EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Chris Kelling

HR Climate Coolers

"Encourage climate change awareness!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,013 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

135

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted

Chris's actions

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 10 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 10 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

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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 Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 10 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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?

Chris Kelling 4/24/2019 9:27 AM

There's a famous plot/chart by Michael Mann known as the "hockey stick" graph that shows how humans have affected global warming. It's called the Hockey stick because its shape is composed of one long gradual cooling trend in global air temperature over the last 1,000 years (the 'handle'), until the last 150 years which show an abrupt spike upward in temperature that began in the mid 1800s (the 'blade' of the stick). This abrupt change in the general cooling direction cannot be attributed to any natural cycles or causes, but coincides with the industrial revolution and the uptick in use of coal and increased industry -- human, anthropogenic influence.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?

Chris Kelling 4/23/2019 10:33 PM

One thing I've learned about wave and tidal energy is that they are very small contributors in the renewable energy marketplace. I also recently learned that, outside of hydroelectric power, all the other sources of renewable energy make up only 2% of global electricity generation. This means we have a long way to go, but also lots of opportunity if we can reduce the costs of these options, and get people away from burning coal (which is the worst contributor to greenhouse gases).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Chris Kelling 4/23/2019 4:38 PM

I had never heard of silvopasture. But I like the idea, and think the biggest advantage is that it is making the best use of an integrated approach to land and livestock in a very sustainable way, good for both livestock and the land.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Research Peatlands

Much of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?

Chris Kelling 4/23/2019 4:27 PM

Even if peatlands are far away, one can still support government regulation to protect them. Peat bogs are really interesting due to the amount of carbon they store, and also just from being historically significant. My neighborhood actually has a peat bog in it (called Queens Bog) that is 11,000 years old, and they city is currently surveying recommended uses/changes for the adjacent park. I answered them that the most important thing was to preserve the environmental significance of the peat bog.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety. What would need to change for you to regularly choose more climate-friendly options?

Chris Kelling 4/22/2019 10:17 PM

After reading about high-speed rail, I remain optimistic that its day will eventually come. Especially if we have efficient driver-less cars that can get people easily to convenient train stations. I'll never forget how impressed I was when I first saw people commuting by trains, and thought, why not Seattle? We're just not there yet...but one day we will be.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Chris Kelling 4/22/2019 9:59 PM

I think a way to stay positive about climate change issues is to remember that there are a lot of creative people studying it. There's also a whole lot of science to explain it. So if we can communicate about it better, and get political and economic action, there is still a lot we can do.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

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

Chris Kelling 4/22/2019 9:53 PM

How to go beyond recycling paper? I love paper -- I once even took a whole class about paper. But that's all the more reason to value it: to buy recycled, to try to use less (or at least avoid waste), to avoid printing documents when you can reference them online or on your laptop, to print double-sided when you do print. What I really wish I could do, however, is stop all the advertisers that send me junk mail every day, because that's where most of the paper that comes into our house comes from, and it's a shame it goes straight from the mailbox to the recycle bin when it should not have been printed in the first place.

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?

Chris Kelling 4/21/2019 5:24 PM

I think the sell by, best by, and use by dates are just guidelines, but what people really want to know is "is it safe to eat?" It would be nice if the wording of these was more standardized to avoid confusion. I normally always avoid things past their date, but yesterday pulled a box of cereal out of the garage with a 'best if used by' date that was quite old -- but it really tasted just fine and seemed to have nothing in it that would spoil. No ill effects...yet... :)

Read More
Chris Kelling 4/21/2019 5:11 PM

Puget Sound Energy has green power programs, where for a small additional monthly cost you can help invest in more renewable energy. It makes a difference: in March they sent an email about my participation saying that "in 2018, 4,800 kWh of renewable energy was purchased, reducing [my] carbon footprint by 4,238 lbs of CO2e. To put that into perspective, that's equivalent to 86 trees growing for 10 years!"

There are more than 46,000 participants in this program. See https://www.pse.com/green-options/Renewable-Energy-Programs/green-power for more information.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?

Chris Kelling 4/21/2019 4:57 PM

Since micro turbines can be placed on large structures to generate electricity from wind, why not have them on top of all city buildings? Since it looks like it could cost $15-50,000 to install these for a homeowner, it may not be practical for a homeowner especially if not in a windy area, but may be more practical for office towers. However, the good thing about wind power is that it is now becoming more cost competitive than most other renewable energy resources.

Read More