Sid McCausland

Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
534 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

28

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

180

minutes

spent learning

Sid's actions

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 14
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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

Sid McCausland 4/21/2019 6:12 PM

Never had heard of Type C Fly Ash before, it will be interesting to see the results of the durability test...but then the Parthenon...
Plastic components in everything, plastic bags, plastic packaging, detergents, synthetics...so many everyday products come out of processes that leave a carbon footprint of significant magnitude considering the life cycle of the typical product.
Google is my friend when I get ready to find out more.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Explore Other Food Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Sid McCausland 4/17/2019 6:23 PM

We are destroying native species and biodiversity so that we can devote ever more land to the production of meat that is now being consumed by an ever increasing percentage of the World's population, which is contrary to all sustainable ecological principles

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Sid McCausland 4/10/2019 4:06 PM

Prior to World War II most cities and towns were walkable and many had successful public transit systems. The post-war boom led to the development housing miles away from business districts and jobs, virtually necessitating vehicle ownership. Recent efforts to integrate housing, shopping and employment opportunities within rejuvenated urban cores has great appeal to generations that would love to be part of a walkable community.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Sid McCausland 4/07/2019 10:20 PM

Walking to Home Depot, instead of driving, let me explore streets and observe homes, yard art, nature and signs of Spring that I totally miss when driving. Even greeted a few strangers in the neighborhood with whom I would never ordinarily notice.
Went to Home Depot to pick up tire pump so I can start riding my bike tomorrow to 90% of my activities.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Sid McCausland 4/03/2019 8:55 PM

I have always tended to buy new things if they were readily available. Now it feels good (almost righteous) to take the time to search for used versions of what I need, on Craig's list, eBay, et al. My waste footprint is already very small. It will be fun to see how much farther I can take it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Sid McCausland 4/03/2019 8:50 PM

My BMI and health would be enhanced by taking time to enjoy my smaller portions and appreciating the feeling of being full, rather than always rushing to empty the contents of my overloaded large plate.

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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?

Sid McCausland 4/03/2019 8:48 PM

I would prefer to donate this money to programs fighting hunger in the third world.

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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?

Sid McCausland 4/03/2019 8:47 PM

Marketing! Our consumption based economy values profit over sustainable nutritional offerings.

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