EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Angie Hamilton

Washington County Oregon Ecochallenge

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
506 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

60

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Angie's 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 1
DAILY 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 4
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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

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
Materials Become A Master Recycler/Composter

What could you do differently to waste less?

Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 4:01 PM

I am on a list of individuals ready to sign up for the Master Recyclers program for Washington County in the Fall. I can't wait. I am very interested in find out more about items which are not recyclable in your curbside recycling bin--I want to know where/how else to recycle those harder items and become a knowledgeable resource for others in my community.

Read More
- Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 11:47 AM
  
  Great timing on that! I hear there's usually a waitlist. It will be so great to have a Master Recycler in the neighborhood. You will be amazing at it!
  
  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?

Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 3:48 PM

I feel like I already did an "ok" job with these labels, but I also shared what I learned with my husband, whom is FAR more likely to throw food out based on the label. Hopefully this is something we can get better about, now that we are more aware of the fact that the labels are not based on actual data and at the discretion of the company trying to get people to buy their product.

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?

Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 3:46 PM

Having smaller portions on smaller plates helps me slow down while eating meals. Not only does that help me savor my food but feel fuller quicker and therefore eat less overall. Smaller portions are an effective weight-loss measurement for most people. :)

Read More
- Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 11:48 AM
  
  I have Not been feeling too hungry using a smaller plate. It's just training my body to eat enough food and not too much.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 3:43 PM

No. Trees being planted on the same plot of land where livestock is raised seems like a smart thing to do. The trees provide shade to the animals during the hotter months. The animals fertilize the trees. Minimizes the amount of land having to be set aside for farming activities.

Read More
- Afsana Hussain 4/18/2019 12:33 PM
  
  This is a concept we learnt in school growing up since there is land scarcity in Bangladesh.
  
  Read More
Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 3:34 PM

I couldn't find a lot of information out there about Silvopasture. All the links I discovered seemed to go back to one website and the same information. I am still interested in learning more-so if someone else can dig deeper, please share!

What I learned is that this is a type of farming where trees are planted (for a longer term investment) on the same plot of farmland where livestock are raised. There isn't a lot of data available yet as to actual pros/cons to this kind of farming, but it sounds promising.

Read More
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?

Angie Hamilton 4/09/2019 3:26 PM

Actually I am most motivated to decrease the methane gas produced by rotting food in landfills, but it also feels impactful to decrease the overall volume of trash my family is producing on a weekly basis. The compost end-product to use in my yard, garden and even in the gardens of friends is a bonus!

We have two different composting systems in place at our house--a worm bin and a dual-tumbler. I wish I had known how easy it is to compost years ago!

Read More
- Angie Hamilton 4/15/2019 5:48 PM
  
  Rebecca-worms cannot have orange peels or other acidic food scraps, but otherwise it's pretty similar. Egg shells can go in either a regular compost bin or with the worms. No meat or oils in either type of bin--mostly to keep away "vectors" (pests) and smells.
  
  Read More
- Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 11:50 AM
  
  Can you compost different things in a worm bin? For example, do egg shells go in there? I think its smart that you have two. I'll have to think about where I might put a worm bin. Had one years ago when we didn't have a yard.
  
  Read More