EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Brianne Smith

Georgia Southern University

""In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks" - John Muir"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,263 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

160

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

247

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Brianne's actions

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

Through social media, I will raise awareness about gender inequity in education by sharing the information found in the links below.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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?

Brianne Smith 4/24/2019 12:54 PM

All in all, I produced less than 10 lbs of food waste during this challenge. This is pretty normal for me. I stopped wasting food when I was a broke college/grad student & realized how important "waste not, want not" was. Most of the waste was from meal prep, so inedible rinds, egg shells, and/or coffee grounds. All of this can go in a compost pile.

As for the social media campaign..... It was disheartening at how few people cared about the subject. I changed tactics toward the end and started sharing stories about women currently fighting climate change (I know, a bit outside the parameters of the social justice campaign I was supposed to be doing). People responded a lot more positively to this. I got more feedback and people were more interested in the stories. So my take-away message: people care about gender inequity in climate change when women are acting like superheroes solving the problem. But when it comes to treating women as equals, globally, to help combat climate change, people would rather not think about it. We have a long way to go.

Read More
Brianne Smith 4/22/2019 6:14 PM

It's becoming harder and harder to post about gender inequality daily. Its not the lack of information out there - its the subject that is disheartening. All of the articles say the same thing, give the same statistics, repeat the same warnings, & it falls on deaf ears. Posting on social media about it, where it receives ZERO responses, illustrates the lack of caring and understanding about this subject.

Read More
Brianne Smith 4/20/2019 8:21 PM

Holiday weekend. That means family events & food. It also means I saw food wasted in so many different ways. I kept my waste to a minimum, but after seeing what my big family produced, & knowing there are thousands of families out there also having events this weekend, I would imagine a large amount of food is going to waste.

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?

Brianne Smith 4/16/2019 3:07 PM

For months now I have been advocating to Crayola to extend their ColorCycle program to colleges/universities because of how many markers/dry erase markers/highlighters are used on campus. Understandably, Crayola only allows K-12 institutions to participate. So I have made pleas on social media for my K-12 teacher friends to enroll. Nothing. I started calling elementary schools encouraging them to enroll. Today, I heard back from an elementary school in my hometown that enrolled in the ColorCycle program after I contacted them and agreed to partner with me to allow me to bring markers/highlighters collected in my department that they will send with their markers to ColorCycle. Recycling in my department just went a step further than the basic bins and an elementary school is now keeping plastic out of landfills!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:54 PM

I don't take that many flights per year. This action just kind of came up unexpectedly. When I was selecting actions for this challenge, I had seen that one and passed it by because I don't take that many flights. However, my best friend, who lives in Oklahoma, and I were planning a trip this summer and it requires a plane ride. I found CoolEffect.org which allows you to purchase an offset at what I thought was a more than reasonable price. Interesting side note: Cool Effect also allows you to purchase offsets for your yearly carbon usage. 90% of the proceeds go directly towards a green project. Win-win!

Read More
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?

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:34 PM

Convenience is the biggest influence for my choice of transportation. Driving happens to be the most convenient mode of transportation for me, even in long distances. I drive all over the southeastern U.S. Its really only when I travel across the country that I choose an airplane. Unfortunately, most of the places I travel are rural areas so buses and trains are not options. Driving is just more convenient.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:25 PM

Money. Money is always a motivator. With as much driving as I do, a more fuel-efficient vehicle could only save me money.

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?

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:17 PM

There are a lot of places I could spend $1500. And because there are a lot of places that need my $1500, I try to make it a practice to not have food wasted in my household.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Buy Bamboo

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

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:15 PM

Most bamboo alternatives are not readily available in my community. Unfortunately, a lot of the household alternatives have to be ordered, which means packaging and shipping. Fortunately, the companies I've purchased bamboo products from are trying to responsibly pack and ship products, so the packaging is minimal (carbon from shipping is still pretty high).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Start a Social Media Campaign

How are people responding to the statistics you're sharing on social media?

Brianne Smith 4/15/2019 4:13 PM

Honestly, no one on my social media seems to care about the information I put out there. Thats not surprising, but it is disappointing and a reflection of why a social media campaign of this nature is necessary in the first place.

Read More