EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Megan Carriere

ARROWSTREET EAST & SOUTH

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,301 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

160

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

18

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

104

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

120

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

80

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

40

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

160

miles

not traveled by car

Megan's 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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 16 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 4.05 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 7 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

Materials

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

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

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

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

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 18 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 48 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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 Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 3 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 4 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 2 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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?

Megan Carriere 4/24/2019 11:42 AM
Regenerative Agriculture

https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2018/08/17/3-basic-tenets-of-regenerative-farming-could-improve-soil-health-food-production-and-bottom-lines

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. In what ways (i.e. with money, time, advocacy) can you invest in geothermal energy?
Megan Carriere 4/24/2019 10:55 AM
Despite its reliability, abundance, and efficiency, the cost of geothermal is still prohibitive which is a deterrent for investment.

Read More
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!
Megan Carriere 4/24/2019 9:30 AM
I have previously heard of biomass technology before but I learned more about conversion processes that created different byproducts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=yHWcddUZ35s

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?
Megan Carriere 4/24/2019 9:28 AM
I learned about the different technology to produce electricity and that tidal barrages are the most efficient. Learning about some of the tidal constraints to produce electricity was surprising.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?
Megan Carriere 4/17/2019 10:07 AM
My community actually promotes some sustainable practices, like collecting rain water. Making that process slightly more accessible and less costly would help to change some habits.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?
Megan Carriere 4/17/2019 10:06 AM
A community that creates less plastic! We would need to do a lot of packaging overhauls and product redesign to become less dependent on plastics - at least the plastics that cannot be easily recycled.

Read More
Megan Carriere 4/16/2019 9:49 AM
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/best-enjoyed-by/
https://www.savorpod.com/podcasts/expiration-dates.htm

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Megan Carriere 4/16/2019 9:48 AM
If I understand the terminology associated with the product, I will be better able to determine if food is indeed not safe to consume or if I can reduce my food waste.

Read More
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?
Megan Carriere 4/15/2019 9:55 AM
I can change a few habits, like seeking to shop local more often, and supporting local women when I shop local.

Read More
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?
Megan Carriere 4/15/2019 9:40 AM
I use daily walks to talk to my daughter and to notice context around me, when she's not walking with me.

Read More