EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Maria Gagliardi

Palisades Free Library

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
816 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

34

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

100

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

65

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Maria's actions

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 3
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

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

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
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

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 6 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 3 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

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

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

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 13
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
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:51 PM

I eat beef, coffee, palm oil and chocolate on a regular basis. I am eating less beef and I will try to buy it from sustainable sources. The coffee I buy is shade grown. The tub of palm oil I buy says it is sustainably harvested but I will use less anyway. I will seek out chocolate that is approved by the Rain Forest Alliance.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Toilet Bank

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:29 PM

I would like to see more water sensor lawn sprinklers. Many of my neighbors' systems are on a timer and they go off rain or shine.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:27 PM

Paying close attention to shutting off lights when I leave a room or just using the daylight coming through the windows. I put seldom used computers and entertainment equipment on power strips that are left off until I use the electronics. No more phantom power usage.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Communicate With My Elected Officials

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

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:25 PM

A sense of fairness and a responsibility to future generations.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:24 PM

We've added attic insulation and replaced doors and windows. In addition to saving money by using less energy we are more comfortable in the house. The heat is more even and there are no drafts.

Read More
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?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:23 PM

I'm sad about what replaces farmland, which is usually sprawl. There is a finite supply of land that can be farmed and we need to preserve it.

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?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:21 PM

I also think about the time and risk involved for women to gather fuel for fires. We have to much we take for granted. We have made carbon fuel so available that we use it freely and it is polluting the atmosphere and others suffer more because of it.

Read More
Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:17 PM

This was a great experience. Like many new habits I've tried to form in the past, I was strong for the first 7-10 days and then faltered. I will keep trying and get better at zero waste meals and eating a plant rich diet.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

In your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?

Maria Gagliardi 4/24/2019 6:15 PM

We have a bountiful land and federal subsidies to support a meat based diet. This says that money can buy influence.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Maria Gagliardi 4/12/2019 6:36 PM

I hate the gas and oil companies so much and I don't want to give them more money.

Read More