EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Brian Filiatraut

Poly Prep Green Devils

"What I do locally, affects people globally. I will do my best to do my part. Please do your best to do your part."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,088 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

56

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

35

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

335

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

56

miles

not traveled by car

Brian's actions

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 14 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 4.03 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 2 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Advocate for Solar Installation

#10 Rooftop Solar

I will create a plan to and advocate for solar installation at my business, apartment building, or campus.

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Rooftop Solar Consultation

#10 Rooftop Solar

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

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
Transport

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?
Brian Filiatraut 4/24/2019 2:36 PM
Over spring break I flew to Orlando, FL. I just offset my entire family's carbon footprint. I don't fly all that often. Once, maybe twice a year. Anything within a 10 hour car drive, I drive or take mass transit. It's better for the environment.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Identify some ways in which modern human societies have become unsustainable. What kind of roles do individuals have in creating and changing practices in society?
Brian Filiatraut 4/24/2019 6:07 AM
Individuals have a huge role in impacting their community - be it small or large. Every little bit we all do individually can influence and make a huge difference collectively. I'm hoping solar at Poly will inspire the Poly community to do more, as well as other schools, be it more local in NYC or nationally. We all can make a difference.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

How does advocating for rooftop solar connect to your values? How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to clean energy?
Brian Filiatraut 4/10/2019 10:40 AM
Open for any high school student:
On Tuesday, April 23rd, NYU + Solar1 will be leading a workshop on solar photovoltaics and actually building two solar tables. Interested? Please email me, [email protected].

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Brian Filiatraut 4/09/2019 7:36 AM
I love taking public mass transit. It allows me to do work, read, or unwind by listening to a podcast, as well as walk more.

Read More
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?
Brian Filiatraut 4/08/2019 2:51 PM
In my old life, I used to not care about single-use items, but now I use all things reusable - coffee mug, water bottle, tote bag, my Rocketbook notebook, metal / glass tupperware with silicone stretchable lids, silicone-based toothbrush. And if I forget, say my coffee mug, then I'm not drinking coffee that day. People need to commit to a new lifestyle; we all need to help out and nudge each other in the right direction.

Read More