EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Zachary Behr

Green Bees

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
859 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

306

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

4.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

90

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

170

minutes

spent learning

Zachary's actions

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 15 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 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.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY 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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 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 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Zachary Behr 4/11/2019 2:59 PM

My vision of a sustainable community would encompass both using renewable recourses for energy and minimizing waste. For our community to attain this vision, larger scale efforts would need to be made to push our main energy source to renewable sources, to teach individuals better waste management, and enforce industries to abide by production standards to reduce the amount of waste companies produce as well.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Zachary Behr 4/08/2019 2:12 PM

Before reading about silvopasture, I had never heard of it before. The biggest advantage of silvopasture seemed to be the reduction in overall space taken up (covering fruiting trees and a pasture a in one) as well as the trees will help fix carbon more than a regular pasture.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. In what ways (i.e. with money, time, advocacy) can you invest in geothermal energy?

Zachary Behr 4/07/2019 7:21 AM

Right now, the two biggest investments I can make onto geothermal energy would be advocacy and time. I am definitely interested in researching more into geothermal energy and how it has progressed, but I can also begin discussing these options with friends and researching into candidates that are looking to push this technology further.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Zachary Behr 4/07/2019 7:01 AM

One easy way to cut down on water usage I know of is taking showers instead of baths. Baths generally use more water than showers. I try to limit my showers to about 10-15 minutes in the morning, to help reduce my water usage. Washers use a large amount of water as well. There are high-efficiency washer. Unfortunately I live in an apt, so I cannot make a decision on using a HE washer, so I try to condense my washing loads as much as possible.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?

Zachary Behr 4/06/2019 12:34 PM

I was surprised that we have had emerging technology since 2007!!! And I am just learning about tidal and wave energy. I knew of its existance, but it is honestly pretty frustrating that this technology has not been further implented or funded completely 12 years later.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Zachary Behr 4/05/2019 6:55 AM

Knowing the difference can help you acknowledge what products can still be purchased and that products generally last a lot longer than the "sell by" and "best if used by" dates marked on them.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Zachary Behr 4/04/2019 3:35 PM

For the amount of food waste a regular American creates, I would rather be using that money on either experiences with friends (visiting, events, etc.) or saving up for larger purchases.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Zachary Behr 4/04/2019 3:33 PM

Among the environmental benefits, this is also a healthier choice for you body and wallet. Eating smaller portions than the enormous sizes served an numerous restaurants will help cut back calorie and fat intake. Cooking smaller portions at home, or making sure to eat all leftovers help cut back on food waste and allows for multiple meals.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Zachary Behr 4/04/2019 2:14 PM

The other largest benefit would be being able to eliminate spending money of gas and reducing my carbon footprint. I typically don't drive my car very much anymore, but there are still areas that are difficult to access without a car. Getting a hybrid (or even an electric car, if I could) would overall reduce my spending AND help reduce pollutants.

Read More