EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Kathleen ffolliott

WUC Disrupters

"“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
634 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

30

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

50

minutes

spent learning

Kathleen's 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

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Solar Water Consultation

#41 Solar Water

I will contact a local installer/distributor to see if a solar water heater makes sense for my house.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 5 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

UNCOMPLETED
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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Buildings and Cities Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

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

Kathleen ffolliott 4/12/2019 6:11 PM

I was intrigued to learn more about green roofs and white roofs. So far, I've found out that Ajax Rouge Hospital is developing a green roof: https://hkla.ca/portfolio/rouge-valley-hospital-rooftop (and by the renderings it looks like it will be really attractive), and UOIT's University Studios student housing has a green roof on one of its garages: https://hkla.ca/university-studios-1900-simcoe (this looks more like an attempt to look ecofriendly, but it's a start), and the Technology Building at UOIT also has a green roof. As for white roofs, I was surprised to learn that the Oshawa Centre's entire roof ( 260,000 sq. ft.) is white--to reduce air pollution and GHG emissions. There's a photo of it on p. 12 of this Durham Report on heat islands in the region: https://www.durham.ca/en/regional-government/resources/Documents/Council/ChairStatements/Durham_Heat_Island_AODA-300418.pdf. I think we'll be seeing more businesses get white roofs in the future as summers get increasingly hot. I think it'll take a while to get homeowners on board with white roofs, though.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

Kathleen ffolliott 4/06/2019 8:30 AM

As an editor, I use a LOT of paper. I have sourced out a few options for 100% recycled paper. In our meeting with Sandra McEwan, Mary had indicated she hadn't been able to find 100% recycled paper towels. Staples has a line of recycled products called "Sustainable Earth." I purchase the toilet paper which has the added benefit of being PLASTIC FREE
(the rolls come in a box, and the individual rolls are wrapped in paper). They also have paper towels, which are 100% recycled fibre. Maybe the church could consider this product: https://www.staples.ca/en/Sustainable-Earth-by-Staples-Multifold-Paper-Towels-Natural-16-Pack/product_887854_1-CA_1_20001?bc_pid=ODg3ODU0&bc_lid=17&cvo_cid=staplescan.576725&cid=EM%3ARS%3ABrowse_EN_BC&om_rid=9af17b0adf220603d2617cd509ebd5d4&cm_lm=9af17b0adf220603d2617cd509ebd5d4

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More About Geothermal Energy

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?

Kathleen ffolliott 4/05/2019 5:55 PM

It's frustrating to know that incentives for renewable energy projects no longer exist in our province. Geothermal seems like a great option to heat and cool a home. I read two articles about families in Ontario (one in Brooklin) that have it, have had it for years, and love it. I used to think you had to have a vast property to install such a system, but in narrow residential plots, they can dig deeper in a small area to install the piping needed. These are the interesting articles I read: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/toronto/article-geothermal-heating-proves-glorious-for-these-ontario-homeowners/

http://www.carbondiet.ca/green-success-stories/geothermal-heating-and-cooling.html

With our current provincial government, advocacy would be useless; however, perhaps there are or will be federal grants that might make geothermal easier to obtain.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Explore Other Food Solutions

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

Kathleen ffolliott 4/04/2019 7:16 PM

There are a lot of drawdown solutions in the food sector--both on the supply side (e.g., agriforestry, silvopasture, biochar) and in the demand side (what we do with the food we purchase, e.g., composting, minimizing food waste, eating a plant-rich diet). It's interesting to learn that the supply side solutions help sequester carbon, while the demand side help reduce emissions. And as with most mitigation actions, the solutions have co-benefits (e.g., by eating a plant-rich diet not only helps reduce emissions, it is also healthier for us).

Read More
Kathleen ffolliott 4/03/2019 12:22 PM

Just completed my first challenge re learning about food waste. Had to keep up with Susan! The website Susan posted to learn about dates on food is a quick read. It includes links to a cookbook for using food scraps/leftovers (http://www.gibbs-lab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Cookbook050516.pdf) and an online quiz testing what-would-you-do situations regarding food. The quiz explains the whys of the answers, which is helpful. And there's even a link to an app for looking up storage info on any food item you have. Thanks for sharing the info, Susan!

Read More
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?

Kathleen ffolliott 4/03/2019 12:17 PM

I think we tend to assume use by, sell by, and best by all mean the same thing. However, none of them mean the item is unsafe to eat. They are just guidelines for individuals and stores. This info is helpful to know, so we don't automatically assume there's an element of danger in eating something a month or so past the use/sell/best by date. Now, I've got to convince my teenage son about this! When he sees a date, he assumes something is poisonous after that date.

Read More
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?

Kathleen ffolliott 4/03/2019 12:17 PM

I think we tend to assume use by, sell by, and best by all mean the same thing. However, none of them mean the item is unsafe to eat. They are just guidelines for individuals and stores. This info is helpful to know, so we don't automatically assume there's an element of danger in eating something a month or so past the use/sell/best by date. Now, I've got to convince my teenage son about this! When he sees a date, he assumes something is poisonous after that date.

Read More