EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Debbie Grinwis

Chambers Elementary

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
545 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

121

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

77

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

77

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

330

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

62

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Debbie's actions

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

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

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 11
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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 7 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 5.64 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

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
Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Debbie Grinwis 4/11/2019 8:11 AM

One of my favorite times of the day is taking my dog for a walk with my husband every late afternoon. It gives us all a chance to be outside enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine as its turning dusk.

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?

Debbie Grinwis 4/11/2019 8:10 AM

Some of the lighting fixtures in my house require LED light bulbs. I am going to replace two of my lamps with LED light bulbs that haven't been changed over yet.

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?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 11:50 AM

Flush less. Use less water in the shower.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Launch a Recycling Program

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 11:49 AM

Our classroom saves all paper and uses scraps.

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?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 11:48 AM

Shopping more often for perishables.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Explore Other Food Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 11:47 AM

Finding cipes for on two people and limitin waste.

Read More
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?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 5:31 AM

My husband and I have separate bins for garbage and recycling bins.

Read More
- Noel L 4/10/2019 5:52 AM
  
  When I started going plastic free, I would pick 2-3 things at a time to change (find plastic-free, find alternatives, go without...) I made a list on my phone of things to consider changing and would move things to the bottom with an X to remind myself of accomplishments and stay motivated. Hardest part was getting started. Now I can't imagine not living plastic-free, seems so easy.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 5:30 AM

Cuting back portions to help reduce waste.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Try Carpooling

List some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?

Debbie Grinwis 4/10/2019 5:30 AM

I carpool with my husband every day.

Read More