Patricia McIntyre

Abt Associates Cambridge

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
423 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

3.0

donations

made
UP TO

125

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2.0

people

helped
UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Patricia's 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 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 2 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Donate

#21 Clean Cookstoves

I will donate to nonprofits that install clean cookstoves in low-income countries.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 0
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?

Patricia McIntyre 4/24/2019 9:15 AM

There are many Drive Electric for Earth Day events, including one in Winchester (Laraway Parking lot, Town Green) and Concord (The Old Manse, 269 Monument St) happening this weekend. Here is the website to search for locations: https://driveelectricearthday.org/events.php
I'd like to check it out.

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Patricia McIntyre 4/24/2019 9:09 AM

I donated to the Clean Cooking Alliance - PSA by Julie Roberts! https://drawdown.ecochallenge.org/dashboards

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Patricia McIntyre 4/20/2019 9:58 AM

Beth Terry has a blog called www.myplasticfreelife.com which is helpful. This is a Ted talk she gave a few years ago that I really like: https://youtu.be/3JXWRVrFiKs

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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?

Patricia McIntyre 4/20/2019 9:56 AM

I try not to use plastic utensils though sometimes when you order takeout online you do not realize that they will give it to you anyway. I'm trying to remember to recycle my plastic vegetable bags and bring them to the grocery store with me. I do buy single use yogurt so am trying to buy larger containers to reduce the impact.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Patricia McIntyre 4/19/2019 7:13 PM

I know that I don't have to throw food away that has gone past the "best by" dates, thereby reducing waste.

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Patricia McIntyre 4/18/2019 7:32 AM

This is super hard. It's one thing to try to bring your water bottle with you and to buy powdered detergent instead of liquid in plastic jugs, but plastic is everywhere and it can be exhausting. I was away for a couple of days and thought it was great that I refused the plastic bag at the deli where I was getting lunch (I had brought my own) only to realize that they put our sandwiches in a plastic clamshell in addition to wrapping the sandwiches in paper - arrggh! I'm taking a tally of the things that we currently buy that come in plastic containers and researching alternatives. I sent away for a container of Bites, toothpaste tablets that come in glass jar and are refillable with a subscription but it tastes pretty bad and doesn't contain fluoride. So, it's a journey!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Patricia McIntyre 4/09/2019 8:29 AM

Experiences! Travel! Time spent with friends and family! The "stuff" battle can be hard - I need to constantly remind myself that the first "R" is "Reduce". If I don't buy it in the first place, I won't need to Reuse or Recycle it.

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Patricia McIntyre 4/09/2019 8:22 AM

I get so much much junk mail. Most times I just recycle it, but when I have more time, like on a Saturday, I will call the various catalogues that I receive and ask to be removed from their mailing list. I do have to stay on top of this - I've asked many vendors to remove me from their lists, but discover that the mail will stop for awhile then start again. I'm going to start a spreadsheet to track who I called and when. When I signed up to get my homeowners policy emailed instead of mailed, I realized that I could save 3% on my policy by making the switch.

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- Cristina Sciuto 4/09/2019 10:05 AM
  
  Wow! That is really impressive and awesome, Patty! I'll have to try that too.
  
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