EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Sonia Kushnirskiy

Poly Prep Green Devils

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
817 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

8.0

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

117

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

trees

planted
UP TO

4.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

24

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

203

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Sonia's actions

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 4 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 4
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

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 4 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

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

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Stay on the Ground

#43 Airplanes, #63 Telepresence

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/17/2019 11:56 AM
When I went to Canada last year, instead of flying on an airplane for 3 hours, me and my family drove for 8 hours. It was exhausting but a lot less expensive and resourceful.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What could you do differently to waste less?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 1:25 PM
I tend to use more recyclable things than plastic and un-recyclable things.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 8:59 AM
Another way to save water is when you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off. Then when you need to rinse, turn it back on. Also when you are taking a shower, don't put the water pressure all the way up. This uses up to two times as much water. Keep it on medium or low.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/11/2019 8:58 AM
When me and my mom were at staples buying supplies, we realized that we needed copy paper. I looked at the 300 pack, and it didn't say it was recyclable. I showed my mom and she said that we need paper that can be recycled. We went to another store and got it, and for a cheaper price. This inspired me to buy more things that are recyclable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/04/2019 10:36 AM
Planting trees is really important for our environment. Trees produce oxygen, which helps us and organisms breathe. Also trees are homes to little animals and bugs.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What is the most exciting solution you explored? Why is it exciting to you?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 11:07 AM
I found many great solutions, but the best one I found was light sensors. Which means that lights automatically turn on when a person enters a room, and turn off when it doesn't sense motion. I actually have these light sensors in my room and they really help any time I forget to turn off the lights. Instead of wasting energy and electricity when forgetting to turn off the lights, you can have lights that turn off for you. They are also completely affordable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How are environmental issues like black carbon and other emissions from cooking fires or rudimentary cookstoves also human health and social justice issues? Why do these issues matter to you?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:44 AM
I saw a zero-waste challenge video on youtube a week ago. This Saturday I wanted to try to make a zero-waste cake with my sister. When I went to the store, I looked for food that can be easily composted and I looked for smaller portions. It was really fun and I made a small no-waste chocolate cake.

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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?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:41 AM
Whenever I go to the store I always check expiration dates. If I notice something that is less than a week over due, I know it's okay to eat it. Yesterday I actually watched a short video about the truth about expiration dates. It said that it is normally okay to eat food that expired less than a week ago. So I won't throw out food that expires on the day I want to eat it. This helps people make better decisions about wasting food.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

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?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:35 AM
Me and my family hate wasting. Whenever we have the chance to reuse something, we take it. Also if my family doesn't finish a meal, we either save it or compost it. I like to repair broken toys, and things instead of throwing them out. My family also tries to reduce trash every day. We also received two compost bins last year and have been using them as much as we can.

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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?
Sonia Kushnirskiy 4/03/2019 9:33 AM
I regularly use straws, plastic cups, and plastic bags. I know a couple of cafes that use plastic straws. Instead we can use paper or metal straws. Instead of plastic cups we can use paper cups, or better, glass and clay. I know that most Trader Joe's have recyclable paper bags instead of plastic bags. We can inform our local stores to use paper bags instead.

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