April 3 - April 24, 2019

Eric Steinhofer

"My mission is to connect sustainability to revenue and demonstrate to my fellow community members that there are solutions that are available to reverse global warming. All we need to do is implement the solutions outlined in Drawdown, https://www.drawdown.org/."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
858 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

32

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

405

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted

Eric's actions

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

Action Track: Social Justice

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

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

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 120 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 180 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

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
Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions

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

Eric Steinhofer 4/24/2019 6:31 PM

I was only able to spend 15 minutes researching this solution. Where I live in Marin County,CA 52% of carbon emissions are generated by gasoline fueled vehicle traffic. By riding a bicycle for errands and to get to work you are having a direct positive impact and helping to reverse global warming.

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?

Eric Steinhofer 4/24/2019 6:26 PM

I was only able spend 15 minutes researching this topic. If my average cost of electricity is 20 cents per kwh and my electric vehicle has a 2kw battery then I'll pay 40 cents per hour to charge my EV on a level 1 or level 2 charging station at my home.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?

Eric Steinhofer 4/18/2019 10:05 PM

I'm noting here I spent ten minutes researching this action. According to ITF.org use by date is meant for buyers of product, sell by date is meant for sellers and best by date is meant for buyers that want to maximize the quality of their purchase.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Eric Steinhofer 4/17/2019 9:22 PM

Indigenous land practice is about stewardship. They see themselves as the caretakers of the land. In fact they'd likely say that the the land owns them. Here are great videos that encapsulate these concepts.

Indigenous land practice
https://www.ted.com/talks/tara_houska_the_standing_rock_resistance_and_our_fight_for_indigenous_rights/transcript

https://ed.ted.com/featured/WTIAZz8A

Read More
Eric Steinhofer 4/16/2019 8:49 PM

In honor of Earth Day this month, participate with your family in the Drawdown Ecochallenge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Test Drive an Electric Bike

Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Private vehicles account for 60% of trips of a mile or less. Do you often drive short distances instead of biking or walking? If so, how might incorporating an electric bike into your lifestyle help you make more climate-friendly choices?

Eric Steinhofer 4/16/2019 8:44 PM

I've registered my family to test drive electric bicycles on May 4th at New Wheel bikes in Larkspur, CA https://www.eventbrite.com/e/super-bicycle-festival-2019-tickets-58593715380?utm_content=Celebrate+With+Us+At+Super+Bicycle&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Super+Bicycle+2019+Announcement+1+-+Resend+to+Unopens

Riding an electric bike is a great alternactive to driving a car.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Eric Steinhofer 4/16/2019 8:29 PM

Silvopasture is biodynamic farming that includes trees for shading and I'm noticing more of this type of farming in Marin and Sonoma counties.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your zipcode, and in your state. What steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?

Eric Steinhofer 4/16/2019 8:26 PM

It's easy to go 100% renewable local energy inMarin County California, you just need to sign up with Marin Clean Energy.

Read More
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?

Eric Steinhofer 4/08/2019 8:59 PM

I'm eating one meal each day with meat, I'm feeling great thanks to all the leafy green vegetables and fruits.

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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?

Eric Steinhofer 4/08/2019 8:57 PM

It's easy to manage portions, try using a smaller plate when eating.

Read More