EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Joyce Boucheron

ERUUF

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
558 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

50

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

4.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Joyce's actions

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

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

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

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 1 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 2
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

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

Joyce Boucheron 4/24/2019 11:47 AM

I could reduce the amount of printing I do and if I need to print, choose double-sided printing.

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?

Joyce Boucheron 4/23/2019 1:59 PM

Some other reasons to care about regenerative agriculture are that it increases biodiversity, enriches soil, improves watersheds, captures carbon in soil to help reverse the release of carbon into the atmosphere and increases resilience of farming to climate instability.

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?

Joyce Boucheron 4/23/2019 1:33 PM

While I try hard not to bring plastic bags into my home, I find they continue to accumulate, mostly from bread, newspapers and produce from our CSA. I recycle the newspaper bags and reuse the CSA and bread bags many, many times until they fall apart, then I recycle all bags that do not have stickers. The bags with large bread stickers go in the trash. Changes I could make: next year I may switch to a CSA that does not use plastic bags. I could start making my own bread, or buying only bread that I can put in a paper or cloth bag.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Give a Microloan

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. Why do you think that is?

Joyce Boucheron 4/23/2019 11:09 AM

Women tend to take on caregiving roles in both their family and their community. Investing their earnings in the people they care for is consistent with that.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Joyce Boucheron 4/17/2019 8:28 AM

If we choose them: upgrade attic insulation, add wall insulation, insulate ducts, consider higher efficiency heating system.

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?

Joyce Boucheron 4/17/2019 7:52 AM

I can now feel more comfortable using food slightly beyond the use by date.

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?

Joyce Boucheron 4/17/2019 7:27 AM

I'd rather use the money that I save from avoiding food waste on tickets to a movie, play, concert or museum event.

Read More