Skip to main content
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Rachel Wrublik's avatar

Rachel Wrublik

PAE Engineers

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,392 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    2.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    1.0
    donation
    made
  • UP TO
    200
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.0
    person
    helped
  • UP TO
    19
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Rachel's actions

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Connect With A Nonprofit

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on womens' or girls' issues in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 1 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Donate

#21 Clean Cookstoves

I will donate to nonprofits that install clean cookstoves in low-income countries.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 5 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 5 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 2 friends, family and/or colleagues.

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
    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?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/24/2019 11:06 PM
    I think we have to work together to create awareness and push for market change.  However, most issues are complex with multiple perspectives vying for priority.  This makes our job extremely challenging.... As for what is overwhelming - 1) plastics 2) food 3) water.  As for what makes me hopeful 1) Seeing companies change their methodology or product offering as the result of people voicing their concerns/support.   
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Give a Microloan
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. Why do you think that is?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/24/2019 10:46 PM
    Given that the women shoulder more of the responsibility of caring for their families, they may also be more likely to spend more of their earnings on their family.... This is a difficult question, and I don't want to spout uneducated gender bias.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Connect With A Nonprofit
    What are the most pressing issues for women and girls in your community?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/24/2019 6:53 PM
    Girls do not get the same access and encouragement to STEM fields as boys. There are a number of non profits that are trying to remedy this.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions
    What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/24/2019 6:36 PM
    Portland has plans to have an all electric bus fleet in 20 years! There are several pilot buses already purchased.

  • Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/24/2019 7:00 AM
    Final day of the challenge.  Go team!!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Zero-waste Cooking
    How are environmental issues like black carbon and other emissions from cooking fires or rudimentary cookstoves also human health and social justice issues? Why do these issues matter to you?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/23/2019 6:41 PM
    There are serious respiratory health poblems associated with rudimentary cookstoves,coal and wood fired heating, and keresone light. Tackling this problem with cleaner alternatives not only would help reduce climate change but also improve the health of millions of people. 
    https://www.who.int/sustainable-development/housing/health-risks/household-air-pollution/en/
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy
    What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/23/2019 6:28 PM
    I was surprised by the longevity of these systems. One of the first installations was in 1966 and is still in operation!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters
    What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/23/2019 6:25 PM
    It would be a community that fosters biodiversity, utilizes resources with closed loop or regenerative cycles, and evaluates new opprtunities and technology from holistic perspectives.
  • 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?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/23/2019 7:00 AM
    Metal and plastics probably both have large carbon footprints. Metal extraction is often associated with ecological harm and disruption and metal processing is very energy intensive. Plastics are made from fossil fuels and their production has been steadily climbing.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More about Micro Wind
    Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?

    Rachel Wrublik's avatar
    Rachel Wrublik 4/23/2019 6:52 AM
    Micro turbines along the Columbia might make sense. Overall, Portland is not a very windy city and the cost of turbines is still quite high