of bottled water? How could you make this a permanent habit?
Michelle Folken 4/01/2025 6:23 AM

I usually only use bottled water if I'm in a big hurry and I'm walking out the door and I need to grab a bottle of water to go. I buy bottled water for my son because that's the only way I can get him to drink water.

Read More
- Jody Malik 4/01/2025 6:51 AM
  
  DIY Enthusiast 🔨
  I use filtered water from my fridge. I have reusable containers that I use. You will always see me with 1 of my reusable bottles.
  
  Read More