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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

EcoChallenge.org
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Roberta Burnes's avatar

Roberta Burnes

NAAEE

"I believe in the power of environmental education."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 387 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    6.5
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    30
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    16
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Roberta's actions

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 10 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 5
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 1
DAILY 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
    Transport Use Muscle Power
    How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
    Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/24/2019 4:54 AM
    I walked to a lunch meeting today instead of driving, and it was a great way to get my steps in and enjoy the birdsong along the way.
    Read More
    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/24/2019 6:51 PM
      Thanks for joining our group and helping us gain such a high cumulative score/drawdown, Roberta.  I hope you enjoyed and gained something yourself in the process!
      Read More
  • Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/24/2019 4:52 AM
    Working in the garden reminds me how lucky we are to be able to grow some of our own food.
    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?
    Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/15/2019 5:06 AM
    This weekend was a good one to get out and garden. I mulched beds and planted early spring crops. Another thing that I do that isn't mentioned here -- I do not maintain a perfect green lawn, especially under my large trees. Lawns take a lot of water! The habitat under my huge weeping cherry tree is much more diverse because I allow violets, sedges, and wildflowers to grow there instead of grass that constantly needs mowing and watering. As a result, I see more wildlife too -- brown thrashers, hermit thrushes, and hooded warblers to name a few!
    Read More
    • Roberta Burnes's avatar
      Roberta Burnes 4/17/2019 5:09 AM
      Karen, my background photo was taken in Norway by an aurora photographer about a month ago. I get all of my wallpaper from photos on Space.com.
      Read More
    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/15/2019 6:53 PM
      p.s. love your background photo.  Where was it taken?
      Read More
    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/15/2019 6:52 PM
      Makes me think of spring a lot more than our very cold, snowy Saturday.
      Thanks too for your reply re zero waste meals !   Even tho I don't have a chicken coop or garden in my little townhouse, seems to me I can do a zero waste meal by sicking with "real" vs packaged ingredients and composting.
      Read More
  • Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/08/2019 8:13 AM
    Busy lives make logging food waste a challenge ... I didn't do so well this weekend. Time to get back on track!
    Read More
  • Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/03/2019 12:34 PM
    I am working on food issues primarily, because food is something we deal with on a daily basis and yet take for granted. I hope to reduce my food waste and make better choices during this challenge, which should help my health as well as lessen my impact on the earth we all share.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Zero-waste Cooking
    How are environmental issues like black carbon and other emissions from cooking fires or rudimentary cookstoves also human health and social justice issues? Why do these issues matter to you?
    Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/03/2019 12:31 PM
    Emissions from cook stoves and cooking fires are some of the largest sources of fine particulate matter air pollution in some places. For example, in Mongolia's capital city, Ulaanbaatar, winter air pollution is so bad because the rural population moves into the city during the colder months, and people living in vast "camps" use coal or wood to cook and heat their temporary homes and tents. Last year we had a delegation from Ulaanbaatar come visit us at the Kentucky Division for Air Quality and they told us about the unique environmental challenges they face in this developing nation.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Support Local Food Systems
    Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?
    Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/03/2019 4:56 AM
    This time of year, it is especially hard in Kentucky to do this. I probably overestimated the percentage of local food I am able to source in April. BUT, we have a basement full of vegetable plants growing for our summer garden, so our local food will certainly increase as the season progresses.
    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?
    Roberta Burnes's avatar
    Roberta Burnes 4/01/2019 10:37 AM
    This is so true -- with my busy life, I often forget to use the food that is in the fridge until it is moldy. We often joke that our fridge is really just the "pre-composter"! But this is really a first-world problem, and I know I can do better. What suggestions do people have for improving how you plan meals and reduce food waste?
    Read More