EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

The Circle School Possums

Circle School Changemakers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,021 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

5.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

45

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

150

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

150

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

95

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

7.4

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

The Circle School's actions

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

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

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

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

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 4 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or implementing some other small improvement.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 15
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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 0.49 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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

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

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
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?

The Circle School Possums 4/10/2019 9:00 AM

Star Room Kindergarten Answers: "Wasting money is the worst because then we can't buy other stuff." "Wasting money is the worst because we can't buy band-aids and other stuff so when we get hurt we are hurting ourselves and we also don't have money to help the rain forest." "By wasting money we can't buy stuff and we might end up outside." "Wasting money is bad because then we might not be able to grow any more food."

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

The Circle School Possums 4/09/2019 9:02 AM

Star Room Kindergarten Answers: "Being healthy and breathing healthy so my breath can help the rain forests." "My mom and dad." "You actually do not need a TV or toys because I am more important than that stuff if there is a fire. I wouldn't go save the stuff. I would run outside." "My sister." My family." My family." My brother." My mom and my parents because if you do not have parents or someone to take care of you, there might be a wildfire and you might not know what to do and you might not be a Radkid."

Read More
The Circle School Possums 4/06/2019 7:58 AM

The Star Room and I got off to a strong Challenge Start this year. We already learned about how our diet affects the rain forest and what sources of alternative energy exist that can replace our reliance on fossil fuels. The students are excited about tackling new challenges and motivated to make a difference in the world.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?

The Circle School Possums 4/05/2019 10:39 AM

Star Room Kindergarten answers: "On top of City Tower." "In the middle of the city." "Next to the City Tower." "On top of the building my dad works in." "On my house." "On top of some houses.""On top of the Circle School." "On the stump of a tree."

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs

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

The Circle School Possums 4/04/2019 8:07 PM

Weatherproofing with regards to windows. doors- always a necessity in a pier and beam house where the foundation seems to shift every year.

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?

The Circle School Possums 4/04/2019 8:05 PM

The United States in particular still has image hang ups about NOT eating meat. Vegetarians are still the butt of jokes. Vegans are incomprehensible by mainstream media. There is a culture in the US that is fighting to maintain its meat eating image. This, coupled with economics, the level of poverty in this country, and the prevalence of food deserts, it is a hard way of living to overcome. It will take a serious government led effort to re-invest in agriculture and healthier options before this country steers away from meat-eating.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Improve a Bus Stop

How can you advocate for transportation systems which minimize environmental impact while also meeting human needs?

The Circle School Possums 4/04/2019 11:55 AM

As a teacher, having the opportunity to use the city bus for field trips makes the city bus more of an adventure for my kindergarten students. I know from experience that students take that adventure-sense home with them and inspire their parents to take public transit. So I can advocate by showing my students how easy and fun using a city bus is, and by sharing with them how I personally take the city bus from work or on the weekends.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

The Circle School Possums 4/04/2019 11:35 AM

Star Room Kindergarten Answers: "It makes me feel good because you can use something out of it to make something new.:" "I like it because it goes to someone and they make stuff out of it." "I don't like it when people just waste." "I like it because I feel happy because then the animals won't feel sick if they go into a park or forest where people are littering." "I like recycling because my brother made a robot out of stuff." "I like recycling because it is helping the earth." "I like to clean the world because then you can find more coins and more dollars, dollars, dollars."

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Public Transit

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

The Circle School Possums 4/04/2019 5:23 AM

Living in the Bay Area taught me to love Pubic Transportation. BART and the city bus system made travel easy and less stressful, especially living in a big, traffic filled city. Having the privilege to visit Europe also showed me that people/countries benefit immensely with a public transportation system. One of America's great faults is its lack of a national pubic transportation system and its limited mindset that Cars Rule.

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The Circle School Possums 4/03/2019 11:08 AM

This is my 3rd time participating in an eco-challenge and I find that one, I am more conscious of every decision I make as it impacts the environment and my local community; and two, this consciousness remains throughout the year and items I read about here but never followed up on will suddenly be relevant in my life and I am prepared to act in an eco-friendly way. My WHY is that this challenge empowers me to make a difference in the world and to help others make a difference.

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