EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Steve Dunning

Woodstock Day School

"builder, artist, liver of life"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,830 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

26

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

170

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Steve's actions

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

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

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

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

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 15 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
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.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 13
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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 50 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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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
Transport Test Drive an Electric Bike

Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Private vehicles account for 60% of trips of a mile or less. Do you often drive short distances instead of biking or walking? If so, how might incorporating an electric bike into your lifestyle help you make more climate-friendly choices?

Steve Dunning 4/24/2019 3:30 PM

We don't live in an area where I could easily use an electric bike, but I rode one and they are remarkable!!

Read More
- Harrison Bardel 4/24/2019 5:00 PM
  
  I’ve only seen someone ride one before. I also don’t live in a place that l could ride one easily.
  
  Read More
Steve Dunning 4/24/2019 2:14 AM

As my final ecochallenge post I want to express what I got out of this process. Of course it has been tremendously educational learning about all the ways we can change our behavior to have more impact. But for me the biggest take away is the idea that social interaction is the most important part of creating the changes we need systematically. An extra impediment in the United States right now is our divided society.
I feel like the biggest challenge is to communicate effectively and non judgmentally across this divide. We need everyone on board in some fashion to really be successful. Keep it up everybody. I really enjoyed watching our community approach this event as a team!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

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

Steve Dunning 4/24/2019 2:00 AM

recycled paper is great but using less is just better. The ink is as important as the paper. I try to send most of my business documents digitally whenever possible to avoid printing!

Read More
Steve Dunning 4/23/2019 3:07 PM

wow - what A Day we have had people!!!!
so impressive!! Your Board Chair loves you all!!!

Read More
Steve Dunning 4/22/2019 7:23 PM

Stopped buying the greens in the plastic bins at the grocery store.
What if nobody bought them - they might change to better or No packaging!

Read More
Steve Dunning 4/21/2019 5:03 AM

its time to start thinking about what trees you will be planting thins spring! It's clear from this Eco challenge that trees are one of the most important places to focus energy and resources. They are not only beauty, they are food for us and food for the local food chain. They are habitat. They are shade which helps lower energy consumption. Locally everyone has seen the impact or the ash borer which has affected, I believe 4-5% of the the forest (ash is that big of a player in our woods!!) Plant some trees!! And we have quite a few people in our community who can help us all with this if you can't do it yourself, so we are infusing our local economy!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Communicate With My Elected Officials

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Steve Dunning 4/19/2019 4:00 AM

The time is now - there is finally some momentum around the idea of changing habits.
The idea of the big picture is so much more appealing. When I work on a house the goal should be how to make the house function as efficiently as possible as SOON as possible. When you insulate areas which haven't been done properly, the energy usage will decrease for the life of the structure - far outweighing the cost of doing the work!!!

Read More
Steve Dunning 4/16/2019 9:14 AM

Every day somebody else on the team gets a little inspired and delves into this site a little deeper.
It's contagious and inspiring!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your zipcode, and in your state. What steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?

Steve Dunning 4/15/2019 5:15 PM

lights are the easiest - my father hounded me as a child during the energy crisis of the 70's about turning our lights when you leave a room! He also preached about taking shorter showers, though today hot water is more likely coming from fossil fuel than electricity. unplugging chargers and shutting down computers at night - and printers, and routers.....

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Research Peatlands

Much of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?

Steve Dunning 4/11/2019 2:57 AM

certainly staying away from products which contain palm oil is a start.
If the market for palm oil is not as strong they won;t expand the industry

Read More