EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Talia Reiss

Rockland Climate Alliance

"System change, not climate change. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
786 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

200

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

165

minutes

spent learning

Talia's 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

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 1 friends, family and/or colleagues.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 5 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 5 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

Through social media, I will raise awareness about gender inequity in education by sharing the information found in the links below.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or implementing some other small improvement.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

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
Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Talia Reiss 4/20/2019 9:07 AM

Although there are many issues with the way we are affecting the planet, one of the largest is how dependent we have become on plastics. In the United States alone, we produce over 30 million tons of plastic waste per year, and just 10% of that is recycled. There is little government action to try to improve this within our country, and large corporations continue to pollute our oceans and landfills with plastic.

Read More
Talia Reiss 4/16/2019 1:20 PM
I'm still researching women owned businesses as one of my daily challenges, and I've come across many incredibly successful women! The majority of these women are white, which proves that there is still much to be improved, but women's success in big business is always something to be celebrated. Here are some more popular businesses run or owned by women:
- Flickr
- Build-a-bear
- Proactive
- Nasty Gal
- S’well
- Yahoo
- PepsiCo
- Progressive
- Kohl’s
- Hershey
- IBM
On the topic of women-owned businesses, it's important that we all stay conscious of who is being supported by the purchases we choose to make! Many owners of big businesses or events (cough cough, coachella) have been known to donate to conservative organizations that oppose everything that our group is fighting for.
Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Start a Social Media Campaign

How are people responding to the statistics you're sharing on social media?

Talia Reiss 4/16/2019 1:09 PM

Many of my followers were most shocked by the fact that every year a girl goes to school can increase her future income by 10%. Personally, I found this as well as "Just Married: 39,000 girls under the age of 18 every day" to be the most shocking and horrifying of the statistics that I shared. You can view the rest at https://www.care.org/work/features/empower-her-through-education.

Read More
Talia Reiss 4/13/2019 2:08 PM

While continuing to research peatlands, I was interested by the fact that people in poorer countries are often forced to drain peatlands in order to build plantations and farms. This is a huge example of how economic hardships have a large influence on climate change globally, which is something I hadn't realized before.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Explore Other Food Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Talia Reiss 4/13/2019 2:04 PM

There were two agricultural-based food solutions that stood out to me the most as being both unique and effective. First, farmers in Bangladesh have been forced to use special, saline-resistant rice to counter the incredibly salty soil that they've been experiencing due to climate change. Second, villagers in Peru have been using techniques from thousands of years ago, specifically including the use of old hydraulic systems, to restore their rapidly draining wetlands.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

Talia Reiss 4/12/2019 7:16 PM

The use of technology and the internet contributes to a large carbon footprint within individuals. And, the production of mostly metal objects (such as washing machines, cars, and other electronic devices) releases carbon by converting metal ores and fossil fuels into these products. Most of the issue with everyday objects, though, lies in the shipping and manufacturing, and not in the actual use of the object. For example, according to Apple, 83% of carbon released from the iPhone X was connected to manufacture, shipping, and recycling alone.

Read More
Talia Reiss 4/12/2019 6:55 PM

Before the challenge, I had no clue what peatlands were or the environmental benefits that they held. For those who don't know, the restoration of peatlands, which take up 3% of the earth's surface, leads to increased biodiversity and cleaner water/air. But, if peatlands are drained or degraded, they release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. There are many government agencies in the United Kingdom and through the United Nations that were created to address this issue, but it is important that government officials in the US understand the importance of global peatland restoration as well.

Read More
Talia Reiss 4/11/2019 5:43 PM

It's so much easier than I imagined to reduce meat intake in my diet! Most of my breakfasts are already vegetarian, and it's not difficult to plan meals around things other than meat. I couldn't commit to vegan meals, but I've been enjoying more yogurt, pasta, vegetables, and fruits, and less meat.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?

Talia Reiss 4/10/2019 7:44 PM

One HUGE benefit to regenerative agriculture is that it can help improve biodiversity, which extremely important in terms of agricultural production and overall environmental conservation. And, regenerative agricultural will help to restore grasslands and produce drought-resistant soil.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

Talia Reiss 4/10/2019 7:38 PM

The need for family planning is an extremely important topic, because it has major health benefits for women (or anyone with a vagina), as well as environmental benefits. Access to comprehensive sexual education as well as safe methods of contraception can save the lives of mothers who feel unfit to support a child, who may be endangered by childbirth, who are victims of sexual assault, or whose baby is at risk of serious health issues. In terms of the environment, bringing unplanned human beings into the world can cause the unnecessary use of natural resources. And, women who are not obligated to take care of a child are often able to contribute more to society in terms of climate research and global sustainability movements.

Read More