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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

EcoChallenge.org
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Caroline Sherman's avatar

Caroline Sherman

Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 517 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    9.0
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    4.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    33
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    4.0
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    8.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Caroline's actions

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 3 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY 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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or implementing some other small improvement.

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

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

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 15 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Restore Wetlands

#52 Coastal Wetlands

I will volunteer 4 hours with a wetland restoration project in my region.

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?

  • Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/24/2019 7:17 AM
    The ecochallenge has been really interesting and a great way for me to get links to learn more about issues I care about.  My only regret is that it was short--takes me a long time to develop a new on-line habit!  :-)  Thanks to our team leader!!!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Fix Leaky Faucets
    What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/23/2019 7:56 AM
    In the past I placed a 5 gallon bucket in the floor of the shower with me to catch water and used it to water trees.  I also use the water from the dehumidifer in the summer time to water trees.  
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Improve a Bus Stop
    How can you advocate for transportation systems which minimize environmental impact while also meeting human needs?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/19/2019 4:44 AM
    Push for safe walking and biking trails AND their connectors in my town. 
    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?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/19/2019 4:43 AM
    Food waste dollars have been an eye opener--a shock really.  I would rather give that money to others who need it than literally money throw away in the form of food.  And, I feel doubly bad about this having been raised by someone who grew up in the Depression. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women? Can you share any past experiences that may help others take action?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/19/2019 4:41 AM
    I have had long conversations with others about this issue, and we have concluded that one of the best ways to help is simply by making a commitment to consider women and minority owned businesses as vendors for household services -- I found an electrician and a plumber!
    Read More
  • 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?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/17/2019 7:17 AM
    There is research indicating that Americans eat too quickly too!  One hint is to stop eating when we are 80% full.    Digestion is a very taxing activity for the body.  Smaller plates will help us take in fewer calories.-- even for those of us raised by Great Depression mothers who encouraged us to "clean our plate."
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Go Paperless
    What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/17/2019 6:45 AM
    Time with people and animals I love...
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
    Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/02/2019 7:42 AM
    Fertilizer, insecticides, dog poop, litter, runoff from properties all end up in our water system.  A big shout out to Haw River Assembly for their excellent program teaching NC 4th graders  who live in the watershed for the visual in my head that accompanies my answer.  Paperhand Puppet Intervention created an amazing play to reinforce the interactive learning stations that answer this question.  

    I can stop using chemicals in the yard.  I can pick up litter. 
    Read More
  • 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?
    Caroline Sherman's avatar
    Caroline Sherman 4/02/2019 7:38 AM
    I have eliminated straws, plastic bottles, and  shopping bags.  I can keep a coffee cup in the car, just as I do a water bottle.  For vegetable bags I can recycle or use paper bags. 
    Read More