EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Jason Santos

Seton Hall University

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,297 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

155

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

285

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

19

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1,058

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Jason's actions

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

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

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

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

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

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 15 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 20 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

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

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

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

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 15 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

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?
Jason Santos 4/24/2019 10:27 AM
We are already seeing weather that extends to the next season such as snow in Spring for the past couple of years.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?
Jason Santos 4/24/2019 10:24 AM
It would have to encompass a low impact lifestyle such as sacrificing common appliance uses and going to different markets. Also, food production would not only be solely organic, but a mix of using organic and technological advances to make healthy food. If we were to take the small-scale organic approach, it could lead to a poorer society and nutritionally deficient population.

Read More
Jason Santos 4/24/2019 10:15 AM
The final day of the Drawdown Ecochallenge. It was fun competing and helping the environment at the same time!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!
Jason Santos 4/24/2019 10:07 AM
Planning is of utmost importance to prevent any confusion. Not only will it save some time, but it will set realistic expectations for future trips and plans.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 7:31 PM
Like many, I am guilty of drinking lots of coffee. Coffee beans are one of the plants that use an abundance of land to match the output of how many people drink coffee daily, leading to deforestation. To combat this, we should look for coffee that is "shade-grown" which is less likely to have caused deforestation of other native plants.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 6:21 PM
Forests can be a place of tranquility for those who want to be with their thoughts on a hike. There is a certain kind of aura that forests evoke such as when leaves rustle in the wind or hearing small animals bustle.

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?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 6:17 PM
It creates more biodiversity by attracting wildlife as well as protection for livestock.

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?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 6:12 PM
It has the ability to reverse climate change by increasing soil carbon stocks and nurtures biodiversity.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 5:13 PM
In Brazil, carbon emissions were cut by 3.2 billion by protecting trees in the Amazon. Other places have not been so successful as governments are forcing indigenous people to give up their lands. We must raise awareness to protect our ecosystem and support these people.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
Jason Santos 4/23/2019 9:49 AM
In 2017, Australia sent out the first fully solar-powered train on one trip. Since then, there have been others following suit such as the UK and India. In ten or so years, solar-powered trains could be commonplace.

Read More