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April 3 - April 24, 2019
Alethea Ramirez's avatar

Alethea Ramirez

EcoChallenge Rhinebeck

"To make the world better so our grandchildren see the beauty that we were able to see growing up"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 315 TOTAL

Alethea's actions

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 15 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:30 AM
    I can research online different ways to help the environment and become more involved in the recycling in my community.  
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Research Cement Alternatives
    Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:29 AM
    Some other materials that cause a large carbon footprint are how many miles you travel by car, bus, train and plane, home energy usage, running shoes and products purchased.  You can find out more by researching materials that do less environmental damage online or through community projects


  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants
    Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:21 AM
    Negative human activity is the waste that we produce which finds its way to our water supplies.  Recycling can help reduce waste and create new products for use.  Also not purchasing one time use products and plastics would greatly help our water supply 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Plant Trees
    How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:19 AM
    Planting trees is beneficial for the oxygen, beauty, and to create habitats for animals
  • 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?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:17 AM
    I had not heard of silvopasture before this challenge.  I think that the biggest advantage is that the land is being used for livestock and forest products
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk
    What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:15 AM
    I enjoy the natural landscape and the nature that is on our walks.  
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Research Heat Pumps
    Why is taking action on climate change important to you? Why do you care?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:14 AM
    It is important because we are losing natural habitats and animals and plants are going extinct.  Future generations will not know the beauty that once existed
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit
    What are your next steps for saving energy?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:13 AM
    I have an appointment to have new doors, windows and a new roof to be installed this summer
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Action Track: Social Justice Start a Social Media Campaign
    How are people responding to the statistics you're sharing on social media?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/24/2019 5:12 AM
    I have shared statistics and most people are knowledgeable due to that fact that the issue has been brought to the front lines on media and petition sites. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Local Perennial Biomass
    Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe states that "The reason we care about climate change is because it affects the people and places that we care about." What is happening (or will happen) in your area that will affect the people and places you care about?

    Alethea Ramirez's avatar
    Alethea Ramirez 4/19/2019 5:32 AM
    Climate change is currently causing the Hudson River to be listed as an endangered river, which will affect habitats, the landscape and beauty of the area