EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Amanda Bogatka

New Paltz Contemporary Issues in Photography

"It is what it is, until it isn't."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
742 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

60

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

lightbulb

replaced
UP TO

45

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

45

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

9.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Amanda's actions

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 1 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Amanda Bogatka 4/23/2019 6:59 PM

Happy Eco Challenge! Hope everyone enjoyed it.

Read More
Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:05 PM

Go paperless, it's convenient, better for the environment, and creates less clutter around you.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:04 PM

We need to reduce our energy and water consumption.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

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?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:04 PM

CO2 emissions from motor vehicles, factory emissions, etc.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:03 PM

Use less printed paper overall!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:03 PM

I regularly use plastic straws, bags and coffee cups. I can refrain from using all of these and replace them with reusable items to lessen the amount of plastic in the landfill.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Become A Master Recycler/Composter

What could you do differently to waste less?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:01 PM

Take fewer portions of food, buy fewer plastic containers, use fewer plastic bags in grocery stores, etc.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 3:01 PM

I want to prioritize face to face communication over material items in my daily life.

Read More
Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 8:40 AM

I need to work on being more environmentally friendly in my daily life. Shorter showers, more walks, less time driving!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Amanda Bogatka 4/19/2019 8:35 AM

I worry about what the future holds for our beloved planet, environment and life as we know it. While I am stubborn and set in my ways, I do not want anything drastic to happen to our climate.

Read More