EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Chelsea Thomas

Moseley Architects

"My mission is to develop lasting (good) habits and learn a thing or two."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
681 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

26

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

165

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning

Chelsea's actions

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

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

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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 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?

Chelsea Thomas 4/24/2019 9:39 AM

We have a very important water body to protect. Growing up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, I've seen vast improvements over the years, but there's more work to be done. This and every year, I will only be using organic fertilizers in my garden and no pesticides. I'm also going to try using newspaper as a weed barrier instead of plastics or other non-biodegradable products.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Chelsea Thomas 4/22/2019 1:32 PM

Okay, so I didn't do an online energy audit but I did schedule an actual energy audit and I'm really looking forward to following the auditor around my house and asking him 1000 questions.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Chelsea Thomas 4/22/2019 1:29 PM

After many years of walking to the Southside marketplace for coffee, lunch and errands, I'm still blown away by how anyone thought that suburban, pedestrian-ignoring design was a good idea in the heart of an urban neighborhood. On the other hand, I'm glad the Anthem projects included upgraded hardscape materials and outdoor patios that improve the surrounding area.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

Chelsea Thomas 4/18/2019 10:25 AM

I'm scheduling a home energy audit through the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program. It's 100 bucks and there are lots of rebates available if you decide to install energy saving measures. It's basically the same thing we do on our affordable housing projects. https://bgesmartenergy.com/residential/home-performance-energy-star
I'm hoping to lower my utility bills and make my home more comfortable!

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?

Chelsea Thomas 4/18/2019 10:13 AM

Concrete is an amazing building material (Hello, Pantheon!) but I never realized it had such a large carbon footprint. As an architect, I think this problem is especially important to be aware of, and I will pay more attention when writing specifications in the future.

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?

Chelsea Thomas 4/18/2019 10:00 AM

I had never heard of silvopasture before the ecochallenge, but I found it incredibly interesting to research. I also learned about agroforestry and specifically shade-grown coffee, which I will now look for in stores. Maybe even get the office to purchase it wholesale?? https://shop.arborday.org/coffee/coffee-wholesale.aspx

Read More
Chelsea Thomas 4/10/2019 1:40 PM

Today I didn't complete either of my daily challenges. One was to take a walk, the other was to have two meatless meals. I usually do both by lunchtime. I'm not at all surprised that I feel gross right now. Back on track tomorrow!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Chelsea Thomas 4/06/2019 12:52 PM

I'd like to spend less time buying things and more time making things! I cancelled 4 catalogs through www.catalogchoice.org today; it was easy and satisfying.

Read More
Chelsea Thomas 4/05/2019 10:40 AM

Had a delicious warm butternut squash salad from Baba's today. Getting a walk in on this chilly day is going to be more of a challenge.

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?

Chelsea Thomas 4/03/2019 6:35 AM

Here's an interesting article about why Americans eat so much meat: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/06/26/155720538/the-making-of-meat-eating-america

Read More