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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

EcoChallenge.org
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Cal Trumann's avatar

Cal Trumann

SunCommon RBK

"Climate justice for all!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,479 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    3.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    230
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    465
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    16
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Cal's actions

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 3 friends, family and/or colleagues.

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

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

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

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

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

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

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

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?

  • Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 8:26 PM
    Nice work, everybody! Thanks for making this EcoChallenge so interesting!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Learn about Temperate Forests
    As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 12:03 PM
    I've been doing this since I was a kid so mostly the new science is just more information. We all do our best to the best of our abilities, and different people's bests look different on different days. I think wealth stratification is one of the greatest unaddressed exacerbating factors of climate change, and right now a lot of my hope comes in the form of fighting poverty and racial, gender, and climate injustice.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions
    What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 10:15 AM
    I'm really interested in ebikes, and in changing the culture around flying. How do we address the climate impacts of transportation without also addressing the income inequality that leads to the rich contributing disproportionately to those impacts? I don't think we can. Lots to think about.
    Read More
  • Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 9:58 AM
    Indigenous land practices YouTube playlist (favorites in bold):
    Hope others can learn something too!

    (As a child I lived by the Micmac reservation in northern Maine, and the Saskatchewan Muskoday Co-op video reminded me a lot of that agricultural community. Really good to see hopeful stories like that one.)
    Read More
    • Cal Trumann's avatar
      Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 11:43 AM
      The playlist in total takes about an hour to go through and is really interesting and enjoyable, imo.
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Learn about Local Indigenous Practices
    What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 8:58 AM
    First off: I was unable to find an appropriate in-person workshop during the timeframe of the EcoChallenge, but indigenous agricultural and land-keeping techniques are a personal interest of mine and I intend to continue looking into it. Instead I put together a playlist of videos on the subject, which ran more like an hour and a half, rather than the 30 minutes required for this challenge. (I will post that playlist separately.)

    I am going to use some of the irrigation techniques I learned about, as well as trying some of the native seed varieties available in my bioregion! My mom and I buy from Fedco Seed Co-op and they have certain varieties raised and distributed by indigenous farmers in Maine, so I will look into growing some of those foods in the future. Good challenge!
    Read More
  • Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 8:45 AM
    Going back to the bioplastics thing, cuz that kinda messed with me, here's just some info from Wikipedia:

    // The expense and time requirements of researching and testing new bio-based and biodegradable polymers have placed bioplastics at a commercial disadvantage compared to petrochemical-based plastics. Bioplastics remain less than one percent of all plastics manufactured worldwide, and until very recently have been an average of 2-4 times more expensive to manufacture than petrochemical plastics. Most bioplastics do not yet save more carbon emissions than are required to manufacture them. In addition to the cost of research, bioplastics lack the versatility of application that petrochemical plastics possess, with many conventional plastics having no bio-based equivalent that can match their quality. Finally, the industry faces logistical problems with both material sources and waste disposal infrastructure. As most bioplastics are produced from plant sugars, starches, or oils, it is estimated that replacing 250 million tons of the plastic manufactured each year with bio-based plastics would require 100 million hectares of land, or 7 percent of the arable land on Earth. And when bioplastics reach the end of their life cycle, those designed to be compostable and marketed as biodegradable are often sent to landfills due to the lack of proper composting facilities or waste sorting, where they then release methane as they break down anaerobically. Despite this, the bioplastics industry has grown by 20-30% a year. //
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic#Industry_and_markets

    Bolded emphasis mine. This seems like a solution that is not actually a solution at all.
    Read More
    • Cal Trumann's avatar
      Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 11:37 AM
      Yup, I did read the bioplastics bit in the Drawdown book and on the website, as well as the linked page from UrthPact. Thank you though.
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/24/2019 8:22 AM
    Rather than answer the prompt, I'm gonna say, I did this challenge and there is NO CONCLUSIVE ANSWER on how/where to dispose of bioplastics in Ulster County. The compostable kinds can go through UCRRA to their commercial composting facility, but other than that there are no guidelines. Which is weird, because this is officially the most ecologically forward-thinking county in the state, and NY in general is a pretty with-it state environmentally. Seems like we are making things more complicated for ourselves without a good plan for how to close these loops, which is troubling.
    Read More
  • Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/22/2019 2:54 PM
    I wanted to do the challenge of test-riding an electric bike, but I couldn't find anyplace to do that locally! Bummer...
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Explore Other Food Solutions
    What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/22/2019 11:23 AM
    I read a cool article about biochar in Stockholm that really made me think about the way that problems become opportunities if you look from a systems approach rather than symptomatically. I've been doing a lot of reading during this challenge (and while preparing Drawdown talks as well), but that particular article was a recent read and very interesting.
    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?
    Cal Trumann's avatar
    Cal Trumann 4/22/2019 11:10 AM
    Regenerative agriculture respects all parts of the growing cycle: the literal earth, the microbiome, the fungi and bacteria, the dead matter that feeds new life, the plants that grow and are tended and then harvested, the animals and insects that interact with the cultivated land, and the people who work that land, tend those plants, and ultimately consume the food grown. It sequesters atmospheric carbon in the land to buy back time that wasteful burning of fossil fuels has taken from future generations. It maintains the integrity of existing freshwater systems, which are largely threatened by changing precipitation and temperature patterns. It shifts an anthropocentric world view of the world providing for us, and refocuses on a lighter-footed interaction with the living planet we inhabit.
    Read More