EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Ray Berg

EcoChallenge Rhinebeck

"If not now, when?"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,399 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

700

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

20

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2.0

trees

planted
UP TO

32

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

490

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

20

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

700

miles

not traveled by car

Ray's actions

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 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 100 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 69.98 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 7
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

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

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 2 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

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

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 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
Food

Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?
Ray Berg 4/24/2019 12:03 PM
After reading so much during the EcoChallenge and and paying attention to DrawDown, I feel guilty about throwing away excess food. I’m so much more aware when shopping

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Ray Berg 4/24/2019 10:45 AM
It integrates the planting of trees and maintaining old growth with grazing of livestock it is so much closer to what nature intended

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice

How could better walking infrastructure make your city both more enjoyable and more equitable?
Ray Berg 4/24/2019 10:41 AM
We have sidewalks and bike paths but they are not in gray shape and don’t reach all parts of the village. People with any difficulty walking are at a disadvantage

Read More
Ray Berg 4/23/2019 5:39 PM
Crazy watching the numbers go up and up today!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Ray Berg 4/23/2019 10:18 AM
I try to take public transportation every chance I get. When I lived in the city, I took the bus or walked. So glad this area has commuter trains

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?
Ray Berg 4/22/2019 7:05 AM
Seems like almost everything is made in another country where the environmental laws are lax or none existent. I am trying to buy more sustainable and locally made products

Read More
Ray Berg 4/21/2019 5:26 AM
Walking to town vs driving. When I lived in the city, I walked everywhere. Living upstate has gotten me into habit of driving EVERYWHERE! This has been eye opening

Read More
Ray Berg 4/20/2019 4:24 AM
Looking forward to getting home and increasing recycling effort

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
Ray Berg 4/19/2019 7:09 AM
Walking forces me to slow down and pay attention to small details. It puts you intouch with the sounds of the day. Birds chirping, dogs barking, the rattle of dishes through someone’s kitchen window. Much nicer then buzzing by in a car

Read More
Ray Berg 4/19/2019 7:06 AM
Still struggling with reducing plastic!

Read More
- Leola Specht 4/19/2019 8:23 AM
  It sure does take a lot to adjust to reducing the use of plastic -- seems like nearly everything is packed in non-recyclable plastic! Instead of saran wrap, I put a plate or bowl over a plate or bowl of leftovers in the fridge instead of disposable plastic or foil wrap. And we rinse produce bags and bring them back to the grocery to reuse when we buy produce.
  
  Read More