EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Lara Drinan

Reinhabitors-2019

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
686 Total

Participant Impact

up to

16

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
up to

70

miles

traveled by bus
up to

70

miles

not traveled by car
up to

29

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

266

gallons of water

have been saved
up to

200

minutes

spent exercising
up to

5.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
up to

20

minutes

spent learning

Lara's Actions

Buildings and Cities

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

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

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

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

Completed
One-Time Action

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

Completed
One-Time Action

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

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

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

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

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 25 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Feed

Reflection Question
Food Composting

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?

Lara Drinan 4/23/2019 9:13 AM

I think the hours of labor that are required to make the food we eat is something really important to think about. Whenever I drive through the central valley, I can see miles and miles of crop fields. More so, I can see hundreds of people working on these fields, no matter what the weather or conditions. I think it's important to appreciate the work that goes into each serving of food and it's actually quite painful to think about wasting it.

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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?

Lara Drinan 4/22/2019 7:43 PM

It's actually quite fascinating that people in North America eat more meat than in any other country, but it's not really that surprising. It's ironic because since we drive so much, it's not like we need a lot of protein to sustain ourselves. More so, there are a lot of really great ways to get a good protein intake that do not consist of meat such as beans or other legumes. In the US, there are so many grocery stores and markets that it's truly painful that people get lazy and opt for a fast-food burger over other healthier food. I understand that it's not always for lower-income people to buy organic, fair-trade food (tends to be priced higher), but that's simply a downfall of our society.

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Reflection Question
Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Lara Drinan 4/19/2019 9:44 AM

I find that walking through a city makes me notice buildings, garages, and even sidewalks in so much more detail than if I was driving. I find myself analyzing both the good and the bad when I'm walking around. I notice the imperfect sidewalks and the peeling paint on old buildings. Appreciating the details is something that is important to me and also makes me question what I'm missing when I just drive by.

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- Paul Scott 4/19/2019 12:55 PM
  
  Lara, I'm not sure what you made of David Abram's strange musings about the physical location of the things we call the future and the past. It's a weird bit of work, I will admit, but I've noticed that the idea seems less strange the more walking I do. Abram located the future beyond the horizon line (as well as on the invisible backside of something like a tree or a building or a car. It's what you cannot see right in front of you, but what you can see by moving. As you notice, walking slows down time and alters our experience of space, bringing into imaginative focus the possibility that time is not, in fact, an abstraction, but a malleable part of what our man Husserl called "the Life-world."
  
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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?

Lara Drinan 4/18/2019 11:53 AM

I find that I feel healthier and have more energy when I eat just the right amount of food. I don't mean not eating anything... but there's definitely a balance. After Thanksgiving or big restaurant meals, I feel so full that I find I have such low energy. I think that exercising self-control and not taking extra helpings -even if the food tastes really good- is highly beneficial in the long-term.

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Lara Drinan 4/17/2019 10:43 AM

In the past couple of years I have tried to get my family to compost regularly. I think my mom is more hesitant simply because she thinks it's a hassle and that it's an incentive for ants etc. Still, I bought I separate compost container for my kitchen and small green compost bags. I'm still making an effort to take the compost out more often etc.

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