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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar

Steve Faraher-Amidon

Comox Valley Unitarians, Comox United Church & Friends

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 668 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    20
    miles
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    40
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    23
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    10
    public officials or leaders
    contacted

Steve's actions

Action Track: Social Justice

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

Through social media, I will raise awareness about gender inequity in education by sharing the information found in the links below.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Donate

#21 Clean Cookstoves

I will donate to nonprofits that install clean cookstoves in low-income countries.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 5 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 11.36 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport 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 1
DAILY ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 7 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

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
    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?

    Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/24/2019 4:45 PM
    taking   a plane, increases the CO2 footprint for us all, while claiming
    that I am really not impacting others...consuming so much gas for my vehicle, while
    thinking I am not affecting others, really is making others lives more harmful..by
    reinforcing companies going and taking advantage of lax laws in other countries which end up costing them and us all...and our environment.

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/24/2019 1:05 PM
    Recycling and waste management at the home and community  level, by SAGE hosting at Comox United, is May....7th...7 pm. it looks awesome.

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/24/2019 10:03 AM
    Better since I became more committed, spurred on by the realization, so demonstrated in Gwynne Dyers book Climate Wars, that, in the end, it is up to the citizens to rise up and take action. "Carpe diem"

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/23/2019 10:03 AM
    I was interested but did not take action like I need to, and now I am more fully involved and action on this issue, for our climate, has become more of a priority and increased my understanding..and action on this a most important topic for our planets health

    • Kasia Stepien's avatar
      Kasia Stepien 4/23/2019 9:33 PM
      Well said Steve! Climate action has steadily grown as a priority for me too, as I learn more and more about the effects of our society on our planet and the steps we can take to mitigate our impact. It helps to do it with friends :)
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Social Justice Contact your Elected Officials
    Do you have any personal connections to a farm or farmland? If so, what are they? What feelings are evoked for you when thinking about declining farmland?

    Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/23/2019 9:55 AM
    My Dad grew up on a farm in Southern Minnesota. I have roots there, though i dont know as much about it as I will. I know the importance of keeping our food safe and I dont trust Monsanto or other huge mega-farms to do that. I am so thankful that we have Arzeena, and organic oriented farmer who knows the stuff, on our regional district. Very exciting and the new Directors for the CVRD are progressive. So it is possibility for more protection and advocacy for our food sources.

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/23/2019 9:51 AM
    I joined because as it b became available and our Captain Heather was instrumental in ensuring the widest awareness of the event.
    And it became clear, after I got over how daunting it seemed at first, that it was amazing and would be a motivator for all moving forward..and there will be a larger event, as I understand it, in the Fall!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Express My Support
    What do you like most about biking in your city? What would you like to improve?

    Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/23/2019 9:49 AM
    We have good lanes in Comox, and Courtenay has elected a progressive council that will hopefully improve access. As well, the CVRD (regional district) has done work on improving and expanding the access for bikes coming up Dyke road, and that can have great impact on access and people/bike friendliness...so...possibilities are happening.

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/22/2019 2:52 PM
    i have been blessed by the actions of my teammates, and the willingness of so many others to take the challenge. Yesterday at our church service one member of the fellowship did not know what this challenge was..and another member, who is involved in the challenge, informed her...and it was a great moment of sharing and illuminating things that make this such an important and (I think) effective event!

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/19/2019 10:25 AM
    Was off this for a bit then got back onto it, as was reminded, with attending the CVRD meeting and the Climate Emergency that the directors, in Comox Valley, were facing...and the uncertainty and frankly hard to accept for some (many??) about declaring an emergency. One persons actually said, well, I am wanting to hear from the other side. I appreciated that onone  level, but, on another level, especially when i heard another person state that big oil was opening up a significant percentage of more service stations around the world meaning more and more billions in their pockets. To me, that was like, well...that is their response to the debate. So I am proud of one Director who raised the issue and it is now carrying on to other councils and municipalities....it must be done  I believe. However, none of us are perfect, so....it is a challenge...the word so fitting. Life is possibility.

  • Steve Faraher-Amidon's avatar
    Steve Faraher-Amidon 4/04/2019 4:35 PM
    I have indicated why I began, as I was interested through hearing Gwynne Dywer, journalist, talk about the climate change actions
    in Africa, punctuated by military involvement....which really ramped up awareness that this was a big issue. Now, 2019, about 10 years after,
    it is more important than ever when on weather channels, where until about 5 years ago it seemed they NEVER would mention Climate Change, now it has become much more commonplace. I just today, however, saw a letter in our local paper from a self proclaimed expert who said climate change was basically only the spiral of nature and was not more pronounced..he even said that temperatures have not actually gone up in the recent 10 years. I know that was incorrect, and he failed to put in any web sites for verification, so I did a cursory search and found a site that had a recent 10 year  period showing the huge bumps in temperatures that have occurred over time...so I sent that along with a letter to our paper in Courtenay, BC We shall see if they print it.

    • Kasia Stepien's avatar
      Kasia Stepien 4/07/2019 7:33 AM
      Well done Steve! This is the kind of integrity of action I aspire to. One of my actions to do this month is to write a letter to council members about bike infrastructure. I'm hoping it will build my courage to do that more.