EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Debra Pineiro-Zucker

Woodstock Day School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,480 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

325

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

105

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

tree

planted
UP TO

63

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

1,744

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Debra's actions

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

Through social media, I will raise awareness about gender inequity in education by sharing the information found in the links below.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 15 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 3 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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 20 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

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

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?
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/24/2019 8:58 PM
This question generally would not apply to me or my family. The past year has been unusual, flying back and fourt across the country. We generally will fly if it is an emergency only.

In the future, when we fly we will buy carbon offsets.

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/24/2019 8:41 PM
If you a looking to purchase carbon offsets Google .......Cool Effect it is a crowdfunding platform that provides individuals the opportunity to support carbon emissions reductions by funding carbon-reducing projects around the world. Cool Effect is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Kentfield, California.[2]

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/24/2019 8:22 PM
I've done a lot flying this past year, which means tons and tons of co2 was released into the atmosphere. The eco-challenge encouraged and made real the importance of buying a carbon offset.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Private vehicles account for 60% of trips of a mile or less. Do you often drive short distances instead of biking or walking? If so, how might incorporating an electric bike into your lifestyle help you make more climate-friendly choices?
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/24/2019 1:50 PM
I loved riding the electric bike! It would certainly make sense for me to get one since I am about a mile away from the school. One problem, the bike I rode costs about $5000!!! Economically not possible. I'll continue to research them. Unfortunately economic inequality will continue to restrict the choices many people would like to make. The positive is that there are some choices that everyone can make.... recycle, don't use plastic bags, shorten your showers, etc.

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/18/2019 6:41 AM
The challenge has continued to help me ask the question how can I further reduce my carbon footprint and make changes. It's also encouraging to read the results of this challenge as far as co2 reduction, water saving, plastic recycling etc.
We need to spread and take on this challenge everyday!

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/15/2019 10:08 AM
Doing something every day to reduce my carbon footprint and hopefully encourage others helps me feel and be hopeful.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/14/2019 8:12 PM
Regenerative agriculture will not only give us clean air, water and healthy food, it will bring back the living organisms in the soil, bring back native vegetation, and the wild life to a specific area, as well as sequester carbon.

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/11/2019 1:29 PM
Today I received from Central Hudson their Energy Insights report. The report compares 100 homes in your area that have similar characteristics such as heating and housing type. We scored 9 with 10 being the best. I'm pretty happy about! Now we need to caulk some cracks and weatherstrip a bit.

Read More
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/11/2019 4:22 AM
Zero cloud cover, 13.1 hours of daylight!!!! I wonder how many kwh's my solar panels will produce today? 😎

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Debra Pineiro-Zucker 4/09/2019 8:52 PM
I'd never heard of silvopasture before the challenge. One of the biggest advantages of silvopasture is that when the pastures are planted with trees, the trees sequester five to ten times as much carbon as those of the same size that are treeless, storing it in both biomass and soil.

Read More