EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Laney Holland

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

"Challenging myself to be better than I was yesterday, everyday."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
552 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

62

minutes

spent learning

Laney's actions

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 5 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 5 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 8 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 3.45 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 2 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

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?

Laney Holland 6/04/2019 12:20 PM
I learned that you have to do the hard thing most of the time when it comes to reducing carbon footprints. You have to realize things about yourself that you have learned, and things that are bad for you and your footprint might be from way deep in your life patterns, but you absolutely can do the hard thing and make a new pattern! Start with educating yourself, share those findings with people who are also curious, and get after it!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Laney Holland 4/14/2019 9:23 PM
I address the anxiety of climate change by trying to accept how bad we as humans have made it. We can make changes to slow it down, and THAT is what I have control over, me saving a straw might be only helping with 1% of the total pollution out there, but that doesn't make it less significant! Researching and digging into what I'm anxious about gives me the opportunity to learn so I can teach others who are just as fearful how we can really work towards lowering our carbon footprints. It's a team effort, as it should be.

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Laney Holland 4/14/2019 9:10 PM
I'm finding it harder as we go along to remember to log! Going to try setting alarms in my calendar to keep me on track...anyone else have any good tips?

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Laney Holland 4/05/2019 9:21 PM
The researching women-owned local business comes at a great time for me, as i'm trying to plan a wedding for next year! So far found some great Women owned and operated businesses in the Des Moines Area that would be fantastic!

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Laney Holland 4/05/2019 9:19 PM
Haven't been able to carpool with anyone just yet, but I've reached out and connected with people who are willing! Trying to make sure I'm not using my car on my days off and researching bikes I could commute with this summer.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Laney Holland 4/03/2019 9:16 PM
I would rather use that $1500 spent of wasted food on my education and put it toward classes. I tossed an ENTIRE AVOCADO like seriously.

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Laney Holland 4/03/2019 10:03 AM
Checked off a few of the actions for today! Going to try not to use my car today and going to use some old art supplies i have to make A food waste chart to keep track of what i'm throwing out! Anyone else doing the waste tracker?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Laney Holland 4/02/2019 11:39 PM
Helpful in that i can look at labels and determine what MUST go and what can be used, and to check the labels at the store so I can better choose products that I can use within the timeframe!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women? Can you share any past experiences that may help others take action?
Laney Holland 4/02/2019 11:28 PM
Was not aware that Iowa has consistently been last place for women owned business! Going to have to dig deeper...

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
Laney Holland 4/02/2019 11:18 PM
I'm going to keep looking into Temperate forests and using the as Carbon "banks, this one is overwhelming to me, so I'm going to dig in!

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