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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Ben Hosley's avatar

Ben Hosley

WSP USA

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 858 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    63
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    660
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    110
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2,034
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved

Ben's actions

Buildings and Cities

Tour a Green Roof

#73 Green Roofs

I will set up a visit to tour a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

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

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

UNCOMPLETED
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?


  • Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/24/2019 10:29 PM
    Just purchased a carbon offset while waiting for my flight. My only complaint is I wish It had been a little easier to do. I love how some car rental companies allow you to tag a carbon offset right on to your order. 


    • Meghan Jones's avatar
      Meghan Jones 4/25/2019 8:56 AM
      That's so cool about the car rentals. I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset
    A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

    Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/24/2019 10:27 PM
    Go on more local adventures. Part of the fun of having moved to an entirely new part of the country is theres so much new ground to explore. Hoping to fill my summer with trips around Oregon instead of flying.

  • Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/24/2019 10:19 PM
    Eating vegan for the past few weeks has been a lot easier then expected in part thanks to Portland's wealth of options. I'm hoping to continue trying ....but maintaining the diet through my upcoming visits back home to CT and family gathers will be the true challenge. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1
    How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

    Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/22/2019 9:54 PM
    My biggest impacts to deforestation are coffee and palm oil.

    I'm glad our office buys from a fairly sustainable source in bulk and brews large batches instead of k cups to reduce coffee's impact.

    Palm oil has been hard to avoid because it sneaks it's way into so many different products. I've been trying though.
  • 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?

    Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/22/2019 9:40 PM
    Fast food. I grew up eating fast food because it's cheap and readily available everywhere. Fast food tends to be meat centric. 

    What DOES this say about north American values and ways of living? 

  • Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/10/2019 9:40 PM
    So far so good on the vegan meals challenge, but could I get some suggestions for good vegan lunch options near our Porland Office?

    • Meghan Jones's avatar
      Meghan Jones 4/11/2019 11:06 AM
      That is awesome, Ben! Veggie Grill, Kure, and Laughing Planet have good vegan options. There are also some delicious options at Picnic House and Addy's Sandwich Bar that I think are vegan, but I haven't verified. Let me know if you find anything great!

  • Ben Hosley's avatar
    Ben Hosley 4/03/2019 8:56 AM
    Follow the link to learn about concrete alternatives using mushrooms! Cool 5-10 min read.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.interestingengineering.com/future-construction-mushroom-buildings