EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Katherine Esposito

Sustainability Party

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
559 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2,790

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

3.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Katherine's actions

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

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

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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).

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 12 friends, family and/or colleagues.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Connect With A Nonprofit

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

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on womens' or girls' issues in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

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
Women and Girls Connect With A Nonprofit

What are the most pressing issues for women and girls in your community?

Katherine Esposito 4/22/2019 6:29 PM

I would argue that climate change is the biggest issue facing girls and women in our community. I am considering joining the board of a local chapter of a girls organization and hope to bring sustainability issues to the group if I help lead it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Katherine Esposito 4/14/2019 4:19 PM

I talked to an energy audit service provider this weekend about scheduling an energy audit soon. I plan to take the steps they suggest and potentially increase insulation on my house.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Advocate for Forest Protection

Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?

Katherine Esposito 4/12/2019 2:17 PM

Our schools are under consideration for redistricting, and if my children are sent to a school significantly further away, our family's carbon footprint will increase. I wrote to the school board today and urged them to consider the environmental impacts of their final choice in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Composting

Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?

Katherine Esposito 4/12/2019 2:09 PM

While the wasted resources of seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, labor, and financial capital are all concerning, what most motivates me to reduce food waste is thinking about the anaerobic production of methane when the discarded food would later go to rot in a landfill.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Katherine Esposito 4/12/2019 1:57 PM

I started using my new bamboo toothbrush yesterday. So far so good!

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?

Katherine Esposito 4/03/2019 11:46 AM

I'd rather save the money!

Read More
Katherine Esposito 4/03/2019 11:42 AM

We recently booked a family vacation (the first "real" one we will have taken in years) and I just purchased carbon offsets for the mileage.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

Katherine Esposito 4/03/2019 11:36 AM

I can decide to travel by air less.

Read More