EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Marie Daniels

Woodstock Day School

"Go Wolves!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
865 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

20

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

34

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

10

conversations

with people
UP TO

7.1

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

40

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

2.0

donations

made
UP TO

20

miles

not traveled by car

Marie's actions

Action Track: Social Justice

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY 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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 19
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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 05 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.77 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 4
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

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 3 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Host a Film Screening

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

I will host a film screening and discussion about women's and gender equality issues.

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

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

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

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

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?

Marie Daniels 4/20/2019 10:50 AM
I am avoiding Nature Valley and Dove chocolate products for Easter baskets this year because they both contain Palm Oil. Click here for a Greenpeace video that shows why this is important.

Read More
- Ben Orlinsky 4/20/2019 11:15 AM
  way to go!
  
  Read More
Marie Daniels 4/17/2019 8:59 AM
I learned about palm oil containing products. Luckily the Aveeno products that I love are palm oil free. I was disappointed to learn that there is palm oil in Nature Valley Granola bars. Click here for a great video about why this is important.

Read More
- Olivia Siegel 4/17/2019 11:11 AM
  that video is super powerful
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

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?
Marie Daniels 4/17/2019 8:38 AM
Clean cookstoves impact lives in so many ways! Women and girls are safer and have more time to spend earning and growing food when they don't have to get wood from the forest. The forests are not being impacted by firewood gathering and our air is cleaner because the wood is not being burned. It felt so good to buy a clean cookstove for someone. My mom and I have been going through the drawdown site together today and talking about climate change issues together. She has been meaning to donate a cookstove since she first learned about these issues from Oprah and Mia Farrow and thanks to Drawdown we finally got around to it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Marie Daniels 4/11/2019 4:27 AM
This challenge has been much easier than I thought it would be! I have only thrown away half of a red onion since the challenge started. Since I did my grocery shopping more thoughtfully in order to achieve this, I have also made fewer trips to the grocery store and reduced my carbon footprint that way as well.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
Marie Daniels 4/04/2019 8:34 PM
I buy single serve yogurts and yogurt drinks, but I am eliminating them for the challenge. Instead I will buy large containers of yogurt and kefir and add them to fruit in reusable containers. This way I am using less dairy, and less plastic.

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- Dana Bonarrigo 4/05/2019 7:07 AM
  I have a bad habit of still using plastic bags at the food store. I need to just invest in reusable bags that I really like and keep them in my car.
  
  I stopped buying straws for the house and if I get a straw at Starbucks or wherever, I try to bring it home and use it for a few weeks before disposing of it.
  
  Read More
Marie Daniels 4/04/2019 8:30 PM
Anyone who wants to start a worm compost bin at home is welcome to worms from WDS. The Loius family donated some 5 years ago and they are thriving and multiplying. They love coffee grounds and cardboard. If all you give them is coffee, paper and yard waste they are also odor free.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Marie Daniels 4/04/2019 8:22 PM
Learning that these dates are not put on food as a matter of law and public safety, and are instead used as marketing to encourage people to throw out safe foods and buy more was eye opening.
One of my all time favorite films is Agnes Varda's The Gleaners and I, . This film explores food waste, among other things.

Read More