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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Chris Hershiser's avatar

Chris Hershiser

Prairie Crossing Charter School

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,204 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    2.0
    donations
    made
  • UP TO
    535
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    46
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    260
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    150
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2.0
    people
    helped

Chris's actions

Women and Girls

Make School More Affordable

#6 Educating Girls

I will raise funds to help make school affordable for girls around the world.

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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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.

COMPLETED
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

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 75 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY 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

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Advocate For Greener Vehicles

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 2 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

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

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 45 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 2
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

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

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

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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?


  • Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/10/2019 9:17 AM
    I am so proud of our school.  Keep it up everyone.

  • Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/08/2019 1:02 PM
    This week worked on fixing one of our toliets so that it would be low flow and not leak as much.  

  • Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/05/2019 11:56 AM
    I wonder how much this challenge actually helps out the environment.

  • Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/05/2019 11:56 AM
    I wonder how much this challenge actually helps out the environment.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Install a Toilet Bank
    How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 1:30 PM
    I live in the great lake region... however my area has a multistate/ country treaty detailing how much water can be used.  The Chicago area uses more than its alotted amount and pays a penalty on all of the excess water that is used.  
  • 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?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 1:27 PM
    Losing weight... not having that awful over stuffed feeling... also better digestion.  
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Research Cement Alternatives
    Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 9:37 AM
    Asphault will be another item that has a high carbon footprint.
  • 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?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 9:36 AM
    I have noticed that the environment is changing quite rapidly.  Bulbs are pushing their way out of the ground.  Red wing blackbirds are disruptful.  
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Replace Manual Thermostats
    How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 9:34 AM
    I think that it will allow my home to become much more efficient.  Also I will be able to look at the climate of my house from any location.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

    Chris Hershiser's avatar
    Chris Hershiser 4/03/2019 9:32 AM
    I would like to look at SMART systems that will help remind my household or just turn off the lights when no one is in the room.