April 3 - April 24, 2019

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo

"Work to promote environmental volunteer and educational events and bring together people to share ideas and information on sustainability and eco-friendly activities."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,255 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

210

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

210

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

521

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1

documentary

watched
UP TO

245

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

9

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

12

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3

trees

planted

Maria's 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

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

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

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 30 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 12.12 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

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

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

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).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
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

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?

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/26/2019 11:40 AM

It was a great time doing challenges and learning about new ways of reducing our impact to the environment. I hope to see you all in the next edition of the EcoChallenge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/22/2019 3:34 PM

I am impressed about how many light bulbs where still not LED in my house. Specially in closets and rooms I don't use often. So many things next, probably the thermostat.

Read More
Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/22/2019 8:22 AM

Happy Earth Day Team!! Last push to complete the challenges.

Read More
Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/19/2019 6:16 AM

TIP:
Include 1-2 challenges in your weekend plan. Even if you are traveling, include challenges that you can complete.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/16/2019 2:04 PM

First I want to state that I truly didn't know that the dates were not regulated.
I will be looking more to the dates in the product, specially sell by. If I know I will cook an item first, I will get the closet (earliest) sell by date to avoid it going to waste in the supermarket.

Read More
Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/09/2019 6:51 AM

Hi Team!
TIP:
I you notice you have not being completii a daily challenge. Change it. Daily challenges are the ones that after this event we can continue doing, like recycle, eat less or 1 meatless meal.

I am already planning some of the harder challenges I selected. Will post pictures once it is complete.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/05/2019 8:06 AM

Land Management includes respecting other creatures that also live in the land. We tend to modify 'our' land without thinking on the impact to small animals.
Before doing backyard projects I will check the best approach to reduce impact.

Read More
- Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/05/2019 9:49 AM
  
  Also, the Houston EcoTeam partners with the Bayou Land Conservancy to promote conservation and land management in Houston which helps with the flooding issues. Webpage: https://www.bayoulandconservancy.org
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/03/2019 6:12 AM

Im a small scale a community that recycles and that utilizes renewable energy. Parks are nearby and there are community gardens and vegetable gardens.

Read More
Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 4/02/2019 10:34 AM

TIP:
Try to get one challenge from each category.
When I open the Challenges page I felt tempted to go straight to the group which I am most comfortable with. However, let’s try to use this challenge to also explore what other actions we can do and we might like.

Read More
Maria Gonzalez-Pardo 3/27/2019 8:28 AM

Hi All,

I want to thank every one of you for taking the time to join the Houston EcoTeam and for participating in this event. This is the first of hopefully many Challenges that we will be joining.

I hope you are all as excited as me as we are almost ready to start the challenge. This week I will be working on collecting some good tips and tricks to share with the team and looking for the challenges I can complete.

A little bit about me, I joined the Houston EcoTeam the first week after joining the company, 4 years ago. I am passionate about the environment and sustainability and I include it in as many aspects of my life as possible. I am here to learn and to put all my effort into making a difference.

As a reminder, the Houston EcoTeam is having a TrashBash this weekend.

Thanks again for joining and we will keep in touch. Also, if any of you wants to be a captain, let me know.

Maria

Read More