EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Zenona Darrow

Woodstock Day School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
450 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

13

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

32

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

95

minutes

spent learning

Zenona's 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

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

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

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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 4 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 20 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Zenona Darrow 4/08/2019 8:59 AM

I have two bank accounts and one I barely use but still sends me paper statements. So I logged into my account online and made sure to opt for paperless billing. Only took about 5 minutes :)

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Zenona Darrow 4/08/2019 8:35 AM

Forgot to check the past couple of days :( Still been keeping up with my challenges! Bought peanut butter and a chocolate bar and made sure there was no palm oil.

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Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:16 AM

My challenge is going well. I'm noticing there are a lot of things that I already do that I haven't really noticed I do that are pretty ecologically friendly.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:14 AM

I do my best to live an ecofriendly life. My family and I have recycled for as long as I can remember. We buy locally, we compost, our home is heated by wood and not gas. It's hard to feel like I'm making enough of a difference. Climate change is terrifying, and it's something every single person needs to be working to slow down. At this rate, I'm afraid for my future. I'm afraid for the next generations. There is no reversing our damage, but we need to work to start preventing damage.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:12 AM

I purchase cocoa that is fair trade and small business, so I'm not contributing to the devastating big industry cocoa companies. I don't drink coffee so that was easy. The thing to really look out for is palm oil, since it's snuck into a lot of candies and peanut butter and things like that. I keep it in mind when shopping for peanut butter, but since I don't eat a lot of candy I didn't have to look out there.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

In your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:10 AM

North Americans don't realize how simple it is to make changes to eat less meat. We like convenience, and we think eating meat is easier than avoiding meat.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:09 AM

Supporting local good systems is inspiring because you get to contribute to someone's business and hard work. My family buys local produce as much as possible when it's in season. We also buy local milk and dairy products, as well as eggs. Buying local also helps the environment, since we're not purchasing food that has to travel a long way.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:07 AM

We will eat less if we have smaller portions. You can always go back to get seconds, instead of loading up a big serving and not ending up eating it all. It's good to take your time while eating so you can eat the right amount and not too much.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Zenona Darrow 4/04/2019 9:05 AM

Sell by is the date the stores are supposed to sell a product by, get it off the shelves. Best by means the product is best to be used by that date, and is at maximum freshness before that date, but is still able to be eaten after that date. Use by is more like an expiration date, and the product should be used before that date.

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