EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Sue Taylor

Team Prog

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,131 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

176

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

20

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

16

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

280

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

280

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2,375

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Sue's 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

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

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

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 50 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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

#8 Solar Farms

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 35 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 24.49 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

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
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 5:04 PM

Before every purchase, consider carefully if buying new is the best practice. Using sites such as Craigslist to purchase like new items helps reuse items, reduce landfill use, and repurpose items for new owners' purposes. Piece of cake...already doing it!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 4:56 PM

Fix running toilets, run dishwasher only with full loads, take quick showers are easy, low-cost ways to reduce water usage at home.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Toilet Bank

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

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 4:53 PM

Install a toilet bank, collect rainwater (we have had way too much this April), divert rainwater from down spouts to planting areas.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Public Transit

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 4:50 PM

Long commutes in stop-and-go traffic to and from work over the years has made me appreciate having access to reliable public transportation. Also, I really enjoy the time on the commute home that not driving allows me to distress. Having my employer subsidize a large portion of the annual bus pass is a definite bonus!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 3:45 PM

Rainwater runoff reduction, building wetscapes to capture rain water, and utilizing rain barrels would be beneficial to improving the sustainable water future in my region.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 3:41 PM

Vinyl siding and steel framing have high carbon footprints. Avoiding the use of these materials and using lower carbon footprint materials such as wood products are ways to reduce carbon emissions. Information can be located at sites such as http://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/15NC01-BOWYER-Carbon-implications-of-Material-Selection-WSF-160323.pdf .
.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Choose Better Wood Products

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?

Sue Taylor 4/23/2019 3:18 PM

Beauty, fresh air, hiking opportunities, camping are a few of the benefits of forests I enjoy.

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?

Sue Taylor 4/22/2019 6:28 AM

Washing vehicles with oil residue runoff adversely affects the watershed. Rain water from the gutters adds chemicals from yards. I am constructing dry creeks from my gutters to channel runoff toward my plants, reducing runoff and reducing my water consumption at the same time.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Sue Taylor 4/22/2019 6:23 AM

My current diet contributes to deforestation because I have come to enjoy certain foods year-round rather than just when they are in season where I live. I can consciously grow and purchase fruits and vegetables that are in season.

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?

Sue Taylor 4/22/2019 6:20 AM

Buying from local food sources helps reduce carbon emissions created by insourcing food from distant locations. As a former small business owner, I also try to support local farmers who make their living growing organic, fresh food for my table.

Read More