EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Rebecca Matsumoto

Washington County Oregon Ecochallenge

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,152 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

289

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

34

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

20

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

113

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

5.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Rebecca's actions

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 2 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 2.54 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 10
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

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 31 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 4 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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
Land Use Buy Bamboo

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

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/24/2019 5:49 PM

Organic cotton. I've seen bamboo toothbrushes, bowls and cutting boards but I don't know the full range of bamboo products.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Launch a Recycling Program

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/23/2019 7:10 PM

This is an excellent question, one I'm not sure I know the answer to. The climate action group, 350, is committed to systemic change and I try to support what they do. Rather than just, say, biking to work themselves, they try to advocate for infrastructure that makes biking a more attractive option themselves. For instance, they helped pass the Portland Clean Energy Act and are working for the Clean Energy Jobs bill. I am in the very beginning stages of trying to connect with our civic leaders about the climate crisis. From this challenge, I see that very few people opted to contact elected leaders and I have heard them say on several occasions "The feedback we are getting from the community shows..." So lets give them some feedback!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/17/2019 12:04 PM

4 minute showers! You can also put a bucket in your shower to catch water as it warms up and use that to water plants. In droughts, people don't flush every time unless they had a number 2. If this is too radical, even just one person in the household flushing 3 fewer times a day would make a significant difference. "If its yellow let it mellow." Oregon was in drought through the winter, and it has been affecting crops and livestock. Just put the lid down. Its your own toilet, who's to judge? Its no different from having a garbage can under your sink and waiting to empty it until you need to. It doesn't make it any harder to clean and it isn't a health hazard.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Communicate With My Elected Officials

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 1:27 PM

The kids and the forest fires. I've lived in this state for 38 years and I know what is normal weather. When I realized that the forest fires that were sending toxic smoke into our town were not a one-time thing, I started to do some digging and learned that climate change is here and its huge. As one WWF director was quoted as saying, "Nature isn't just nice to have. We need it for our survival." Water supplies, food supplies, being able to be outside without freezing, overheating or choking on smoke, and the increased spread of diseases are all impacted by climate change. Renewable energy and how and what we eat have a monumental effect on carbon emissions. Increasing renewable potential in our state is one of the best things I can do to lessen climate change.

Read More
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?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 11:45 AM

Wow. Palm oil is just the beginning. Lots of tropical crops, if the forest is cut down to clear land, destroy the rainforest. Shade-grown for coffee and other things usually means grown within the forest. The Rainforest Action Network evaluates companies and puts a little tree frog symbol on those things that don't destroy the rain forest. Happily, I was able to identify things I can enjoy without contributing to the burning of forests. The crispy kind (only) of Pepperidge Farms cookies and some MI-DEL cookies are grown without Palm Oil, otherwise I can bake my own. For chocolate, Chocolove, Dagoba, Newman's own, and Seattle Chocolates among others are rainforest friendly. I know these brands and I am overjoyed to be able to eat chocolate in good conscience.

Read More
- Rebecca Matsumoto 4/15/2019 12:16 PM
  
  Also, if there is a brand that I love, I will take the responsibility to tell them that if they want my business, they will have to change their practices. Oreo is one example I can think of that had been destroying rainforests to make cookies.
  
  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?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/10/2019 6:01 PM

I think during the westward expansion we didn't have established croplands, so hunting and ranching provided filling nourishment for a population on the move. We got those sorts of meat-centric recipes ingrained in our culture, and having meat started to feel like a mark of satiety and security. Nowadays we are no longer on the move, so our calorie intake is excessive and we use the majority of our food-growing area to feed the cattle rather than ourselves. There are so many more of us and we don't need to eat as much meat as we do, and the carbon emissions from meat production are one of the top 5 contributors to climate change. It's time for a change, a time to grow up and enable our future instead of living in the past.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/08/2019 8:14 PM

Feeling more comfortable in extreme weather- and during power outages! Not having to turn the heat on as high or as often.

Read More
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?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/08/2019 6:06 PM

I would love to have a plug in hybrid! I might also spend it on theater tickets, seeing concert performances and going out with friends. I only save the money if I bring my own takeout container, though! I went out the other night and shared my food (part of the small plate challenge) and brought home a little tidbit of yummy. You'd think if people were open to sharing their food with friends if they are feeling full the world would be...friendlier.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

In what other ways could you help girls overcome health barriers to being able to attend school?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/08/2019 6:03 PM

I think local homeless girls would probably benefit from femme kits, especially if they came in a discrete and washable bag. Preventing teenage pregnancies, of course, would not only keep girls in school but keep global population less insane and hopefully create more prosperity as girls wait until they are more mature and financially stable to raise kids. Mydol, or whatever they give for cramp relief would help too. Not sure what other health barriers are specific to females.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Go by Bike

How does using human-powered transportation make you feel compared to using other methods of transportation?

Rebecca Matsumoto 4/05/2019 8:24 PM

Wet. It was raining hard. It is more exhilerating. I spent all day in front of a computer and then I biked to the library, and I feel healthier than I have all day. When I scooter with my family, we see a lot more of the flowers, birds and squirrels than we would otherwise and we get a chance to greet the other families that are also walking and learn their names and invite them to play. So I guess it is more social, more healthy, and more beautiful.

Read More