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April 3 - April 24, 2019
John McComb's avatar

John McComb

NAAEE

"Take care of myself, my friends and the earth"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 556 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    4.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    63
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    5.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

John's 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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 1 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 1 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 1 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY 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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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
    Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants
    How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

    John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/24/2019 9:11 PM
    I am worried, but it is not despair. I have been involved in lobbying on environmental issues forever with some success. The U.S. position is deeply diaappointing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit
    What are your next steps for saving energy?

    John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/24/2019 9:09 PM
    Big items that on all the time include my refrigerator (363 KWh/year), my computer (531 KWh/year). The next biggest items which are ones less often on are the TV (assume 3 hours/day = 100 KWh/year], After that lighting maybe another 70 KWh/year.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

    John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/22/2019 10:26 AM
    Does my daily Starbucks qualify? I bring my personal cup which has its own straw which I have been using for months.

    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/22/2019 2:46 PM
      OK, I finally got to a place where I can see the question.  I"d say you're pretty "green" - no single-use coffee cups, straws, ...etc. Congrats.

    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/22/2019 10:55 AM
      I'd say it's a re-useable cup, but don't know what the question is.

  • John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/22/2019 10:24 AM
    Cold cereal, banana, organge juice. Does this quality

    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/22/2019 2:51 PM
      I think you're going for zero-waste -- but the cereal box+bag and any other packaging that you cannot recycle end up as waste. Since I started composting all compostable kitchen waste, I've found that I end up with a surprising amount of packaging materials (kinds of plastic) in my trash -- that I cannot recycle.  It's the kind of stuff that still needs to go to the landfill.

    • Karen Hollweg's avatar
      Karen Hollweg 4/22/2019 10:54 AM
      Qualify for what? … a good breakfast?  It's also meatless, but not locally-sourced (the banana, cereal and OJ had to travel a ways) or vegan (I assume you had milk on your cereal). 

  • John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/21/2019 8:00 AM
    So far no waste since I started this yesterday

  • John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/21/2019 7:59 AM
    So far no waste in since I started tis yesterday.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions
    What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

    John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/21/2019 7:59 AM
    While it seems not likely to become reality, the Musk DC-Baltimore Loop tunnel is interesting because it has got as far as an environmental assessment. It will transport people between DC and Baltimore in about 10-15 minutes in autonomous electric vehicles.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail
    What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety. What would need to change for you to regularly choose more climate-friendly options?

    John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/21/2019 7:55 AM
    My choice of bicycling includes health, and greater awareness of my natural surroundings. I cross the Potomac River twice a day and it is always interesting - flood stage, ice, kayakers, tide in and out. I think I have already chosen a climate-friendly option.

  • John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/20/2019 5:58 AM
    The recent stories about Musk tunnel proposal between DC and Baltimore are interesting.

  • John McComb's avatar
    John McComb 4/20/2019 5:57 AM
    Since my primary transportation is a bike and I don't own a car - am looking for ways to make biking easier and safer. One example is bicycle parking at work.