EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Tara Stephens

DrawdownTO

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
401 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

0.0

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

5.8

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning

Tara's actions

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 15 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

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

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 90 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 60 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 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

UNCOMPLETED
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 Install a Toilet Bank

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Tara Stephens 4/24/2019 3:44 PM

This was a great action as I have been meaning to do this for years and finally have!

I have a friend who runs a rainwater harvesting company and have contacted her to install a rainwater collection system to water my garden. Hopefully this can happen this summer! I REALLY think rainwater harvesting is a great opportunity, it is too bad there are so many bylaws about it in the city :(

I attended a workshop by Brad Lancaster a couple of years ago here in Calgary. I really like his books and what he is working on. Here is a link to his webpage!
https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/store/

There is so much great information and creative ideas out there about rainwater harvesting. I really like the idea of creating mulch basins using curb cuts to divert water from the street to water public right of ways like boulevards. This idea was started in Portland Oregon and I learned about this over 5 years ago and think it is brilliant but don't have a boulevard (poor excuse though!).

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?

Tara Stephens 4/20/2019 8:11 PM

Yes, I have been aware of silvopasture for several years now and know a few people who practice it. I am very happy that this is one of the options to learn more about in Drawdown as I think people are often given the impression that raising cattle/livestock is bad for the planet but I suspect that this is based on large scale conventional factory farming approaches to raising livestock. Integrating livestock into food production systems (regenerative agriculture/silvopasture) is not a new idea and is recognized as an important element of our food production systems moving forward.

A great book to learn more about silvopasture by Steve Gabriel is:
Silvopasture: A guide to managing grazing animals, forage crops and trees in a temperate farm ecosystem.

Here is his summary of the 6 key elements of Silvopasture:

1. Silvopasture can be established in existing woodlands, or trees can be brought into pasture.
2. Animals are matched to land type and successional stage.
3. Animals are always on a rotation.
4. Trees should match the soil type and microclimate and have multiple functions.
5. Forage and fodder should be diverse and support a resilient food supply for animals.
6. The system is ideally optimized to stack inputs and outputs in both space and time.

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?

Tara Stephens 4/20/2019 7:52 PM

SOIL HEALTH! Soil is an incredibly important and degraded living system.
Here is an infographic from the Rodale Institute. It gives a good overview of their approach to regenerative agriculture :)

Read More
- Tara Stephens 4/20/2019 8:15 PM
  
  Definitely! :)
  
  Here is a link to a good intro article in the Canadian Organic Grower on regenerative agriculture!
  
  http://magazine.cog.ca/article/what-is-regenerative-agriculture/
  
  Read More
- Anne-Louise Blue 4/20/2019 8:08 PM
  
  I'm looking forward to improving our soil health with mycelium. Please sign me up for your first TO course!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?

Tara Stephens 4/07/2019 11:47 AM

I find building resilient communities that are empowered to grow some of their own nutrient dense food the most inspiring. My first step in getting involved is through mushrooms! I am teaching a course next week-end on how to grow edible mushrooms at home. A good source of protein and vitamin D!

Read More
- Andrea Stephens 4/08/2019 9:15 AM
  
  Yes, Tara-totter I will organize thecparticipants!!! You just have to get the mycelium that will travel & fruit in TO!
  Let's plan & put it on the calendar!!! (;
  
  Read More
- Tara Stephens 4/07/2019 3:59 PM
  
  Although I am from Toronto and thus part of DrawndownTO I currently live in Calgary so the course is in Calgary. I come home to TO every Christmas so perhaps I will organize a presentation when I am home this December :)
  
  Read More
- Anne-Louise Blue 4/07/2019 12:09 PM
  
  Sounds interesting! Where will the course be held?
  
  Read More