April 3 - April 24, 2019

Gerry Eaton

"I’m aiming to become more educated and eco - aware over the next 3 weeks and hope to make some changes that we can continue with as a family after the challenge is finished. "

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
1,148 Total

Participant Impact

up to

21

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
up to

16

miles

traveled by bus
up to

16

miles

not traveled by car
up to

-0.6

pounds of CO2

have been saved
up to

5.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
up to

90

minutes

spent learning

Gerry's 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

Action Track: Social Justice

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or implementing some other small improvement.

Completed
One-Time Action

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

Completed
One-Time Action

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

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

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 3 friends, family and/or colleagues.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 8 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

Completed
One-Time Action

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

Gerry Eaton 4/24/2019 5:21 AM

Last day of the challenge and feel very inspired by it all! Thank you very much Karina for inviting me to join ! I have done and learnt things that I would not have known about otherwise and I am motivated to carry on making the small gestures that we have instigated as a family. Today on the last day it was really nice to walk down through the village armed with primroses and trowels to plant some flowers by a rather forlorn bus stop. By just being out we were able to have a conversation with somebody who lived next to the bus stop about some of the other issues other than lack of seating- lack of a litter bin being one of them.After initially being a little wary of what we were doing he came and strimmed the verge for us. Thank you Cyril!

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Reflection Question
Land Use Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 12:44 PM

I think that bamboo alternatives are reasonably available here. I have bought new cloche hoops for the veg patch which are bamboo. We have bought bamboo picnic plates not locally but I know that you can buy something similar in our local town. I really like it as a material - it is fairly lightweight and durable and whist growing very good at absorbing carbon. Bamboo fibre can also be spun into a lightweight breathable fabric

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Reflection Question
Food Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 4:00 AM

Farm waste is used to restore land fertility so that synthetic nitrogen based fertilisers are not needed. Practices such as land tilling are avoided as this releases CO2 into the atmosphere Water evaporates much more quickly into the atmosphere from tilled soil requiring it then to be watered more frequently while crops are growing. Crop rotation and practices such as biochar are all examples of regenerative agriculture.

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Reflection Question
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 3:44 AM

Electric vehicles are cheaper to run and cheaper to maintain and by switching to one you have more choice where your energy comes from and you lessen overall dependence on fossil fuels

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Reflection Question
Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 3:31 AM

The most interesting fact and probably the most frustrating was the small proportion of electric or hybrid vehicles being manufactured given that the technology is available. It just seems to be the supportive infrastructure that is lacking

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Reflection Question
Transport Use Public Transit

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 3:26 AM

I grew up with my mother who didn’t drive so we travelled everywhere by bus or train. I learnt to ride my bike early just to get some independence. Because we live in the country I use my car most of the time to transport the children but I try and make the journey economical by doing other jobs along the way. I have no problem with the idea of using public transport but it is not frequent here and quite expensive but I will try to use it a few times a month from now on

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Reflection Question
Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 3:18 AM

I am really shocked to think that the majority of the plastic that I have bought and used in my lifetime has gone into landfill. I have been very concerned about the amount of plastic in the sea and given the shocking footage we have seen recently the frustratinglly slow response of many companies to deal with this issue

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Reflection Question
Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 3:14 AM

Farming practices such as the use of nitrogen based fertilisers can impact the health of the water as they leach from the soil into the water system. Burning fossil fuels to generate energy can cause rain to fall as acid rain. Pollutants from industry are often disposed of into local water systems. and then the ocean . To combat these I think that education is keyand a longer term vision rather than immediatefinancial gain

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Reflection Question
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 2:51 AM

Since the beginning of the challenge I have started saving containers in which to plant seeds and we have made a compost bin from pallets . This feels good as we have saved money and have prevented plastic going into landfill. Since the beginning of the challenge Iam more likely to question whether I can repurpose reuse or recycle something before throwing it away.

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Reflection Question
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Gerry Eaton 4/23/2019 2:46 AM

We have resolved to reduce the amount of pre- packed fruit and veg that we buy from now on

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