Mary Makofske

Sustainable Warwick

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
246 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

6.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Mary's actions

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 5 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
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.

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?

Mary Makofske 4/23/2019 6:13 PM

Just read about the alternatives to cement. Who knew that it was such a problem? I especially like that some of these alternatives use what is considered waste (such as coal ash). That's the kind of innovation we need.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Contact your Elected Officials

Do you have any personal connections to a farm or farmland? If so, what are they? What feelings are evoked for you when thinking about declining farmland?

Mary Makofske 4/06/2019 4:20 PM

I live in Warwick, NY, where the biggest industry is farming. We have the beautiful black dirt area as well as upland farms. Warwick has preserved from development more than 4,000 acres of farmland. I love this area, love driving past the farms in all seasons. I buy lots of local produce, even though we grow a great deal of our own food. We've come to know some of the farmers, such hardworking people struggling to make a go of it. I'm hoping farming continues here for a long time, and I am incredibly sad when I see small farmers losing their land, or just giving up when it's so difficult to compete with Big Ag.

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Mary Makofske 4/06/2019 4:16 PM

Hi, Kelly, the video is right here on Drawdownecochallenge! Look under avoiding food waste and click on the clip. Also, just saw an article in the Warwick Advertiser about how to use whey from drained yogurt rather than throwing it away. No whey away!

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Mary Makofske 4/05/2019 11:58 AM

I always thought I minimized food waste (well, there is the occasional mossy pepper in the back of the fridge), and we do compost scraps and leavings. But I just watched the video of the chef showing how to use fennel tops and stems, beet stems, and radish leaves, and I was amazed. Now I want to try some of those recipes and see how else I can use foods that I used to toss in the compost bin. One caution--do NOT eat rhubarb leaves, though they look like other greens. They are poisonous! I'd suggest going online to find more no-waste recipes. Some must be there!

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- Kelly Collins 4/06/2019 5:32 AM
  
  Mary! Thanks for sharing your insights. I’ve heard of ways to take your extra cuttings of vegetables and put them in a freezer bag to later use for making vegetable stock. This sounds like there are more things we can do. Can you share the video name and or link? I’d love to learn more!
  
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Mary Makofske 3/26/2019 7:27 AM

We've already done so much to save energy, grow our own food, and not buy too much. We own a hybrid car and an electric car (that one run on solar panels). But Drawdown is giving us extra incentive to do even more. We will be checking out heat pumps to see if we can buy these for heating and air conditioning without fossil fuels. This is a great program!

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- Lois Karlin 4/03/2019 9:41 AM
  
  I don't know anyone who's done more than Bill and Mary in this regard. They're an inspiration. We're also looking into heat pumps for heating and AC.
  
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- Kelly Collins 4/02/2019 6:42 PM
  
  I’m so glad this meets you where your at in your Drawdown journey and offers you more to tackle. I’m also really glad to have you and Bill as resources for the items you’ve already done!
  
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