EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Kalama Reuter

CGCAN = Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network

"To grow in awareness and action in service to the planet"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
833 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

2.9

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

9.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

250

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

162

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

668

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

8.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Kalama's actions

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

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 7 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 2 friends, family and/or colleagues.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 15 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY 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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 25 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?

Kalama Reuter 4/24/2019 11:56 AM

Today I went to a first foods celebration with the Rock Creek band. The foods were totally local sourced -- salmon, local desert parsleys, choke cherries, bitterroot, huckleberries and even water was honored. And shared with gratitude!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Kalama Reuter 4/22/2019 12:38 PM

I really like this idea of maximizing energy and use from waste products. This adds to the vision of a sustainable community -- best scenario would be no waste and makes its own energy and clean water. Shades of the bubble cities of science fiction.

I am part of visioning a co housing development that hopes to grow some of our own food and share electric vehicles, tools and skills. Embracing our interdependence and valuing diversity can open new more efficient ways of accomplishing group tasks. Hopefully everyone can do what they love and be productive!

Change from focus on immediate expense to focus on long term rewards and moving toward wholeness in our perspectives instead of individual benefits.

Read More
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?

Kalama Reuter 4/21/2019 8:32 AM

I do eat meat, but have given up dairy -- now wondering what are the impacts of my milk alternatives (coconut or almond milk)? I am eating 2 -3 vegan meals a week encouraged by the Challenge and creating a habit to be more and more aware of these daily choices.

I don't drink coffee, but do buy occasional red meat when it is in the last chance bin. Doing my part to decrease waste.

Read More
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?

Kalama Reuter 4/21/2019 8:27 AM

My area lies in the Cascade Mountain range and is heavily forested. As the years of drought and low snow pack add up, the health of the forests is threatened by insect infestation and forest fires. In fact one careless spark has destroyed 50,000 acres of 100 year old forest two years ago.

I was appreciating a large deciduous tree out my window -- not yet leafed out for spring. What if trees could no longer muster the energy? Our oxygen supply would be compromised. We are part of a web and keep poking holes in it, expecting the net to continue to hold us up!

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?

Kalama Reuter 4/21/2019 8:21 AM

Hopefully less waste! I even found a Best if Used by date on a water bottle. We are really in trouble if water expires!! Of course we are all exposed to the plastic toxicity that is leaching into the bottled water.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Advocate for Forest Protection

Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?

Kalama Reuter 4/21/2019 8:18 AM

I am very concerned about plastics' life cycle as the mountains of undegradable materials mount up and end up inside other animals and oceans and us. I find I am offended by people using bottled water and throwing away a container that can no longer be recycled by shipping overseas. I wish we would ban the use of those plastics we do not have the capacity to recycle! The upside is that these materials are in fact sequestering carbon, but like nuclear waste, we need to store them safely away. (Melt them into roadways??)

Read More
- Addy Davidson 4/21/2019 11:13 AM
  
  Yes, please! Let's make roads out of the stuff, which has been proven to work elsewhere.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Kalama Reuter 4/21/2019 8:12 AM

This is a trip across the country to attend a conference in W Virginia. Instead of a thoughtless expensive blimp and big CO2 balloon. I will take the opportunity to travel on the ground and see the National Parks along the way. Slowing down, touching the Earth. Being where I am instead of anticipating where I am going.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Research Retrofitting Incentives

How can you share what you have learned in your research with others?

Kalama Reuter 4/19/2019 9:18 AM

Yes, my county through state grants offers incentives to low income people to do home repairs that result in energy savings. Nice to know that people can get low interest loans for making their homes more livable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Kalama Reuter 4/10/2019 8:54 PM

We traveled to Georgeville to get a community garden going with the Native people. What a wonderful family. They all got involved in preparing the soil and planting the raspberries. We even found some native plants on the way that they will use in their First Foods feast coming up next week.
We feel delighted to make connections and exchange learnings. What struck me most besides their enthusiasm was the way they watched first and then were able to completely master the process. Hopefully they will enjoy those berry plants for years.

Read More