EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Margarete Freund

Woodstock Day School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
782 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

225

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

60

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

1.0

donation

made

Margarete's actions

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

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 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

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

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will donate to The Nature Conservancy, which works with Indigenous Peoples to secure land tenure and resource rights, support improved governance and local institutions, assist in natural resource mapping, planning and management; and strengthen livelihoods and sustainable economic development.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 10 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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 10 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

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
Women and Girls

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women? Can you share any past experiences that may help others take action?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:20 PM
I believe that by investing in a woman's business opportunity, whether it's in education, growing, or selling, will greatly benefit not only their ability to provide for their families but will positively affect the community and the environment.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:17 PM
I believe in our culture we all have implicit bias when it comes to gender roles, things we are doing to perpetuate gender inequity and we don't even know we're doing it. I would love to see more people (preferably all) acknowledge that they have implicit bias and begin learning ways to combat it themselves in their everyday lives. I think this would greatly increase acknowledgement of women and girls in the community, the roles they play in sustainability, and increase women participation in this movement.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:14 PM
Our ability to provide for human life would be better served if we could support women in their right to choose when they get pregnant (if at all). Contraception is an important need of many as so many pregnancies are unintended.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:12 PM
I learned about how much land, especially in the northeast, is not just sustainable for people to survive but, when treated well, can continue to thrive itself. I also found it interesting that many of the highways and roads that we travel along today came from the paths the indigenous peoples' traveled along because they led to prosperous areas of land.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:10 PM
A friend told me about bamboo toothbrushes that you can buy at Target! I was shocked and then pleasantly surprised. If Target can sell bamboo toothbrushes then surely there must be more places locally that are stocking bamboo products.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:09 PM
I like that by researching the types of practices I want to see done by businesses and organizations has caused me to think more locally and environmentally friendly. As a by-product of this I am becoming more involved in my local community and what it has to offer than getting products from faraway places.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:07 PM
In my research I found it interesting that the farms from which we get our food are causing so much destruction to our planet. I would've never thought that a place where so many fruits/vegetables grow could cause harm to our planet. I learned a lot about nitrogen fertilizers and it made me realize how much it matters where I buy my produce from.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:05 PM
I'd never heard of biomass before reading the book and doing this challenge. I find it fascinating that all these types of technologies are being created but hardly anyone is talking about it. These are the types of projects that need to be invested in.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Margarete Freund 4/24/2019 3:04 PM
I traveled to NYC for part of my Spring Break and forgot how much more walking there is to do there! It's prompted to me to opt to walk whenever possible instead of driving and to not park so close to where I need to be so that I may walk around. I would also like to see more sidewalks or trails put in Woodstock so that walking on side roads can be more doable and safe.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

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?
Margarete Freund 4/10/2019 2:50 PM
Sometimes all those R's are overwhelming to consider. I find it easier to think about trying one of the R's and figuring out all the ways I can incorporate that into my life then adding on other R's. For example, I find it easy to reuse paper as I collect any scraps that have blank space on the back to jot notes down on, etc. I find it easy to reuse school materials such as folders and binders. I feel that once this becomes integrated into my life I will be able to start repairing items that can be reused if only they were fixed.

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