EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Naomi Hershiser

Prairie Crossing Charter School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
900 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

69

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

600

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

15

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

40

zero-waste meals

consumed

Naomi's actions

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 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 23
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

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 21
DAILY 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

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Naomi Hershiser 4/24/2019 5:56 AM

It's been great to spend this month being mindful about my behaviors. Sometimes I think that's the most important factor in action - just thinking about it, having things be at the forefront of my mind rather than in the background. I hope I keep making deliberate decisions even without a checklist to motivate me!

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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?

Naomi Hershiser 4/22/2019 11:30 AM

There are a lot of great ways I could use the $1500 per year most Americans spend on wasted food... better quality food. A vacation. Massages. Savings, charity... actually, thinking about it, most things would be more stuff, and I don't want more stuff!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Naomi Hershiser 4/15/2019 7:36 AM

In terms of this challenge, knowing your farmer -- talking to them at the market or when you pick up your CSA -- connects you to your community and makes everyone accountable to each other in a way. We're all in this together, which isn't the case for impersonal food from a big chain grocery store.

In general, on a surface level having good air quality, access to natural areas, etc. brings people outside, and therefore together. You literally see people more because you feel comfortable, safe and renewed being outside, so you go out and you connect not just with nature but with your neighbors.

Environmental quality also leads to personal investment in the neighborhood and area. If all feel that investment, it (once again) gives us a sense of all being in this together.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Naomi Hershiser 4/11/2019 12:27 PM

We have easy access to things like bamboo plates etc. but it seems like this is still a disposable product and not as good an option as dishware that you just keep, wash and reuse. I find most of the time the most sustainable solution, if you need to get something, is to get something good, that you'll use for a long time, whatever material it's made of. (And to only get things that will really improve your life!)

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Naomi Hershiser 4/05/2019 7:54 AM

I'm trying to do 1, one-time challenge per day, and today I worked at opting out of junk mail, catalogs, etc. It turns out to be hard -- I spent time and even a little money and I'm guessing what I receive won't actually decrease much. (I've learned that if there are multiple spellings or variations of your name, you have to do it for ALL of them... I had to go to multiple request sites for different types of mail... I don't even know if any of this applies to things sent to "resident," which are probably what I most want to get rid of!) We'll see what happens -- but not for 3 months, which is the average time that the sites say it may take for changes to go into effect. Ugh. Well, I tried!

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?

Naomi Hershiser 4/04/2019 5:47 AM

Knowing not to be scared off by sell by dates is important, but I feel like I've been pretty good about using my judgement and not the printed dates on packaging. A lot of my food comes from the CSA or farmers market and may not have those dates anyhow, or my favorite hummus doesn't seem to have any dates (I've looked and looked) so I'm pretty used to judging based on the food not the printed information.

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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?

Naomi Hershiser 4/03/2019 12:21 PM

I think part of the reason Americans eat more meat is because we don't have a rich food culture with traditional spices and flavors that make vegetables taste good. I also think the availability of cheap, processed meat makes it accessible to all. And, of course, we have the space to grow/raise meat for our population.

It's tempting to say that people care more about getting what they want and being satisfied than they do about the planet, but I think there's more to it than that. I think we equate meat with prosperity -- we need to make this a false equation. We equate meat with deliciousness -- we need to show people that plant-based foods are just as delicious!!!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Choose Better Wood Products

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?

Naomi Hershiser 4/03/2019 11:29 AM

Forests offer us peace and beauty. They improve our mental health, and therefore our quality of life, and -- to be selfish about it -- our property values! Forests provide habitat for animals... and habitat for teaching in!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Choose Better Wood Products

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?

Naomi Hershiser 4/03/2019 11:29 AM

Forests offer us peace and beauty. They improve our mental health, and therefore our quality of life, and -- to be selfish about it -- our property values! Forests provide habitat for animals... and habitat for teaching in!

Read More
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?

Naomi Hershiser 4/03/2019 11:23 AM

We're very lucky to have great walking options in the neighborhood. Walking for health/fitness or phenology/nature connection is easy. It's harder if you want to walk to a business/store. Crossing any major street is very unsafe. We need better major-street crossings... bridges or tunnels would be ideal, but even painted crosswalks and designated walk times would be better!

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