EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Patricia Miraglilo

Seton Hall University

"To learn everyday and use my education to inform others around me."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
886 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

60

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

110

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Patricia's actions

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

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

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 22
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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/24/2019 1:07 PM

The amount of products that surround us on a daily basis contain palm oil, which is a high contributor to deforestation today. To decrease my impact I have educated myself on products that include it and will try to avoid them in the future and tell others about them as well.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/23/2019 8:06 AM

Not only will making my home more energy efficient be beneficial for the environment, but it will also benefit the monthly expenses that goes into the home.

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?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/23/2019 8:05 AM

I was surprised by the potential that these systems have and the amount of energy that is potentially available to us through the power of the ocean/water.

Read More
Patricia Miraglilo 4/11/2019 8:25 AM

Besides my daily challenges, I have been trying to do one of the one-time challenges each day when I check in to make the most of my learning and research during the challenge.

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?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/11/2019 8:19 AM

The primary way that I think that I could invest in geothermal energy would be through advocacy and spreading what I have learned about it, because I know that this is something that many people may not be aware of at all of this form of energy and how possible it could be to adapt/integrate it into our current energy systems.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/11/2019 8:15 AM

One motivator that would inspire me to consider switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles besides those motivators already listed is the fact that my monthly expense of fuel would go down substantially. Improving my own health, like when opting to walk instead of taking a vehicle for shorter distances.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

Patricia Miraglilo 4/09/2019 2:24 PM

Family planning is not only something that will improve the environment, but it is also something that is necessary to improve the quality of life for millions of women on the planet. There are many different institutions that are trying to tackle the issue, but resistance to family planning rights to women are still restricted in world powers like the United States, which shows there is still a lot of work and advocacy to be done.

Read More
Patricia Miraglilo 4/09/2019 10:39 AM

Today with my Environmental Studies class we worked in the school's garden to prepare it for this spring. It felt good doing the garden work and I felt that I have gotten to know my classmates better because of it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/09/2019 10:37 AM

I want to begin prioritizing the experiences that I have and the people that are in my life over the material 'stuff' that I have.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Patricia Miraglilo 4/09/2019 10:36 AM

When I make the choice to walk or take my bicycle, I feel more engaged and connected to Mother Earth around me as well as the community and people I pass by daily. With driving, there is a barrier between myself and nature which disconnects me from that feeling.

Read More