EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Sara Hess

Troy Public Library

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
486 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

15

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

18

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

120

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

60

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

5.0

trees

planted
UP TO

16

zero-waste meals

consumed

Sara's 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

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 5 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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 4
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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 50 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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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
Action Track: Social Justice Advocate for Forest Protection

Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?

Sara Hess 4/23/2019 6:21 PM

NY just passed a ban on plastic bags - effective next year - and I have become much more conscious of the plastic that I use every day, especially bags. It is hard to avoid it, but I'm trying by buying bulk items at the Green market instead of packaged potatoes, carrots, apples, etc.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Plant Trees

How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?

Sara Hess 4/23/2019 6:18 PM

Forestry is now being seen as an important climate solution by policy experts. Magnolia, cherry, plum, and apple trees are blooming in my city now and are breath-taking in their beauty.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?

Sara Hess 4/23/2019 6:16 PM

Supporting local farmers is really important because I think they are critical to resilient food security for my community. If there are disruptions in the food system, we will depend on local farmers.

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?

Sara Hess 4/10/2019 6:12 PM

I think it's a lot of economics. Meat is relatively cheap here, and most people in North America are relatively food "secure." Plus, meat is advertised heavily on TV and the meat industry is large and powerful, receiving subsidies from government. If the carbon cost of meat were more widely understood, or if people had to pay a carbon cost for their meat, they would make different choices.

Read More
Sara Hess 4/05/2019 8:49 AM

On Wed., April 3, I had a meeting with the Mayor of my city (along with 2 others) about the city's energy goals (increase them, please!), and about concrete ways the city can increase their commitment to reducing green house gases. He was respectful and listened, and made some general commitments to do more.

Read More
Sara Hess 3/28/2019 8:37 AM

I am a big fan of Drawdown - the book and the actions. I am an environmental activist in Ithaca, NY, and wanted to try out the Eco-Challenge. Hope it's okay that I'm joining your team in Troy. I wanted to see how it works so I can recommend it to others in my area and maybe form a team myself next year.

Read More
- Stephanie Dudek 4/02/2019 1:37 PM
  
  No problem Sara, we're happy to have you! I've visited your hometown in the past and Ithaca is gorges! Please feel free to share your activities as an activist with us here in Troy.
  
  Read More